T1 vs Talon (1-0)
Map 1: Fracture (Talon's Map Choice)
Score: 5-13
Match Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (8/10)
Match Summary:
T1 completely de-clawed Talon on the first map.
There was a stark contrast in efficiency and planning between the two teams, which is even more evident given that they ran nearly identical compositions—except for Deadlock on Talon and Cypher on T1.
In theory, Talon's comp should have had more synergy, with GravNet working alongside Raze, Tejo, and Breach to enable kill setups. However, in practice, Talon made no real attempt to combo their utility. There were no Breach stuns followed up by damage utilities, and Deadlock's utility was practically non-existent. On defense, Ban was dying before any of his traps could even be activated.
On the other hand, T1 demonstrated exactly how powerful a Raze/Tejo/Breach trio can be. Almost every round, you could see their Breach stun being paired with either missiles or Paint Shells—either for zoning or securing kills. The difference in planning was night and day.
Early-game control was another major disparity. Talon's Tejo drone provided almost no value compared to Izu’s aggressive, long-range droning. Side note: When you shift while using Tejo's drone, it still makes noise, so there's little reason to shift in it.
Another side note: I'm a Deadlock hater. I have no idea who is gaslighting teams into using her over Vyse, but this needs to be studied. The agent sucks—she provides almost zero value on attack. In this match, Ban used his ultimate three times, and none of them had any impact.
Final Thoughts:
T1 looks scary. Their protocols are solid, and they play proactively, which not only makes them intimidating but also entertaining to watch.
Looking ahead, if they perform similarly on the next map, this series is likely ending in a quick 2-0.
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T1 vs Talon (1-1)
Map 2: Bind (T1’s Map Choice)
Score: 4-13
Match Rating: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ (5/10)
Match Summary:
A sudden reversal from Talon as T1 gets kicked in the gut.
But to be honest, T1 kind of threw themselves into a meat grinder. On attack, they repeatedly tried to brute-force their way through B with a 1-4 push, sending most of their players through Hookah. Not only did they condition both themselves and their opponents into expecting this, but they also failed to capitalize on their Garden Take protocols. We saw utility being wasted on Garden without actually taking space, leaving the rest of the team stuck in the Hookah choke point. As they tried to push through the window, they were dismantled piece by piece.
Talon read T1 like a book, countering these predictable Hookah pushes with well-timed counterplays. At one point, T1 even got boxed in early at Market.
T1 realized too late that their strat wasn’t working. In Round 12, they finally switched to a 4-1 formation for a B push, which allowed them to get a free site plant. Their protocols for taking Garden worked, and ironically, Talon—who then tried to retake through Hookah—ran into the same problems they had previously caused for T1. A poetic moment.
Lesson for Ranked Players:
Always go for a 4-1 split instead of a 1-4 when pushing B. Never bring the spike through Hookah—it’s always the wrong call.
Some positives for Talon:
Governor was fearless in taking space—a commendable Raze performance.
His site entries were impactful, and he made great use of Gekko’s utility, stunning and blinding opponents before following up aggressively.
Even though Talon looked much stronger fundamentally on this map compared to Map 1, I still believe this was more of a T1 loss than a Talon win.
Side note: I’m still a Deadlock hater. Her value was minimal, but I have to acknowledge that Primmie used his ultimate three times, and all three actually had impact.
Next Map: Haven
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T1 vs Talon (2-1)
Map 3: Haven (Decider)
Score: 13-9
Match Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6/10)
Match Summary:
Let’s start with T1—their attack side showed a solid understanding of what they could achieve with their composition. They had strong opening protocols, like the Arrow/Flash combo on A Long to deny early angles. However, after the initial plan, chaos often ensued—and honestly, I don’t blame them.
Controlling this composition with set protocols is incredibly difficult, especially against a proactive team like Talon, where quick reactions are necessary. Despite the chaos, T1’s attack was well-structured and applied immense pressure, forcing Talon into uncomfortable situations.
Shoutout to iZu, who had round-winning lurks, but it's important to note that lurks only work when a team applies enough pressure to cause over-rotations from the opponent—and T1 did exactly that.
There were some moments of overheating, most notably from Buzz, but overall, T1 maintained decent discipline throughout the game. One major issue was their lack of awareness regarding Talon’s potential force buy in Round 13, which caused them significant problems.
Talon’s Performance:
On defense, Talon struggled but put up a fair fight. Their defense wasn't riddled with glaring mistakes—it was just a series of chaotic, all-out brawls where T1 often came out on top.
On attack, Talon made a great call to force buy after losing the pistol round. Since they secured the plant, they were able to buy Stingers and rush Double Doors toward C.
However, there were some key mistakes:
Governor telegraphed the force buy by using his drone too early on C, but T1 failed to read into this tell.
Despite that, Governor landed an insane shot on Sylvan, completely opening the C site for his teammates pushing from Double Doors.
Then came the turning point—the round that stopped Talon’s comeback.
Talon lost to an eco buy from T1, making multiple game-deciding mistakes:
Ban pushed headfirst into B like a newborn baby—without checking corners—ahead of Jett, ahead of recon arrow, and died to Buzz, who simply TP’d out.
Even if Ban had waited, Primmie smoked off their own Recon Arrow, giving Buzz a free kill.
This cascading series of errors handed T1 a round they should have never won—securing them their 11th round and sealing the game.
At that point, Talon couldn’t afford any more mistakes.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, this was an entertaining match, won by small margins on Map 3. Despite the mistakes, it was one of the more enjoyable matches in the Pacific region.
GGWP. 🎭
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