The League of Legends S15 World Championship finals will officially begin in two days. Although all LPL teams have been eliminated, it does not affect T1 and KT delivering a high-quality match for the audience. Both teams have performed exceptionally well in the tournament, especially KT, who was labeled as the "weakest LCK team" since the start of the Worlds. Yet, up to the semifinals, KT only lost one small game to GEN.

Having reached the finals, KT’s strength is undoubtedly solid. As for their challenger T1, they started the year slowly but improved steadily. Their Swiss round performance was inconsistent, and the quarterfinals were up and down, but by the semifinals, the whole team peaked. If both teams are at their best, the match will surely be thrilling. However, many viewers currently believe KT will be at a disadvantage against T1.

The reason is simple: in the LCK league, BDD often struggles when facing Faker. This has been the case for several years. If the mid lane underperforms, KT’s chances of winning the championship are quite low. However, this final is BDD’s once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he is expected to overcome his mental barriers. Additionally, luck is on KT’s side this year—they have the side selection privilege for the first game of the best-of-five final.

The two teams flipped a coin to decide side selection, and KT won, gaining the right to choose first. They opted for the blue side, on which their win rate this Worlds is a perfect 100%. Meanwhile, T1’s win rate on the red side is about 73%. One team excels on blue, the other on red, making the outcome of the first game unpredictable. KT is indeed fortunate, but the championship trend does not seem to favor them.

Since the beginning of LOL tournaments, the mid laners of odd-year champions have all had five-character IDs: Xpeke in S1, Faker in S3, S5, and S13, Crown in S7, Doinb in S9, and Scout in S11. This year marks the second time with a '5' in the year. If this pattern holds true, Faker should be the champion again, since BDD’s ID only has three characters.

Additionally, fans have noticed a small pattern involving Chovy: teams that eliminate Chovy in odd years never win the championship. Since S9, in even years, teams that beat him in BO5 series have gone on to claim the title, including DWG, DRX, and T1. If this pattern continues, since BDD eliminated Chovy this year, the championship will once again belong to Faker’s team.

Of course, these patterns have no real basis and should be taken as fun trivia. But judging by the players’ skill levels, T1’s chances of winning are indeed higher. KT’s bottom lane duo are rookie players in their first Worlds, so T1 has the experience advantage. However, PerfecT is very aggressive; in the semifinals, he solo killed Kiin in lane, so Doran might not have an edge.

T1, focusing on the bottom half of the map, must avoid mistakes under pressure to control the game’s direction. KT relies on mid-jungle synergy; if BDD cannot gain an advantage, KT’s chances of winning are slim. Overcoming Faker is no easy task—Faker in Worlds is different from the usual Faker. He only grows stronger with each match, so KT’s odds are not very high.

Conclusion:

The advantage of starting on the blue side in the first game isn’t as significant as imagined because there are many strong champions available. Even with one first pick and three bans, it’s impossible to completely limit the strong picks. By the third or fourth game, the blue side may have some edge, but overall drafting will come down to champion pool depth.

So, who do you think will take the championship?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and join the discussion!