T1 won Game 1 against Dplus KIA in Round 3 of the 2026 LCK Playoffs Lower Bracket, held at Chzzk LoL Park on September 6. Although Dplus KIA held the early advantage in the bottom lane, T1 ultimately closed out the match.
Dplus KIA secured First Blood. After forcing out the Flash of T1's bottom laner during an early fight, 'Smash' Sin Geum-jae and 'Career' Oh Hyeong-seok immediately scored a 2v2 laning kill. Capitalizing on the growing item gap, Smash picked up another kill to take full control of the bottom lane.
With their bottom lane behind, T1 initiated a lane swap and accelerated the tempo. They forced chaotic skirmishes across the map, quickly turning the kill score in their favor. While Smash sat on three kills, time ticked away as he struggled to translate his lead into game-impacting pressure.
The momentum shifted completely when Smash's Lucian dashed forward. His aggressive play backfired, getting him caught out of position. T1 did not hesitate, collapsing on Lucian to shut him down and seizing control of the map from that fight onward.
Dplus KIA struck back via Baron. Spotting T1's Lee Sin in the bottom lane, Dplus KIA—positioned near the Baron pit—immediately rushed the objective. T1 arrived late and failed to stop them. Equipping the Baron buff, Dplus KIA narrowed the gap, pushing the deciding moments of the match into objective teamfights.
Then came the decisive teamfight with Game 1 on the line. As the bottom laners from both sides clashed, T1 'Oner' Moon Hyeon-joon's Lee Sin picked off Smash's Lucian. Deprived of their primary carry, Dplus KIA crumbled in the fight, allowing T1 to lock in the Game 1 victory.
