Look Sports Media – Reigning World Champions T1 have secured their spot at the League of Legends 2025 World Championship, but not without a dramatic near-miss. Their 3-1 playoff victory over Dplus Kia, securing them the LCK’s fourth seed, marks a historic first: Dplus Kia’s absence from Worlds. This will be Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeuk’s tenth Worlds appearance, a quest for a historic third consecutive title.
Despite their status as fourth seeds, T1’s formidable track record makes them instant favorites on LoL betting sites. However, their qualification was far from guaranteed. Dplus Kia dominated the first game, leaving T1’s top laner Choi "Doran" Hyeon-joon with a dismal 0/7/2 scoreline on Aatrox. The pressure was immense, especially on Doran, the only new member since T1’s last Worlds victories.
But just when it seemed all hope was lost, jungler Mun "Oner" Hyeon-jun delivered a game-changing performance. His Jarvan IV pentakill – only the second ever in competitive LoL history – ignited T1’s comeback. Oner’s monstrous 14/1/6 KDA on Pantheon in the following game showcased his dominance, leaving Choi "Lucid" Yong-hyeok struggling to contain him.
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Facing elimination, Dplus Kia attempted a desperate gamble with a Rammus support pick by Cho "BeryL" Geon-hee. The risky strategy backfired spectacularly, resulting in BeryL’s nine deaths and paving T1’s path to Worlds, dashing Dplus Kia’s hopes.
While Dplus Kia’s Worlds dreams ended, their season isn’t over. Their loss has unexpectedly qualified them for Riot Games’ newly announced Asia Invitational (ASI), a new international LoL tournament featuring top teams from the LCK, LPL, and LCP who didn’t qualify for Worlds. Dplus Kia will join FEARX and NS Redforce representing the LCK, alongside Vietnamese teams Vikings Esports and GAM Esports, and yet-to-be-determined LPL participants. The ASI boasts a CNY 1.5m (£154k) prize pool, with the champions taking home CNY 600k (£61.7k).
Jack Stewart, Senior Editor
In my seven years of esports writing, I’ve introduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I’m most proud of the latter.
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