Just a few days left, and the 2022 LCK Spring Finals will officially kick off with a showdown between T1 and Gen.G Esports. This can be seen as a historic match in many ways. T1 is on the verge of becoming the first team in League of Legends history to win a championship without a single loss in a best-of-three group stage. Additionally, Faker will become the oldest player in League of Legends history to achieve this unprecedented record.
As for Gen.G, they too stand at the threshold of history. It has been over a year since the name Gen.G was mentioned as a champion of an LCK split. Currently, only Ruler remains from the lineup that claimed victory back then. The current members of Gen.G, aside from Peanut and Ruler, have yet to taste glory. And for those who may have forgotten, the team that Gen.G faced in their last championship was T1 in the 2020 LCK Summer Finals.
Gen.G is at the brink of making history. It has been a long time since the team, renamed from Samsung Galaxy, has known the taste of victory. Except for Peanut and Ruler, no one from the current Gen.G lineup has ever claimed the LCK title. The last time Gen.G fell “at the gates of heaven,” their opponent was DWG KIA (2021 LCK Spring Finals).
The match between T1 and Gen.G is also a clash between two teams with vastly different transfer methods and fates that have diverged significantly up to this point. T1 has not brought in any new names, solely relying on their homegrown talents. In contrast, Gen.G has assembled a star-studded lineup with players who have made their mark in the global League of Legends scene. T1 has the perfect blend of “favorable conditions, geographical advantage, and luck” in their 2022 Spring journey, while Gen.G has faced setbacks due to COVID-19 positive cases. Moreover, while T1 seemed to breeze past Kwangdong Freecs, Gen.G struggled to overcome DWG KIA to reach the finals.
Most importantly, this is a match of historical significance for Faker and Chovy. On one side is the legend who tirelessly seeks glory after the lows of his career. On the other side, a representative of the younger generation of players post-Faker, aspiring for their first championship title. Each has a different style, but it can be said that they hold the fate of their teams in their hands in the upcoming finals.
At 26 years old, Faker is still incredibly fierce in a T1 lineup filled with youthful talent. Even when Faker “takes a step back,” he still plays a significant role in T1’s unbeaten streak. It would be redundant to recount the games where Faker single-handedly shone to secure victories for T1. Nonetheless, T1’s current success is a testament to the strength of the collective, with Faker’s younger teammates being the main characters. Among them, the standout is “Super Support” Keria with his creative and unpredictable playstyle.
As for Chovy, he seemed to have escaped the fate of being the “golden spine” after leaving Hanwha Life Esports, but in the match against DK, Chovy became… the “diamond spine.” For those who did not follow the match closely, it would be hard to understand why DK leading by 10k gold ended up losing. However, for those viewers who remained patient despite Peanut falling repeatedly, they witnessed Chovy’s incredible resilience when he and his team were cornered.
In a meta where the gameplay has shifted towards the bottom lane, Faker and Chovy have still found ways to shine. However, while Faker tends to set up his teammates with enough time and conditions to carry the game into the late stages, Chovy (along with Ruler) is proving to be one of the top “golden spines” in the current LCK. For instance, in the match against DK, Chovy not only carried during the early or mid-game but was also the primary damage dealer during crucial moments. In other words, Chovy remains a central figure in Gen.G’s gameplay. And for those who may not know, Chovy had the highest MVP points in the 2022 LCK Spring group stage despite being in a star-studded lineup like Gen.G.
Faker and Chovy – two names with vastly different playstyles, representing two generations of League of Legends, will face off in the 2022 LCK Spring Finals. Regardless of the outcome, this is one of the most anticipated showdowns in the LCK and League of Legends, where the ultimate winner will be the one to write history.