In the LCK third stage group matches, the third round of the round-robin has begun. On the previous match day, the rising team DNF faced off against BRO. This team, which has only won 2 matches all year and has been at the bottom of the league, once again pulled off an upset against their opponent, bringing their overall record to 3-23. Although DNF has already been eliminated from the qualifiers, Pyosik still managed to secure a chance for his former team DRX to enter the qualifiers.

If BRO wins this match, they will create a 3-point gap with DRX. However, after their defeat, the two teams remain just 2 points apart, and DRX still has the chance to tie or even surpass BRO for the qualifying spot. On the same day, another highlight match featured T1 against HLE. HLE's performance in the third stage has been quite inconsistent, while T1 has been improving, making the outcome of this match quite predictable, with HLE being swept 2-0.

To briefly recap this BO3, in the first game, HLE had a strong start, dominating early skirmishes. HLE continuously took down Keria, and Li Laotou made a mistake by teleporting in front of three opponents, giving away a kill. By the 25-minute mark, the kill score was 9-3 in favor of HLE, who had a gold lead of nearly 2K. However, without vision, Zeka overextended and got caught, leading to a 4v5 situation for his teammates, allowing T1 to execute a team wipe and secure the Baron, starting their snowball effect.

Once T1 gained an economic lead, the match lost its excitement. After securing the second Baron, T1 pushed straight into HLE's base. From being at a disadvantage to turning the tide, T1 took less than 5 minutes to complete the turnaround. The elite team is indeed terrifying. The narrative in the second game was similar to the first, with HLE having an even bigger advantage. In the early game, a small mistake led to a first blood for T1, but they stabilized their economy, and both teams exchanged blows.

During the team fight at the 20-minute mark, Oner managed to steal a jungle monster, but HLE executed a 0-for-5 team fight, giving them a gold lead of over 4K. Many thought the game was over, but in the 32-minute mid-lane team fight, T1 managed a 1-for-3 trade despite losing their support and having their AD carry on low health, and they also secured the Baron. Duolan's Graves was a true warrior in that team fight.

With the Baron buff, T1 completed their economic comeback. In the final dragon soul team fight, Duolan, equipped with a Guardian Angel, flashed in and dealt damage, leading his teammates to a team wipe and finishing the match. After being overturned in two consecutive games, HLE's form is indeed lacking. The key point is that T1 had already given many opportunities. Compared to previous matches, T1's players were much more relaxed in this BO3, consistently giving chances in the early game.

Duolan performed exceptionally well in both games. In the first game as the wolf mother, although his record was only 0-4, his impact in team fights was significant, which the stats do not reflect. In the second game, the comeback was heralded by his Graves leading the charge. Ultimately, Duolan was awarded the POM for this match, achieving MVP against Zeus. Duolan has truly proven himself, and T1 did not make a mistake in choosing him during the transfer period.

When the base exploded, Zeus's mentality had already crumbled. In the player cam, he was seen with his head down, hand on his forehead, clearly distressed. Duolan, who replaced him, completely outperformed him, trailing by 4.3K in individual gold. It seemed like Zeus's spirit was shattered. However, in the second game, he indeed played poorly, failing to contain Duolan after giving up first blood and not executing any impactful ultimates in team fights. HLE's loss was not clean for him either.

Conclusion:

After defeating HLE, T1's record improved to 18-7. Although they are tied with HLE on points, T1 leads by 2 points in tiebreakers, placing them second. The top two teams in the LCK have secured direct entry into the second round of the playoffs. Looking at the remaining schedule, T1 should be safe, as HLE still has to face GEN twice and has one more match against T1.

So what do you think? Can HLE surpass T1?

Feel free to leave your comments and discuss!