T1 Wins League of Legends at Esports World Cup 2024

League of Legends is the first tier one esport at the Esports World Cup 2024 to crown their champion. The short eight-team MSI Playoffs Bracket run back had a couple of twists this time around. In the end, T1 took the victory over Top Esports 3-1 in the Grand Final to secure their second international title in under a year.

THE KEY IS IN. THE TROPHY IS YOURS @T1LoL 🏆 #EsportsWorldCup pic.twitter.com/3QVl9Fo4ug

— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 7, 2024

A Threatening Gauntlet

T1’s opening match at the Esports World Cup 2024 was against China’s Bilibili Gaming. Interestingly, T1 was not the favorite in the matchup, as BLG beat them twice at MSI just over a month ago. Additionally, T1 had shown some weakness domestically as the LCK Summer Split was already underway. It would be an uphill battle from the start if T1 wanted to take home the trophy.

As the series began, it was clear that the meta had shifted quite a bit since MSI. T1 found an angle to pick Zeri top lane for Choi “Zeus” Woo-je. He went on to carry the game, going 8/2/5 while making constant pressure. Though BLG tied the series up in game two, T1 found a comfortable, strong draft featuring Zyra jungle, Gnar, and a Jhin Bard bot lane. BLG had control of this game early, but strong playmaking out of support Ryu “Keria” Min-seok’s Bard helped T1 turn the tables and take the series.

Making Grand Finals

Next up was Team Liquid. In past years, North America’s top team has usually been a pushover when facing off against top Chinese and Korean teams. However, this Liquid showed up quite strong at MSI, and their practice has only made them look stronger. TL was not to be underestimated, a lesson T1 learned in game one.

Liquid shut down T1’s early win condition in Zeus’s Jayce, then scaled into the game with Zeri and Eain “APA” Stearns’ signature Ziggs. As the game continued, it was clear that Liquid’s comp was entirely online, and there was nothing T1 could do. Just like that, NA was up on Korea. Things didn’t stay that way for long, however. T1 again picked Zeri for Zeus and played triple ADC plus Braum and Sejuani. Liquid had no response to T1’s strong mid-game and fell in 28 minutes.

Once again, it all came down to game three. This one was tightly contested from the start, with both teams giving themselves well-balanced drafts. Liquid held more control into the mid-game and even made multiple good plays onto T1. When it came down to it, though, a couple of costly mistakes and a clutch Baron steal put the ball back in T1’s court.

ONER WITH THE BARON STEAL!

DON'T COUNT @T1LoL OUT JUST YET🔥#EsportsWorldCup pic.twitter.com/g89Zt8Gi0T

— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 6, 2024

The LCK’s last hope took the reins and closed out in 29 minutes to claim the series.

On the Grand Stage

Facing off against T1 in the Esports World Cup 2024 Finals was Top Esports. TES showed up unexpectedly strong here at EWC, taking down defending MSI champions Gen.G before stomping Europe’s G2 Esports in a reverse of their match from MSI. TES was hungry to bring a trophy back to China for the first time in over a year.

TES’s game one plan was simple. They drafted Renekton and Tristana for early solo lane prio, Ivern in the jungle to support them, and a utility-focused Ashe Braum bot lane. It worked perfectly, and T1 could do nothing as they got run down. A blazing 22-minute victory put Top Esports on the board first.

In response to that sucker punch, T1 said, “Two can play that game.” Their next draft saw an aggressive Kalista Renata bot lane, Rumble to bully the top lane, and Vi for reliable forced engages. This time, it was T1 who ran through the scaling composition to tie the series up in 26 minutes.

ZEUS WITH THE PERFECT RUMBLE ULT 😱

HE HITS FOUR WITH THE EQUALIZER ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️@T1LoL #EsportsWorldCup pic.twitter.com/zhLt5lzvKU

— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 7, 2024

TES felt like they had to keep one-upping the draft aggression. Game three saw them run back Renekton alongside Draven in the bot lane. Jungler Moon “Oner” Hyeon-Joon put on a masterclass Nidalee performance, keeping TES’s carries down for most of the game. Keria also played nearly perfectly on Renata for a second straight game. The result was a slow bleed-out from TES, as they never really got their comp online. T1 had a 2-1 lead and championship point.

Easy Work for the World Champions

TES tried to go back to Ivern for the final game since it helped them win game one. However, T1 was ready to shut it down. Without the same strong lanes as before, the Ivern fell behind, letting T1 stack dragons. T1 never relented, and though the game did have some bumps, T1’s team fighting was insurmountable. Highlighted by Keria’s Rakan and Faker’s unorthodox Yasuo pick, T1 out-fought TES on the way to a composed 29-minute victory.

The moment @T1LoL became the winners of the #EsportsWorldCup presenting League of Legends tournament 🏆 pic.twitter.com/cGXNji8ZzM

— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 7, 2024

It seems only fitting that Faker and T1 have taken the inaugural Esports World Cup 2024 trophy in League of Legends. The GOAT only adds to his legacy and was also awarded tournament MVP. Though honestly, every one of T1’s players has a case for that title. The team played up to their full potential, that we saw last year at Worlds. Special honors go to Keria, who, at this point, is making a case for being the best support ever to play.

With this short yet exciting tournament behind us, League of Legends resumes its normal Summer Split. Hopefully, We will see more of T1 at Worlds 2024 to defend their title. As for EWC implications, neither T1 nor TES is likely to rack up many more points, so the Club World Championship is completely open. Stay tuned to Hotspawn for more EWC 2024 coverage.