Welcome to EGamersWorld.
We continue to watch the action at the LCK Summer 2024 Playoffs. The play-offs are in full swing.
We're talking about the second round of the main stage in the Korean region, along with the Double-Elimination stage. And closing it out will be T1 with a match against Hanwha Life Esports.
We're trying to figure out who will be stronger in the T1 vs. HLE match and move on to the next stage of the upper grid, where they will play against the winner of the Gen.G/DPlus KIA pairing, and who will have to continue their journey through the LCK Summer 2024 Playoffs from the lower grid.
Let's go.
Hanwha Life Esports uniforms
We open our breakdown of the HLE vs T1 match with an analysis of HLE's playing form. In this match they will play as favourites with odds to win at around 1.8.
HLE are consistently reaching the late stages of the regular split. This only started to work out in 2023. Before that, in the 2022 season, HLE were the worst team in the race, twice finishing in the top 10 in regular splits.
It was corrected by 2023, after the big Reshuffle. Two reigning world champions joined the HLE roster, which strengthened the club considerably.
- HLE roster: Doran, Peanut, Zeka, Viper, Delight.
With the addition of Zeka and Kingen to the HLE lineup, it was clearly more vigorous. So much so that they made it to the top 4 of LCK Spring 2023. The latest addition to HLE is Grizzly, a jungler who got promoted from the academic roster.
It seems to be working out pretty well. HLE finished in the top 3 in the regular season, which with teams like Dplus, T1 and other top teams is pretty good.
In the first play-offs match HLE warmed up against DRX. Nominally reigning world champions couldn't do anything against their visions and HLE easily closed the match with the score 3-0.
Then the situation was not so rosy: HLE ran into Gen.G and fell 0-3. The favour went to the bottom set of play-offs, but it did not save them for long.
Hanwha Life Esports faced KT Rolster in the first match of the last chance grid. The pressure was too hard and HLE was washed away: 0-3 and a play-offs exit, and at the same time not a pass to Worlds 2023.
They tried to make it to the Worlds in the regional finals, but again failed. LCK finished the final tournament of the season in the top 3, having failed to use either of the two attempts to qualify for the Worlds: they lost first to KT Rolster with a 1-3 score and then to Ledge or DPlus KIA with the same score.
Hanwha Life Esports finished the LCK Spring 2024 season in the top 3. The team once again fell one series short of reaching the international LAN tournament.
HLE advanced to the LCK Summer 2024 play-offs from the second place of the regular season, finishing 14-4. They advanced directly to the second stage of the playoffs.
Hanwha Life Esports Champions
HLE utilise a wide pool of characters for the top line. The most popular are Gnar (12 matches, 75% wins), KSante (5 matches, 40% wins), Ornn (4 matches, 75% wins), and Sion (4 matches, 50% wins).
Sejuani (9 matches, 11% wins), Vi (7 matches, 85% wins), Elise (4 games, 75% wins) appear most often in the forest.
Azir (9 games, 55% wins), Sylas (5 matches, 80% wins), Kassadin (5 matches, 80% wins), Akali (4 matches, 100% wins) appear on the centre line.
Shooters are chosen as standard: Zeri (11 matches, 63% wins), Varus (7 matches, 42% wins), Caitlyn (7 games, 57% wins), Lucian (5 matches, 80% wins).
Supporting heroes are Lulu (10 games, 70% wins), Heimerdinger (7 matches, 42% wins), Lux (6 matches, 66% wins), and Nami (4 matches, 75% wins).
T1 Form
We continue our breakdown of the Hanwha Life Esports - T1 match with an analysis of HLE's match form. In this match they will play as number two with odds to win at around 2.2.
T1 won the LCK Spring 2022 and then three consecutive top-2s, MSI, LCK Summer and Worlds 2022.
The curse of top-2s carried over to the 2023 season as well. At the Long Run of the Year, Faker and company took 2nd place at LCK Spring 2023, and then finished third at MSI 2023.
- T1 line-up: Zeus, Oner, Faker, Gumayusi, Keria.
LCK Summer 2023 was a real challenge for T1. The team made it to the play-offs, but did it with difficulty, taking 5th place in the group stage with the score 9-9.
There were problems for the main protagonist - Faker. The legendary mid laner injured his hand and it obviously affected the overall playing conditions of T1. But now Faker is kind of back on track.
The Faker factor has played out. T1 defeated a serious opponent in the person of Dplus and made their way to the next round, where their opponent will be KT Rolster. The latter, by the way, chose T1 as their opponent.
Next up was no less capable opponent than Dplus. Faker and company played against KT Rolster and won that match with a score of 3-2.
The opponent in the match for the play-offs for T1 was Gen.G. The first tried, and even started the game with the score 2-1, but it didn't work out: Gen.G camebacked, and Chovy was better than Faker.
In the grand final match T1 almost lost to KT Rolster after an excellent Long Sogpeg 2-0. They were saved by Gumayusi, who pulled it off on the 5th map with his Xayah.
However, it didn't allow them to win the final. T1 faced their nemesis Gen.G, where they crushingly lost 0-3.
T1 opened Worlds 2023 with a game against Liquid. Being the clear favourite of the series they closed the match against Liquid in their favour, but it was not an easy win: Liquid held on for 36 minutes and Ledge only 1 kill. Everything was decided in the final midlane brawl, after which T1 closed the series.
In a 1-0 basket, T1 ran into their own kryptonite - Gen.G. Faker and company started great, but the first LCK team was the first to adjust the pace of the game to their own and eventually win the match.
Next up, T1 faced Cloud9. Perhaps, it was the most defeated match of all that I had the chance to watch on this Worlds. Naturally, it ended in T1's favour.
After trampling Cloud9 T1 started to beat Bilibili Gaming, and they succeeded. T1 easily defeated the vice-champions MSI 2023 with the score 2-0.
In the play-offs, T1 played against LNG. Scout, who was not unreasonably named the best player of Worlds 2023, was like that until the 5th of November: T1 wiped out LNG, closing the series with a score of 3-0.
In the semi-finals of Worlds 2023, T1 faced perhaps the top contender to win the championship, JD Gaming. As formidable as the Chinese were, they were unable to outplay the experienced T1. As a result, Faker and company won the match with a score of 3-1 and T1 for the sixth (!) time made it to the grand finals of the most important League of Legends tournament. And then won it for the 4th time, which is an absolute record in competitive League of Legends and in esports in general.
After an excellent Long Cоrnеg regular season, LCK Spring 2024 T1s slipped a bit in the regular season, finishing 15-3 and in third place. T1 started the championship playoffs with a match against Hanwha Life Esports and surprisingly for me, they blew the game wide open, losing it 0-3. In the lower play-offs T1 played against DPlus KIA and beat them 3-0. Next, they defeated their HLE opponents 3-1, thus becoming the second and last Korean team at MSI 2024.
T1 made it to the Mid-Season Invitational 2024 after finishing in the top 2 at LCK Spring 2024. At the MSI 2024 MSI Play-In, T1 easily took the two series 2-0 and advanced to the Bracket Stage. They started off the Bracket Stage with a nerve-wracking 3-2 win over G2 Esports. In the match to advance to the top 3 T1 faced BLG and lost rather toothlessly with a 1-3 score. Next up was a match against Liquid, where T1 won 3-1. After that they played against G2 Esports in a rematch of the first round of MSI 2024 and again they won, but this time cleanly - 3-0 in favour of T1. But in the next match T1 could not win: BLG outplayed T1 with the score 3-1.
To play at Esports World Cup 2024, T1 interrupted their performance at LCK Summer 2024, where they had a 5-1 record.
In between LCK Summer 2024 matches, T1 tasted Riyadh, where they became the champions of Esports World Cup 2024 with a prize money of $1,000,000. They defeated TOP Esports in the grand finals.
T1 entered the LCK Summer 2024 play-offs from the 4th place of the regular season. During LCK Summer 2024, they were 11-7, which is not a good result for a club of T1's level. In the first match of the LCK Summer 2024 Playoffs T1 playoffs they defeated LCK Summer 2024 Playoffs T1.
Most popular T1 champions
The top line had Fiora (5 games, 60% wins). There was also Jax (3 games, 100% wins), Camile (2 matches, 100% wins), Irelia (2 matches, 100% wins).
In the forest Maokai (7 matches, 85% wins), Sejuani (4 games, 75% wins), Viego (2 matches, 100% wins).
The centre line was occupied by Azir (5 matches, 80% wins), Sylas (3 games, 66% wins), Kassadin (2 matches, 100% wins), Ryze (2 games, 50% wins).
Shooters: Varus (4 games, 50% wins), Lucian (4 games, 100% wins).
Supports: Nami (3 games, 100% wins), Ashe (3 games, 0 wins), Varus (2 games, 100% wins), Miss Fortune (2 games, 100% wins).
History of head-to-head meetings HLE - T1
Previously the teams have played each other 5 times, with the score 3-2 in favour of HLE.
Predicted result of T1 vs Hanwha Life Esports at LCK Summer 2024
In this match I will expect a roughly even game. In my opinion, we will see a full-fledged bo5. And it's not quite easy to see which way it will be 3-2. Still, I'll take a chance that it will be T1.
Bottom line: T1 wins 3-2.
