LCK: Some things don’t change. T1 have pushed KT Rolster over the top and are moving on

The Korean LCK started the second round of the playoffs on Thursday and right off the bat we got the traditional derby between KT Rolster and T1.

Before the second round, the traditional question of who the winner of the regular season (KT Rolster) would choose as their opponent had to be answered. The traditionally unexpected choice fell on T1, whom KT believed they could beat their age-old rival in their current state of mind.

The traditional derby logically attracts spectators. KT, bolstered by the Best Team award as voted by the LCK directorate, went into this series as the favorite. Even the experts clearly favored KT, and the fans on the networks by a 60:40 ratio also favored the best team in Korea at the moment.

However, as is sometimes the case, assumptions may be different from reality. Although T1 looked like they would be fine-tuning their form after Faker’s return, the titan of the LoL world should not be underestimated.

Still, the favored KT started the series well and gave all viewers a hint of how the series would go. Wild action, fantastic tactical gameplay, the series delivered on all of this to a tee. But T1 certainly didn’t lay down their arms and managed to negate KT’s strong play.

The situation got to the point where suddenly T1 was leading 2-1 and the surprise playoff was born. The scalded KT were still looking for high drama, and thanks to some great map control, they managed to take the series to a fifth game.

A cautious final game showed how much T1 had grown after the turbulence. Despite an active early game KT were unable to activate Draven and as time ticked on, T1’s more traditional composition, proved to be the winning choice.

T1 eventually outlasted KT by a score of 3-2 and came close to advancing to Worlds. KT have fallen into the remedial part of the playoffs and have to change a lot of things.

Source: LCK Global, Leaguepedia