“All Roads Lead Through Me”…T1 Defeats Weibo to Become Summoner Emperor
T1 is back on top of the world after seven years. T1 defeated Weibo Gaming in the final of the League of Legends (LoL) World Championship (Worlds-Rolled Cup) to claim the title.
Faker (Sang-hyuk “Lee” Lee, 27), who last won the Worlds title in 2016, also expressed his happiness at winning his fourth title, especially with his T1 teammates, with whom he has worked together for many years. Faker, who used to say that ‘all roads lead to me’ to many challengers, proved it once again.
T1 wins the championship with an overwhelming performance
Both offline and online were abuzz ahead of the Worlds (Rold Cup) finals. Expectations were high that Faker would continue the history it has been building, including a bracket that included only teams from the Chinese LPL, and its first championship in seven years.
The area around the Gocheok SkyDome in Guro-gu, Seoul, where the League of Legends Worlds (Rold Cup) Finals were held on April 19, was bustling even before the game started. Fans from all walks of life were there, including a 10-year-old fan who used Force to get a dramatic ticket while working a part-time job, and parents who mobilized three computers to get tickets for their children.
Their stories were different, but their wishes were the same. They wanted to lift the Summoner’s Cup, which hadn’t been lifted in seven years.
T1 answered the call. They rewarded their fans with a performance that exceeded expectations. They won the best-of-five series 3-0. Weibo Gaming, who owns the 2018 winner, The Shay (Kang Seung-rok-24), was stunned.
T1’s strategy was to thoroughly erase TheShay, who was a constant threat to Weibo Gaming, especially in the second game, where they constantly pounded the top lane to gain an advantage.
In his post-match interview, Dershay said, “The bans made it easier for my opponent to play,” adding, “I think I should have played a little more mindlessly in the last three sets. Zeus is also young and good, so I will continue to support him.”
The first set took 30 minutes and the second 30 minutes. In addition to the final score of 14-1 in the second set, the third set lasted 25 minutes, with a final score of 14-1. The difference in power was overwhelming.
◇Faker “What keeps me going as a professional gamer is…”
T1 players appeared in the press room one and a half hours after the game ended and couldn’t hide their smiles. They had often suffered defeats at the hands of Genzie Sports in the LCK, the domestic league, and were often frustrated at the final threshold in international competitions.
On the field, questions poured in for Faker, who has written numerous records. On this day, Faker repeatedly emphasized ‘development’ and ‘learning’. As a professional gamer who peaked in his late teens and decided to retire in his mid-20s, he said it’s important to keep learning in order to continue his career. Faker has been a professional gamer for more than 10 years, having debuted in 2013.
“This Worlds (Rolld Cup), I personally wanted to see what happens when you don’t care about wins and losses and just focus on the process,” Faker said. “When we were down 3-0, I went into it with the mindset that I could still laugh about it, and when we won, I didn’t want to be happy or emotional about it. I enjoyed the process, and it paid off.”
The players who won the championship also said that they will continue to improve. With the exception of Moon (Hyun-joon “Moon” Moon, 20) and Faker, all of their contracts with T1 expire this year.
“Before the start of the Rold Cup, we made a pledge (to re-sign) to win the championship,” said Kuma-yushi (Lee Min-hyung-20). I think we should fulfill it,” he said. “If the team gives us good feedback, I’m positive because I love T1 and its members so much.”
He also responded to a question about the “winning skin” that would attract the attention of users. Zeus, who won the day’s MVP (top-19), picked one of the Yone-Jays, Owner picked Rishin, and Keria picked Bard and Renata as his favorites for the winning skin. Kumayushi was firmly “jinxed,” while Faker was coy, saying he hadn’t decided yet.