AL's Dramatic Sweep Over T1 Reshapes League of Legends Esports Narrative
The League of Legends esports scene has been abuzz with the remarkable story of AL (Anyone's Legend) zeroing out T1, particularly in 2-0 and 3-0 victories, in the context of the EWC and MSI tournaments. This trend signifies a major upset, a significant revenge victory, and a dramatic shift in tournament dynamics, all amplified by a compelling narrative involving a manager's prior comments and passionate fan reactions.
19 July 2025
The rivalry between AL and T1 has been intensifying, with both teams exchanging victories and crushing defeats. AL's 2-0 victory over T1 in the EWC was widely celebrated, with commentators like Shanks expressing immense satisfaction at avenging past losses to T1. The act of Shanks crushing the T1 team logo key became an iconic moment, symbolizing their dominance. On the other hand, T1's loss led to them being reduced to "human-machine" (人机) in the eyes of fans and commentators, reflecting the perceived one-sidedness of some matches.
Historically, T1 is a highly regarded and strong team, often considered a powerhouse in the League of Legends competitive scene, with a significant fanbase and a reputation for winning championships. AL, while seemingly a competitive team, was perhaps not expected to achieve such a dominant victory against T1, especially after a previous MSI encounter where AL lost to T1 (2:3).
A contributing factor to the trending status of this story is AL manager Ai Xiao's "half-time champagne" incident. After AL's 3-0 victory against BLG, he reportedly posted "3-0 comfortable win over BLG, foreign competitions look to Panda!" This was seen as a premature celebration before facing T1, raising the stakes and public interest in the AL vs. T1 match. AL's subsequent sweep of T1 turned this initial gaffe into a powerful narrative of ultimate vindication.
The matches are taking place in significant tournaments, where both teams had previously beaten BLG 3-0, setting up highly anticipated matches between two strong contenders. The outcome directly impacts who advances to the finals and potentially prevents an LCK-only final, which LPL fans would want to avoid.
The victory involved dramatic moments such as Shanks' jubilant celebration, Tabe's emotional embrace with players, and Tarzan throwing a mascot into the audience. There's also significant fan interaction, with comments about "T1 keys being crushed" and popular personalities like Ning reacting to the win, further fueling the trend. The phrase "T1人机" (T1 AI/bot) is also trending, suggesting that T1's performance was perceived as surprisingly weak, or that AL made them look like easy opponents.
This story has significant implications for the regional rivalry between the LPL (Chinese League of Legends Pro League) and LCK (Korean League of Legends Champions Korea) regions. The win is a source of immense pride for the LPL region, as it signifies a strong performance against the highly respected LCK region. The Weibo trends highlight that "this year LPL's two victories against LCK came from AL," emphasizing its significance in the regional rivalry.
Ultimately, the story of AL zeroing out T1 is a rich tapestry of competitive esports, marked by significant victories, intense rivalries, and strong fan reactions across multiple tournaments and timelines.
