T1 survive reverse sweep scare and win maiden KeSPA Cup over Hanwha Life Esports

T1 claimed their first KeSPA Cup on Sunday, December 14, in a dramatic grand final victory against Hanwha Life Esports.

The defending League of Legends world champions added another accolade to their impressive resume on Sunday at the Sangam SOOP Colosseum, defeating Hanwha Life Esports 3-2.

KeSPA Cup marked the first official tournament in which T1 debuted their new ADC, Kim “Peyz” Su-hwan, who joined a stacked core that recently hoisted their third consecutive Summoner’s Cup.

Opting to field their main roster, T1 were among the main favorites to win the KeSPA Cup on the best LoL betting sites, and they did not need long to get their wheels spinning.

The Korean titans kicked off the tournament by topping Group C with wins against Nongshim RedForce, Team Liquid, and Japan’s all-star squad.

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After a strong start, they hit a hump early in the knockout stage. In the first round of the playoffs, T1 lost to Hanwha Life Esports, who, on the backs of Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyung, knocked the world champions down to the lower bracket.

There, T1 shifted into a higher gear and defeated Nongshim RedForce for the second time, adding a reverse-sweep victory against Dplus KIA in the lower bracket finals.

Following a remarkable comeback, T1 entered the KeSPA Cup finals with high expectations, and they delivered, taking a commanding 2-0 lead off the back of strong performances by Mun “Oner” Hyeon-jun and Peyz.

Hanwha Life rallied back and successfully punished T1’s mid-game stumbles to force a decisive map five.

In the final showdown, T1 regained composure and enabled Oner and Peyz to take over the game. A pivotal fight at the 18-minute mark saw Peyz secure a quadra kill, giving T1 a huge boost, which they used to snowball to a victory.

For his performances, Peyz was declared the finals MVP. The 20-year-old finished the series with a 36/15/42 KDA.

T1 winning the tournament marks a historic milestone for the Korean team, who, despite all their success – including six LoL Worlds and two Mid-Season Invitational titles – have never hoisted the KeSPA Cup.

This, however, is largely because the KeSPA Cup has long been viewed as an unimportant event, where many of the Korean heavyweights have historically opted to field academy rosters.

For the 2025 iteration, things have changed, as the tournament now serves as a prerequisite for the 2026 Asian Games national team selection.

With the KeSPA Cup 2025 in the rearview mirror, the Korean teams now have just over two weeks to prepare for the start of the new season – kicking off with LCK Cup on January 1.