T1 starts their MSI run against Team Liquid in the Play-In upper bracket — and honestly, this feels like a warm-up match before the real tournament begins for Faker and company.
Recent Form
T1 had a rough Road to MSI, dropping 1-3 to HLE before securing their spot as the LCK’s second seed. Classic T1 — inconsistent in the regular season, dangerous the moment an international title is on the line. Their recent split record shows wins over FEARX, KT, and Dplus, and a competitive series against GenG. Not peaking, but not broken either.
Team Liquid qualified as LCS runners-up after getting swept 3-0 by LYON in the Spring Finals. Their road to MSI went through the lower bracket, beating Cloud9 3-0 to punch their ticket. Before that? A 2-3 loss to LYON in the regular season and another 0-3 sweep. Improvement is real, but the ceiling is still unknown.
Standings Context
T1 is the LCK’s 2nd seed at a tournament hosted in South Korea. The pressure to perform is there, but the motivation to prove something is higher. Team Liquid is the LCS 2nd seed — a region that hasn’t had meaningful international impact in years. They arrive with something to prove but very little margin for error, given only one team advances from Play-Ins to the Main Event.
Key Matchup: Faker vs. Josedeodo
The entire series comes down to whether TL’s jungler can do something unpredictable. Josedeodo has been Liquid’s engine this split — when he’s enabled and playing his style, TL looks like a different team. The problem? Oner doesn’t give junglers space to breathe. If T1’s mid-jungle partnership locks the map down early, this series ends fast. Faker in a Fearless Draft environment is genuinely dangerous — the champion pool depth is a real advantage in a BO5.
Head-to-Head
T1 leads 9-2 all time against Team Liquid, including a 3-1 win at MSI 2024 and a 3-1 at MSI 2015. The only BO5 on record? T1 win. The historical edge is overwhelming.
The Pick
T1 is the better team at every role, in Fearless Draft, on Korean soil, with international experience that dwarfs anything TL has. The real question is just whether TL can steal a game. Given CoreJJ’s experience and Josedeodo’s peak potential, one stolen game is realistic.
T1 3-1.
