T1 Sweep Hanwha Life Esports to Lock Final LCK Spot at MSI 2025

League of Legends

15 Jun

Foo Zen-Wen

Hanwha Life Esports was unfortunately the recipient of an absolute mauling earlier today at the hands of T1 in the LCK Road to MSI final qualification series. After a shaky start to the year, including missing their first international event in 4 years – T1 are back. A statement of a series against Hanwha Life saw T1 coast through to a 3-0 victory over the heavy favorites.

Happy Father’s Day

In true T1 fashion, the team once again transcends their limitations in the most crucial of series and in the most pivotal of moments – and no player today did it better than Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon. Following months of lamentations over T1’s failure to retain Choi “Zeus” Woo-je and witnessing Hanwha Life’s ensuing success so far in 2025, including their victory in the First Stand Grand Finals, Doran found himself under unenviable scrutiny and pressure.

However, today Doran proved he and T1 were of the same breed. Faced against Zeus, Doran delivered a monster series against the God of Lightning and Hanwha and played with a confidence we have not seen from him since his time on Hanwha. Domestically, many fans affectionately name Doran as Zeus’ father, for when faced against the former, the latter tends to shrink. Against Doran’s 13 kills across the series, the contrast of Zeus with an unheard-of 3 kills reminds us that, despite all the changes at the end of 2024, some things never change.

T1 Return to the International Stage

After a one-tournament drought, T1 are returning to the international stage in 2025, and are headed for MSI in Canada. Following a solid Round 1-2 performance in the LCK, T1 found themselves in 3rd place behind Gen.G and Hanwha. Two series wins were needed in order to secure their MSI spot - and T1 would need to beat either Hanwha or Gen.G in the final round in order to do so. Despite the odds, T1 have rarely buckled, and this was certainly not one of those times, losing only a single game in their entire Road to MSI run.

While T1 have yet to face Gen.G in this revitalized form, hopes have risen significantly for their run. The defending two-time world champions have never won MSI, but they tend to make deep runs to at least the semifinals. Judging from their latest performance, confidence in a repeat performance is high.

Hanwha Life: One Game Away

The score was 2-0 up on Gen.G in the Upper Finals of LCK: Road to MSI. Hanwha was one series away from qualifying to MSI 2025 and earning their chance to defend their international crown following their victory at First Stand. And then Gen.G reverse swept them. A bitter defeat that was then followed with a repeat matchup against T1, a team Hanwha has beaten in three consecutive series this year alone. The last time T1 took a game off Hanwha was in February. The last time T1 won a series against Hanwha was in the LCK Spring season, back in 2024 in April.

This all serves to highlight how, regardless of how stellar (or shaky) a season run may be for a team, a single series win can determine the fortunes and place in history for any team.

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Featured Image Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

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