This Saturday, League of Legends Worlds final will feature T1 and BLG, five Koreans players against five Chinese players at London's O2 Arena. What better way for such a long-standing rivalry to go beyond mere club support and even touch on national pride. In South Korea, the Summoner's Cup is a treasure to be protected at all costs, while in China, since 2021 — and Edward Gaming's victory — the trophy has haunted people's minds as it keeps slipping out of the country's hands. All eyes are on the crown, and the two best teams from the two best regions will be vying for it this year.

A strange feeling

And yet, a strange feeling reigns. The Worlds are supposed to crown the best team in the world, which has proven itself to be the finest of all over the competitive year. And Bilibili Gaming has plenty of arguments to back it up... Spring champions in the LPL, MSI finalists after defeating T1 twice (3-1 then 3-2), Summer champions and now Worlds finalists after knocking out Korean champions HLE in the quarter-finals (3-1).

But why? Why does it seem that the team that has dominated and proved its worth in every department this year is going out as underdogs against those who haven't lifted a single trophy on the official Riot Games circuit this year? The same roster representing the LCK as fourth seed this year and who were just one game away from missing out on Worlds qualification to KT Rolster, less than two months ago.

Is it really so strange? Such treatment, such expectations, can only rest on their shoulders. T1 has come a long way, but that didn't stop them from lifting the famous trophy with astonishing ease last year, nor did it stop the legendary organization from lifting a total of four in its history. There were obstacles this year. Firstly, because with the salary cap fixed, this roster, which is already part of the game's legend and which this Saturday could prove to be the best in history, might not see the light of day.

Particularly if the MVP of last year's final (Choi “Zeus” Woo-je) hadn't turned down Chinese teams offering him double his current T1 salary. Then, with their up-and-down year, nobody expected such a second wind at the Worlds. Yet they were undoubtedly the most convincing and dominant team in the tournament so far. Yes, you've heard it before and it's redundant, perhaps even irritating if you're not a fan of the team. But T1 is not the same team when it comes to the most important tournament of the year, and they no longer need to prove it.

And then there's the famous data of T1 against China... No doubt the ten players who will enter London's O2 Arena are aware. Where South Korea is 4-1 against China in the Worlds final, ZOFGK is 23-3 against LPL teams in “their” competition (since 2022). So maybe it's not so strange after all, but the prevailing atmosphere is. You get the impression that you're about to see the fifth title of Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and T1, that the final photo with the five players lifting the cup has already been taken. In reality, another ending would undoubtedly cast a pall over London, and who else but Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin to steal the show from the great T1.

The man who hasn't stopped making trouble during this edition, both on and off the rift. Whether with his Jax, his communication or his image, Bin has become China's figurehead on the international stage, especially in the eyes of the fans. His jacket toss at the adidas arena in Paris was one of the highlights of the Worlds. So, although the pressure falls on him and his team, he's going to use it as a strength, to further enhance his image as the main antagonist, which he takes great pleasure in fuelling. He made no secret of it before the match between T1 and Gen.G, dreaming of a final against Faker to restore the Chinese reputation. He's been served.

Two botlanes ahead of the pack

On the support side, Luo “ON” Wen-Jun will have to raise his game to reach the clouds on which Ryu “Keria” Min-seok is comfortably sitting, but their AD Carries are set for an uncompromising battle at the top. Where Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyung was MVP of the series against Gen.G, and dodged death for three games against Top Esports, Zhao “Elk” Jiahao has been a highlight machine since the start of the tournament. Mechanically close to perfection, he has also proved his immunity to fear and pressure in the most crucial moments, with his Ezreal burying European hopes in the decisive teamfight against G2 in game 3. The Chinese AD Carry repeated the feat to deliver a top-class victory over HLE, with its Kai'Sa around the Baron Nashor in game 4.

In front of him, he'll have a master of early game's dominant AD Carry, such as Varus, Ashe or Caitlyn, accompanied by a support that seems to have topped the competition since the start of the knockout rounds, especially when compared to the other players in his position. Where most are satisfied with engaging champions who only live for objectives or teamfights, the prodigy doesn't hesitate to disrupt the early stages with his Pyke or his Bard.

He has also proved his worth in the teamfights department with his Rakan, and The Charmer is likely to be hotly contested in the final, as he is undoubtedly ON's best champion — with a 100% win rate over three games since the start of the competition. Keria made no secret of it after his victory over TES, telling Martin “Rekkles” Larsson that he had been inspired by the Chinese player, having studied the way he plays to master the champion (documentary series on T1's Youtube channel).

The swap lane, which has been much better mastered by T1 since the start of the competition, will undoubtedly be one of the most important aspects of this match. Either to allow the world champions to express their early dominance and roll over the game, particularly with Gumayusi too far ahead; or to give Elk's hyper carrys time to scale and be fully enabled when the late-game teamfights arrive. Who will be the fourteenth League of Legends World Champion? Will T1 make the back-to-back or will Bilibili Gaming break China's curse and take the crown? What's heavier? The burden of staying at the top or the burden of reaching the top? Verdict at 2PM CET.