On the afternoon of July 8 (Vietnam time), Gen.G achieved a convincing victory, if not a dominant one, against T1. Although player Peanut could only play online due to a sudden illness, Gen.G faced no difficulties. Notably, in game 2, Top Laner Doran shone as his champion Jax wreaked havoc among T1’s lineup. Gen.G continued their winning streak and maintained their top position in the LCK Summer 2023 standings.
The defeat of T1 was not hard to predict. They lost Faker – an incredibly important leader in the lineup. It’s worth noting that even with their full roster, T1 could not be 100% sure of defeating Gen.G. Now without their captain, hardly anyone dared to think of an optimistic outcome for T1. Moreover, the situation worsened when just three hours before the showdown, Head Coach Bengi submitted his resignation.
Commenting on Faker’s absence and its impact on the communication and calls among T1 players, Gumayusi shared candidly. He stated: “Of course it’s incredibly difficult without Faker. We clearly no longer play and have the necessary initiative like before. Not to mention, the Mid Lane is now the most dangerous area, which significantly reduces the team’s laning ability. But there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Clearly, more than anyone else, the players themselves feel the impact of Faker’s absence on the team. Although at this point, Faker no longer has the ability to “carry the team” like before, his presence helps T1’s strategies run smoothly. Additionally, Faker’s most important role now is to create plays and call shots. These are elements that even geniuses like Keria have yet to master, let alone a young and relatively inexperienced player like Poby.
With a makeshift roster, T1 will have to face Nongshim RedForce and Dplus KIA. If DK is currently a very strong opponent, NS might be a more manageable challenge. However, given that DRX recently defeated T1, it’s hard to predict what will happen. The players and interim coach – Tom will need to do their utmost to avoid sinking deeper into the crisis before Faker can return to “rescue” them.