
T1 Zeus: Top Lane Kingdom and a Return to Form
Oct 12, 2024
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It is safe to say that Zeus and T1 did not perform well during the summer split. Despite managing to qualify for Worlds by scraping through as the last seed in the Telecom Wars, the expectations for their performance at Worlds were lower compared to 2023.
Nevertheless, T1 has consistently demonstrated why they are considered strong contenders to regain the throne and win the 2024 Worlds.
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Let's analyze Zeus' comeback performance against G2, showcasing that he remains one of the top laners globally.
Game 1
Draft
G2: Jax, Nocturne, Orianna, Draven, Nautilus
T1: Gragas, Skarner, Ahri, Jhin, Leona
Upon allowing Jax to pass through the draft for BrokenBlade, arguably the standout performer for G2 this Worlds, Zeus picked Gragas for the first time since the LCK Summer Playoffs in 2023, confirming that T1 had a strategy in place to handle Jax's hyperscaling. In high-level solo queue, Gragas typically achieves a 61% win rate against Jax when the correct build is used. Zeus demonstrated a strategic approach by prioritizing scaling, survivability, and faster power spikes over Jax, choosing to build a Cosmic Drive followed by a Frozen Heart and Fimblewinter.
Choosing a more durable strategy enabled Zeus to soak up a considerable amount of resources toward eliminating him. The protection provided by the Fimblewinter shield and the reduction in attack speed affecting Jax, Nocturne, and Draven gave Gragas and T1 the opportunity to converge on G2 and shift the battle to their advantage.
After the T1 reinforcements arrived fully prepared with their cooldowns, the outcome of the fight was already decided as they managed to push this play into ending game 1.
The Anti - Dive barrels
In both matches, G2 selected a composition focused on diving. The combination of Orianna and Nocturne as a ball delivery system has been a fundamental strategy in League of Legends for more than a decade. When combined with Nautilus' Dredgeline and Depth Charge abilities, it is theoretically possible to keep an enemy champion crowd-controlled until they die.
At around the 22-minute mark, we observed G2 executing the strategy by catching Gumayusi's immobile and flashless Jhin from a screen away. Gragas was absent at the beginning of the fight, which G2 took advantage of.
T1 had a more favorable outcome when Gragas was there from the beginning.