The recent playoff loss of T1 against Hanwha Life Esports in the 2024 LCK Spring Split has left League of Legends fans worldwide searching for reasons behind T1’s struggles.
The blame is being shifted towards the persistent distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that have targeted the organization, causing disruptions not only during official matches but also in personal streams and practice sessions.
These DDoS attacks have been a recurring issue for the LCK, leading to game postponements, offline play, and even the exclusion of in-person crowds at LoL Park in Seoul.
However, T1 seems to have borne the brunt of these attacks, with players facing interruptions during their streams and scrims.
General manager Jeong “Becker” Hoi-yoon disclosed on March 20 that players had been targeted during their streaming hours, forcing them to halt streams temporarily.
Additionally, players like Faker have refrained from playing on their main accounts for fear of being attacked, leading to a lack of proper practice.
The impact of these attacks was evident in T1’s recent match against Hanwha Life Esports, where they suffered a disheartening 3-0 defeat.
ORANGE SWEEP! 🍊@HLEofficial MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE UPPER BRACKET! #LCK pic.twitter.com/vtrRVNkEnO
— LCK (@LCK) April 4, 2024
Despite T1’s efforts, Hanwha Life Esports showcased exceptional resilience and strategic prowess, capitalizing on T1’s vulnerabilities.
Faker acknowledged in the post-game conference that their performances were affected by the lack of proper scrims and solo queue play.
However, the team remains determined to prepare as best they can for their upcoming match against Dplus KIA, despite facing a formidable opponent with strong players like Choi “Lucid” Yong-hyeok, Hwang “Kingen” Seong-hoon, and Heo “ShowMaker” Su.
The absence of adequate practice and the psychological toll of the DDoS attacks have left T1 in one of their weakest forms in recent memory.
As they prepare to face Dplus KIA in the lower bracket, fans are concerned about their chances of advancing further in the playoffs.
Hanwha Life Esports, on the other hand, demonstrated exceptional coordination and strategic execution, securing their spot in the upper bracket to face Gen.G.
T1’s journey in the playoffs continues, but they face an uphill battle to stay in contention for the championship.
Overall, T1’s recent struggles highlight the disruptive impact of external factors like DDoS attacks on competitive gaming, underscoring the importance of maintaining a secure and stable environment for players and teams.
apparently the DDOS attacks are hitting T1 so hard that they cant even scrim – teams are avoiding them because theyre constantly dcing so impossible to scrim the last few weeks
also players are having to swap accounts all the time to try to even play soloq
t1 havent played… pic.twitter.com/Kx7tkBc4ny
— Caedrel (@Caedrel) April 4, 2024