dpOn June 28, 2026, at the Daejeon Convention Center, T1 took the first set against Team Liquid Alienware (TLAW) during the Play-In Stage of the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI).
As the first set of the tournament for both teams, the early game proceeded steadily without any major surprises. The first kill occurred around the 9-minute mark. During a brief skirmish in the bottom lane, Keria (Ryu Min-seok) on Camille, finding himself cut off, made a surprise play to secure First Blood on Yeon’s Caitlyn before being taken down by Quid’s Akali.
Small-scale skirmishes continued as the game reached the 10-minute mark, with T1 gaining the upper hand. T1’s bot duo managed to eliminate Yeon’s Caitlyn twice more as she returned to lane, and Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok) secured a double kill during a mid-jungle skirmish, tilting the momentum in T1’s favor. The game then erupted into a series of intense brawls, contradicting the quiet start.
T1 consistently came out on top in these ongoing skirmishes. Phase (Kim Su-hwan) on Mel grew rapidly after picking up multiple kills, delivering an incredible performance, while Keria (Ryu Min-seok) on Camille proved to be exceptionally powerful for a Supporter, paving the way for Mel’s growth. By the 21-minute mark, the gold gap had widened to over 5k. Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok) held a solid 5/1/4 scoreline, while Phase (Kim Su-hwan) stood at 6/1/3.
TLAW’s opportunity arrived at 23 minutes. Josedeodo’s Wukong landed an exquisite ultimate skill, followed by a combo from Morgan’s Yasuo ultimate. For a moment, it looked as though TLAW had orchestrated a picture-perfect teamfight, but T1 used their health advantage to literally turn the tide of the disadvantageous engagement. They went on to secure Baron, cementing their complete dominance.
At 26 minutes, building on their previous teamfight victory, T1 pushed into TLAW’s base and easily closed out the game, marking a successful start to their MSI 2026 campaign.
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