T1 are into the Worlds semifinals. They beat Karmine Corp 3-1 in the quarterfinals on November 6, and KC's tournament ends at the last eight.

KC did take a game off T1, which is more than a footnote. But the series still ended with T1 one step closer to the trophy and KC heading home after a road that started well before the main event.

Peyz sets the tone

Only the opener's numbers are available, and they paint a lopsided picture. T1 won Game 1 23 kills to 7 and took 11 towers to KC's 2, finishing roughly 13,000 gold ahead in a game that ran 35:35. Peyz did the most damage on the scoreboard, going 11/1/6 on Yunara, while Faker finished his Viktor game without a death at 7/0/5. Oner was involved in nearly everything, with 96% kill participation on Jarvan IV.

KC's side of that sheet is harder reading. Busio died six times on Leona, and Yike and kyeahoo each went 2/5/2. Caliste farmed 416 CS on Ezreal yet finished with one kill. Without the stats for the other three games, it's impossible to say how KC clawed back their win or what decided the remaining two. What the scoreline does show is that KC made T1 work beyond a sweep.

A long road ends for KC

KC's tournament was arguably one of the longest at this Worlds. They came through the Play-Ins, edging C9 3-2 before beating MVK 3-0 twice. In the Swiss stage, they stumbled to losses against LYON and BLG after opening with a win over AL, then won their last two series against CFO and MKOI, both 2-0, to reach the knockout rounds. Eight series in, the run finally ran out against T1.

T1's path was shorter and tidier. Their one setback in the Swiss stage was a 0-1 loss to DK, sandwiched between wins over ML, CFO and a 2-0 over MKOI that sealed their place in the bracket. This quarterfinal is their first best-of-five of the event.

Their semifinal opponent hasn't been settled yet. Whoever it is will face a T1 side that has now lost just twice in five series at this Worlds, and that looked, at least in Game 1, very comfortable.