Faker has already benefited T1 and is back on the team’s starting League of Legends squad for the LCK. Fans still find it hard to comprehend how much of an impact Faker’s midlaner had on the team after the group’s dominant victory over Kwangdong Freecs after his return.
T1 claimed a quick 2-0 victory against KDF on Aug. 2, but they weren’t carried by Faker gameplay-wise. The player injected tons of confidence into the rest of his teammates, who were far superior to their opponents. After the win, fans praised Faker’s influence on Reddit.
“My GOAT is so back,” one of the fans wrote. “It’s so funny how immediate the effect Faker has on T1 and the game. It’s not even a meme anymore,” another one added.
Some fans pointed out jaw-dropping statistics T1 has with or without Faker in the last couple of splits. In the last eight series without Faker, the team won only one match. In the last four LCK splits, however, T1 are 56-6 with Faker during the regular season, so the difference is massive. “It’s just bizarre how much he adds to the team, don’t think I can even put words on it anymore,” one top comment reads.
It’s tough to disagree with them. In today’s series, T1 looked like an entirely different squad, once again playing aggressively and looking for control early. They didn’t hesitate and didn’t commit simple mistakes, which cost them a lot of games in July when Faker was substituted for Poby due to a wrist injury.
In fact, T1 once again put focus on their bot lane and Zeus by making Oner prioritize these positions early against KDF. Faker mostly played safely on Jayce, didn’t overextend, and played his role. Yet, this was enough to turn T1 into a title contender, right before the start of the 2023 LCK Summer Playoffs, which are set to begin next week.