Entering the LCK Summer 2023 Finals, T1 can still be seen as having made a miracle run. They finished the group stage in 5th place overall, with one of the longest group stage losing streaks since the current LCK format was established, and were not highly regarded in the playoffs. In fact, when KT Rolster chose them, T1 received no confidence from the experts of LCK regarding their chances of victory.
However, T1 defeated one opponent after another. Notably, in the match against Gen.G in the winners’ finals, if T1 had been more cautious, they could have achieved a 3-0 victory. The loss to Gen.G made it difficult for T1 when they had to face KT once again. But T1 managed to win and advance to the finals. Specifically, in the LCK Summer 2023, T1 faced KT and Gen.G four times each. The only thing is, T1 and Faker couldn’t finish with a win as Gen.G completely showed their superiority.
However, the 0-3 loss to Gen.G did not dishearten T1 fans. On the contrary, many opinions expressed great excitement that T1 made it to the finals, especially after delivering a thrilling losers’ final. Some commented: “T1 finished 5th in the group stage, lost to KT and Gen.G in both home and away matches. But what did they achieve? They avenged KT, made Gen.G sweat, and made it to the finals. The important thing is they still have a ticket to Worlds 2023. Moreover, T1 had to play 3 BO5 matches in 8 days. So this result doesn’t disappoint or surprise me too much.”
Of course, there is still some sadness for Faker and his teammates as they once again came up empty-handed. But considering what T1 showed, they put in their best effort. Faker just returned from injury and he continuously faced very tough opponents. Meanwhile, Gen.G also performed very well, especially Peyz’s position. Therefore, this loss is not surprising to the League of Legends community in general and T1 fans in particular. Ahead of T1 lies the Worlds 2023 and for Faker, there is also the Asian Games. These will be arenas where more effort is needed for both Faker and T1 to quench their thirst for titles that has lasted since MSI 2022 to now.