Vortex Gaming

T1 took a valuable win by defeating Dplus KIA (DK) 2:1 in the first round of the 2025 LCK Spring Split on the 25th. T1 managed to reverse the team's unstable atmosphere by catching the strong team DK after a full-set battle. Jungler 'Oner', who played a constant role even when the team was shaking, led the victory with his best performance in this game.

In the first set, T1 seemed to have a good start by strongly pressing the bottom line in the early stages. However, in the process of line swapping, 'Gumayusi' Lee Min-hyung's Jhin was defeated by the opponent jungler's ganking, and the atmosphere flowed strangely. To make matters worse, 'Doran' Choi Hyun-joon's Ornn, who joined the bottom line, was also dived and suffered consecutive losses, and T1 was caught in an unstable atmosphere after losing the dragon battle. Despite support 'BeryL' Jo Geon-hee recording 3 deaths, DK took the gold advantage and took the atmosphere as the dealer line grew stably.

However, in the moment of crisis, T1 seized an opportunity in the Rift Herald fight. While DK's top laner 'Siwoo' Kim Si-woo's Rumble was late to join because he was pushing the bottom line, T1 boldly opened a teamfight. Here, 'Doran's Ornn's ultimate showed a fantastic play that hit 3 people, and T1 won the teamfight and reversed the atmosphere. T1 failed to take the Rift Herald, but destroyed the mid tier 1 tower and gained considerable profit. However, in the ensuing Atakan battle, DK's 'Lucid' Park Jun-hyung's Skarner ultimate tied up T1's 'Naafiri' and Ornn at the same time, killing two, and DK, who killed Jhin in the ensuing situation, acquired Atakan and regained the initiative.

T1, driven to the edge of a cliff, showed concentration and won a big victory in the teamfight by catching DK's Leona and Rumble first during the Baron area vision fight. Not missing this opportunity, T1 acquired Baron and started to gain the upper hand. T1 also won the ensuing bottom tier 2 tower teamfight, and T1, who won consecutive battles, eventually decorated the unfavorable first set with a thrilling come-from-behind victory.

In the second set, as T1's Gwen and DK's Jayce appeared on the top line, the side lane dominance battle was expected to unfold fiercely. Gwen's Flash was pulled out in the first battle between the top laners, and T1's jungler 'Oner' Moon Hyun-joon's Sejuani did not miss this and succeeded in ganking, giving Jayce the first blood. Starting with this ganking, 'Doran's Jayce took the lead in the side lane, and T1 continued to try to operate around the top line where the balance of power was broken.

As the balance of the top line collapsed, an unstable situation in which kills could occur continued. Both teams focused on the top laner's battle, and eventually 'Doran' tried to destroy the bottom tier 1 tower recklessly, allowing the opposing team to join, and a battle occurred. DK, who joined the bottom laner, won this battle and gained profit. In the ensuing dragon battle, 'BeryL' Jo Geon-hee's Rell ultimate fell exquisitely into the enemy camp, and 'Aiming' Kim Ha-ram's Miss Fortune ultimate covered it, and DK won a big victory in the teamfight. Starting with this battle, T1 could not handle DK's powerful firepower, and DK eventually took the second set.

In the last third set, T1 strongly pressed from the beginning by utilizing the advantage of the matchup in all lanes of top, mid, and bottom. The CS difference between the bottom laners was more than 20, and T1 took both the dragon stack and the Void Grub, leading the game favorably.

From DK's point of view, a breakthrough was desperately needed. When the second Void Grub appeared, 'Aiming' used Ashe's ultimate to open a battle on the mid lane, catching T1's Braum and acquiring the Void Grub, reviving the fire of pursuit. 'Aiming's second ultimate hit 'Faker' Lee Sang-hyeok's Viktor on the top lane, and 'Lucid' Park Jun-hyung's Pantheon immediately joined with his ultimate, catching Viktor. The third ultimate also hit top Viktor, but this time T1's 'Oner' Moon Hyun-joon's Silas was unable to steal Viktor's ultimate, so it did not lead to a kill.

There were a few crises, but T1's power did not easily fade. As time continued to pass, Baron and Atakan appeared at the same time. T1 lured the opponent towards Baron, then cut off the jungler Pantheon first, creating a decisive play to acquire Baron and Atakan at the same time. T1, who quickly took a 5,000 gold lead, rolled the snowball destructively starting with this battle, and virtually seized the victory.

T1 seemed to be winning by destroying all the towers except the inhibitor twins. However, as the combination power of Dplus KIA began to rise in earnest, the game did not end easily. Since then, both teams have played an unforgettable masterpiece with the best concentration. In a situation where T1 was about to lose the teamfight, 'Oner' Lillia's ultimate hit the enemy camp, reversing the lost teamfight. Afterwards, T1 won the final teamfight after a difficult battle by catching 'Aiming' first, becoming the final protagonist of this series.

웹진 인벤김병호 기자
2025-04-25