Since the emergence of players like Gumayusi, Oner, Keria, and Zeus in T1’s lineup, many fans have thought that Faker has faded compared to his teammates. Especially during the phase where T1 dominated all opponents, Faker’s role seemed less impactful compared to Gumayusi, Zeus, and Oner. He did not receive as many MVP awards as his juniors, leading to the impression that everything would run smoothly without him. Of course, this misconception was disproven by Faker himself after he sustained an injury and had to take a break during the last Summer Split.
Moving into Worlds 2023, Faker still embodies the typical playstyle seen when T1’s players are at their peak performance: he strives to either even or win his lane, chooses appropriate gank paths based on the situation, surrenders creep score to necessary positions, sets up plays for T1, and provides damage and crowd control in the late game. Of course, there are times when this playstyle does not operate as smoothly as possible, such as in the match against Gen.G, which is currently a very strong opponent and understands T1 well.
Recently, according to statistics from the Swiss stage of Worlds 2023, Faker holds two completely contrasting records. First, he is the player who contributed the least damage in the entire T1 team despite the team’s victory. Specifically, he contributed only 9% of the damage in the match between T1 and Cloud9. However, Faker is also the player who dealt the most damage to enemy champions in a match, accounting for 50.6% of the damage in the encounter against his main rival, Gen.G.
However, this seemingly strange and contrasting record accurately reflects Faker’s role in T1. When the entire team is performing at its best, Faker will step back to play the role of playmaker, allowing his younger teammates to shine. When T1 faces difficulties, Faker will step up and become the key player, using all his capabilities to ensure T1 achieves the best possible results. Currently, Faker is not only the professional leader but also a crucial source of morale.
T1’s journey will undoubtedly be very challenging, whether they overcome LNG Esports or still face JD Gaming ahead. But with Faker’s leadership, T1 will certainly be more careful and strive harder on their path to compete for the title at this year’s Worlds.