T1 was reverse-swept by Hanwha Life Esports in Round 2 of the upper bracket playoffs of the 2026 LoL Champions Korea (LCK), held at Chzzk LoL Park in Jongno on September 2. After taking Games 1 and 2 with strong momentum, T1 allowed a comeback as Hanwha Life Esports found their stride starting in Game 3 and landed consecutive blows.

Speaking to the press after the match, interim head coach Lim Jae-hyun cited the draft as the primary cause of the defeat. "It is disappointing that we made many draft mistakes," he analyzed. "While it is difficult to go into detail, looking back at the sets we lost, drafting team compositions without early priority created situations where it was easy for the opponent to force early skirmishes."

Interim head coach Lim Jae-hyun added, "I think Hanwha Life Esports' playstyle is the complete opposite of ours. We considered them a team that plays through top lane and prepared accordingly. For Games 1 and 2 as well, we focused heavily on top side during the draft."

He then discussed the drafts for Games 4 and 5, which ended in defeat. "In Game 4, we traded Cassiopeia and Lucian-Milio, but I think that needs to be re-evaluated," Lim said. "In Game 5, we picked Jinx to scale for value while taking manageable losses against Caitlyn-Karma. However, I think the game state became difficult because our frontline was lacking."

'Keria' Ryu Min-seok expressed disappointment in their in-game performance. "The draft was one thing, but there were many disappointing aspects in our gameplay. I think that carried over and led to us losing all the way through Game 5," Keria said. "Even if the draft is unfavorable, both advantageous and disadvantageous situations arise in-game. When we were at a disadvantage, we suffered even heavier losses, and when we were ahead, we couldn't capitalize well."

Finally, interim head coach Lim Jae-hyun concluded the interview by expressing his resolve: "We need to improve our gameplay by paying better attention to objectives when ahead and placing much greater importance on positioning. Since we've dropped to the lower bracket, we'll prepare thoroughly, return with a good performance in the next match, and make sure to win."