T1 finally qualified for Worlds 2024 and will represent the LCK as the 4th seed. They defeated KT Rolster 3-2 in their final qualifying series of the year. The reigning world champions now have a chance to defend their title but will need better preparation to retain it. This series also marks the end of KT Rolster's season and Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu's career.
Another Telecom War won by T1
The 2024 LCK season has come to an end, and so has KT Rolster’s year. Despite a valiant effort, especially from midlaner Gwak "Bdd" Bo-seong, it’s another year without an international tournament for the organization, which will miss Worlds for the fourth time in its history.
This defeat also marks the final chapter of Deft's career, as
he had announced his intention to retire after this year. Nonetheless, he put up a strong fight against his longtime rival, Lee "
Faker" Sang-hyeok, pushing the series to a tense fifth game. However, neither he nor his 2022 World Champion teammates from DRX, Cho "
BeryL" Geon-he and Hong "
Pyosik" Chang-hyeon, could pull off another miracle today.
The Return of the King
This is T1 and Faker's 9th Worlds appearance. They are the third organization with the most Worlds appearances, behind Cloud9 (10) and Fnatic (12). However, T1 has been the most efficient: every time they qualified for Worlds, they reached at least the semifinals. This is the first time the team will go to Worlds as the LCK's #4 seed, a testament to the struggles the world champions faced during the summer split.
Fortunately, they will have a few weeks to prepare, as Worlds is a completely different competition. Every year shows us that smaller teams have the power to upset favorites, something T1 knows all too well after their defeat two years ago against DRX in the grand final. Who knows where their 2024 run will take them? The Main Event starts on October 3, and teams will only know their opponents after the Play-In ends.
Header Photo Credit: Riot Games/LCK
