In Game four of the League of Legends Worlds 2025 Grand Final, T1 top laner Doran made a fight-saving interrupt that shut down KT Rolster’s last realistic chance to contest the game.
T1 held a significant gold lead and Ocean Soul. KT needed a miracle engage to flip the match. BDD delivered that opening with a Cassiopeia Petrifying Gaze that stunned multiple T1 members.
Lehends on Tahm Kench immediately began channeling Abyssal Dive to chain the crowd control. The ability targets T1’s backline with an area knockup. If it lands, Deokdam’s Caitlyn can follow with damage to burst down Gumayusi’s Kalista or Faker’s Anivia.
Doran reacted instantly. He used Gragas’s Body Slam to collide with Tahm Kench mid-channel and interrupt the Abyssal Dive before it could complete.
The cancel denied KT’s only reliable follow-up crowd control. Without the knockup, T1’s carries stayed upright and continued dealing damage. Gumayusi’s Kalista had room to operate with Barrier and Keria’s Renata Glasc Bailout still available as backup layers.
Faker’s Anivia was already a risky focus target due to her Rebirth passive. Doran’s positioning also cut off Caitlyn’s damage angles during the skirmish. He later threw Explosive Cask to zone any re-engage attempts.
T1 turned the fight completely. Gumayusi secured a quadra kill on Kalista. Oner took the fifth kill. T1 immediately pushed down KT’s nexus to end Game four and tie the series two to two.
The mechanical sequence mattered because BDD’s Petrifying Gaze was the strongest engage KT could execute at that stage. The stun required Tahm’s knockup and Caitlyn’s follow-up damage to convert into kills. Doran’s interrupt erased that window entirely.
T1’s substantial lead meant they were heavily favored regardless. But the cancel simplified the fight execution and removed any risk of KT extending the game or building momentum. With Ocean Soul active, failed engages are especially punishing due to the sustain advantage.
The series context
Game four was must-win for T1. A loss would have given KT a three to one series victory and the World Championship. Instead, T1 forced a Game five.
T1 won that deciding game to claim the title three to two. Throughout the series, both teams delivered multiple high-stakes mechanical plays. Keria’s Poppy performance in Game one and various other micro-moments were also noted by analysts as series-shifting.
