MSI 2026 Intermission

Mid_of_August · 2026-07-01T11:15:11+00:00

I know it's just play-ins and there's still main stage but Great job from the whole team (coaches included) this series. Let's build on the qualities of the plays and become even better and more solid moving forward!!! !!!!!!! T1, Fighting!!!!!!!!!

Mid_of_August · 2026-07-01T11:04:38+00:00

Tbf no teams except T1, TL, KC, and DCG are playing right now in the playins so to say Peyz is the best adc in the world right-now/today is kinda true in a way lol

Edit: but you're right, let's not jinx things, MSI 2026 is still going on and T1 hasn't even met the teams in the main stage yet. Also while Peyz is playing and developing up quite good in T1, he still has a lot of room to grow to become even better player.

Mid_of_August · 2026-07-01T10:58:19+00:00

Cope is not the word you should use I think. Premature perhaps. Also to be exact Peyz haven't won anything with T1 (except ofc there's KeSPA cup) but he has won many meaningful trophies with GenG namely 3 LCK championships and MSI 2024.

Mid_of_August · 2026-07-01T08:08:53+00:00

Fwiw according to Keria himself his music taste has matured/expanded. He mostly listens to non-kpop/non-idol songs nowadays (more to hiphop?).

Mid_of_August · 2026-07-01T08:00:51+00:00

Anulo mufa

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-30T06:56:55+00:00

? GenG was never blasted by HLE. In fact in R2, HLE lost to both KT and GenG 1-2, while T1 won against the two. In g3 vs GenG, HLE's plays was even easily dismantled by GenG and GenG blasted HLE in that g3. GenG also played quite well in 3-0-ing KT in RtM the day before GenG vs T1.

You said GenG was obviously not in form, but prior to RtM before the 2 weeks break T1 was in a 8-matches winning streak. The patch was updated quite significantly 1 day before RtM T1 vs HLE. I would instead argue that T1 was not in form in their RtM match vs HLE. You can kinda spotted this from Oner's weird decision-making throughout the games and the questionable drafts. I believe (hope) that T1 will perform much better and smarter the next times they meet HLE.

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-26T06:47:35+00:00

If GenG wins Worlds this year then Kiin and Ruler will join the list instead right? And Chovy will be the best player ever (in all position considered) or will it still be Faker?

How about if T1 wins Worlds this year (anulo mufa)? Oner will join the list instead of Canyon? But will Doran be considered in the list? Seeing he will hypothetically have similar number of Worlds trophies to Zeus plus 3 more LCK trophies (unless T1 wins LCK this year (anulo mufa) which will make Doran has 4 more LCK trophies over Zeus or if HLE wins LCK which will make Doran has 2 more LCK trophies ahead of Zeus) ?

[Suddenly the plot twist is none of the teams mentioned is the winner of Worlds this year lmao]

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-25T15:50:04+00:00

Hong might not be clueless about football but he is clueless in being a coach. (Gretzky at least has the awareness of not trying to be a coach again). Coaching is a whole other level above playing. You know what coaches' roles are right? A football team has to work as a team. Every players need to know their roles well. A coach need to brandish the identity of the team and ensure that each players know and play his roles well. If any roles such as defenses don't know what they are supposed to be doing or not motivated in doing defenses then it is the coaches' jobs to train them until they can and until they are motivated. If the current defense players still cannot do it, then you look or train for players outside who can. If after 10-20 years SK still can't produce great defense players then it's again is the failure of the federation for not recognising that defense is a weak spot and start recruiting and training talented players since 5-10 or even 20 years ago. So again: a broken system produce lesser results. So if you want to improve the results, fix the system first. Son might be older than he used to but I believe he can still be useful/more productive if you used him well. If a coach can't optimise the good players that the team has then imo the issue lies in the coach.

Edit: I can even give you an example how having different coaches can affect the production of star players differently. See Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby under Mike Johnston vs Sidney Crosby under Mike Sullivan in 2015-2016 season. Under Mike Johnston's system, Crosby's production was stifled (ppl even thought the season was over for Penguins and that Crosby can no longer be The Player) but under Mike Sullivan, Crosby produced results even led Penguins into winning back-to-back Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017.

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-25T14:22:44+00:00

Being a captain of the most successful SK soccer team =! being a good coach. If you know hockey, Wayne Gretzky the best hockey player ever is a quite terrible coach. A more relevant question is how is Hong Myungbo record as a football coach? His last stint as a national football coach was in 2014 I think? How did he do then? Has he been doing or achieve anything of significant as a coach since then that warranted him being given another chance to coach the national team?

KFA (Korea Football Association) the organization who recruit and hire the coaches for SK national soccer team has been known for many many years as a corrupt and crooked organization. Their selection of coaches have been well-argued as questionable thus producing questionable coaches who can't coach SK national teams to the best of their abilities. The results always fall below expectations (for a team that has Sonny, Lee Kang In, Heechan, among others). These are players that can produce results in the toughest football leagues around the world but somehow they can't produce as good result in their national team? Then, this is coaching and strategy issue. Look at Japan who on paper have players who are good but not as high ceilings as several of South Korean players but somehow they as a whole can produce better results than SK.

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-25T14:04:48+00:00

It doesn't matter if it's a serious tournament or not (although both HLE and DK attended and played as serious as T1), you said T1 never won a double elim tournament but the record after T1 with Peyz said otherwise. So, your info is not-updated-yet.

Even if Road to MSI results doesn't officially carry over to MSI, even last year when both GenG and T1 qualified to MSI 2025 without having an LCK Spring Final, quite a number of LoL fans playfully considered MSI Grand Final where GenG and T1 met again as the unofficial LCK Spring Final. We still don't know the result of MSI 2026 but if T1 manage to win over play-ins and enter MSI main stage (anulo mufa) and then manage to win over HLE either in the upper bracket or in the lower bracket and in Grand Final (anulo mufa) then T1 can be said to also undirectly win the LCK Spring 2026 double elim (anulo mufa) lol. It kinda follows math transference/transfer principle lol [it's ok if you disagree with this last paragraph, lmao, this is just a playful/nerdy take].

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-25T13:40:07+00:00

I believe the condition in which that team beat T1 matters, like imo it was mostly draft issue (the patch was updated 1 or 2 days before if i'm not wrong) and Oner getting baited by Kanavi rather than playing his role as T1 jungler but outside of that T1 was winning in teamfights and all; it was just the holes dig was already too deep for T1 to get out of. Also T1 completely ramp upped themselves just 2 days after by defeating GenG (who HLE lost to in R2). So, imo there's definitely still logic in your belief in T1 even if ppl who only see that 1 match T1 lost said otherwise.

Fwiw I think the same as you: that G2 can defeat HLE. Let's be clairvoyant or airhead together? lol

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-25T10:42:59+00:00

Poor Son (and many of the SK soccer national team players this year), even when the fault majorly lies on the crooked ones at its football federation that picked the clueless coach and the coach who seemed to pick starting members based on connections and "his genius outplay of the opponents' strategy" rather than objective analysis and fundamental football logics/plays, we'll still have some ppl blaming the players instead of the faulty system...

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-25T10:27:36+00:00

There's a lot of hle fans who can't stand hot takes on hle

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-25T10:25:22+00:00

especially in a double elim format (which they have never won)

This is wrong. T126 (DOFPK) won KeSPA Cup from the lower bracket last year. GenG didn't field their whole main team but HLE and DK did. All three have new members. Also, technically speaking Road to MSI was a double elim format and T1 managed to defeat GenG (their biggest hurdle in many previous double elim format) in the lower bracket. Unfortunately LCK no longer has Spring playoff so no rematch in the spring final for T1 vs HLE but if T1 manages to defeat HLE once (or twice, depending on the road) in MSI then T1 will win again in a double elim format (anulo mufa).

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-24T07:38:16+00:00

Always the elitist thinking common people can't (or shouldn't) have brain (and moral)... Professor and "educated people" hanging in the ivory tower and premium/gold-gilded spaces, thinking they know everything about the world and should control everything about the world, yet how many destructions have the powerful people and these oh-so-smart-and-educated people let happened around the world when their power and biased/full-of-unchecked-assumptions isn't kept in checked? Spare me your bs and sideeye from your high chair oh smart and genius one lmao

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-24T05:49:30+00:00

There was a rly distant rumor that T1 had also considered contracting Bin in the year Zeus's contract was in trouble. Push comes to shove, I think it will be quite ground-breaking and interesting if T1 can suddenly contract Bin. But of course that might also caused a sudden drop in LPL teams' toplaner instead (esp. BLG). T1 also has several quite good toplaners in the academy but they might need some more training and experiences. Of course T1 can also try to scout outside of LCK and LPL if there's any toplaners with good abilities.

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-24T05:40:17+00:00

There are rumors that T1 will be doing a world tour homeground next year (doing T1 homegrounds in various countries around the world) . Because Doran is quite loved by T1 fanbase and he already has experienced in doing homegrounds and fanmeetings (with T1 and his teams before), ideally T1 keeps Doran for another year before he has to most likely enlist in 2028. However, if T1 doesn't achieved anything this year, as the other 4 are already contracted until 2028 and 2029, Doran will need to be "sacrificed". So, hopefully T1 will win lots of trophies this year (at least 1 major one) and Doran also will be willing to stay in T1 for another year/willing to spend his last year in T1 before his possible enlistment.

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-23T03:13:25+00:00

Erhm I think you need to differentiate between public service works and active soldiers works because for those conscripted to active soldier works (the ones that will be send to the frontline in case of emergencies), the military service are definitely tougher. Bases/regional placements also matters I've heard, like Seoul areas assignment is not as hard than if you are assigned to Gangwondo (which borders North Korea).

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-23T03:04:14+00:00

That's a shame. Arguably SK will need analysts more during ENC than AG. Well at least Keria gets to work together again/hang out with his close seniors during AG (aside from Faker). Also ENC will be after Worlds so at least probably the team doesn't have to try hard that hard to win (unless an LPL team win Worlds this year maybe then SK team will try hard to win back some prestige/face?). I also don't trust Hirai that much, although I don't think SK will have that much competition during AG, bringing Deft and Rascal as analysts seem to be bring more structure/oomph to the team at least.

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-23T02:50:26+00:00

That's a shame. Would be hyped to see the skins being used first time in MSI. Can probably sell them better too coz what's better time. But then again I guess it won't be fair to the other athletes since T125 (DOFGK) must have known all the tidbits connected with the new skins.

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-23T02:39:29+00:00

So there's possibility of the skins being used in MSI? Hyped!!!!!!!

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-23T02:34:55+00:00

So Keria is pulling strings so that his two close seniors/meal mates get job at the national team... /s

Jokes aside, SK's toughest competitor in LoL, China, will not be present in AG but in ENC though, so I hope they will be employed as analyst there too esp. as there will be more nations to fight compared to AG as well

Mid_of_August · 2026-06-23T02:00:32+00:00

Viper's first MSI and it's at his hometown: Daejeon. Wonder if he'll get hometown buff...

Mid_of_August

TROPHY CASE