As we know, a few days ago, in the first “Super Classic” of the second round of the LCK Spring 2022 group stage, T1 convincingly defeated the reigning LCK champions – DWG KIA with a score of 2-0. However, what lingers in the minds of the audience is the “headset drama” involving Faker and the LCK organizers.
Specifically, during the champion selection phase of game 2, Faker discovered that his headset was having issues. However, when the “Demon King” reached out for assistance, the referees present that day did not address the situation immediately and asked him and the T1 players to wait. It wasn’t until the game started and Faker accidentally pressed Flash that the match was paused. Afterward, the referee allowed T1 to perform a chrono break – resetting the game back to the moment it started.
Immediately after that, the mic check clips and announcements further fueled the anger of T1 fans in general and Faker fans in particular. With the lack of professionalism from the LCK, many opinions suggested that the organizers showed complete disrespect towards Faker and the audience. Some pointed out that Faker is not new to professional gaming and should be able to distinguish between equipment errors and device features. Therefore, the vague explanations from the LCK organizers were completely meaningless. Additionally, Faker being “neglected” only intensified the suspicions that the LCK organizers are subtly “boycotting” the League of Legends legend as he approaches the end of his career.
Upon reflection, many people realized that this is not the first time the LCK organizers have “undermined” their icon. For instance, during the intro of the LCK Spring 2022, which also marks the 10th anniversary of the LCK, Faker’s name was hardly visible, only discernible if one looked closely behind the number 10 in the intro. Meanwhile, younger players like ShowMaker and Bdd, Chovy were easily recognizable.
Moreover, during the introduction of the players leading the MVP rankings, although Faker is ranked 2nd with 600 points, tied with several names like Gumayusi, Deft…, he was not selected to appear on the poster, which instead featured Gumayusi.
Nevertheless, this is merely the argument of a faction of fans witnessing Faker being “neglected” during the “headset incident” in the match against DK. Faker remains the living legend of the LCK and the number one “view magnet” for this tournament. If there is indeed a subtle intention to replace Faker’s “power” and influence, it is clear that this is not a very wise move at this current stage of the LCK, especially when T1 is soaring high and Faker is the spearhead of T1’s perfect streak since the start of the LCK Spring 2022 until now.