T1 - Weibo Gaming Match Is The Main Event In Esports. We Found 4 Reasons Why This Is So
Yuriy SheremetAutumn is a classically eventful time for the sporting industry. It is the harvest period of championships before the break and the time to summarise the seasons. In autumn, the most important tournaments in the disciplines, including League of Legends, take place.
Starting in October, LoL will shake things up with Worlds 2023. This is an unprecedented event that has already become epic, and later it ѕtunet cult. And it's all about the Worlds 2023 Grand Final, a match between T1 and Weibo Gaming, which will take place on 19 November at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.
In the run-up to the Long Circuit action, we found 4 reasons why the Worlds 2023 final between T1 and Weibo Gaming is destined for success and will definitely be the main event of the event.
Reason #1: South Korea is the cradle of еѕроrtѕa
This year, Worlds 2023 is hosted by South Korea. And it is simply impossible to find a more suitable place for the World Cup. The technologically advanced Asian country is famous for its reverent attitude to computer games and a great love for eѕports. This is evident from the well-developed esports infrastructure: Worlds 2023 takes place in 4 arenas (LoL Park, KBS Arena, Sajik Indoor Gymnasium and Gocheok Sky Dome) in Seoul and Busan.
Also - South Korea has crazy fans in a good way. The energy of the crowd is transmitted even through the online broadcast screens of the Worlds 2023 matches, not to mention the 17,000-seat Gocheok Sky Dome stadium, which will host the T1 vs Weibo match for the Invitational Cup and the title of the best team in the world. Add to that the opening ceremony, the quality of which cannot be doubted due to the meticulousness of Riot Games, and you have the perfect recipe for the best match in the history of PC sports.
Reason #2: The eternal T1 and GOAT Faker
T1 isn't just a team for a long time. It's an entire brand and, without exaggeration, the national pride of South Korea. It's also the highest scoring team in esports history.
T1 have played in the Worlds finals six times, winning three times and finishing in the top 2 twice. They have also ѕtuped the home league champions four times and won the Mid-Season invitational twice.
In 2023, T1 have qualified for the grand finals of the Home World Championships, which guarantees the all-but-forgotten Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, T1's hometown. But that's not all there is to it, either.
Worlds is about storylines and beautiful stories. T1 possess both.
Last year, the most titled team in Esports made it to the Worlds 2023 Grand Final, where they lost to DRX with Deft in a colourful Bo5. Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu, then the ADC of DRX and the main protagonist of Worlds 2022, took all the glory.
Today, DRX has faded into the abyss of history, and T1 is still a benchmark of stability, a formidable opponent, but also a prisoner of responsibility: the finals are held at home, with the home crowd. If T1 is already expected to win, a loss in Seoul would be a total fiasco and would definitely cause a storm of resentment among the club's fans. However, this year, T1 really has all the trump cards.
In addition to Keria and Gumayusi (the Koreans' bot lane is brilliant), T1 has an unflappable statistic: Faker and company have never lost to a team from China in the play-offs of the World Championships. And there have been 9 such matches! Seems to me that such a record would help break the curse of second places and finally lift the Invitational Cup over their heads, albeit at the second attempt after failing in 2022.
Reason #3: Weibo Gaming is the best team in China
Since we're talking about T1, it's only right to mention their vis-a-vis, which this year are Weibo Gaming - LPL residents and already the strongest team in China.
Weibo are somewhat reminiscent of DRX from Worlds 2022. Whether it's the Underpassdog history or the birthday during the play-offs (it happened with Deft at Worlds 2022, it happened with TheShy this year), but the teams have similarities. That means there is a possibility of unexpected outcomes. You have to agree, it's always nice to watch Goliath falling from David's slingshot, especially if it's the final of Worlds 2023. All the more so, David also deserved the honour and glory.
On the way to the WBG Grand Final - T1 firsts have done some quality work on their way to the grand finals. Work with quality growth as a team: top 6 at LPL Summer 2023, top 2 at LPL Regional Finals, going 1-2 in the group stage and winning a gruelling Bo5 against vice-champions Bilibili Gaming. Also playing for WBG is TheShy, who if he wins, will be the best player of Worlds 2023 without any doubts.
In professional LoL at this level, only a few can have a vibe like TheShy. What's worth his performance on Graves and Ornn in the semi-finals. By the way, the 24-year-old Kang Seung-Iok will be playing his second World Championship final and so far he has a 100% winrate in finals: TheShy stunned the 2018 World Champion with IG. And last but not least, for toplaner a WBG is also a home championship, so he will definitely get some support from the audience at Gocheok Sky Dome.
Reason #4: record-breaking Worlds
One can argue about tastes endlessly and for some people the Worlds final between Weibo Gaming and T1 is not a major event in the history of esports. But statistics is a harsh thing, and straightforward. And if we rely on it, it is safe to say that the match between WBG and T1 will break all possible records.
Why is that? It's simple: at its peak, Worlds 2023 was watched by over 4,000,000 viewers. The absolute record was reached during the semi-final between T1 and JD Gaming, where the Worlds hosts interrupted the Golden Road of the two-time LPL and LPL champions.
It's not hard to put two plus two together to realise that a grand final with not just any South Korean team, but T1, will gather all the attention possible at the home championship, even from the dullest of gawkers.
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Yuriy Sheremet – Expert in mobile gaming and esports among shooters and MOBA games.
At EGamersWorld, Yuriy, as in 2020 when he joined the portal, works with content, albeit with adjustments to his area of responsibility.