The first match of the 2021 LoL World championship quarterfinals kicked off with two LCK teams squaring off for a ticket to the semis. To the surprise of many, T1 took a quick 3-0 victory against Hanwha Life Esports; unlike the last time they played one another, where the series went to game 5. T1 now awaits the results of the DWG KIA vs MAD Lions series, as the winners will be T1’s opponents in the semifinals.

After the series, T1 joined various media outlets around the world for an online press conference.

To Faker: What would you have done differently tonight?

I think that I could’ve gotten more advantages from my laning phase. I’ll make sure to improve for the future.

To Canna: Who would you like to face between DK and MAD? Also, Armut vs Khan?

Canna: I think the best team in the world right now is DWG KIA, who beat us in the finals. I think that’s why they’ll be the one to face us in the semis, and I want to get my revenge in the semis.

To Faker: How has your mindset changed since your last Worlds appearance?

Faker: I think that my level of focus has dropped due to the outcome of my past failures, so I worked hard to get that level of focus back up again. As for tonight's series, I think that strategizing around the core aspects of our opponent tonight was what really enabled us to put on a great performance.

To Keria: Yuumi continues to get banned; that champion has already been banned over 40 times at Worlds. Give us your insight on why she’s so broken in this meta.

Keria: Yuumi is very versatile and can itemize depending on her different matchups. There’s a lot of value in researching such things.

To Stardust: Did you expect the quick 3-0 victory tonight?

Stardust: I think that we knew that we’d perform at a much higher level than our opponent tonight, so we fully expected to move on in the tournament. I want to thank my players for the flawless execution and coach Moment for the drafts; as long as we don’t make mistakes, I think we’ll win in the semis.

To Faker: How has your mindset this year changed since the last time you were at Worlds?

Faker: I think that I’m more open-minded, and have more leisure within myself to enjoy the ride. My challenge is to overcome myself, and my priority is on how I can continue to improve.

To everyone: How do you reflect on your team’s performance so far at Worlds? How realistic are T1’s chances of winning the tournament, and has nerves affected your performance at all?

Canna: Obviously, I’m very happy that we’re doing well so far at Worlds. Based on the level of our individual performances, I think that we’re well on our way to winning the tourney. I did get nervous in my first game, but I was never nervous after that.

Oner: I’m the type to get nervous every single game. I was especially nervous about how much great talent I was up against in this tournament, but given how well we’ve been playing, I think we’ll definitely win the tournament.

Faker: Actually, Oner was very nervous, so I think I caught a little bit of his nerves onto me.

Gumayusi: I think that I continuously shed my nerves through more games I play at Worlds.

Keria: I had doubts in my ability to play the game last year, but I now have complete faith in my ability to perform. I’m definitely not nervous; it feels like a playground.

To Keria: Did you know that it was Deft’s birthday today? Have you had a chance to wish him a happy birthday?

Keria: I actually found out about it after the match, so I didn’t have a chance just yet.

To Stardust: Is there a team that you want to meet in the finals?

Stardust: Although it's more likely that Gen.G or one of the LPL teams will make it to the finals, I want to face NA. No matter who our opponents are, we'll be thoroughly prepared.

To Canna: Which top laner do you think you’ll face in the semifinals, and how do you rate each of them as players?

Canna: They’re both great players. I think that they each have unique characteristics that identify their playstyles, and I think they both do a great job playing to their strengths. I respect them both.

To Canna: You’ve had four target bans in game 3. How did you react?

Canna: At the time, I was actually thinking about something else, so I found out about the target bans after the game. The target bans really opened up more opportunities for our mid and bot, so I think it was great.

To Faker: The order that you mastered your skills was different from the traditional method, where you maxed E second instead of W. Can you tell us about it, as well as your unique itemization choice?

Faker: It’s a preference thing in the end, and I felt that I needed to be more mobile with the reduced CD on the E. In terms of building the Chemtech Putrifier in the end, I just felt it was the right item with the amount of gold that I had.

To Gumayusi: How do you rate the level of influence that the adc has in the current meta? Are you confident in your ability to carry in a meta that’s very top-ccentric?

Gumayusi: I actually think that it’s even more influential now compared to the Summer. I’m confident that I can even 1v9.

To Moment: T1 has shown patterns in draft where it seems like they intentionally leave open high priority picks to counter with another champion. Giving Yuumi to EDG, for example, as well as leaving Leblanc open tonight to pick Lissandra into it; what can you tell us about this?

Moment: While there are multiple reasons that cannot be disclosed, we wanted to show that we’re well prepared in our arsenal to successfully face these top picks.