Rookie of T1 at LCK Cup 2025 ‘Dares’ to Challenge Faker
After an early exit from the LCK Cup 2025, T1 players will have some time to rest before the main Regular Seasons 2025 officially kicks off. However, a new drama has erupted that directly involves Faker. Specifically, there are allegations that T1’s rookie during the recent LCK Cup 2025 – Smash – has taken actions deemed as ‘challenging’ Faker.
Specifically, according to information from a voice-com (in-game communication) released by T1, the incident occurred during Smash’s debut match (T1 vs. KT Rolster). At this moment, the senior players were complaining that Smash was dealing too little damage. Faker also questioned him: “Why didn’t you upgrade to Ionian Boots? (for Ezreal)?”.
However, in response to his senior, Smash did not explain the reason but simply asserted that he found his build effective. Notably, this was the game where T1 lost (game 2) and despite Smash’s Ezreal securing many kills, he could not lead the team to victory.
LoL Community Erupts in Debate Over Faker – Smash Incident
In reality, the incident has triggered many mixed reactions within the T1 fan community. For many T1 fans in China, this was a somewhat ‘impolite’ action by Smash. One fan bluntly stated: “When Faker speaks, you should listen and explain properly, not just do your own thing.”
Moreover, Smash asserted that the first two games (the debut match against KT) were merely warm-ups. This further irritated many T1 fans. Because when Smash appeared, he was given maximum support from his seniors to create the best competitive environment. Yet, Smash considered those just warm-up games while game 2 was a loss for T1, and despite securing many kills and resources, he could not ‘carry the team’.
However, for many LoL fans in South Korea, the incident is quite simple. Faker was likely just expressing a straightforward concern without any intention of criticizing Smash. Furthermore, this was only the debut match for this AD Carry while Faker has never had a harsh precedent with younger teammates.
Therefore, this could just be drama contained within the reactions of T1 fans. But on the other hand, it once again shows how serious the troubles surrounding T1 can be even with what seems to be a very normal action.