T1 fell 1-3 to Hanwha Life Esports in the '2026 LoL Champions Korea (LCK)' Road to MSI Round 3, held at the Wonju DB Promy Arena in Wonju, Gangwon-do, on the 12nd. To secure the final remaining MSI seed, they must now defeat the winner of the match between Gen.G Esports and kt Rolster.

In the post-match press conference, Acting Head Coach Lim Jae-hyeon summarized the day, saying, "Our performance wasn't good. It's a very disappointing day to have lost." 'Faker' Lee Sang-hyeok, who joined him, added, "We were underprepared. We will work hard to prepare for the next match."

The press conference included several questions regarding the cause of the defeat. Lim explained, "We prepared with the strategy of securing Dragons based on bot-lane priority and not shying away from Rift Herald fights. However, things didn't go as planned around the Rift Herald." Regarding the failed bot-lane dive, he stated, "It's true that the dive didn't go well, but the Rift Herald had the biggest impact on today's outcome."

He also noted, "Hanwha Life Esports played well. On the other hand, we had many shortcomings in both our pick-ban phase and our gameplay." When asked if the team was struggling to grasp the current meta, Lim replied, "It's not so much that, but rather that we gave the opponent the picks they wanted during the pick-ban phase, and the game didn't flow into the compositions we were aiming for."

T1 will now face the winner of the Gen.G Esports vs. kt Rolster match in the 2nd seed decider. When asked who he expects to advance, Lim said, "I believe we can win regardless of who comes up, as long as we perform well. We will focus on addressing our current weaknesses and prepare thoroughly by watching tomorrow's match to ensure we secure that 2nd seed."

'Faker' also expressed his determination to reach MSI, saying, "Both are teams with plenty of potential, so I think either could advance. We will prepare diligently to make sure we win." Lim and 'Faker' concluded the interview by saying, "We are grateful to the fans who traveled all the way to Wonju to support us."