T1 support Ryu “Keria” Min-seok told FlyQuest exactly what would happen if they left Bard open. They didn’t listen. He made them pay.
Before their League of Legends World Championship Swiss Stage opener, Keria spoke to media about the matchup. He praised FlyQuest’s teamwork and identified jungler Kacper “Inspired” Słoma as their biggest threat.
Then came the warning. Keria called his Bard “the best in the world” and said if FlyQuest didn’t ban it, Inspired “wouldn’t be able to step anywhere on the Rift.”
FlyQuest left Bard unbanned in draft. T1 locked it in immediately for Keria.
The game played out exactly as predicted. T1 dominated from start to finish, with Keria’s Bard roaming aggressively across the map. He set up picks with Cosmic Binding, created engages and disengages that FlyQuest couldn’t answer, and choked out vision control in every corner of the map.
Inspired was trapped. Every path into the river or side lanes came with risk. Keria was everywhere, and when he wasn’t there in person, the threat of his Magical Journey made safe pathing nearly impossible. The FlyQuest jungler had little impact on the game.
T1’s support-jungle coordination is one of their signature strengths. Keria and jungler Moon “Oner” Hyeon-joon operate as a pair, controlling vision and setting up skirmishes around neutral objectives. Bard amplifies this playstyle more than any other champion in Keria’s pool.
His Bard creates numbers advantages through global roams. The ultimate, Tempered Fate, can isolate targets or reset entire fights. Against pathing-dependent junglers who need setup time for ganks and objective takes, it’s particularly brutal.
This is why most teams ban Bard against T1. Throughout LCK and international tournaments, opponents commit draft resources specifically to keep it off Keria’s hands. When they don’t, T1 prioritizes it early.
Why teams fear Keria’s Bard
The champion has been a hallmark of Keria’s career. His win rate on it sits well above average, especially against non-LCK opponents. Teams have studied the film. They know what happens.
FlyQuest learned the hard way in a best-of-one where mistakes cost everything. Keria delivered on his promise. Inspired couldn’t play the map. T1 moved on in the Swiss Stage.
