T1 survived Day one of Worlds 2025 Play-Ins with a three-to-one victory over Invictus Gaming. The win sends T1 to the Swiss Stage. IG goes home.
The series opened tight. T1 took Game one after a scrappy back-and-forth, but IG fired back immediately in Game two to level things at one-one. Both games ran hot with constant skirmishes and high kill counts.
Oner flipped a switch in Game three. The T1 jungler looked shaky early but turned it on when it mattered. His engages anchored T1’s comeback, and they grabbed the two-to-one lead.
Game four delivered the moment everyone’s talking about. TheShy last-picked Varus for top lane. Not just any Varus—he locked in Gumayusi’s T1 2023 championship skin.
T1 drafted pure punishment. Oner on Nocturne. Gumayusi on Ashe. Global pick tools everywhere. The kind of comp that makes immobile carries sweat.
TheShy’s Varus had value in lane but became a liability fast. Gumayusi’s Ashe arrows picked off targets across the map. One arrow around the 24-minute mark caught IG’s jungler Wei completely out of position. The broadcast praised the shot. The camera cut to TheShy recalling on his T1-skinned Varus. Chef’s kiss.
Oner’s Nocturne became unkillable. He dove deep repeatedly and walked out with a sliver of health every time. Keria’s Lulu kept turning him into a raid boss with shields and Wild Growth. The combination suffocated IG’s attempts to set up fights.
Key battles around Baron and the late-game Atakhan epic monster broke the game open. IG couldn’t execute their engages. Rookie missed critical Ornn ultimates when it counted. T1 closed cleanly.
The series had everything. One game reportedly hit 40 total kills. T1 even beat an IG Ziggs comp, something they’ve historically struggled with. Faker’s LeBlanc showed up with trademark picks. Gumayusi’s late-game kiting in the closer was textbook.
When legends collide
TheShy and Rookie won Worlds 2018 with Invictus Gaming. Faker has five championships with T1 and counting. This matchup delivered the LCK versus LPL intensity fans expect, even in Play-Ins.
T1’s Worlds buff is real. They started slow, adjusted fast, and steamrolled to the finish. Oner and Gumayusi took over when it mattered. IG fought hard but couldn’t match the execution when the pressure hit.
T1 moves on to face 15 other teams in the Swiss Stage. IG’s tournament ends here.=
