In the third segment of LCK's group stage, the second round of the round-robin has begun. In the first round, T1 dominated all four teams in their group, achieving an impressive four-game winning streak. As they entered the second round, T1 faced GEN again. Having won against GEN in the first round, most viewers believed T1 could secure another victory, especially given their recent strong performance. The legendary team has been under little pressure against anyone.

Fans had great faith in T1, but this time, the players and coaching staff collectively faltered. The two teams battled through three games, and ultimately, GEN defeated T1 with a score of 2:1, marking their 22nd win of the season. To recap the match briefly, in the first game, Coach Kim selected Annie for Chovy right from the start. It's unclear who exactly benefits from this champion being prioritized so highly; even in the hands of a top player, Annie couldn't make an impact and was overwhelmed across the board.

Oner was on point with his rhythm, and Keria showcased incredible Bard plays. T1 easily took the first game, with GEN being completely outmatched; by the end of the match, they hadn't even destroyed a single outer turret of T1. In the second game, the third brother started aggressively, giving a first blood to the little Lu Bu, but in the subsequent 3v3, T1 kept losing. After GEN snowballed, T1 struggled in team fights, and the unstoppable development of the ruler led to a luxurious score of 11-0-5 with Yuanna.

The third game was quite unfortunate for T1, as they had a significant advantage in the jungle. Early on, the Doran gave up lane control and disrupted the third brother's farming. Just five minutes in, the jungler was nearly 20 CS behind, and at eight minutes, he was two levels behind in the jungle matchup. If played normally, Oner's advantage could have translated to the lanes, but Big O got greedy, taking the enemy's red buff and then trying to steal their Stone Bug. He ended up not securing it cleanly, and the third brother hit level six and locked him down.

Oner's greed in this instance squandered all the early advantages, which is somewhat unfair to Doran, who had abandoned his lane to harass the third brother from level one. Had he just focused on farming and gaining experience, the top lane wouldn't have been pressured so much. After losing that rhythm, Big O completely fell silent, suffering consecutive losses in team fights, and the economic gap widened. Ultimately, T1's nexus was destroyed by GEN in just 26 minutes.

The Stone Bug jungle monster has a bit of a history with T1. During the second segment against KT, Doran also got greedy, attempting to take the Stone Bug at low health, only to be soloed by it. However, after this "enlightenment," Doran has indeed improved. Following his greed, Oner likely won't be so reckless in the future, and perhaps he will also gain insight from this encounter with the Stone Bug.

If T1 faces another "Stone Bug incident" in the future, it could truly become a collection of stories, aptly titled "The Tale of T1 and the Stone Bug." Although they lost to GEN, T1 fans can actually accept it, as the previous T1 had been struggling throughout the summer regular season, winning far fewer matches than they lost. This year's sudden surge in performance in the first four games has left many feeling a bit unfamiliar. The regular season provides a perfect opportunity to identify team issues.

After losing to GEN, T1 still needs to win two more games to secure a playoff spot. However, to obtain the resurrection armor, they must first close the gap with HLE. Currently, T1 is two major games behind Hanwha, but catching up shouldn't be too difficult. Fans certainly hope T1 can start off the playoffs strong, allowing them to watch more of Old Li's matches. Given T1's current form, it's likely they will directly advance to the second round.

In conclusion:

In the LCK group stage, three rounds of round-robin are required. T1 still has to play another match against GEN. If they can adjust their state, T1 still has a chance to win. Currently, in the LCK region, the strength of these two teams is quite unique, and finding a worthy opponent is limited to each other. Hopefully, Old Li can achieve revenge in the third round.

So, what do you think is T1's problem?

Feel free to leave your comments for discussion!