Recently, an international LCK fan conducted a small investigation into the list of players currently competing in the LCK. The research helped this gamer discover an interesting fact: except for DRX, every team in the LCK has at least one former member of the T1 organization.
The list of players who have worn the T1 (SKT T1) jersey in the LCK:
Nongshim RedForce – Gori, Peanut: Gori is currently the top MVP of the regular season, while Peanut is an irreplaceable pillar of the team that is leading the standings.
Gen.G – Clid, Burdol: Clid is the number one star of Gen.G, while Burdol also had a quite impressive debut.
Liiv SANDBOX – Effort: The support player with the most MVPs in the tournament, the owner of the legendary Baron steal against his former team T1.
DWG KIA – Khan: Top 3 MVP of the regular season.
In the lower half of the standings, AF, HLE, or BRO also possess “T1 DNA” elements, even if they do not have performances as impressive as the names mentioned above, most of them are still key players on their respective teams:
Afreeca Freecs – Leo, Bang, Lehends (who were once trainees during the SKT era).
Hanwha Life Esports – Willer.
Fredit BRION – Lava, Delight.
KT Rolster – Blank.
It can be seen that after becoming the greatest League of Legends team in the world, T1 has a powerful attraction for talents in Korea. Thus, potential (and talented) players are willing to join T1’s main team, youth team, or even as trainees, all hoping to one day wear the T1 jersey and compete in the LCK.
On the contrary, many foreign fans have analyzed that T1 is not just “famous but not capable”. The influence of T1 stems from their coaching staff; almost every player who comes to T1 can develop strongly, becoming more professional and mature both in and out of League of Legends.
It can be said that even when T1 is no longer at the pinnacle of fame, their youth training system remains one of the extremely high-quality breeding grounds, having produced many generations of superstars in Korean League of Legends.
For example, Khan was once an arrogant top laner. After spending time with SKT T1, he has matured significantly, even though he occasionally still has “funny moments”.
Then there’s Peanut, who was once undervalued for his gameplay and champion pool specializing in “bruisers” in the jungle, now has become a reliable leader at the “emerging power” Nongshim RedForce.