The main ban on HLE shows that T1 has “no longer scary factors”
While the drama T1 – Gumayusi was still hot, the League of Legends community also discovered a special factor in the ban on teams confronting T1 at the LCK Cup 2025. This usual “common” option has appeared and most obvious is in the recent T1 – HLE battle.
Since Gumayusi reserve, T1's rivals have changed the ban on.
Specifically, in all 5 games, only 2 games must be banned from the gunner position (Kalista – Zeri in game 2 and Kalista in game 4). These are two quite strong generals according to Meta and one of them can also be considered quite convenient for Smash. HLE is also the team that spends the least prohibited turns in the ADC of T1 at the LCK Cup 2025 even though the team plays with the most T1 games (5 games).
Despite hitting T1 with the most games, but HLE is the least banned team in the T1 gunner position at the LCK Cup 2025, even the decision game does not prohibit any gunner.
Meanwhile, the other Dplus (the opponent of T1 day LCK Cup 2025) in all 3 games banned at least 1 pure gunner general. Particularly for the decision, they spent 3 times banned from Gumayusi's position.
While the DK – T1 troops were banned from three gunner generals in the decisive battle.
In the last 3 matches of T1, only Gen.G is still banned in the position of Smash's gunner (4 banned/3 games). Even Nongshim Redforce only banned this position 3 times/2 games.
In contrast, it was T1 right in the game 1 match against HLE banned up to 4 gunners. This can be considered very surprising. Because, it was T1 in the defeat of DK that only banned one time in the position of the gunner (in game 3). Even when confronted with HLE at the Playoffs last summer, only 1 time T1 had to bann it (Viper's Jhin in game 2).
It was T1 that had never had to ban 4 gunner generals in 1 game when confronted with HLE last summer.
When T1 also owns Gumayusi in the squad, their opponent always has to spend many ban in this position. But obviously, when the other side is a player almost sure to lose to his team members, the top team teams do not have to spend too many times to choose to choose this position anymore, especially when Fearless Draft has Help them limit the strength of the opponent quite a lot.
T1 is going against the gameplay has helped them succeed
Granted, at the present time, T1 is no longer Zeus but the matches have passed, especially the match with HLE showing that Doran is also capable of carrying damage. But if using SMASH, T1 can only play the most “radiation” squad. Thus, the opponent is too easy to counter T1's gameplay. And the mutations of Keria or Oner also followed that because they had to spend more time with their gunner.
One of the most important factors that helps T1 promote the familiar gameplay and make the opponents be wary of no longer, nor does it have to be too worried about T1.
But T1 has completed the LCK Cup and will soon be Regular Seasons. Regardless of the choice, this team will receive adequate results for their 2025 journey.
