T1 loses to Gen.G in LCK gauntlet, will miss LoL Worlds 2020

T1 fought bravely for the last Korean spot in the 2020 World Championship but ended up falling to Gen.G in the last match of the gauntlet. 

T1 lost to Gen.G in a three-game series, without a real chance to fight back. T1 was strong early, but was outclassed in team fights in the later stages of each game. Gen.G has been great throughout the season, barely missing the summer split final after a loss to DragonX in the semifinals. Gen.G was clearly hungry to get revenge and make it to Worlds. 

The Regional Finals started out great for T1, as the team took down Afreeca Freecs in a convincing 3-0 fashion. The team showcased an aggressive play style that hasn’t been seen from them in a long time, but they didn’t manage to pull it off against Gen.G. 

With the loss against Gen.G, T1 won’t be heading to Shanghai for LoL Worlds 2020. T1 won three World Championship trophies back when they were called SKT T1, the last being in 2016. 

This year, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and the rest of the squad have been inconsistent, especially during the summer split where they haven’t found their usual form. T1 won the spring split, but the overall competition in the LCK has become much stiffer since then. 

Gumayusi debuts in LCK Regional Finals, T1 falls short of Worlds 2020

T1 took a big chance by debuting Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong in the bot lane instead of Park “Teddy” Jin-seong. It went well for the young bot laner against Afreeca Freecs in the first game of the regional gauntlet, but Gen.G was too much for him to handle. 

The 18-year-old bot laner showcased his great positioning and champion pool against Afreeca Freecs, playing Caitlyn, Jhin, and Draven at an impressive level. He was up against veteran bot laner Jin “Mystic” Seong-jun, who has been consistently good for years, with experience in the LPL and LCK. 

Going up against former world champion Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk, was simply too much for Gumayusi. He didn’t have a terrible showing, but Ruler and the rest of Gen.G were too strong. 

Gumayusi is a promising talent that will be a player to watch in the 2021 season. Notably, pro gaming runs in Gumayusi’s family as his older brother is Starcraft 2 legend Lee “INnoVation” Shin-hyung. 

Gumayusi played six different champions in his first six games on the big stage and has proven that his mechanical skill is top-tier. Now he just needs more experience under his belt.