T1 has claimed the Worlds 2024 trophy after defeating Bilibili Gaming 3-2 in the Grand Finals. From being just one game away from not qualifying for Worlds in the LCK Regional Gauntlet to defending their Worlds title, this season has been unforgettable for League of Legends’ most prestigious team.

T1 Wins Fifth Worlds Title over BLG in Dramatic Five-Game Finals

Ping Pong Early On

As the opening ceremony came to its end, T1 and BLG took to the stage for what would become one of the best Worlds Finals ever. Game one set the tone for the first three games. T1 prioritized a Yone Sejuani core, leaving Lee “Gumaysui” Min-hyeong and Ryu “Keria” Min-seok to struggle on Caitlyn Braum. This backfired horribly for them, as BLG was able to outplay them with a much stronger Ashe Rell duo.

With bot lane out of the game, T1’s only hope was top side, but even they got shut down by Zhuo “knight” Ding’s Sylas. Game one was completely one-sided. BLG easily took every objective en route to a 27-minute win. Not only that, they got the win playing on red side. T1 was now on the back foot.

Despite the early gut punch, T1 was not dissuaded. They immediately changed their draft strategy, prioritizing a strong Kalista Renata bot lane. T1 took Sylas for themselves, then put together a dive-heavy Nocturne and Ornn duo.

When it came time to fight, Mun “Oner” Hyeon-jun’s Nocturne ult made it impossible for BLG to play. In combination with Ornn’s ultimate, BLG was caught over and over. This time, it was T1’s turn to snowball out of control. With Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok’s Sylas dancing around BLG, T1 forced an equalizing 27-minute win.

Game three continued the ping-pong of one-sided games. Now picking on blue side, BLG took the Kalista themselves. With their last round of picks, BLG slammed a Galio Kindred pair that would take over fights. T1’s Vi, Jax, and Sylas could never get an engage, resulting in another 27-minute loss.

The Breaking Point

With BLG now on Championship Point, all the pressure was on T1. Knowing they had a free shot at the trophy, BLG drafted a full scaling composition with Ziggs and Smolder. T1 needed to win this game before the clock ran out. Their composition lacked guaranteed engage, the Ashe arrow being their main way to start fights.

Great lane swapping by BLG caused Zeus’s Rumble to get dove three times, setting the stage for BLG’s scaling. The 20-minute mark came and T1 had not found a sizable enough lead. Knowing that they needed to force a fight now or lose, Faker took it upon himself to do so. He stole Rakan ultimate and caught both of BLG’s carries, allowing T1 to take Baron and break the game wide open.

Even with their lead, the game was still on a knife’s edge. One throw would allow the Smolder and Ziggs to take over the game. But T1 did not falter. They outplayed BLG at almost every turn, allowing them to end the game in 31 minutes before their time was up.

Queue the Silver Scrapes, we had a Worlds Finals game five on our hands. BLG abandoned the full scaling for a more balanced composition. They took Jax and Ahri, signature picks for Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin and knight. In return, T1 got Gragas and Galio to neutralize them. Needing some big damage, T1 rounded out their comp with Xayah and flexing Poppy to support so that Oner could go Xin Zhao.

This game had as much tension as you would expect from the game that would crown the world champions. After BLG got first blood, their fifth of the series, the game stagnated. The gold stayed even for 28 whole minutes, but T1’s Grubs and Dragon stacking made them slightly favored.

However, a great catch by Bin’s Jax onto Gumayusi and Keria looked to turn the game in BLG’s favor. Surely T1 had no damage left, right? Then, Faker made the snap decision to Flash on knight’s Ahri, forcing a 3v4 re-engage. Which T1 won against all odds.

T1 was now in the drivers’ seat. They took Baron and had everything they needed to close the game out. One final attempt was made to catch Zeus’ Gragas out in top lane, which Faker promptly turned around for the game winning play.

T1 Undisputed

Faker and T1 are now five-time League of Legends World Champions. To top it off, Faker earned his second ever Worlds MVP for his amazing performance. Even 11 years removed from his first Summoners’ Cup, Faker is still playing like the best mid laner in the world. If he wasn’t already, his achievements and longevity make him the undisputed esports goat.

It’s unknown if this T1 roster will stick together for another year. Salary caps are coming and any of their players could get a bag with other team. One thing is for sure though, this T1 ZOFGK roster is the best team to ever play League of Legends.