T1 defeated BNK FearX in a full five-game series on Saturday, the 25th, in Match 1 of Group Battle Week 2 Day 5 at CHZZK LoL Park in Jongno. With the win, T1 kept their perfect 4–0 run in the Baron Group—matching Gen.G’s unbeaten record—and, with Nongshim RedForce, DN SOOPers, and OKSavingsBank BRION stumbling, significantly helped bring the Baron Group’s win points level with the Elder Group.

After the match, Inven caught up with Ryu “Keria” Min-seok. Even after a long, grueling series, Keria’s eyes were still bright. It had been a tough match—but a fun one. “I think BFX fit the current meta really well, and they’ve been showing a lot of good play lately,” he began. “So I’m glad we got to play a really entertaining series.”

In Game 1, T1 secured the win by executing precisely what they needed to do, even with a composition that was somewhat difficult to pilot. T1 drafted a frontline-less poke comp centered on Jayce and Corki, while their opponents answered with a counter composition that appropriately mixed engage, global pressure, and area-of-effect ultimates.

On how the draft played out, Keria explained, “First of all, in the early game, we have priority in all three lanes. And while they did have a lot of engage tools, they also had Varus in there, so it wasn’t a truly hard-commit engage comp. I thought we could cover it 충분히 with Corki–Nami. That’s why I expected us to be favored.”

He added, “But I think there were a lot of moments where, in the early game—where we’re supposed to be ahead—they actually ended up taking objectives and getting advantages. I’m a bit disappointed in our early-game planning, because we didn’t properly snowball when we had the lead.”

The play that broke the deadlocked momentum came from Peyz’s Corki. In a tense standoff, he boldly surged forward to hit Varus, forcing the opponent to commit, then escaped cleanly at the right moment—setting up a lopsided win for T1 in the ensuing fight. It was the kind of play Peyz had telegraphed in advance.

Keria said, “In today’s game, and every time he makes plays like that, Peyz tells the team beforehand what he’s going to do. So the rest of us are always trying to match and support that. It’s also comfortable in a way because Peyz speaks up 적극적으로 when he knows he can do it. I always trust it, because I think he only goes for those plays when the odds are really high.”

After a frustrating loss in Game 2, Keria’s signature pick Bard was left open in Game 3—and with Bard in hand, he lived up to his reputation, driving T1 to victory with a performance worthy of his name. In particular, his split-second decision to use his ultimate to put Qiyana into stasis during a top-side roam left everyone impressed. Keria said, “The part where we caught Ahri was a planned, set-up play. But with Qiyana, my body reacted before my head did. I think that kind of instinctive play might be one of my strengths.”

As for the recent trend of Bard sometimes being left unbanned, he shared his view: “Lately there are so many champions you have to ban in the 1–3 ban slots, so I think there are times when Bard ends up getting through. Also, a lot of teams have been studying and either finding Bard counters or figuring out ways to use him themselves. So I can’t just pick Bard that easily—I only take him when it’s a really good spot, even if he’s available.”

Still, Bard remains Keria’s undisputed favorite. “Honestly, compared to other champions, I have so much fun every time I play Bard,” he said. “I really enjoy playing Bard in official matches. Every time I come to LoL Park, I wish I could play Bard at least once a day.”

Since the LCK opened, T1 have played four matches—and three of them went the distance in full-series nail-biters. When asked why, Keria answered, “First of all, I think we still have a lot we need to fix. And the teams in the Elder Group are also really good, so I think that’s why we’ve had so many long series. But it’s positive, because when you play full series, you gain a lot from them.”

Only Super Week remains in the Group Battle stage. With the win points currently tied at 10–10, things are dead even. And with the bottom three teams struggling, the pressure is heavy on T1 and Gen.G. Looking ahead to their upcoming match against Dplus KIA, Keria set his resolve: “DK are in really good form right now, and their bottom duo—Smash and Career—have great synergy. I think it’ll be a fun match, and we’ll make sure we win and bring the points home.”

This article was translated from the original that appeared on INVEN.