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T1 vs Gen.G Preview: Keys to Victory with Elimination on the Line
Despite being two of the best League of Legends teams in the world, T1 and Gen.G find themselves on a collision course in the Lower Bracket of the LCK 2025 Season Playoffs. With both teams already qualified for Worlds 2025, this new chapter in the historic T1 vs Gen.G rivalry will see one team eliminated from playoffs, while the other continues in their pursuit of yet another LCK title.
At the top of their games, the two teams are about as evenly matched as it gets. So, what does victory look like exactly for each of these squads? Let's take a look.
T1's Keys to Victory
Oner Takes the Wheel
Faker may be the heart and soul of the team, but there's no doubt Oner is the engine that keeps the train rolling. This was more evident than ever in the team's last three games, where, with the possibility of missing out on Worlds looming over T1, Oner put the team on his back to get past Dplus KIA.
Over the course of T1's last three games, Oner put up a total KDA of 33/3/24, masterfully running the map, and team fights, game after game. With Canyon in a bit of a slump, T1 will need Oner to show up big once more and put as much pressure on his Gen.G counterpart as possible, creating gaps for his team to exploit.
Gentle reminder: right now Oner is the top jungler in these LCK playoffs in terms of kills per game (5.42), CS per minute (6.95), gold per minute (400), and kill participation (81.1%).
Getting Muddy
Throughout the second half of the 2025 LCK Season, Gen.G were the team with the lowest deaths per game with a shockingly low 10.9. While this is in large part due to the fact that they were simply always winning, it's also a testament to just how methodically this team likes to play.
For instance, despite finishing the season with a 29-1 record, Gen.G somehow were not the team with the lowest average gametime in the LCK this year; or even the second lowest, for that matter. This is because, no matter how ahead they may be, Gen.G will always want to dot their i's and cross their t's before going in for the kill.
If T1 manage to do their best LPL impression and turn the series into a slugfest, they're sure to get Gen.G out of their comfort zone. Given T1's standout team fighting, and the years on years of developing synergy on the squad (minus Doran), a game of feel and intuition is likely to favor T1 in the end.
Gen.G's Keys to Victory
Early Objective Control
One of the biggest reasons that allowed Gen.G to race to a 29-1 finish in the season was their superior objective control. Over the course of the second half of the season, Gen.G were the number one team in the league in terms of Voidgrubs killed per game (1.9) and Dragon percentage (66.8%). T1, meanwhile, came dead last in the league in terms of Voidgrubs killed per game (1.2).
As games grow longer, however, T1's superior macro begins to take charge, with the team having far higher percentages on Atakhan and Baron than Gen.G in the season. If they wish to take down their rivals, Gen.G will need to seize control of their games from early on, or risk leaving enough room for a classic T1 takeover.
Prioritizing Canyon's Comfort in Drafts
As mentioned before, Canyon has been going through a bit of a slump lately. Over the three games Gen.G lost to KT Rolster in the Upper Bracket, Canyon failed to secure even a single kill, putting up a total KDA of 0/15/12. With Oner in the form of his life over in the T1 jungle, Gen.G will need to find ways to neutralize the current gap between the two players.
The most effective way to do this? Let Canyon feel at ease by drafting comfort picks for him. In their lost series to KT, Gen.G's losses came with Canyon on Pantheon, Qiyana and Lee Sin. Not only had Canyon never picked Qiyana or Lee Sin throughout the entire 2025 LCK Season, but they're also two of the most difficult jungle champions to execute on. As far as the jungle goes, maybe it's time for Gen.G to get back to basics.
Prediction: Who Moves On?
As ludicrous as it may sound, T1 and Gen.G have played a total of 27 games against one another in 2025 alone. Currently, this year's head-to-head favors Gen.G: 16-11 in games, 6-2 in series. For all of the team's dominance, though, Gen.G arrive at this match at a bit of a low point.
T1, meanwhile, have a knack for turning up the heat the closer we get to wrapping up season. Backed by one of the best coaching staffs in the game, and a leader on the Rift the likes of which come only once in a lifetime, T1 may just be able to carve themselves a path to victory.
For T1, this may be about avoiding Worlds Play-Ins for an easier path towards an unprecedented third consecutive Worlds title. For Gen.G, it's about asserting their dominance over the LCK. Whatever their motives, whenever T1 and Gen.G take the stage together, a spectacle follows. This time, though, we believe the leading showman to be T1.
Prediction: An incredibly tough series to call, as demonstrated by the perfect 50/50 split from the Strafe fan votes. Each and every game should come down to the finest of margins, but we predict T1 to take the series 3-1.
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Featured image credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
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