T1 Collects Data Like “Old Man” Against HLE
During the opening stage of the 2025 LCK Cup, head coach KkOma expressed his thoughts after the match where T1 faced HLE, emphasizing the need for T1 to gather data to implement effective strategies as LCK introduces Fearless Draft. In a scenario where T1 had to deal with Smash utilizing Ezreal, Kai’Sa, and Zeri—three champions that are not typically Gumayusi’s favorites—KkOma’s influence also helped T1 secure a number of victories despite the circumstances. Recently, T1’s loss to HLE was considered a “self-destruct” moment for the reigning champions.
However, it wasn’t just HLE’s impressive performance; effectively, T1 collected data during both sets of the match. Smash banned Corki—a champion that is quite challenging to handle, which Gumayusi had previously utilized in the last match. In the second game, he reverted to Kalista and utilized a duo strategy with Xayah—both champions that highlight Gumayusi’s skill, contributing to T1’s success in 2022 and establishing Xayah as a prominent champion in the 2002 meta.
Clearly, the data collection might not have been particularly useful for Smash if he were to use champions that Gumayusi typically excels with. As commentator Hoang Luan pointed out, “Data collection or analysis is only beneficial when Smash can play champions that Gumayusi does not perform well with. If Smash continues to use Gumayusi’s champions and loses, what value would that hold?”.
Furthermore, regarding the skill set needed to perform well in the lane, it was evident that anyone could see that this was a pivotal area for Smash. However, the AD duo player must possess skills that allow them to dominate their lane. It was precisely Gumayusi’s ability to control the lane that allowed T1 to execute this strategy during the Spring Split of 2022. This very strategy enabled T1 to dominate the bot lane, but this time, T1’s application of Smash led to a much more significant defeat than the first game.
T1 is Facing a Dilemma This Season
With only two slots available for the MSI tournament, HLE and Gen.G are proving to be considerably strong compared to T1, which is currently struggling. Moving towards the Worlds, teams like Dplus KIA or even NS are also preparing to challenge. Meanwhile, T1’s current strategies may still carry some positive signals but are often bringing confusion, and there’s a growing concern that T1 could end up missing the entire season.
