T1 has entered a state of emergency, with Faker reflecting on the lessons learned from failure! Korea's Uzi is incredibly strong and must be taken seriously.

Happy New Year to all LPL viewers and League of Legends summoners! This is Tianxia Game Review.

While the LPL region is in its off-season, the LCK playoffs kicked off with two key clashes, and T1 immediately faltered in their first playoff game, losing to BFX and falling into the losers' bracket.

In other words, T1 lost the opportunity to lock in a top-three finish and play in China ahead of time.

T1 has entered an emergency state but still has one more chance.

In the match against BFX, T1 showed many issues—from the coach’s draft picks to the players’ in-game performance and decision-making, all far from what fans expect from T1. Coupled with BFX’s excellent form, this led to T1’s defeat, marking one of the biggest upsets in LCK this year.

Since the LCK playoffs use a double-elimination format, T1 still has the chance to fight back for revenge and even claim the championship.

Currently, GEN and BFX have advanced to the winners' bracket final, meaning these two teams have already secured top-three placements in the first stage of the LCK Cup. This year’s LCK finals and promotion matches will be held in Hong Kong, China, so these teams are confirmed to compete there.

Among the remaining teams that have not been eliminated, one more spot to compete in Hong Kong will be decided. The losers' bracket teams now have no margin for error and must give their all. Thanks to T1’s high ranking in the group stage, they have an advantage: they only need to win one best-of-five series to advance.

T1 has officially entered emergency mode, canceling the players’ scheduled live stream on the 17th to focus intensively on training.

Faker reflects on the failure, acknowledging Korea’s Uzi’s strength.

The cancellation of the live stream indicates that T1 underestimated BFX to some extent. Their champion picks across multiple games were problematic and need urgent correction. Regarding player performance, Peyz made numerous individual mistakes, and jungler Oner was under heavy pressure and completely suppressed by the opponent.

Faker faced even bigger issues with champion selection: his nine-game winning streak on Azir was ended, his signature Sylas was solo killed, and his Anivia and Aphelios were also solo killed. The Aphelios game showed Faker’s lack of proficiency, making it one of the few champions he played poorly.

Faker recently stated that he will treat this defeat as an opportunity to reflect on his weaknesses and reassess himself, aiming to learn from this loss and put full effort into winning the remaining matches.

Compared to T1’s lackluster performance, BFX truly impressed. The young Korean prodigy Diable’s playstyle reminded fans of the former Uzi—aggressive, explosive damage in team fights, with the team fully built around him, showcasing the strength of a “four protect one” strategy once again.

T1 has a high chance to advance, making things tough for other teams.

In my opinion, after T1’s defeat, the greatest pressure falls on the other teams in the losers' bracket, especially DK led by Xu Ge, who are in a difficult position. Normally, the expected outcome was T1 and GEN advancing, BFX dropping down, and then a fight for one more spot. But now, T1 has dropped down.

Moreover, T1 has already switched to emergency mode and entered full serious mode. Facing such a T1, the other losers' bracket teams will have very slim chances of winning.

Many viewers say that once T1 gets into league form, it wouldn’t be surprising if they still fail to advance. But don’t overlook the key point that this year’s LCK finals will be held in China. T1 will naturally treat the LCK Cup as an international event abroad and will definitely fight hard—both for the LCK finals’ viewership and revenue, and to secure a spot at the Mid-Season Invitational.

Also, in the match against BFX, T1’s draft choices clearly influenced the course of the games. Once T1’s drafts return to normal and the players regain form, they still have a strong chance of beating BFX in a rematch. Fans can look forward to seeing if T1 can achieve revenge.