More than just a victory, defeating Gen.G Esports in the second semifinal of the LCK Summer 2021 playoffs officially secured T1 a ticket to China at the end of this year, as the seventh team to own a slot for Worlds 2021.
In the post-match interview, Faker couldn’t hide his joy as he officially returned to the stage where he is hailed as an immortal king (actually, in any arena, he is a king). The captain of T1 reminisced about the past and revealed a surprising truth, that he himself thought participating in Worlds 2021 was “no hope” for T1 at the beginning of the LCK Summer 2021.
“When the summer split started this year, I had no hope of attending Worlds at all. Yet here we are, we’ve secured that spot now. Looking back at the journey, it was indeed difficult and tough. I feel like I’ve been away from Worlds for so long, but that feeling only strengthens my determination to win in this tournament more than ever.”
It’s quite hard to imagine that a player with such determination and ambition as Faker would have thoughts of giving up so early. However, looking at T1’s performance during coach Daeny’s era, along with the backstage turmoil of this team, fans might understand that Faker losing faith is entirely reasonable.
Nevertheless, after the rain comes the sunshine, and now T1 has completely overcome the toughest path. Even after losing to DK in the LCK finals, they still naturally became one of the four representatives from Korea to attend Worlds 2021.
The cancellation of MSI 2020, along with a series of poor performances in the summer 2020 and spring 2021, led to T1’s absence from three consecutive international tournaments. This was a record period marking Faker’s “disappearance” from the international stage, so it’s not surprising that he and his teammates were so joyous when they officially secured a ticket to Worlds 2021.
In the LCK Summer 2021 finals, Faker will reunite with his former coach kkOma. The Demon King revealed that the prospect of facing his mentor, the closest brother in his career at a finals match, is something he never envisioned. Faker also predicts the finals score will be 3-1, but he isn’t sure which team will take the 3 or the 1. According to T1’s captain, the team that wins game 1 in this matchup will be the one “holding the reins”, making it very difficult for their opponent to turn the tide.
