T1's drama reputation is still solid as the "League of Legends" titans secured their Worlds 2025 slot at the eleventh hour.
During the LCK Season Playoffs, T1 eliminated Dplus KIA 3–1 during Lower Bracket Round 2 to book their Worlds berth through a dominant fourth game that had viewers hooked to their screens.
A Risky Pick Backfires for Dplus
The tide shifted in Game 4 when Dplus picked up Geon-hee "BeryL" Cho's surprise pick of rare support Rammus, the first-ever in LCK history. The risk proved ill-fated. Following an early meltdown that resulted in first blood, Moon "Oner" Hyeon-joon's Sylas gained momentum uncontrollably,
PENTAKILL for ONER!! #LCK pic.twitter.com/s5MCBnk7uC
— LCK (@LCK) September 18, 2025
By the 18-minute mark, T1 had built a dominant 10,000 gold lead. Dplus briefly struck back by catching Sang-hyeok "Faker" Lee's Annie, but the ensuing fight swung heavily in T1's favor, securing Baron control and sealing the series.
Why Was T1 Qualified So Late
The T1 was poor all summer before limping over the qualification line. The roster appeared stronger this year, but it's still far from their 2024 performance. Nevertheless, the reasons why they again left it late to qualify are multifaceted.
𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱
— T1 LoL (@T1LoL) September 18, 2025
T1이 5년 연속 월즈 진출에 성공합니다.
더 높은 곳에서 대회를 시작할 수 있도록, 남은 경기들에 모두 최선을 다하겠습니다. 항상 응원해 주시는 팬 여러분께 감사드립니다.
We qualified for Worlds for the fifth time.
We will continue to do... pic.twitter.com/3CPXdqxdJn
Fiercer LCK Competition
The 2025 LCK season has been the most competitive ever. Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) and Gen.G dominated early on, but KT Rolster became legitimate contenders with their shocking 3–2 series win over MSI champions Gen.G. HLE, featuring former T1 top laner Choi "Zeus" Woo-je and Worlds champion Park "Viper" Do-hyeon, were equally as strong. With so many rosters loaded with talent, the room for error dropped considerably.
Inconsistency in Play
Even when they were strong, T1 continued to display moments of inconsistency, GosuGamers reports. Dubious drafts and off-days for individual players enabled competitors to take advantage. That fickleness once again kept followers in suspense until the last challenge.
New Playoff Format
To add to the pressure, the playoff format this year eliminated the buffer of the Regional Finals. With Gen.G already heading to Worlds due to MSI and KT and HLE both qualifying from the Upper Bracket, T1's only path was via Lower Bracket Round 2. Their lives were solely based on defeating Dplus—and they did just that.
