League of Legends Semifinals 2023: T1 Takes Revenge on JDG

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The 2023 League of Legends World Championship semifinal match between T1 and JD Gaming on November 12th was one of the most anticipated games of the tournament, as it was a revenge match for T1, who had lost 3-2 against JDG during the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI). As the MSI 2023 Champions, many viewers believed that JDG would proceed to the finals, but with the formidable skills of legendary mid-laner Faker, the reliability of jungler Oner, and off-meta picks, T1 was able to stack the odds in their favor, winning 3-1 against JDG.

In game one, while JDG went for the normal meta picks, T1 brought out non-meta picks, where they chose a Jhin-Bard combination, Aatrox, and Rell. T1 Keria's strategic use of Bard's portals and ultimates helped the team during big battles, which let them dominate all lanes throughout the first game and close out the game with a 22 to 7-kill lead. In game two, despite successfully pushing JDG out of their own jungle through an ARAM-style fight, T1 lost their 1-0 lead after making a greedy play later in the game, which cost them their baron and led to many deaths. In game three, Faker completely turned the tables on JDG through a bold ultimate-flash play, where he used Azir's abilities to close in on JDG Ruler, predicted Ruler’s flash, and matched his own flash to ensure that Azir’s Emperor’s Divide ability would hit Ruler, setting himself up for an easy kill. Due to Faker's impactful play, T1 was able to ace JDG, which allowed them to lead 2-1. Though JDG had an early gold advantage in game four, T1 prioritized their top lane for split push pressure, found picks, got the baron and Ocean Soul, and made a final push to JDG’s base, which helped them close out the match and secure their ticket to the finals.

Figure 1: Jungler Stats for Worlds 2023 Main Event; Source: League of Legends: Oracle's Elixir (Filter: Jungler)

Figure 2: Oner Champion Stats for Worlds Main Event 2023; Source: Games of Legends eSports

Figure 3: Worlds 2023 Main Event Player Stats; Source: League of Legends: Oracle's Elixir (Filter: T1)

Despite the fairly exceptional individual performances of the T1 members, T1 Oner arguably had the strongest impact on the team's victories throughout the whole series. He currently reigns over the other junglers at Worlds, with top stats in KDA, first-bloods, and kill participation. As seen in Figure 1, Oner has the highest KDA of 6.7, the highest first blood (FB) percentage of 67%, and a relatively high kill participation (KP) percentage of 82.4%. The high first-blood percentage shows how Oner makes early-game plays, which helps T1 start the game with an advantage against their opponents. Additionally, his high KDA and kill participation percentage illustrate how he makes sure to trade his teammates and sets up kills for his teammates whether it be through damage dealt or his selection in champions. As seen in Figure 2, he mainly chooses to play engage champions like Jarvan IV, Rell, and Lee Sin, which helps him assist his teammates in various ways, such as through quick ganks or crowd control. When compared to his teammates, Oner has the highest kill participation—as seen in Figure 3—emphasizing the value of his support, as he is contributing the most to his team’s total kills either by getting the kills himself or helping his teammates get kills. Though his plays often go unnoticed against Faker's flashy plays, T1 might not have won their matches without Oner's strategic and clever decisions.

Sources:

eSports Stats: JDG vs. T1 Stats (Per Game)

2023 LoL World Championship: JDG vs. T1 Game 1 (VOD)

2023 LoL World Championship: JDG vs. T1 Game 2 (VOD)

2023 LoL World Championship: JDG vs. T1 Game 3 (VOD)

2023 LoL World Championship: JDG vs. T1 Game 4 (VOD)

Games of Legends eSports: JDG vs. T1 Overall Stats (KDA & Picks/Bans)

Games of Legends eSports: T1 Oner Worlds Main Event 2023 Stats

League of Legends: Oracle's Elixir-Worlds 2023 Main Event Player Stats