On the 6th, T1 defeated FURIA 3-0 in the first round of the lower bracket at the 2026 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), held at the Daejeon Convention Center's second exhibition hall. After a 2-3 loss to BLG in their opening bracket stage match, T1 now faces a challenging path where they must win every remaining game to stay in the tournament. Having swept FURIA 3-0 in their first lower-bracket series, they are set to face G2 Esports on the 8th.

Reflecting on the win against FURIA, Moon 'Oner' Hyeon-joon said, "Although we won 3-0, we made frequent mistakes. There were moments where our communication was disjointed, so I think we need to address that."

Many fans expressed disappointment regarding the pick-ban phase following the loss to BLG. When asked about the feedback received since then, he replied, "We faced a strong team in BLG after the Play-In stage. Every team has different interpretations of the meta, including tier lists and pick-ban strategies. We realized there were issues with our pick-ban against BLG, but we've fixed them now, so I'm not overly worried."

He added that their pick-ban performance against FURIA had clearly improved. "It was better than the BLG match. However, pick-ban strategies vary depending on the opponent. I think we'll be able to truly verify our direction when we face BLG again or encounter other top-tier teams," he said.

When asked if there were any moments of crisis given that FURIA's team fighting was sharper than expected—particularly with their Nasus growing strong in the third set—he assessed, "We initiated many fights based on our own setups, but the opponent responded well. Personally, I feel a bit disappointed with our team fighting. I'm usually confident in that area, but I've felt a bit stifled lately due to some poor performances. Even though their Nasus got fed, it wasn't enough to pressure our team composition."

Following the loss to BLG, T1 faces a difficult road through the lower bracket. When asked if T1, like other teams, might need surprise picks to break expectations given the number of matches they must play to advance from the Play-In stage, he replied, "We have plenty of picks prepared. However, I believe those "joker picks' are best utilized in games 4 or 5. We've been playing since the Play-In stage, but most of our matches ended quickly—except for the BLG series—so I think we haven't had the chance to show them yet.

Their next opponent is G2 Esports. 'Oner' expressed his resolve, saying, "Even though they suffered a crushing defeat against Hanwha Life, G2 is always a strong team. They've given us trouble in the past, so I think it will be an exciting match, and I am determined to win."