It Turns Out Faker Also Makes Basic Mistakes
In the “Super Week” match against DK, T1 unexpectedly secured a 3-0 victory. In fact, if one were to follow all three games between the two teams, many viewers might struggle to understand how DK could top the Elder table given their disappointing performance. All three games could be summarized in this process: DK wins the lane slightly -> Oner ganks bot -> T1 snowballs from the bot lane – DK gets annihilated. Because the match was so one-sided, a small incident involving Faker became a noteworthy topic.
Specifically, in Game 1 of the match, Faker purchased a component item, the Null-Magic Mantle. In reality, there are no items in Azir’s inventory that can be built early on with this component. Many opinions suggested that Faker had a new item build. He even held onto this item until nearly the mid-game before purchasing the Seeker’s Armguard. After the match, Faker admitted: “I just bought it by mistake.”
In a tense match, Faker could certainly make mistakes. However, the mentioned item also provided Faker with a bit of durability to hold the lane. And because T1 still won, with Faker dominating ShowMaker from the laning phase, his item mispurchase became a rare talking point in an otherwise one-sided game.
T1 Has Secured a Spot in the LCK Cup 2026
With a dominant victory over DK, T1 officially became one of the two teams guaranteed to advance, alongside FOX from the Elder group. Meanwhile, Gen.G still has a match against HLE on February 1st (Vietnam time) to determine their win-loss record and ranking. On the other hand, DK has lost their advantage, and they will have to wait for the HLE – Gen.G match to know exactly what rank they will be and whether they will go straight to the Playoffs or have to play in the Play-ins.
As for Faker, he is having an incredibly strong start to the season with T1. However, a very dangerous opponent, Gen.G, is waiting ahead, and that may be the match that truly assesses T1’s title-contending capabilities this season.