T1 is well-known as a team with an incredibly wide champion pool. Perhaps, aside from Faker who typically revolves around 3 to 4 of his most comfortable champions to ensure T1’s playstyle and operations, the other four members are quite flexible with various champion picks. The most notable duo is Gumayusi and Keria. However, in the top lane, Zeus has also held his own, having used 7 different champions from the Swiss stage to the finals, according to the expert site Gol.gg.
However, in some situations, even professional players can run into trouble with item builds. A prime example would be Zeus in the finals against Weibo Gaming playing as Yone. It’s evident that Yone is not a champion Zeus frequently uses. Moreover, the practice environment is not at all like the professional stage, where a single mistake can completely turn the tide of the match. Recently, Zeus admitted that when Yone was too “fed,” he didn’t know how to build items.
Specifically, Zeus mentioned: “Yone was too ‘fed’ in game 1 of the finals, so at the moment, I didn’t know what would be a reasonable item build for the fourth item. So I asked the guys, ‘What should I build now?’ then Sang-hyeok (Faker) immediately replied, ‘Bloodthirster.’ So I just built Bloodthirster.”
Zeus’s comments have surprised many. After all, Faker has shown that he not only has the ability to control the game but can also manage item builds depending on the situation of each champion. Some even joked, “It’s true that they all become worse when Faker is absent; he is indeed the brain of T1.”
T1’s victory comes from the talent and unity, as well as the strategies of all team members. But undoubtedly, if anyone is the “driving force” behind their victories, it must be Faker. And the “Demon King” himself has had an incredibly successful season, not only shaping the gameplay but also creating decisive moments that helped T1 secure victories against formidable opponents from the LPL.