In the first match of the Worlds 2023 in League of Legends, the American team Liquid faced the strong T1 from Korea. Since Team Liquid only placed third in America, expectations were correspondingly low. However, for long stretches, the US team played really strong and victory was even within reach.
Currently, the Swiss round is taking place at the Worlds. This is a new format that replaces the old group stage. Once a team has won three matches, it automatically advances to the knockout stage. However, teams with three losses are immediately eliminated from the tournament.
The special thing is that you always encounter teams that have the same standing as you do. Winners stay on top, losers go down, and those who are currently even will also meet teams that are also even.
The duel between Team Liquid and T1 was the first match ever played at the main event of the Worlds. T1 was the clear favorite, after all, they have Keria, the most talented supporter, and Faker, a true legend, on their team.
However, the match flow does not necessarily reflect that.
Team Liquid secured Baron twice, led almost the entire time in kills
How did the match go? T1 got the first blood already at minute 3 with a gank in the top lane – but with consequences. The teleport from mid laner APA caused the two attackers in the top lane to lose their lives. At the same time, there was a gank in the bot lane that led to the death of Gummayusi, the AD carry of T1. The kill score was therefore 3:1 for Team Liquid.
Although T1 dominated the laning phase in the further course, the US team was able to surprise again and again in the team fights. By minute 20, it was still 8:5 in kills for Team Liquid, and the gold was nearly equal. Both teams could defeat the dragon exactly once.
However, Team Liquid took a big risk and attempted a Baron kill at minute 24. They managed to secure the monster and the corresponding buff, but they lost 4 players in the process. Suddenly, it looked like T1 could take over the match completely.
But Team Liquid pulled off a stroke of genius. They started with the Baron, then turned away to catch and kill Keria, who was slightly separated from his team. There followed a brilliant move from mid laner Pyosik on Lee Sin, who caught Faker and gave his team another kill. Oner followed as third.
Without the supporter, mid laner, and jungler, T1 could do nothing against the Baron. The US team was suddenly ahead in gold, dragons, and possessed the Baron buff.
Afterwards, however, the match dragged on a bit until the decisive team fight came at minute 35. Team Liquid forced the fight, but lost mid laner APA and AD carry Yeon early on. Without damage, the frontline could not achieve much.
T1 defeated 4 of the 5 players, and due to the high respawn times, they were able to finish the match in one blow.
Strong performances from APA and Pyosik sparked hopes
Why was the defeat so frustrating? If T1 had dominated from the beginning, many fans would probably not have been surprised. But the good performances from Team Liquid suddenly sparked hopes. Could they take down the legendary Korean team?
The jungler Pyosik, who became world champion with Team DRX in 2022, had a really strong day. Several kicks on Lee Sin resulted in kills that would otherwise not have been possible. Here you can watch such a clip:
It was the performance that many had hoped for when bringing a world champion to America – even if he was not considered the strongest in his position back in 2022.
How did the day go otherwise? Today, on October 19, matches will take place at the Worlds until 2 PM. The first small surprise occurred in the duel between Cloud9 and MAD Lions. The European team lost quite clearly there.
Otherwise, GenG and JDG prevailed against their competitors. Both teams are considered the favorites for the tournament victory.
While the Worlds 2023 are ongoing, you can read about a highlight from recent years here:
