The last Worlds 2025 quarterfinals delivered. T1 came out on top after five long and thrilling games against Anyone’s Legend in a completely wild and dramatic BO5. Not a single game ended under 31 minutes, with an average of around 30 kills per game—over four hours of nonstop action. Game 5 perfectly captured the clash of styles between the two teams. T1 took Game 1 with a dive comp built around Pantheon, Taliyah, and Rakan.

AL struck back in Game 2 with a strong showing from their botlane on Sivir and Poppy, then took the lead in Game 3 thanks to a masterclass from their support on Bard. T1 equalized in Game 4, carried by a dominant Kai’Sa performance against an almost unkillable Mordekaiser, before closing the series on a suffocating composition featuring Mel, Ashe, and Seraphine. Anyone’s Legend were completely choked out in the final game—T1 advance to the semifinals.

Anyone's Legend: 8

After a stellar start to the Worlds with a 3-0 record and victories against Gen.G and Hanwha Life Esports, another Korean team stood in Anyone's Legends' way in the quarterfinals. Dreaming of themselves as "LCK slayers," AL was quickly reminded that their opponents of the day were the real "LPL slayers." Despite that, from start to finish they showed admirable fight, even when behind they never gave up and looked the reigning two-time world champions in the eye for five games. They may pay for a very bold draft choice in Game 4 and offer too many win conditions for T1 in Game 5. In any case, it would have taken very little for them to become the first LPL team to eliminate T1 from the Worlds.

Flandre: 7.5

From start to finish, Li "Flandre" Xuanjun was among the ones who caused the most problems for T1. Despite the defeats, his Rek'sai in game 1, his Mordekaiser in game 4 did what they could to keep the hope of a victory alive. He handles the pressure well and comes out dominant in his game 2 on his Ambessa. Like his entire team, he comes back from far behind in game 3 but makes the difference with clutch movements. However, he gets caught before the elder drake in the decisive game. A small mistake compared to everything he did before but which will cost too much to Anyone's Legend.

Tarzan: 8.5

Facing the team that had harshly eliminated him in the quarterfinals two years ago, Lee "Tarzan" Seung-yong was eager to redeem himself. He started slowly with a Qiyana in Game 1, getting pushed around along with his team. He then woke up and started stringing together good performances, decisive ultimates on his Wukong and Skarner. His impact was reduced with a Sejuani in the last game, but that doesn't take away from his overall performance, which is one of the best among AL today.

Shanks: 7

For his first career Worlds final, Cui "Shanks" Xiaojun delivered a decent performance. It was at least necessary to face a five-time world champion. Never really behind, he held his lane well but sometimes lacked clutch moments in his teamfights, especially on his Leblanc or on his Syndra in the last two games. He remains a key element in AL's victories, notably with a great performance on Yone and Galio.

Hope: 4.5

The most struggling player at AL, Wang "Hope" Jie, faced a very in-form opponent. He will have to play with low resources on numerous occasions and try to catch up his late throughout the games. His Game 2 with Sivir is very good, but the rest of them will give him very little opportunity to express himself, especially in Game 4 on his Corki where he will be the main target of T1's combos. Put under pressure in Game 5, he fails to turn the game in AL's favor despite a few kills secured early.

Kael: 8

Despite the difficult botlanes, Kim "Kael" Jin-hong gave T1 a hard time. He shines with his Poppy in Game 2, which he had already accustomed us to. He steals Keria's Bard in Game 3 to deliver a very strong performance. He then endures the engages and pressure put on by T1 in the last two games. His Game 5 with Lulu is good, but T1 was simply stronger as a team.

T1: 8.5

T1 must really have some kind of Worlds buff to keep stepping up and clutching games like this. They started the series strong with a very aggressive draft and a Sion top—one of the best champions in the current meta—but then dropped Games 2 and 3 back-to-back. Game 4 was incredibly close, with T1 returning to fundamentals built around Nocturne while also experimenting with unusual picks for them, including a Kai’Sa bot that completely took over the game, forcing a decisive Game 5.

In that final game, T1 surprised everyone with their draft: a completely unexpected Mel mid and an Ashe–Seraphine botlane that dominated the laning phase. From there, their teamfighting and smite control were flawless, sending the two-time defending world champions into the semifinals.

Doran: 7.5

T1 needed a strong performance from Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon today—and that’s exactly what they got. In Game 1 on Sion, the toplaner finished 1/1/13, perfectly filling the space-creating role T1 needed. Not every ultimate landed, not every teleport was necessary, but the champion did its job. His second game on Rumble was rough, yet he bounced back in Game 3 with a solid showing on K’Sante despite the loss.

With their backs against the wall, he picked Ornn in Game 4, constantly present in every teamfight, before closing out the BO with Renekton. Though his start in side lane was difficult, during the clutch dragon fight for T1’s soul, he single-handedly occupied AL’s backline, allowing T1 to win the fight, secure the objective, and close the series.

Oner: 7.5

Mun “Oner” Hyeon-jun came up clutch in this BO. Even if he wasn’t the best jungler on stage today, his performance was still very strong overall. In Game 1 on Pantheon, his ultimates were aggressive but never overreaching. Games 2 and 3 were tough for the entire T1 squad—on Xin Zhao and Vi, Oner often acted as the team’s frontliner but lacked the damage needed to finish fights.

On Nocturne, he maintained his impressive win rate on the champion despite Tarzan’s incredible Skarner performance. To close out the series, he played Dr. Mundo—a pick that struggled despite an early lead, constantly getting one-shot—but the scaling eventually paid off. Most importantly, it was his consistently clutch Smites that made the difference and secured T1 the series.

Faker: 8.5

Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok was one of T1’s best players in this BO. It was through sheer experience that the Unkillable Demon King pulled off this victory. In his tenth Worlds appearance, the GOAT reaches at least his tenth semifinal.

In Game 1 on Taliyah, Faker was involved in 17 of his team’s 18 kills. In Game 2, he went for something unusual—Anivia—which didn’t quite work out, followed by a solid Sylas performance in Game 3, though the Yone matchup wasn’t in his favor. In Game 4, he returned to a classic with Viktor, completely stomping the game. Alongside his AD Carry, he was one of T1’s standout players throughout the series.

To close out the match, he locked in Mel—a pick many expected to see in support or even AD Carry—and came up clutch. Flandre was unkillable on Aatrox, yet somehow, Faker found the damage to take him down. With that, Faker qualifies for his tenth Worlds semifinal.

Gumayusi: 8.5

As mentioned earlier, Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong and Faker were T1’s standout players in this series. He opened with an excellent performance on Varus, finishing 7/0/8. In Game 2, the South Korean AD Carry locked in Draven and played aggressively, but was punished early on—Hope’s Sivir scaled massively afterward, leaving Gumayusi unable to find his way back into the game. His Ziggs game was also difficult, as he got caught out several times and couldn’t play properly against Tarzan’s Jarvan IV.

But Gumayusi’s last two games were complete masterclasses. First, an 11/4/10 Kai’Sa performance—on a champion he’s not particularly known for—where he completely took over, helping to finally bring down Flandre’s seemingly unkillable Mordekaiser. His final game on Ashe was just as impressive, showcasing phenomenal kiting against AL’s composition, especially versus Flandre’s Aatrox. Once again, Gumayusi proved he’s world-class—one of the very best AD Carries in the world.

Keria: 7

Ryu "Keria" Min-seok's BO5 was rather difficult, and he was probably the least effective player on his team. His Game 1 on Rakan was very solid, but things got much rougher in Game 2 on Nautilus. In Game 3, his Blitzcrank didn’t have much impact even if he landed some hooks, though he bounced back with a fairly good performance on Neeko in Game 4. He closed the series with a surprising Seraphine pick, where his lane pressure allowed his AD Carry to stay ahead and carry the game. Keria might not be having his best Worlds, but he’s once again moving on to the semifinals.