After more than a month of warm-up, the first LCK home day event in League of Legends history came, and nearly 6,000 spectators tuned in to watch the exciting matchup. In a fierce match on the night of June 29, the T1 team lost 1-2 to their old rival KT, ending their first battle on their home turf, much to the regret of fans. After the match, T1's kkOma supervisor and Gumayusi players were interviewed by the media for an in-depth analysis and reflection on the results.
kkOma began by expressing regret that T1 lost the game at home and apologizing to the fans. He mentioned that although this was the first time the T1 team had played on their home turf, losing the game would have been a huge blow to the crowd who had supported them. However, he stressed that it is still the LCK league and that T1 needs to take stock of today's mistakes and prepare for the next games.
Gumayusi, who played well today, also expressed regret at the home defeat, but he was positive about his first attempt at home. He believes that although there are some problems at the system level, it has been a meaningful experience overall. At the same time, he also apologized to the crowd and T1 fans who supported them, and promised that the team would perform better in future competitions.
When asked about the reason for the loss, kkOma bluntly stated that the KT team performed better than them today. But he also stressed that T1 has a lot to learn from both victory and defeat. He mentioned that the team learned how to operate according to the lineup and the strategy to adopt at the beginning of the game. In addition, kkOma also believes that if he can help the players manage their form better, then T1 will perform better.
T1 put a lot of emphasis on the bottom lane in today's game, letting Zeus choose the tank hero and also banning the ADC position, but this tactic didn't work as well as it should. Reviewing the match, Gumayusi said they performed relatively well in the first and third games, with no obvious mistakes. But in the second game, which was overturned by KT, he thought the team should be more relaxed and not play too impatiently.
When asked about the feeling of playing at home, Gumayusi said that it was their first time playing at home, so there were a large number of fans who came to cheer them on. It gave them a lot of strength, but they felt a little sorry to lose. Still, he thinks the home-and-away system is a good one because the atmosphere is great and it excites the players and the fans have more fun.
When asked about their preparations for the upcoming Saudi Esports World Cup, both kkOma and Gumayusi said they would give it their all, and T1 will soon leave for Riyadh to prepare. They admit that the tight schedule, long flight times and jet lag are all challenges, but they try to manage their form and try to do well in the competition. kkOma also singled out their previous experience in international competitions, saying that it will help them better cope with various challenges in the upcoming competitions.
Gumayusi also expressed his expectations: "It is very important to manage the state well, taking into account various factors. Some people say it's going to be a repeat of MSI and we're going to try to win the championship this time. "Despite the defeat in their home debut, both the supervisors and the players showed a positive attitude and confidence for the future, recognising the shortcomings in the game and are ready to learn from them to meet the challenges ahead. T1's first game at the Esports World Cup was against BLG, and given their loss in the crucial game before departure, there could be a hit in terms of morale and confidence.