Currently, T1 is facing significant difficulties. The reigning champions of the 2023 World Championship have not fully adapted to the roaming meta, while Faker has frequently become the hard target of opposing teams. For instance, Bilibili Gaming banning all five of Faker’s Mid Lane champions or G2 frequently ganking the “Demon King” demonstrates the importance of T1’s Mid Lane to the overall gameplay of the team. It is understandable that whether a team performs well or not requires a skilled playmaker, especially in a roaming meta where a strong Mid Lane – Jungle duo is crucial.
The importance of Faker to T1 is undeniable, and due to his professionalism and resilience, he has earned the utmost respect from his opponents. Even in rival territories, whenever Faker is mentioned, it is met with complete admiration. In fact, Faker is the only player from the LCK who has never played a single day in the LPL, yet he has far more followers on Weibo than many legends there, such as Doinb, TheShy, and is on par with Uzi. When Faker attended the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year, the scene was no different than fan clubs waiting for their idol.
However, before the recent match between T1 and Team Liquid, an anti-fan of Faker was stopped by security right before entering the audience area to watch the game. Specifically, this individual was carrying a sign with highly offensive content directed at the T1 player and immediately had to face consequences. It is unclear whether this person will be allowed to watch future LoL matches at MSI 2024. However, considering the average ticket price for the group stage, which ranges from 39 to 120 USD (approximately 1 to over 3 million VND according to Riot’s posted information) from May 14 to 17, this person has effectively lost that amount of money. Not to mention, if they were a Western visitor coming to Chengdu to see the match, they would incur additional travel, lodging, and food expenses without being able to watch the live match.
Insulting players, in any form, not only affects the player but also tarnishes the image of the entire region and the tournament. Therefore, if these anti-fans wish to express their discontent towards Faker or any player, they might as well stay home and watch through streaming platforms instead.