T1 vs JDG will decide which team will make it to the Grand Final of the MSI, and which will have to try again in the Lower Bracket.
The 2023 Mid-Season Invitational is coming to an end, as there are only 6 teams left in the competition for the title. Only 2 of those 6 remain on the Upper Bracket, but will the legendary Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and T1 be the first team in the Finals, or will JD Gaming finally live up to the hype they’ve been getting since last year’s Worlds?
T1 vs JDG Preview
T1
While T1 haven’t been able to win the Spring Playoffs of the LCK, they got damn close. After a dominant Regular Season, they made it to the Finals flawlessly, only to get dethroned by a Gen.G which gained enough momentum in the Lower Bracket.
Nevertheless, T1 is still one of the strongest teams in the world, and they have proved it in the last few days. They beat the 1st seed of the LEC with ease, as MAD Lions couldn’t score a single point against them – although they had one promising early game. Faker and co. was on the right track to steamroll over Gen.G as well, but after a grave mistake in Game 3, they needed all 5 matches to defeat the team that took away the LCK title from them.
JDG
The squad of JD Gaming have been on the community’s radar since the 2022 League of Legends World Championship. Bai “369” Jia-Hao and his teammates have managed to step their game up since last year, winning not only the LPL Playoffs, but the Regular Season as well. They only dropped 3 matches out of 16 played in the first half of Spring, and went undefeated in the playoffs.
They also made short work of the Golden Guardians, who have fought valiantly, but still lost 0-3 against the Chinese champions. The series was a textbook one of the MSI: the Western team had an okay early game, but everything came down crumbling once the match progressed into the midgame. Against Bilibili Gaming however, they still delivered, giving perfect examples of dominance in the early game, how to flip a game, and how to control teamfights perfectly. JDG is looking extremely strong – but can they be on par with T1?
T1 vs JDG Predictions
I believe they can. T1 have made a number of mistakes in their match against their Gen.G Esports, which almost resulted in Faker and his teammates fall to the Lower Bracket. Meanwhile, JDG has been flawless for 2 Bo5’s so they have the upper hand in the semi-finals. Botlane will be the most important aspect of the showdown, and while Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong is an amazing ADC, he will face the GOAT of Marksmen, Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk. While you can never count T1 out, JDG has a great shot of taking them down.
Where to watch T1 vs JDG
You can find this battle for the ages on lolesports.com, the official Riot Games Twitch channel and the official LolEsports YouTube channel this Thursday at 14:00 CEST. Don’t forget to follow ESTNN for the other MSI Preview and Predictions!
