LCK Cup 2026 T1 Review: A Dominant Start Turns Disastrous
T1 started the LCK Cup with five series victories in a row. Many expected them to contest Gen.G Esports in the LCK Cup final. Everyone touted them as the second LCK First Stand representative. However, they faltered during the playoffs. They lost successive series to FearX and Dplus KIA, seeing them exit the LCK Cup earlier than expected. As a result, they miss out on First Stand for the second time in a row.
T1 LCK Cup Results
T1 ended the LCK Cup with five wins and two losses. They had a perfect series record before the playoffs started. In those matches, T1 won fourteen of their twenty-two games.
- Won 2-1 Versus Hanwha Life Esports
- Won 2-1 Versus DRX
- Won 2-0 Versus KT Rolster
- Won 2-1 Versus FearX
- Won 3-0 Versus Dplus KIA
- Lost 3-1 Versus FearX
- Lost 3-2 Versus Dplus KIA
T1 Player Review
Doran
- Total Apex Rating – 6.6 (2nd among top laners, 7th among players)
- Champions Played
- Kennen (3)
- Ambessa (2)
- Gnar (2)
- Jayce (2)
- K’Sante (2)
- Akali
- Aurora
- Gwen
- Jax
- Ornn
- Rek’Sai
- Renekton
- Rumble
- Sion
- Sylas
After finally winning an international trophy, Doran looked relaxed in the LCK. He had more stable performances and set himself apart from other top laners. There were some bad moments from Doran, but they rarely had a significant impact on games.
Oner
- Total Apex Rating – 6.3 (2nd among junglers, tied 11th among players)
- Champions Played
- Xin Zhao (4)
- Nocturne (3)
- Pantheon (3)
- Vi (3)
- Jarvan IV (2)
- Aatrox
- Ambessa
- Dr. Mundo
- Kha’Zix
- Malphite
- Sylas
- Wukong
Throughout the Group Battle of the LCK Cup, Oner was one of the best players in the league. Only Canyon had better performances than him. He struggled to deliver in the playoffs, especially against DK. He lost many smite battles. However, that failed delivery is better than most players’ but worse than his usual performance.
Faker
- Total Apex Rating – 6.7 (2nd among mid laners, 6th among players)
- Champions Played
- Azir (5)
- Ryze (5)
- Galio (3)
- Anivia (2)
- Aurora (2)
- Sylas (2)
- Orianna
- Taliyah
- Twisted Fate
- Yone
Faker had the highest Total Apex rating for a non-Gen.G player. At times, he was in the same form as he would during World Championship matches. His laning phase had improved significantly, which included a solo kill on Bdd. His weakest performances came on Aurora and Yone, two champions on which he has historically struggled.
Peyz
- Total Apex Rating – 6.5 (2nd among bot laners, 8th among players)
- Champions Played
- Aphelios (5)
- Kai’Sa (3)
- Varus (3)
- Jhin (2)
- Kalista (2)
- Yunara (2)
- Corki
- Ezreal
- Jinx
- Lucian
- Sivir
- Zeri
Peyz started his T1 career with dominant performances. In an ad-carry-centric meta, he seemed to be the right player at the right time. During the Group Battle, he had some over-aggressive moments. In the playoff series, he struggled to perform against Diable and Smash.
Keria
- Total Apex Rating – 6.4 (2nd among supports, 9th among players)
- Champions Played
- Lulu (3)
- Thresh (3)
- Bard (2)
- Nautilus (2)
- Neeko (2)
- Rakan (2)
- Renata Glasc (2)
- Alistar
- Karma
- Lissandra
- Milio
- Nami
- Rell
- Yummi
Keria had his usual flair, mixed with a couple of unique champion picks. One of those was Lissandra. He, along with Peyz, dominated in the laning phase during the Group Battle. However, he lacked the flair and consistency during the playoffs.
LCK Cup Review
T1 had a perfect series record after the Group Battle. However, they were not without blemish, losing multiple games to their mistakes. They should have lost to KT Rolster in game two, but held on against a 14k gold deficit. The signs of struggle were evident as we headed into the playoffs. Even after beating DK 3-0, no one had the same confidence as they did in Gen.G.
T1’s performance drop led them to miss the playoffs. They could have continued their playoff if they had one more win against DK. One aspect that contributed to T1’s struggles is their meta-read. It was especially worse in the playoffs, with DK even getting the better drafts against them.
More LCK Articles
To see more LCK Cup team reviews, check out the articles below.
Author
