T1 secured their first victory at LCK Summer 2020 against Hanwha Life Esports. A win that could be described as easy, but also relatively… time-consuming. After this match, T1’s captain Faker held a press conference where some notable topics were widely discussed, as Faker shared his insights on the power dynamics between the LPL and LCK regions at this time.
Specifically, when a reporter asked about what he learned from the defeat at the MSC (Mid-Season Cup), Faker responded:
“Instead of saying the opponents played better than us, I think the main reason for our defeat was that we made too many mistakes. In fact, I don’t think there are many differences between the playstyles of LPL and LCK; I don’t expect any major changes in playstyle.”
According to Faker’s assessment, it can be understood that what he aims to improve in order to bring LCK back is to minimize mistakes as much as possible. Regarding other aspects, T1’s captain believes that the differences between LPL and LCK are not significant, and perhaps the gap between the two regions primarily lies in the human factor.
In contrast to Faker’s view, in a previous interview with Korizon, Deft – the captain of DragonX, stated that LPL teams actually possess many superior elements compared to LCK:
“I don’t feel good about losing the MSC (Mid-Season Cup). But after this defeat, we learned a lot from our losses. I think LPL is better at playing with diverse team compositions, but in the recent exhibition cup, they could apply a single, smooth strategy throughout the tournament. LPL is really much better than us; I have learned a lot from their choices. Besides DRX, both DAMWON and Gen.G are gradually changing their playstyle, although the direction of each team is different.”
The statements from Deft and Faker may seem contradictory at first, but in reality, they reflect the current context of LCK quite accurately. The Korean League of Legends region has struggled on the international stage for the past two years, partly because their playstyle often gets figured out.
T1’s roster – the most powerful organization in LCK, may not be inferior to any other team in terms of individual skill (and perhaps Faker’s remarks are aimed at this), but they lack a bit of diversity in their playstyle and boldness in individual plays.
Deft pointed out the strengths of LPL, which is their ability to play with various team compositions, with a much wider champion pool, but all of it is executed smoothly, making every team in the upper half of the Chinese League of Legends standings formidable and unpredictable. Interestingly, in his interview with Korizon, when mentioning that LCK teams are also changing their strategic direction, Deft did not mention T1.
Could it be that he does not see any changes in the playstyle of his rivals, or simply because T1 is still pursuing their traditional style – a control playstyle, and instead of finding a new direction, they are determined to elevate the skills of their young stars to bring this playstyle to the pinnacle, as it once achieved in the past?