In the '2026 LoL Champions Korea (LCK)' Road to MSI 2nd Seed Qualifier held at the Wonju DB Promy Arena in Wonju, Gangwon-do on the 14th, T1 emerged victorious in their clash against Gen.G Esports. Living up to their reputations, the two teams engaged in a grueling full set, with T1 ultimately securing their MSI ticket in the final fifth game thanks to a signature 'sneaky Baron' play that sealed the deal.

Gen.G took the lead by winning the first set. The Camille support, brought out after a fierce pick-ban battle, was the true 'kick.' Gen.G's bottom duo secured a perfect kill angle at level 1 to take down Keria (Ryu Min-seok)'s Shen, and Duro (Ju Min-gyu)'s Camille roamed to the top side to dismantle T1's laning phase. Although T1 tried to overcome the deficit by over-committing resources, Gen.G countered effectively to widen the gap, ending the first set with a gold lead of over 10k.

T1 struck back in the second game. While T1 held the early initiative and a slight lead, the decisive moment occurred at the Baron pit. Gen.G attempted to bait T1 by starting Baron, but T1 accurately targeted and took down Anivia, who lacked her passive, leading to a massive victory. Although a mistake during the siege on the inhibitor turret dragged the game out, Kalista, played by 'Phase' Kim Su-hwan, survived until the end of a teamfight in front of the Dragon pit to lead the team to victory, allowing T1 to take the second game.

The third game was even more intense. Both teams traded blows until the very end, keeping the game on a knife's edge. T1 focused on protecting 'Phase's' Senna, who had grown rapidly after picking up two early kills, while trying to break through 'Kiin's' Zac. Conversely, Gen.G looked to whittle down T1's health with 'Canyon' Kim Geon-bu's Jayce poke, using Zac and 'Chovy's' Annie to disrupt the opposition. The game saw a back-and-forth exchange where T1 would secure an advantage by catching Zac, while Gen.G would respond by picking off Senna or forcing T1 away with poke damage to secure major objectives.

The tense stalemate finally ended at the Elder Dragon. Although T1 managed to melt Zac, 'Oner' Moon Hyeon-jun's Wukong was also taken down, making it difficult to commit to the Elder Dragon, which led to a 4v4 teamfight. 'Doran' Choi Hyun-joon's Olaf boldly dove into the heart of the enemy formation and successfully danced through the chaos, allowing T1 to sweep up four kills unopposed. The respawned Zac could not hold off T1's offensive alone, and T1 clinched the victory in the third game.

In the fourth game, Gen.G, pushed to the brink, sharpened their focus. The momentum initially favored T1 as 'Phase's' Zeri, who had picked up multiple kills during the laning phase, secured a quadra kill. However, Gen.G turned the tide with counter-play, turning moments where their allies were caught into opportunities. A decisive moment came when Gen.G, despite missing 'Kiin's' Gangplank, set up early at the Dragon pit and suppressed T1 as they arrived late. After securing the Ocean Soul and Baron, Gen.G broke through T1's defense to destroy the Nexus.

In the final fifth game, T1 started on a high note by taking down 'Canyon's' Nidalee, but Gen.G retaliated fiercely, succeeding in a top-lane dive and picking off 'Keria's' Neeko. Gen.G also won the skirmish for the Rift Herald and used Nidalee as a scapegoat to break T1's Dragon stack. 'Kiin's' Renekton even secured a solo kill against 'Faker's' Ryze in the side lane. However, T1 did not back down. In the teamfight for the third Dragon, 'Oner's' Naafiri and Ryze survived until the end, cleaning up the situation and securing a massive haul of kills.

Having regained momentum, T1's next choice was Baron. They snuck onto the objective while Gen.G's vision was dark, and by the time Gen.G realized what was happening, the Baron was already T1's. Gen.G tried to force a fight, but their formation was already broken, and their key ultimate skills were not utilized effectively. T1 secured an ace without losing a single member, marched into the enemy base, and put an end to the long series with a final teamfight victory.