On Apr. 1, T1 defeated Gen.G 3-1 in the playoffs of the 2023 LCK Spring Split and secured a spot in the finals as well as a ticket to the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational. T1 showed better macro than Gen.G throughout the series. Especially, T1’s bot lane dominated Gen.G’s bot lane and contributed massively to today’s victory. After the match, T1 head coach Bae “Bengi” Seong-woong and support Ryu “Keria” Min-seok joined the media for an interview.

Congrats on today’s win. How do you feel about it?

Bengi: I’m very happy that we won in the winner’s bracket and reached the finals. We’ve also secured a ticket to the MSI. I’d like to win the LCK championship and the MSI championship as well.

Keria: As the playoffs format changed, I thought it’d be really uncomfortable because of the schedule. Fortunately, we won today and gained an advantage in the finals.

You said that the most important game was game 2. Why is that?

Bengi: If the red side wins the first game, there’s a lot to pick from the blue side. I said that because there are a few bans the red side is obligated to make.

Since the match against KT Rolster was really close, it seems today’s win was more smooth. Did you win easier than you thought?

Bengi: The players' performance lived up to the expectations. The match against KT was really hard, so we thought it would be better than that and prepared with a more easy mindset.

Gen.G played Jarvan IV in the top lane today.

Bengi: I heard they played Jarvan IV in solo queue yesterday. I was aware of it, but I didn’t really think they would play it in our game, so I didn’t think much about it.

Keria: They picked it as their last pick from the red side. In that situation, considering our draft and theirs, it didn’t really counter anything, and it didn’t seem like their composition was well-balanced. There was no pressure for us.

After the loss, Gen.G said that you used your turns well. Do you agree?

Bengi: Overall, I do think we used our turns pretty well. Since there’s more pressure in the playoffs, the overall performance depends on how well teams manage the pressure.

Keria: Personally, I don’t think we reached the maximum output of our compositions. We’ll have to go review the game. Although things worked out well in the game, there were things we lacked. If we want to play better in the finals, we need to improve those parts.

Can you share one of the things you think you need to improve?

Keria: Gen.G often intervenes in the sidelanes to make turns, and we didn’t deal well with it and gave up free turrets. We need to improve that.

How do you feel about reaching the MSI? You said that you want to win the championship.

Bengi: Frankly, I won a few international championships, but it’s been a while since T1 won an international title. That’s why I want to win MSI more.

Keria: I’ve been to Worlds three times and MSI once, but I wasn’t able to win the championship. I felt sad that I was an extra for the opponent team in the finals. Also, to reach my goals as a pro gamer, it is important to win an international championship. I really want to win this time.

The opponent team will have to play on the day before the finals and then the finals.

Bengi: The schedule makes it very unfavorable for the loser’s bracket. They have to play a best-of series and another the next day. They will have much to think about since they need to reveal their draft strategy the day before the finals.

Is there a team you want to meet in the finals?

Bengi: Not really, but if I had to pick one, since we had a hard time beating KT Rolster last time, I hope they make it to the finals. I want to prepare better to play against them.

Keria: I don’t really have a preference, but I think KT will make it to the finals. KT, Hanwha Life Esports, and Gen.G all have similar draft styles. When the draft doesn’t follow the draft pattern, I think KT deals with it better.

Any last comments?

Bengi: We’ll show a good performance in the finals by preparing well. Thank you to the fans who cheer for us.

Keria: I’m happy that we beat Gen.G, who is one of the favorites, with a good performance. Thank you for cheering for us so much. We’ll be back in the finals in good shape so that we can finish the start of this year well.