T1 Claims LoL World Championship Title After 7 Years... Dominates on Weibo (Comprehensive)

T1, the LCK team from the domestic League of Legends (LoL) league, has claimed the championship trophy at the World Championship (Worlds) for the first time in 7 years. This marks T1's 4th overall title.

On the 19th, T1 defeated China's LPL team Weibo Gaming with a set score of 3-0 in the 2023 Worlds finals held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul, securing the top spot.

On the afternoon of the 15th, at the Banyan Tree Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, Lee Sang-hyeok, known as 'Faker' of T1, is answering questions from the press at the 2023 League of Legends (LoL) World Championship (Worlds) Final Media Day.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Weibo took the first point by catching 'Faker' Lee Sang-hyeok in the first set and gained an early lead by securing kills against 'Zeus' Choi Woo-je and 'Oner' Moon Hyun-jun in the top lane. However, the momentum soon shifted. Around the 18-minute mark in the first set, T1 evened the score by winning a mid-lane team fight, taking down 'Light' Wang Guangyu, 'TheShy' Kang Seung-rok, and even Oner's jungle counterpart 'Weiwei' from Weibo. Then, around 21 minutes, with the efforts of Oner and 'Gumayusi' Lee Min-hyung, T1 achieved a clean sweep against Weibo, showcasing a dominant performance. Ultimately, T1 took the first set decisively within 30 minutes.

Zeus, who played a crucial role in the first set, continued to shine in the second set. Around the 7-minute mark, after Oner's gank left TheShy critically low and retreating, Zeus boldly executed a tower dive to secure a kill while TheShy was off guard, drawing cheers from fans. In a desperate response, Weibo's jungler and mid and bottom lanes launched a 1:4 coordinated attack on Zeus, but he calmly handled the situation without giving up any kills and continued to snowball.

Oner's Nocturne leveraged the growing gap to dominate the team fight around 18 minutes, while Gumayusi sealed the victory with exquisite kiting, skillfully dodging Weibo's non-targeted abilities and landing consecutive critical hits.

The tension-filled third set began with a strategic battle in the ban-pick phase. When Weibo took Faker's signature champion Azir for their mid laner first, T1 responded by selecting the synergistic Xayah-Rakan duo for the bottom lane.

Zeus, who picked Aatrox, was unstoppable again in the third set. Early in the game, he gained the upper hand by securing a kill on TheShy with Oner's assistance. Although he gave up a kill during a later skirmish involving Weiwei and 'Crisp' Liu Qingsong's teamwork, he secured a double kill in a team fight around the 11-minute mark, preventing Weibo from turning the tide. T1 eventually achieved a clean sweep at 23 minutes and followed up with a decisive team fight victory at 25 minutes, claiming the pinnacle of global LoL esports this year.

T1's Worlds victory is their first since 2016, ending a 7-year drought. Among domestic pro teams, this marks back-to-back championships following DRX's win last year. T1 and their captain 'Faker' Lee Sang-hyeok set a new record with their 4th Worlds title, the most in history. Teammates 'Zeus' Choi Woo-je, 'Oner' Moon Hyun-jun, 'Gumayusi' Lee Min-hyung, and 'Keria' Ryu Min-seok also etched a new chapter in their careers with their first championship.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.