T1 fell 1:2 to Hanwha Life Esports in the third round of the 2026 LoL Champions Korea (LCK) held at LoL PARK in Jonggak on the 8th. Coming off a victory against the high-performing Dplus KIA, T1 made a bold move by benching 'Oner' Moon Hyeon-joon and starting rookie 'Painter' Kim Eun-hoo, but ultimately faced a disappointing result.

Below is the interview with T1 acting head coach Lim Jae-hyeon and 'Phase' Kim Su-hwan.

Q. Could you provide a summary of today's match.

Acting Head Coach Lim Jae-hyeon = We should have snowballed the second set more effectively, and the third set was difficult due to some errors in our pick-ban phase.

'Phase': It's a shame we lost, especially since there were moments where we could have won.

Q. What specific mistakes do you think were made?

Acting Head Coach Lim Jae-hyeon = While our composition had points we could have leveraged, it was a high-difficulty setup regardless.

Q. What about 'Painter's' performance?

Acting Head Coach Lim Jae-hyeon = I think he helped fill in gaps in communication and fundamentals. I believe he is a player with a lot of room for growth.

'Phase': I think he played with good focus. It's a pity we couldn't get the win for his debut.

Q. What was the reason for the call-up despite the team's good performance in the previous match?

Acting Head Coach Lim Jae-hyeon = Regardless of the win-loss record, we had time to practice, and I felt there was room to utilize him based on our scrim results; today was the earliest opportunity to do so. There is absolutely no discord. We made the change to win the match, and 'Painter' provided a lot in terms of communication. I also thought the call-up would be helpful for motivation.

Q. Is it likely that 'Oner' will return for the next match?

Acting Head Coach Lim Jae-hyeon = I wanted to see how things would play out in a real match environment, so I plan to decide on the next lineup after reviewing our scrims and other comprehensive factors.

Q. Is there a possibility of call-ups for other lanes?

Acting Head Coach Lim Jae-hyeon = I believe we need players who can contribute immediately, and from that perspective, I think a jungler is the most suitable position for such a move.

Q. The home ground matches are coming up next week. What areas need improvement?

Acting Head Coach Lim Jae-hyeon = We should have played with clearer reasoning leading up to objective fights, but that was ambiguous in the third set. I plan to address those issues and refine our pick-ban strategy.

Q. Any final words?

Acting Head Coach Lim Jae-hyeon = I apologize for not rewarding the fans with a win. I also feel sorry for 'Painter' on his debut. We have home ground matches coming up, and we will prepare well to return stronger.

'Phase': I will learn from today's defeat, address our shortcomings, and make sure we win the next match.