Faker dramatically clinched the championship, delivering a harsh reality check to the LPL Korean imports! Expectations to beat T1 were high, but the truth was revealed.

Greetings to all LPL viewers and League of Legends summoners, welcome to Tianxia Game Report.

The first cup tournament after the LCK transfer period ended wrapped up yesterday. In the grand final, T1 once again took the championship in a dramatic way by winning the first two games and denying a reverse sweep.

This match also successfully proved wrong the LPL Korean import Kanavi and coach Homme.

Faker’s dramatic championship denies a reverse sweep.

T1’s performance in this K Cup can be summed up in five words—full of entertainment value. They frequently made absurd mistakes and showed erratic play, yet with slight adjustments, they could turn things around and dominate their opponents. In the previous round against DK, Faker was solo killed twice in a single game and forgot to buy a Tear of the Goddess, but in the third game, T1 rallied to complete a reverse sweep.

Throughout this K Cup, Faker’s form was shaky with many errors, but as long as he didn’t lose the most crucial game, T1 could still easily control their opponents.

The previous round showcased T1’s strong team history, achieving a reverse sweep. In the finals, T1 chose another dramatic approach: winning the first two games, then dropping two, and finally securing victory in the decider. This theatrical way of winning made fans remark that T1 really understands how to draw attention.

Most importantly, in this round, T1 avenged their loss to HLE. Earlier, T1 had lost to HLE, allowing them to advance to the finals. But T1 came back strong, facing HLE again and delivering a heavy blow, giving HLE a taste of defeat and effectively proving wrong the two LPL players who returned to Korea.

Kanavi exposed and embarrassed, true colors revealed in the match.

In this round, Faker once again had some comical moments. Following previous games where his Ryze and Taliyah forgot to buy Tear of the Goddess and he was solo killed multiple times, in the third game this round, his Ahri was solo killed twice and died in ridiculous ways. In the fourth game, he played a Joyful Rakan but performed poorly, allowing the opponent to even the score.

However, in the decisive final game, Oner’s Nightmare jungling relentlessly pressured mid-laner Zeka, and T1 dominated the tempo to a 23-1 kill count, crushing their opponents to seize the championship. This surprising match left all viewers stunned.

Notably, in the jungle battles, Kanavi once again showed his true self, making the same questionable decisions he did during his LPL days. In the second game, he played jungle Wukong and led his team to invade the enemy jungle but was caught and heavily punished, losing control of the game’s rhythm. Apart from a decent performance on Volibear in the third game, he was mostly suppressed by Oner.

Oner is also a fearless and aggressive jungler but is more rational and thoughtful compared to Kanavi.

This match further proved that Kanavi, whether on TES or HLE, cannot outperform T1 in crucial games. Ironically, Homme previously claimed that Kanavi would win against T1 with different teammates, but both of them failed miserably.

Kanavi’s core issue: selfishness and underestimating teammates.

It’s worth mentioning that after joining HLE, Kanavi praised his teammates multiple times and even compared LPL to the LCK regarding makeup habits. Yet, recalling his time in LPL where he looked down on teammates and played selfishly in key matches, thinking moving to LCK would bring better results, it’s clear that Kanavi’s personality and playstyle make him a ticking time bomb in any LCK team.

Once he gets tilted in crucial matches, teams like GEN and T1 easily exploit his weaknesses and crush him.

In my opinion, if Kanavi cannot fix his problems, especially if he continues to collaborate with Homme using the same LPL-style approach, HLE might become the next TES. Although HLE’s potential is much higher than TES, and they are guaranteed a decent result next year, they are still far from being a championship-level team.

Regarding Homme, his coaching skills might stand out in the LPL, but in the highly disciplined and professional competitive environment of LCK, his ability to improve the team is limited. It can be said that Homme’s high salary in LPL was earned over many years. As an LPL viewer, it’s hard to accept that he enjoys top treatment in LPL while secretly criticizing the LPL scene and looking down on his LPL teammates.