As one of the most watched teams in the world of League of Legends, every move of T1 can easily become a topic of discussion within the community. Furthermore, their players are also under scrutiny, especially if they make unexpected statements or actions that go against the norm. Not to mention, at this moment, T1 is gaining particular attention as the team prepares to receive their World Championship 2023 skin, with Faker just announced as the first name to enter the Hall of Legends, and most recently, issues related to DDoS that are yet to be fully resolved.
However, it seems that the more positive information about T1 there is, the fewer there seems to be, while the critiques directed at Faker and his teammates have surged dramatically. Recently, some viewers have even “enthusiastically” listed the criticisms and complaints directed at the entire T1 team or individual players, notably Faker, especially following the recent activities of the LCK organizers and Riot.
Accordingly, it has been noted that even issues unrelated or outside of T1’s control affect the team. One comment pointed out directly: “T1 is criticized and mocked because of the MSI meta. Faker is criticized by some League of Legends viewers for the high price of the HoL Ahri skin. T1 is designated as the home team but now has to renegotiate to resolve issues for the “away team” (KT Rolster). T1 fans are upset because their rights are affected even though they are home team fans. Moreover, Faker and the players are still facing DDoS attacks? This situation is truly ridiculous.”
Clearly, every action taken by the LCK organizers and Riot so far has not brought any positive response for T1. In fact, Riot itself has been criticized for “milking” Faker by launching his HoL collection at an exorbitant price, not to mention the upcoming World Championship 2023 skin. The ongoing DDoS attacks also contribute to the community’s frustration. Furthermore, the “home-away” system that the LCK organizers want to implement with T1 is becoming a “guinea pig” situation, leaving both T1 and KT to face “truckloads” of issues as the fans’ rights for both teams are affected.
It is worth noting that throughout this series of events, the involved parties have taken “direct or indirect” actions that have affected T1, yet no feedback has been provided. For instance, the “home-away” policy is a new initiative from the LCK, but T1 currently remains the team that has to “bear the brunt”.
Nevertheless, T1 must strive to adapt to these challenges, just as they did in 2023. However, it is clear that if someone describes T1 as Riot’s and the LCK organizers’ “stepchild”, it may not be entirely unreasonable, given what Faker and his teammates are currently enduring.