Once again, T1 continues its winning streak and maintains its unbeaten record since the loss to Gen.G in the opening match of the LCK Spring 2024. Their opponent, KT Rolster, and the “telecommunication war” has returned to the usual pattern after KT made a strong roster overhaul, no longer posing a significant threat to T1 as they did in the 2023 LCK season. Especially, Faker once again shone brightly and earned himself another 100 POG points, continuing to lead the leaderboard for the best player of the Spring Split this year.
However, Faker’s influence is not just about showcasing the champion he is currently using to help his team win, but he also utilizes the champion he is playing to “create opportunities” for his teammates to shine. At the same time, he makes the most of the skills of his teammates’ champions (even the opponents’) to execute his skill combos as smoothly as possible. And the match against KT is the clearest evidence of Faker’s understanding of League of Legends champions.
Specifically, in two situations during the match, Faker cleverly utilized, first, the skill of Azir in the hands of Bdd to execute a combo with Orianna’s Command: Shockwave. In the skirmish near the river close to the Baron pit, Faker placed the ball right on Azir’s sand soldiers, turning Pyosik, Deft, and BeryL into “victims”. Even Deft and BeryL moved closer to Pyosik because they did not see Faker’s ball placement.
Then came the situation attacking KT’s Nexus. At this point, Faker continued to leverage Smolder’s ultimate in Gumayusi’s hands. As soon as the effect of this skill launched, Faker also “took advantage of the flow” for Orianna’s ball to roll along. As a result, Bdd became a “victim” of Faker’s combo.
Clearly, Faker not only understands the champion he is using but also thoroughly comprehends the effects of skills from other champions. If Azir is also a comfort champion for Faker, then Smolder is a completely new champion. In fact, many people affirm: “Faker always understands every champion in League of Legends as if he were the one who created them. That is why Faker will always be the GOAT of League of Legends.”
Faker himself has admitted that he will always study each patch note thoroughly, understand every adjustment of champions, and every item in each version to grasp the strengths and weaknesses of these elements. A typical example is when the champion Hwei was just released; the community was somewhat worried when this champion was revealed to have a diverse skill set. However, Faker analyzed how each of Hwei’s skills related to the champions present in League of Legends.
Approaching the age of 28, Faker continues to shine in the professional arena. He also demonstrates an unwavering willingness to learn, even at a point where he could be completely satisfied with his career. Perhaps this aspect has allowed Faker to maintain his performance and make significant contributions to T1’s diverse playstyle.