On the third day of MSI 2024, there were no surprises as T1 and Top Esports (TES) both claimed victory. However, the way T1 and TES secured their spots in the MSI 2024 Knockout Stage was quite contrasting. While Faker and his teammates had an easy 2-0 win, TES had to put in considerable effort to overcome Fnatic.
An interesting point is that T1’s opponent in the recent match (FlyQuest) has a player with a long-standing “grudge” against Faker, who is Jensen. Prior to the 2016 World Championship, Jensen made an extremely “arrogant” statement saying, “I can’t wait to hand Faker a loss.” However, when facing Faker directly at that World Championship, the “Demon King” completely dominated Jensen, showcasing a significant skill gap.
At this MSI 2024, Jensen continued to make what is seen as a “provocative” comment towards Faker by sharing his previous statement. In fact, he even asserted that he would definitely “hand Faker a loss” in this rematch. The consequences, as MSI viewers likely know, were that Jensen’s FlyQuest was utterly crushed by T1.
Not stopping there, Jensen had a rather modest K/D/A of 2/7/2 after 2 games in this match against T1. In fact, Jensen only secured his kills at the end of game 2 when the match result was already decided. Additionally, it is quite interesting that the last player to eliminate Jensen before T1 clinched victory was Faker. This defeat marked Jensen’s eighth consecutive loss to Faker in his career.
Moreover, Jensen also “brought down” his FlyQuest teammates, as they had to face a rather unfortunate record after this defeat. Specifically, FlyQuest was defeated by T1 in game 1 in just 17 minutes and 34 seconds. This was the shortest match duration of MSI 2024 to date. While it is known that FlyQuest had little hope of defeating T1, such a heavy loss will undoubtedly affect the psychology of this team.
Therefore, immediately after the match between T1 and FlyQuest concluded, Jensen became the focal point of criticism due to his earlier “provocative” remarks towards Faker. Many viewers noted that Jensen had not learned any lessons from his past mistakes. Some even joked that if Jensen lost a few more matches to Faker, Riot would have to force him into retirement.
Indeed, when it comes to competitive achievements or career success, it’s hard for any player to surpass Faker. It’s no surprise that the “Demon King” is regarded as the G.O.A.T of League of Legends. Making provocative statements about such a legendary player is clearly not advisable. Jensen is the latest example of this, as he was overwhelmed by T1, leading his team to a forgettable record.
After this recent defeat, Jensen needs to learn valuable lessons to improve his performance in the future. It’s important to note that FlyQuest is still not guaranteed a spot in the MSI 2024 Knockout Stage, as there is one decisive match left in the losers’ bracket. If they are not careful or adopt a “disrespectful” attitude, they could pay a steep price by being eliminated right at the MSI 2024 Play-In Stage.