The LCK second stage regular season has officially kicked off. The April Fool's Day opener saw powerhouse teams HLE, T1, and KT all take the stage. Following the offseason hiatus, HLE's condition still appears somewhat unstable; Kanavi is often in a frenzied state, and Delight also shows signs of low performance. Even when facing low-ranking team BRO, every game stretched to about 30 minutes. Nevertheless, given that HLE ranked last in the first stage, defeating the team ranked second-to-last is satisfactory.

Although the score was 2:0, HLE truly struggled through the matches. The jungle and support duo gave away too many advantages; if not for the top laner and double carries holding the line, they might have needed three games to beat BRO. In the next match, HLE will face T1, and these two teams are likely to have a competitive bout because T1's current form is also alarmingly low. When playing against KT, everyone expected T1 to easily secure their first win, since KT is often seen as their dedicated "charging battery."

But unexpectedly, apart from the mid laner and support, the remaining three members of T1 were completely off-form. In the first game, Doran picked Wolfmother as a counter to Perfect's Jayce but was suppressed from the start; at 4 minutes, Oner attempted a gank, but before he could arrive, Doran was solo-killed. By 10 minutes into the match, the top lane was behind by 1K gold, and only Peyz had a 10-gold lead across the whole team. With all lanes disadvantaged, Oner couldn't find any rhythm.

When the match ended at 24 minutes, T1 still had zero kills, secured no dragons, and only destroyed one tower. KT's overly steady operation gave T1 no chances; if Doran hadn't stolen a tower, this would have been a game with zero dragons, zero towers, and zero kills. After the first game, the coach recognized Doran's poor form, so in the second game, he was given K'Sante. However, Perfect disregarded conventional tactics and directly revealed Vayne.

In a 3v3 clash over the Void Grubs, T1's three players were wiped out. Returning to lane, Doran suddenly went berserk, chasing Vayne and hammering away, only to be mercilessly counter-killed. This game, however, saw T1's disadvantage less severe than before; both carries developed well. But during the team fight phase, T1 scattered like loose sand; KT easily shattered T1 upon contact. After holding out for 40 minutes, T1 ultimately lost again, with Oner's Vi ending 0-9, surpassing ghost status.

Overall, T1's two side lanes are truly unbelievably weak. Doran was solo-killed in consecutive games by his lane opponent. Perfect is indeed strong, but compared to top-tier laners like Kiin and Zeus, there's still some gap. Doran getting crushed like this is truly abstract. Peyz is even more concerning; his Ezreal versus Ashe was suppressed in lane, and his Corki versus Yuumi still ended disadvantaged. There wasn't a single game where the side lanes stood up.

Although Oner's stats were poor, with the side lanes crushed, focusing only on mid and jungle makes it hard to drive momentum. The oldest veteran, Faker, was ironically the most stable and performed best. Partner Keria was even suppressed in lane; it's hard to say what's up with Peyz. After this match, the coaching staff should convene to pressure the top laner and AD. Playing like this, forget Worlds—even making playoffs might be difficult.

T1's next match is against HLE on April 4th, coinciding with LPL's opening day. Based on both teams' debut performances, personally, HLE seems more likely to win because Egg and Zeus have strong side lanes. However, the match will likely be messy, given the presence of Doran, Peyz, and Kanavi—"three fierce generals." So it's advisable to eat lightly before watching, lest you get overwhelmed.

Conclusion:

T1 slumping in the league is common, but falling to this extent is somewhat extreme. Fortunately, the second stage has just begun; T1 still has plenty of time to adjust. Not expecting both the top laner and AD to stand out every game, but at least one should hold the line. Otherwise, relying solely on veteran Faker makes winning matches very tough.

So, how do you think Doran performed?

Feel free to leave comments and discuss!