T1 has secured their spot at the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2025 after a solid run in the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Road to MSI bracket. They joined the battle only one match before the final that determined who gets in. Although this left little room for mistakes, the team didn’t make any.

Their first challenge was KT Rolster in a win-or-go-home match. After beating KT, they went up against Hanwha Life Esports (HLE), who had fallen to the lower bracket after losing to Gen.G. With a trip to MSI at stake, T1 came through with a clean 3-0 win over HLE.

Game 1 was tight at the start, with HLE getting the first kill. However, T1 took over by claiming big map goals like Dragon, Baron, and Hextech Soul�?and stayed in control from there. In Game 2, HLE took the lead early with a few good moves. However, T1 fought back and grabbed the Dragon Soul. They finished the game to get a match point.

Game 3 was one-sided. T1 ruled the early game and ended with a huge 26�? kill lead. Gumayusi even took down Atakhan alone, a moment that showed how in control T1 was. With one last push, they broke HLE’s Nexus and their MSI hopes. 

This win provides T1 with the LCK’s second spot for MSI 2025. After tough runs in past MSIs, they now go in looking sharp and full of confidence.

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Fearless Draft is one of the biggest changes in LoL esports. Choi 'Zeus' Woo-je, who won the 2023 and 2024 World Championships with T1, shared his thoughts after Hanwha Life Esports' 2-0 win over CFO at First Stand. 

He admitted the format is tough but thinks it makes the game more fun. 'So I know that whoever decided to implement this had considered a lot of different factors before they made this decision', Zeus said. 'So I think as a player, you just have to be able to do your best in the given circumstance, and I just hope that all the fans that are watching just get more enjoyment out of this change'.

Fearless Change started in the 2025 season and made a strong impact at First Stand. It prevents teams from picking champions they have already won within a series. This forces them to change strategies and avoid repeated drafts, which has been a problem in League esports. 

Riot first planned to use it only for Split One and worked well. It will likely be used at MSI 2025 and Worlds 2025. Some pros say it is too hard, but players agree with Riot. 

With Fearless Draft likely coming to major events, teams must adjust quickly. Zeus sees this challenge as part of the fun. 'I’m sure that there are a lot of players who are doing a good job adapting, and some teams are still adapting to it', he said. 'And I think this in the process of it all, you can actually find a lot of fun out of it'.

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