T1 reverse sweep HLE in LCK Cup Gumayusi reunion
T1 reverse-swept HLE in their opening contest in the LCK Cup, recovering from a class Game 1 loss to stomp Games 2 & 3.
The contest was heavily anticipated, with Worlds 2025 Finals MVP Lee ‘Gumayusi’ Min-hyeong facing his former T1 teammates for the first time in a competitive match in the LCK.
T1’s victory leaves an early dent in HLE’s ambitions to upend T1 and Gen.G’s dominance in international and domestic competition.
Game 1: T1 punished for ignoring objectives
A cagey opening to the match made it feel far more reminiscent of the last patch, as marginal laning leads emerged for T1.
Choi ‘Doran’ Hyeon-joon began to build a significant XP and gold lead behind repeated ganks alongside Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok into an isolated Choi ‘Zeus’ Woo-je.
In response, HLE targeted the Bot Lane, allowing Gumayusi to grow a more modest lead of his own.
However, it was in the objectives that the game began to turn. T1 had played the entire opening phase of the game with little regard to objectives, lagging behind by two dragons and three grubs.
Despite taking the first tower, T1 were again not in a position to contest the third Drake, giving HLE soul point.
T1 denied the next Dragon, but a Seo ‘Kanavi’ Jin-hyeok dive onto Kim ‘Peyz’ Su-hwan began an all-in teamfight from HLE, with T1 seemingly preoccupied with lanes.
Gumayusi tore through his former teammates, leading to his Corki being the dominant force for the rest of the contest.
The result was that HLE not only secured Baron, but also the Ocean Soul.
HLE looked to finish, but Faker’s Ryze was fully activated, and output incredible damage to vanquish HLE from the T1 base in a 4-1 teamfight win for T1.
With Faker’s damage, it seemed like there was a path back for T1 into the game, with all eyes on the decisive Elder Dragon.
However, T1 were not positioned well as the Elder Dragon spawned, too relaxed and too passive as they had been throughout the game in dragon fights.
T1 crept up towards HLE as they engaged the Elder Dragon, but it was already on one-third HP by the time T1 were within striking range.
Delight delayed T1’s engagement further, and the Elder Dragon was gone.
HLE then turned their sights onto T1, demolishing the Worlds champions and taking the Nexus to secure a 1-0 series lead.
Game 2: Faker Sylas gives T1 momentum
Game 2 started in a much more proactive way, as Faker’s Sylas secured a double-kill only four minutes into the contest, taking Kanavi’s Wukong and Delight’s Rakan in a risky engagement for both teams.
The result was an advantage for both Faker and Oner, balancing out Zeus’ intrinsic matchup advantage with Gnar over Doran’s Lucian.
Feeling the early-game pressure, HLE completely misjudged the next engagement around the second Drake, with T1 taking the teamfight 3-1 and the Drake.
Kanavi hung around until he was forced into a fight, with Zeus teleporting in, and therefore losing much of the advantage over Doran that he had built up.
The result was that the game was now entirely in T1’s control, in a game which seemed to be snowballing in the Worlds Champions’ favour.
Despite Faker being shut down in Bot, T1 continued to roll as they fought HLE back into their jungle, in a scrappy chase that ultimately led to another 3-1 fight for T1, with Peyz claiming the initiative of the game.
Faker and Ryu ‘Keria’ Min-seok kited HLE around the map, meaning HLE were unable to contest Elder. The resulting fight saw Faker claim three more kills, in a 4-0 engagement.
T1 secured the Dragon Soul, essentially without a contest, and now raced to the ending.
Faker chased HLE into their spawn, dying to the nextus, ending with a 9/2/6 record in a commanding Game 2.
Game 3:
As is customary in Fearless, the Game 3 draft saw a few surprises with T1 floating Azir for Zeka to pick, and Doran selecting a Top Lane Akali.
It was Zeka’s Azir that was punished first, however, as Faker and Oner combined on their comfort picks of Nocturne and Orianna.
In contrast, Doran’s pick was working well, containing the Rek’Sai in lane and able to contribute well in the first big teamfight, killing Zeka and chasing down Kanavi.
T1 secured the second Drake to even out that fight, while sitting 4k gold up after 14 minutes, leading 7-1 in kills.
HLE’s comp was looking completely devoid of damage, with Emperor’s Divide successfully crowd controlling T1, yet HLE were unable to get a kill out of it.
In the next fight in the Top Lane, Doran again delivered in Akali, delivering the kind of mechanics usually seen in ADCs.
The one-time Worlds winner flashed beyond the turret to flank beyond three hurt HLE players, banking his team the kills, to sit at a 6/0/1 statline after 18 minutes.
HLE did not relent in attempting to get back into the game, but they were outmatched everywhere, only able to trade a kill at the loss of two or three of their own champions.
There was little to analyse after that point – T1 seemed to be having fun with their food, chasing down HLE at every opportunity, and living on HLE’s side of the map and bullying them.
After several loose plays, T1 finally locked in to take the Nexus and close the series 2-1 behind Doran’s 9/3/9 ending statline.
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