With G2 eliminated from MSI, T1 is advancing to the loser bracket final against BLG. Who will go on to face Gen.G for the title? Find out in our match preview.
Photo Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
T1 vs BLG – It’s rematch time
Despite all the adversaries and the challenges, T1 are still in the game to win the title. Even more so after their 3-0 against G2, which no one probably expected. While the score didn’t really justify the performance had by both teams, T1 was always the one clutching out the crucial moments and rightfully earned their spot in the top three.
Now, they will go on to face BLG again, who they lost to in the losers’ bracket. That said, the previous series probably doesn’t have much meaning going into the series, especially with how both teams changed and evolved throughout the tournament. Let’s go briefly one by one and then make a prediction.
T1 – Tweaking things here and there
What I was most surprised about T1 is how quickly they were able to adapt to the meta. It felt like they initially wanted to find their own playstyle and meta read to be able to get edges over the opponents. Champions like Twisted Fate, Senna and Tahm Kench were just some of the few picks that only they heavily relied on. As soon as they realized it wasn’t working out, however, they immediately changed things up.
In the series against G2, this shift became clear: Keria is no longer on passive peelers but rather on hard engage champions like Alistar and Nautilus. Zeus has also gone from Twisted Fate to more traditional melee champions and Faker back to his mages. This is essential since the go-to button is no longer Oner and Faker but rather Oner and Keria, putting less pressure on T1’s mid laner.
On top of that, Gumayusi has also been stellar in the last series – we will have to see whether the T1 bot lane will maintain that form going into BLG.
BLG – It all depends on the meta read
Speaking of BLG, the general impression I got from their last series against Gen.G is that the team still hasn’t fully figured out what their most comfortable read is like. They are mostly trying to answer whatever is thrown at them and gaining edges during the laning phase. While it can work in one specific matchup, shaking things up for multiple roles can lead to synergy loss across the board whenever teamfights end up happening.
The positive thing about BLG is that all their laners have been great and I still think they are still the most solid laners (except for maybe Chovy) in the tournament. What they need to work on primarily should be their macro movements and the way they deal with the side lane pressure through Bin.
T1 vs BLG – the prediction
With this in mind, drafts will play out a huge role in determining the outcome of the series. Both teams definitely have the potential to take games from one another and I’m not expecting it to be a 3-0 series, despite what Gumayusi predicted yesterday.
For now, however, I feel like T1’s meta read is indeed better and they are generally better when it comes to dealing with high-pressure moments. The way they bounced back is remarkable and their win against G2 showed how consistent they are in pulling off the right triggers. I’m specifically looking at the jungle matchup because Xun is known for his hyper-aggressive playstyle with some of his pocket picks and Oner will have to find an answer to stop his early game presence. Based on what we’ve seen so far, I’m expecting a 3-1 or 3-2 victory for T1.
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