LoL followers livid as T1 miss 2025’s first worldwide on account of LCK format adjustments

League of Legends followers are furious as T1 misses the 12 months’s first worldwide, largely on account of format adjustments that put their staff in an unfavorable place regardless of strong common season efficiency.

The LCK Cup is a brand new format that’s meant to get by the common season quick. LoL has 3 huge internationals as part of its circuit in 2025 (4 counting the EWC), so getting by the opening Winter months quick is important.

Nonetheless, the way in which during which the LCK has chosen to do it has sparked controversy. Whereas T1 would nonetheless be within the competitors in the event that they’d crushed Hanwha Life Esports, format adjustments finally led to 2 of the most effective groups within the LCK combating within the decrease bracket for the very first elimination match of Playoffs.

In consequence, T1 are out of the working for First Stand very early on regardless of profitable Worlds in 2023 and 2024, main to an enormous outcry from followers of the staff.

T1 followers slam LCK as Faker misses First Stand

So, how does the LCK Cup format really work? Was the format actually the first cause T1 acquired knocked out so early? For essentially the most half, sure.

Right here’s a fast rundown of how the LCK Cup’s format works:

The league’s 10 groups acquired break up up into 2 teams, with every staff taking part in a BO3 match in opposition to the 5 groups within the opposing group. The results of these video games could be recorded primarily based on efficiency within the set. Groups may rise up to 2 factors for a 2-0 win over the opposing staff, however may lose as much as 2 factors for a 0-2 loss.

In different phrases, T1 acquired caught within the shedding group regardless of being one of many prime performing groups, they usually had been positioned at a a lot decrease seed fully on account of components out of the staff’s management.

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Until T1 went on a historic flawless run, not dropping a single sport in any of their BO3 units, they might not have modified the end result of the bracket and compelled their method into being the profitable group.

The backlash from followers of T1 and the LCK basically has been swift, with many labeling the brand new format a “shame” that gave worse groups a free trip additional into the bracket.

“That is the worst and most unfair format I’ve seen within the historical past of esports,” remarked H2K founder Wealthy.

“Now we don’t have T1 taking part in til April (2 months of no video games) as a result of we misplaced one better of 5 WTF,” commented T1 fan and streamer Feviknight.

Worse nonetheless, T1 was pressured to stare down Zeus sizzling off of him leaving their staff for Hanwha Life Esports, with Zeus’ stellar efficiency finally sealing T1’s destiny. There was no small quantity of controversy round him departing the staff within the low season.

This loss finally implies that Faker gained’t be attending the very first First Stand, a brand new LoL worldwide that pits the most effective staff from every area in opposition to one another to kick off the 12 months.