In the Match Where Fans Only Felt 3 Key Players for T1 During the Regular Season
With a team that has performed quite well since the start of the 2025 Regular Seasons, especially against Nongshim RedForce, it’s difficult for T1 to be underestimated. However, no one expected that T1 would face such adversity before a crucial match that could directly impact their position on the leaderboard.
Indeed, without the exceptional performances of Faker and Oner, as well as Keria in both games, T1 could have been defeated with a score of 0-2 against their direct competitor for the top spot.
Of course, according to statistics, when the drama has just begun, the focus seems to shift to Smash’s position. In reality, the match against NS cannot be said to have been played well. Especially in game 1, there were two critical situations where Zeri was unable to contribute significantly in team fights, leading T1 to come close to a frustrating defeat. However, one player stood out even more than Smash, and that was Doran.
Moreover, it can be said that if in game 3 Doran uses any champion other than a typical tank like Sion, he could continue to be a weak point for NS to exploit strategically.
On many occasions, numerous fans have expressed their feeling that currently, there are only 3 key players of T1 who truly dominate the game, namely Faker, Oner, and Keria. It can be said that the first match was due to Faker’s “cover” while game 3 was determined by Keria’s high-level cover.
T1 Cannot Solely Rely on Faker or Keria
With a team that is not overly strong like NS, Faker can shoulder the burden or play a pivotal role while Oner and Keria support him as key players. However, if the opponent is HLE, Gen.G, or DK, this situation is unlikely to occur. HLE has already shown T1 that it can easily defeat them at present.
If they continue to rely on the skill of a playmaker or tank champions like Rumble and Ornn—positions that are quite difficult to maneuver at the end of the game—T1 may face high stakes, especially with the upcoming MSI tournament.
