Faker is the most important factor in T1’s comeback
Recently, T1 pulled off what can be described as a “classic” comeback in the history of LCK and League of Legends in general. When a top team from LCK leads the opponent by more than 10k gold, it is almost impossible to have a turnaround in recent metas. However, with just one Elder Dragon buff, T1 regained complete control of the game and even won in the end. The reigning World Champion was able to achieve this simply because of Faker.
Accordingly, the mic-check segment of T1 during the final moments of the second game between KT and T1 highlighted Faker’s uniqueness. Even at the moment KT secured their second Baron, Faker remained calm: “Wait until Aphelios has the Galeforce, we let them take the Dragon Soul and will start fighting at the Elder Dragon stage; his damage is ready.”
Even during the Elder Dragon fight, when Faker had fallen, he still believed that the team could secure the Elder Dragon. Subsequently, T1 actually stole this buff right in front of the KT members, and at this moment, T1 players felt confident that they would win. This confidence factor allowed T1 to perform much better, if not to say they were somewhat dominant and proactive against KT despite being behind by a lot of gold.
Once Faker reaches his peak performance, T1 is a very hard team to beat
Faker’s leadership ability and foresight regarding in-game situations are beyond debate. Moreover, Faker also instills confidence, calmness, and determination in his teammates. This is the most crucial factor that has helped T1 succeed over the years.
However, T1 also needs to remain cautious. Against teams like Gen.G or even HLE, they cannot squander a 12k gold advantage and many items without converting it into a victory like KT did. At that point, T1 cannot continue to be “reckless” against their opponents.