T1 won their last match of the LCK Summer Split against DRX in a close-fought 2-1 series.
Rookie League of Legends mid laner Clozer picked up the two Player of the Game awards in games one and three. He played an impressive Akali in both games, securing a series scoreline of 11/2/6. He is looking on par with other top-tier mid laners. The only mid laner who clearly outclassed Clozer was DWG’s Showmaker.
The series began with a dominating performance from T1. They first-picked Lillia to snowball all lanes early on. Even though they’ve lost some pressure in the mid-game due to a series of poor plays, T1 came back strong and completely dominated DRX following the 20-minute mark. The game ended after a teamfight with a Baron-buffed up T1, where they eliminated DRX from the Rift.
Following the dominant win in the first game, a surprise substitute happened in the second game. Faker was finally subbed in back in after a very long break. His return was not that great, however. He was put on a tank Galio duty with no room to show his skill. At the same time, his team performed quite poorly, especially Effort in the second game, which led to DRX equalizing the series in 38 minutes.
Following the shaky performance from Faker in the second game, T1 announced that Clozer would be back in for game three.
In the third game, Clozer was given his traditional Akali pick once again, with which he snowballed early on. T1 secured a gold lead five minutes in and kept growing it until the end of the game, reaching a 13,00p gold difference at one point.
The entire team looked different with Clozer, perhaps showing shot calling issues when Faker is in the game. While it’s unclear which mid laner will start in the playoffs, one thing is for sure, T1 has the legendary Demon King ready to step in and an emerging rookie who looks very promising.
Clozer is set to make a name for himself. His dominant performances will most likely land him a starter spot for another team if Faker doesn’t retire. He looked hot on multiple champions with a flexible playstyle. His current situation will make him the mid lane below Faker always. Faker will always be subbed in if something goes wrong and therefore growing on T1 seems improbable. The best choice for him would be to go to another team.
