"Unlike last year, we did not advance to this World Championship as a high seed, which actually reduces our pressure. We will participate with the mindset of challengers and show everyone what we can display." (Faker Lee Sang-hyeok)
On September 14, T1 secured their ticket to this World Championship through the 2024 League of Legends World Championship LCK regional qualifiers. T1, as the fourth seed of the LCK, boarded the train to the World Championship and departed for Germany.
The T1 players arrived at Incheon Airport Terminal 1 around 9:20 AM on the 27th, departing to participate in the League of Legends World Championship held in Europe. The four LCK representative teams participating in this World Championship will officially start the Swiss round matches on October 3.
Player Keria stated, "The World Championship has always been a competition that brings new feelings. During last year's World Championship, I tried not to let myself feel pressured, and I remember feeling good every day. Now I just want to get to Europe quickly, find out what T1 can do well, and get into training."
Player Zeus also stated, "To adapt to the time difference, I didn't sleep before coming and plan to sleep on the plane to adjust my condition. At the beginning of the LCK season, even with constant reviews, I couldn't feel our progress. But in the playoffs and regional qualifiers, I felt T1's strength continuously improving. I hope that through future training and matches, we can learn a lot and apply it to the competition, surviving until the end."
Last year, T1 lifted the World Championship trophy, and although they are participating as the defending champions, the players unanimously expressed that instead of standing in the champion's position to stop other teams from advancing, they now have the mindset of challengers.
Player Gumayusi stated, "Although we won the World Championship last year and are now the defending champions, this year we only won the Saudi Esports World Cup throughout the season. Since we are participating as the fourth seed, we are challengers. I will work hard to prepare as usual and achieve good results."
He continued, "T1 is a very interesting team. By interesting, I don't mean funny, but that we are a team full of stories and worth watching. Because we want fans to support us and want to create interesting storylines, I also want to write an interesting story this time."
Player Oner also stated, "We fought hard to make it to the World Championship, and since we've seized this good opportunity, I only think about preparing earnestly with the mindset of a challenger. Although the goal is to win the championship, more than winning, I want to show a level of competition without regrets. Additionally, I achieved the LCK 1000 kills record this year, and I will strive to get more kills in the World Championship."
The coaching staff stated that they will focus on analyzing the new version and strive to leverage T1's advantages. Coach Tom stated, "Previously, there were many AD champions in the mid lane, and we played centered around that. The new version is likely to feature more AP champions, and we will prepare for this aspect. Compared to using AD champions in the mid lane, T1 is more familiar with using AP champions, and I believe this will positively impact T1's competitive level."
Coach Roach expressed confidence, "Although we didn't have time to train after the version update, the World Championship has already started, and we will refer to the play-in stage to find the direction that suits T1 as much as possible. The World Championship is the last competition of the year, and we will prepare without regrets and show good results like last year."
