On the first day of Swiss stage we saw T1 go up against TES but that is not the only time we've seen this happen recently as they fought in the Esports World Cup in the finals where T1 won the series 3-1, unlike their devastating loss during the Swiss stage. Will they remain king in this Quarterfinals Bo5 or is this the end of the line for a fan favorite team?
T1 left a lot to be desired from their performances during Summer Season at LCK, but they looked in much better form at the group stage displaying incredible teamwork just taking control over the whole game. Oner definitely stands out being at a much higher level than he was during regular season, this definitely helps all the players have an easier time taking over the map.
TES haven't seemed consistent in the group stage but they're nevertheless a force to be reckoned with. Given the chance they can take down any team with ease, the question is whether they will find that chance or struggle to dismantle a team that shows no weakness.
The strength's of T1 are clearly their flawless early game along some of the best Macro gameplay possible; it's exceedingly hard to get a lead against them in the laning phase with pretty much every opponent so far falling behind quite quickly. Putting this together with their Macro game it feels as if they're behind the steering wheel the entire match.
There still are however very glaring issues with the team, firstly the champions picked in their drafts. Admittedly the midlane champion pool is not amazing for Faker but the issue is team wide, we've seen them consistently draft pure engage and very linear compositions, the kind you would find in your Solo Queue games; Drafts like these tend to be a gamble, meaning if you don't win certain fights or kill specific targets at exact moments of the game your chances of winning the game will simply become slimmer the longer it goes on.
This draft issue is directly tied to another problem they have faced, converting their early game leads into a way to win the game. If they start steering towards different champions they will end up with more options to win the game rather than being forced on engages that have slim chances of working out even if they have a lead already. This was very clear during the last game against TES where they found incredible engages but still lost every fight due to very small mistakes. Either they have learned from this defeat and will become unstoppable or go down the same path and be eliminated in Quarters.
It has been hard to pinpoint the key aspects of TES as they have not been the most consistent team so far. Teamfighting is a clear strenght of them as they have ended on top of many situations that seemed very one sided for their opponents. It's no surprise that an LPL team can not only turn the tables as they love creating fights, but is here where they end up sometimes biting off more than they can chew.
As seen in their match against GenG very well coordinated Macro can leave them scrambling with no idea what the best play is for them; any time TES got something GenG got even more afterwards. If you split apart this team or pick off individual member the strength of their teamfighting gets significantly weaker, this is something T1 could easily exploit. Facing TES head on is not likely to get any team a win.
A huge part of their success has been their botlane Jackeylove and Meiko making the team win almost any fight they are on. This is also thanks to their teammates playing around them incredibly well, always making sure the ADC stays safe and unreachable. Taking down Jackeylove or his bodyguards will be crucial to beating this team.
The botlane matchup is going to be an incredible thing to watch this series, but whoever has the better Macro and control of the map will most likely end up being victorious. The vast champion pool on T1's side will definitely make this a very exciting match.
As always, put your prediction in the comments as to which TEAM will advance to Semifinals, the winner will get 30€ in Riot Store Merch of their choosing!
As for me, I believe this will be a nail bitting Bo5 ending in 3-2 with T1 moving forwards.