Worlds 2024: T1 Beats BLG to Win 5th Championship

T1, last year’s League of Legends Worlds champions, have defended their championship in this year’s Worlds 2024 championship match against LPL’s BLG. The finals, which was held in the famous O2 Arena in the United Kingdom, saw two teams battle each other in a highly competitive best-of-5 series.

What were the Highlights of the T1 vs. BLG Best-of-5 Series?

The titanic matchup between the two highly talented teams lived up to the big match feel. Each two teams brought out the best strategies up their sleeves: Bin’s notorious Jax has been scouted by T1, while BLG was going for Gumayusi’s ADC picks to neutralize or mitigate his impact during matches.

Game 1

BLG set the pace for Game 1 by going in for an aggressive early game that saw them utilize a lineup composed of Rumble, Skarner, Sylas, Ashe, and Rell. Meanwhile, T1’s team ran Gnar, Sejuani, Yone, Caitlyn, and Braum.

Gumayusi, who had the least number of deaths leading up to the Finals, was the victim of BLG’s jungle invasion tactic, thanks to knight’s Sylas sneaking into the brush and catching T1’s top ADC off-guard. 

The early pressure proved to be all that BLG needed, as the LPL team didn’t let up throughout the match. Xun (3/0/9 KDA) and knight (4/0/11 KDA) were all over the map, picking off key ganks that saw T1 reeling; Elk’s Ashe (8/1/5) managed to snipe Faker in the bot lane following a successful gank from the defending champions. 

While T1 did their best to right the ship, it wasn’t enough, as BLG steamrolled through a strong 18/3/46 KDA and secured Game 1.

Game 2 – T1 wins vs. BLG, 18/3/45 to 3/18/6

T1 was quick to make adjustments and bring the fight to BLG in Game 2. The defending champions ran a lineup consisting of Ornn, who made his Worlds debut, Nocturne, Sylas, Kalista, and Renata. Meanwhile, BLG opted to run a team of Rumble, Xin Zhao, knight, Ashe, and Rakan.

Faker reminded everyone why his nickname is the “Unkillable Demon King” – he made crucial plays by engaging the BLG lineup with his Sylas, surviving the clash, and leaving T1 on the winning side.

A crucial clash near BLG’s blue side saw Faker’s Sylas (2/0/10 KDA) steal ON’s Rakan’s (0/3/3 KDA) ultimate, which was essential to thwart BLG’s engagement. Faker managed to land the stolen Rakan ultimate onto BLG’s frontline, while Gumayusi and Oner, running Kalista (8/2/4 KDA) and Nocturne (6/0/8 KDA) picked off their CC’d opponents.

T1 rode the momentum from this winning clash all the way to the end of the 27:25 fight. After the dust settled, T1 evened the matchup, 1-1.

Game 3 – BLG wins vs. T1, 17/3/45 to 3/17/8

Game 3 saw BLG go deep into their lineup strategy by running a Blitzcrank support to go with their Rumble, Kindred, Galio, and Kalista team. T1, on the other hand, stole Jax and completed their lineup with Vi, Sylas, Xayah, and Renata.

BLG’s lineup was focused on picking off key targets with the Blitzcrank, while also taking advantage of Kindred and Galio’s ultimates for prolonged fights, capping off with Rumble. This proved to be an excellently executed tactic against the defending champions, as BLG once again set the pace and pressured T1’s laners.

ON’s Blitzcrank (1/1/9 KDA) managed to land key hooks, wherein the rest of BLG pounced on the unlucky T1 player caught within their clutches. This resulted in Elk’s Kalista (7/0/4 KDA) and Bin’s Rumble (7/0/5 KDA) going on a tear.

T1 again tried to keep up with BLG’s pressure, but the latter’s game plan was better. At the end of 27:35 of action, BLG came up with the victory, 2-1.

Game 4 – T1 wins vs. BLG, 14/10/36 to 10/14/20

With their backs against the wall, T1’s Faker was on point yet again for Game 4. T1 ran a lineup of Rumble, Poppy, Sylas, Ashe, and Renata, while BLG ran a lane-pushing, late-game team with Gnar, Sejuani, Smolder, Ziggs, and Rakan.

BLG was quick to gang up on T1’s Zeus, which saw him get 3 deaths in the early game. However, the rest of T1’s team were stabilizing their top laner’s deaths by maximizing their lanes and the jungle.

Faker (6/2/2 KDA) channeled his Game 2 performance, securing a solo kill against BLG’s Ziggs (2/4/3 KDA) on the top lane. Along with Faker’s Sylas gameplay, Oner’s Poppy (0/1/11 KDA) saw them land an epic mid-lane clash wherein Faker’s stolen Rakan ultimate coincided with Poppy’s ultimate to neutralize BLG’s team.

After a dragged out 31:42 fight, this more competitive game between the two teams saw T1 even up the matchup yet again, 2-2.

Game 5 – T1 beats BLG, 12/6/24 to 6/12/17

With Silver Scrapes blaring out the O2 Arena, it all boils down to the decisive Game 5 to determine whether T1 defends their championship, or if BLG usurps them and come out on top.

T1 let Bin have his Jax, while the defending champs ran a defensive lineup consisting of Gragas, Xin Zhao, Galio, Xayah, and Poppy. Meanwhile, BLG completed their team with Jarvan IV, Ahri, Kai’Sa, and Rell.

This was the longest game in their best-of-5 series, clocking at 32:13. Similar to Game 4, Game 5 was a more competitive showing for both teams. Zeus, who picked Gragas, seemingly had Bin’s number – he went toe-to-toe against Bin throughout the early and mid game, mitigating the impact of Bin’s Jax by limiting his farm.

Meanwhile, Faker and Oner were manning the frontline for T1 – Faker’s Galio (4/1/6 KDA) and Oner’s Xin Zhao (5/1/4 KDA) led the initiates to start skirmishes. In the backline, Keria’s Poppy (0/2/3 KDA) was in-charge of preventing BLG from dogpiling on Xayah.

T1’s lineup and strategy proved to be the better one, as they halted any advances BLG tried to execute, and punished them for good measure. Ultimately, T1’s championship mettle and experience were the catalyst as they routed BLG for the final win, 3-2, and on their way to their fifth championship.

T1’s Fifth Championship Further Adds to Faker’s Legacy 

Faker, widely regarded as League of Legends’ best player of all time, adds another championship for T1. This is the fifth title for T1, and Faker has been part of the team in all the times his club lifted the much-coveted trophy going back to 2013.

Along with this year’s Worlds win, Faker also won the Finals MVP. He was pivotal in Games 2, 4, and 5, showcasing why many consider him as the GOAT (greatest of all time) in professional League of Legends.