T1 delivered a trademark display of resilience at the KeSPA Cup, overturning a 2-0 scoreline to reverse sweep DPlus KIA in the semifinals and book a spot in the grand finals, once again proving their poise under pressure on the biggest stages.
DK ShowMaker drew the first blood to start the series with a solo kill on Faker, which set the tone for the KeSPA Cup match. The team continued to get kills on Faker and kept Taliyah out of the match with high pressure. The whole T1 squad crumbled under the pressure because DK continued to secure picks on the map and extend their lead to comfortably wrap the match.
Even though T1 started on equal footing in the second match, a fight near the Atakhan changed the course of the match at 24 minutes. T1 secured the objective, but they gave away multiple valuable kills and gold to DK, who focused on increasing their lead, and a last teamfight in the mid lane made sure that DK took the break the Nexus to bring the series to a decider next.
With a do-or-die situation, T1 rose to the occasion with a dominating start. Keria got access to his famous Bard during drafts, and he enabled plays for the squad to get easy kills. Faker’s Anivia paired with Peyz’s Caitlyn proved very lethal for DK, and they fell like dominoes to keep T1 in contention for the finals.
With DK on the blue side in the next match, things didn’t look any better. Doran’s Yorick dominated with the early game, starting with a first blood on the enemy top laner. Later, Peyz and Keria made sure teamfight won almost every teamfight, and it pushed DK out of the match completely. DK got a few picks in the mid game, but it wasn’t enough to bring them back as the series headed to the silver scraps.
In the final match with 40 champions already banned due to Fearless Drafts, teams reached deep in their champion pool to find relevant picks. DK found a solid opening into the match, where they began to accumulate gold and kills, while T1 focused mostly on objectives. DK started to win teamfights, which put them in the lead in the mid, but the teamfight in the bot lane, where Peyz came very close to getting a Pentakill, proved very good for T1 to gain their momentum.
As T1 started to build their lead, DK started to feel the pressure, and they made some plays, which didn’t work out. T1 was quick to respond, and they punished DK in the mid to late game to extend their lead. While there was a window for a comeback, eventually T1 came out on top, and they marched down the mid lane to wrap the series.
T1 is now set to have a rematch with HLE in the KeSPA Cup grand finals, who defeated them earlier by a slim 2-1 margin at the event, and they’ll be looking to get their revenge.
Published: Dec 13, 2025 07:24 pm