LoL Worlds: T1-BLG Ratings

After a thrilling 5-game series, T1 are once again crowned World Champions. They achieve a back-to-back victory, a feat only they had previously accomplished in 2015-2016, putting a brilliant finish on three years of success for a roster of five players who have reached three consecutive finals and won two of them. True to their record, T1 remain undefeated at Worlds in series against the LPL, dashing BiliBili Gaming's hopes after a valiant effort and a high level of play. In the end, BLG lacked the clutch factor in the decisive moments needed to overcome the kings of the competition. In light of this intense matchup, Sheep Esports has decided to offer ratings for each player from both teams.

Already the most decorated organization in Worlds history, T1 has now resoundingly reclaimed their throne. Their unique approach to drafting set them apart once again, proving they weren’t following anyone else’s playbook in this tournament. Although they occasionally locked themselves into unconventional drafts, T1 brought a destabilizing read on the meta that kept their opponents guessing. Both teams came well-prepared, but T1’s creative compositions—like Ornn/Nocturne in Game 2 and the Gragas/Poppy/Galio setup in Game 5—ultimately paved the way to victory, unraveling BLG’s strategies. It’s worth noting that the team leaned heavily on Faker’s clutch performances in the last two games. His standout Sylas plays in Game 4 were crucial, as he singlehandedly turned fights in a 1v5 display, leading his teammates and ultimately paving the path to the trophy.

It’s now clear: Choi "Zeus" Woo-je is the best toplaner in the world, and we eagerly await his Gragas skin. He was not afraid to take risks and often had to absorb pressure alone. His Gnar in Game 1 capitalized on Faker’s TP, but the team’s overcommitment for the mid tower resulted in a devastating triple kill for Elk, putting them behind. In Game 3, while his Jax struggled to make a direct impact in teamfights, he was a split-pushing force, and his bold TP helped T1 defend against BLG’s Baron power play. Finally, in Game 5, Zeus on Gragas shined as a frontline tank, especially during the decisive final fight where he and Faker fought off BLG together, paving the way to T1’s victory.

The T1 jungler balanced between creativity and high-stakes plays. With his Nocturne pick in Game 2, Mun "Oner" Hyeon-jun disrupted BLG, pulling off risky dives despite an unconventional synergy with Faker’s Sylas. In Game 5, on Xin Zhao, he perfectly coordinated with Faker’s engages, taking advantage of the space created to dish out heavy DPS, playing a crucial role in T1’s victory at the most crucial moments. He once more proved to be the hidden hard worker of the team, a pillar able to create plays and overshadow his opponents despite XUN being on fire today.

He arrived as an Emperor and left as a God of League of Legends. As the core strategist of T1, Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok made them believe, and delivered today every time it mattered the most. He was consistently pressuring BLG. On Yone in Game 1, he tried to save the early game with a great TP, but the team’s lack of AP limited his late-game impact. In Game 4, however, he exploded on Sylas, with a decisive solo kill and a well-timed stolen Rakan ult that turned the teamfights in T1’s favor. Finally, in Game 5, his Galio played a vital role as the frontline anchor, orchestrating the final engage that secured T1’s victory. Given his performance today, he silences all rumors and proves that at 28, it’s still possible to play at the highest level and embody excellence. He will be named MVP of the finals, a title he last earned with his third championship in 2016.

Despite a rough start probably caused by pressure, Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyung showed resilience. His early mistakes in Game 1 and Game 2, where he gave up first blood to Elk, put T1 under pressure, but he adapted and came back stronger. On Xayah in Game 3, he struggled to find his footing but contributed solid control in close fights. By Game 5, he had surged in gold on his Xayah and asserted himself in teamfights with the help of his teammates’ setups, making a significant impact to control the mid waves and to ensure strong damages on all BLG's champions. When it mattered the most, he also proved to be reliant again.

Ryu "Keria" Min-seok can finally lift a weight off his shoulders and scream in relief, for he has once again carried his responsibilities and proven that he is among the best supports in history, if not the best. He balanced creativity with discipline, adapting well to the team’s needs. In Game 1, his Braum pick limited him, but his Renata in Games 2 and 4 were crucial for countering BLG’s initiations, especially with the triple bump from Ornn and key flanks in the backline. In Game 5, he provided Gumayusi’s Xayah with valuable peel, protected Faker during the crucial teamfights, and mostly canceled Knight's tp in the very last fight T1, helping T1 secure the win.

Bilibili Gaming started the final in ideal form, with a game they dominated from start to finish. This victory on the red side could have marked the begin of the end of T1’s streak of dominance over Chinese teams. In fact, the LPL champions performed well in every early game across the series, securing all five first bloods. However, some of their draft choices backfired, particularly in Game 4 with a Smolder-Ziggs combo that proved entirely ineffective. Most critically, China’s first seed had no answer for a Faker who mutated into the true Unkillable Demon King from the fourth game onward. BLG won two BO5s out of three against T1 this year, but lost the one they really didn't want to lose.

Chen “Bin” Zebin fell short in comparison to Zeus in this final. While China's best toplaner contributed to his team's two victories, he wasn't the decisive factor. His performances were solid, capitalizing on setups from his teammates to deal significant damage with his Rumble. In Game 1, he notably survived a 1v3 botlane skirmish, which created valuable space for the rest of his team. However, in BLG's three defeats, was unable to assume the hero's role. Even with his signature Jax in Game 5, his impact was minimal compared to his opponent's contributions. He frequently struggled with swaplanes, especially in Game 4, where his Gnar initially gained an advantage for his botlane but then lost impact—except for a well-turned dive on the toplane.

Peng “XUN” Lixun epitomized BLG’s overall performance on Saturday, shining in the team’s wins but faltering in their losses. In Game 1, Xun’s Skarner excelled, making intelligent map moves and thriving against T1’s full AD composition, which made him nearly invincible. In Game 3, he dominated early game with Kindred, turning Oner's jungle into his own territory. Yet, Xun’s performance completely faltered on Xin Zhao in Game 2 and was limited on Jarvan IV in Game 5. His Sejuani in Game 4 started strong, with multiple botlane ganks that took down Zeus three times, but he eventually lost momentum, often lagging behind Oner in contesting neutral objectives.

Zhuo “knight” Ding isn’t the first Chinese midlaner to win Worlds. However, he gave himself the means to do so with his Sylas, with an excellent game, despite a difficult start to the laning phase in the match-up against Yone. His engage on Gumayusi with Sejuani's ultimate secured Nashor for BLG. Knight's Galio games were polar opposites: he was late and underwhelming in Game 2, yet dominated in Game 3, becoming nearly unkillable for his opponents. In Game 4, however, he never reached his power spikes with Smolder, rendering him ineffective. He had the keys of game 5 with his Ahri in 3-0, but was, like Bin, totally overshadowed by the performance of his direct opponent in the decisive game.

Zhao “Elk” Jiahao stood out as his team’s best player in the evening's first three games. The first two began similarly, with the first blood claimed with his Ashe on Gumayusi near T1 Wraiths. Elk’s Arrows were excellent in Game 1—especially a snipe on Faker—but he was helpless against T1’s Ornn and Nocturne engages in Game 2. With Kalista in Game 3, Elk shone in teamfights, closing out the game with a triple kill. However, the team’s decision to give him a Ziggs in Game 4 didn’t pay off. Despite scoring the first blood on Zeus on the botlane, his attempt to take a plate on the toplane backfired, leading to a costly death to Faker. He then accumulated more kills without managing significant damage output. In Game 5, his Kai’Sa caught up well, yet Elk was unable to fulfill his potential as BLG’s savior.

Luo “ON” Wenjun had a challenging final overall. He started correctly on Rell with a well-executed midlane engage, enabling Elk’s triple kill. However, his Blitzcrank in BLG’s second victory didn’t offer any standout moments, mainly zoning without clutch hooks. ON struggled in the remaining games, his Rakan suffering a damaging XP deficit in Game 2 and remaining ineffective in teamfights during Game 4. Game 5 saw him making one poor decision after another, feeding into T1’s momentum. Much like his sololaners, ON fell well short of his counterpart, Keria, who put on a stellar performance on Sunday.