In the third stage of the LCK group matches, the previous game day featured a highlight battle where the reigning MSI and Oil Cup champions, GEN, faced their arch-rivals T1. Before the match began, everyone believed GEN would win easily, as this team had seemingly no worthy opponents globally. However, T1 surprised everyone by defeating GEN with a score of 2:1, marking a strong start in the third stage.

Before facing T1, GEN's winning streak had reached an astonishing 27 games. Just after breaking T1's previous record of 26 consecutive wins, they were ruthlessly stopped by T1. To recap the match briefly, in the first game, T1 had a significant early advantage, with their jungle and support frequently targeting the mid-lane, resulting in Chovy being caught at 0-3 within 10 minutes. Despite this, Faker was still 20 CS behind, proving that the title of "CS King" is well-deserved.

T1's composition favored the early game; although they had some advantages, it wasn't enough to secure a victory. As GEN dragged the game into the mid-to-late stages, the power disparity between the two teams became apparent. T1 repeatedly lost team fights, ultimately losing the match despite a strong start. In the second game, the team compositions reversed, with GEN opting for a card-based composition focused on the early to mid-game. Similar to T1 in the first game, GEN gained some early advantages but failed to snowball.

After continuously losing team fights to T1, GEN lost all hope of a comeback. T1 successfully evened the score, and the final game was a complete domination. In the early game, they dove the tower to take down the bot duo, and in mid-game team fights, they won effortlessly. By the 18th minute, T1 went completely wild, pushing past the second tower to chase down the inhibitor. In the 27th minute, both carries achieved god-like status, allowing T1 to come from behind and defeat GEN. This time, the performance of the ADC was truly dismal, with Senna ending with a score of 0-6-1.

After the end of the 27-game winning streak, many viewers joked that GEN chose T1 as their stepping stone, angering the veteran players. However, looking at the last two games, GEN indeed underestimated their opponents. Coach Kim's chosen lineup did not take T1 seriously at all. In the second game, with a frontline of K'Sante, Scorpion, and Braum, and carries Card and Lucian, this composition had damage only from Lucian, but he was too short-ranged, leaving no room for output in team fights.

The third game was similar, featuring carries Senna and Viktor, resulting in alarmingly low damage in team fights. They had to pull back and forth to find opportunities to kill, but both Trundle and Renekton were meant to dive in. The carries had no space to maneuver. The coach picked all the strong heroes of the current meta, but ended up with a defensive lineup. However, in this best-of-three series, the players' performance was indeed subpar; similar lineups had won when in good form.

Although the winning streak was ended, GEN had nothing to worry about. After winning the MSI championship and defeating HLE, GEN had already secured their spot in the World Championship. Practicing their lineup during the regular season might be better for GEN, as it would allow for more strategies in the playoffs. Next, there is another major match in the LCK, with DK facing BFX. During their debut, DK lost to BRO, so it remains to be seen if Xu Xiu can secure a win this time.

This season has been quite extraordinary for DK. They started with a record of 5-1, but as the season progressed, they began to struggle, even falling into the Rebirth group. Throughout the season, Xu Ge has completely become a "district" player, unable to win against anyone in lane. Their victories came from riding the coattails of the situation, while their losses exposed weaknesses. In the last match, Siwoo faced a tough opponent, and based on their previous performance, it seems DK might still face difficulties against BFX.

Conclusion:

After defeating GEN, T1's regular season record improved to 12-7. While they are in contention for the playoffs, T1 is not entirely secure, as NS, currently at the bottom, is only two wins behind them. The competition remains quite fierce. However, given T1's current form, they should have no problem making it to the playoffs; if they can defeat GEN, who else could they not beat?

So, do you think GEN underestimated their lineup?

Feel free to leave your comments and discuss!