In the match on March 20 (Vietnam time) during the final day of the LCK Spring 2022 group stage, T1 achieved an impressive 2-0 victory over DRX. Not just a simple win against a strong opponent, this is also considered a historic match for Faker and his teammates. T1 has officially set a new record in the League of Legends scene: the first team in the history of this game to have the most perfect group stage.
Broadly speaking, T1 may not be the first team to achieve a 100% perfect group stage. Previously, Fnatic also accomplished this in Summer 2015, but the LEC only played in a BO1 format. Therefore, being undefeated in a tournament that applies a BO3 format for the group stage is a much more challenging task for T1. Thus, T1’s record shines brighter and is considered more perfect compared to FNC’s achievement.
Additionally, in this victory, T1 members also set numerous new records, breaking the old achievements of their predecessors. First, we cannot overlook Faker’s “nephew” Gumayusi. Gumayusi, alongside Keria, has formed a duo that, at this moment, it would not be an exaggeration to say is the strongest bot lane in the world. On the day T1 set the super record, Gumayusi also officially surpassed his senior Ruler from Gen.G Esports to become the ADC with the most kills in a single LCK season with 219 kills. Ruler’s previous record only reached 209.
Of course, mentioning Gumayusi, we cannot forget about Keria. If Gumayusi is even better than Bang or even Piglet, Keria is making LCK shine with the emergence of a super Support, following in the footsteps of legends like MadLife and BeryL. Contributing greatly to T1’s journey of setting a super record, Keria also set a new record in LCK with 462 assists, surpassing his senior Wolf’s record of 445 assists. Zeus has become the youngest top laner in LCK history to achieve an unbeaten record after the group stage concluded.
As for Faker, he has simply become a legend, and before the final matches of the group stage took place, Faker had already broken numerous records, both his own and those of his colleagues and predecessors. Especially since most of the players who held the old records have long since retired, Faker is still competing. In other words, Faker breaks the records of other players, but when it comes to his own, it may be a long time before anyone can reach the milestones that the “Demon King” has established.
However, as perfect as it is, T1 in Spring 2022 still has a long way to go to prove that they truly deserve a place in the legendary hall of fame. FNC in Summer 2015 and SKT T1 in that very same Summer both claimed victory in their domestic tournaments after achieving perfect group stages. And for those who may not know, FNC reached the semifinals of Worlds 2015 afterward and only lost to the mighty KOO Tigers. Meanwhile, SKT T1’s 2015 journey was even more miraculous. After a record of 14 consecutive wins in the LCK Summer 2015, Faker and his teammates were also the champions of Worlds with the best performance to date: losing only 1 game in the finals before claiming the world title.
To reiterate, currently, T1 of Spring 2022 is only preparing to complete 1/4 of the season. Ahead of them is a series of crucial playoff matches where even a small mistake could cause their entire season’s efforts to go to waste. Not to mention, afterwards, there’s MSI 2022 – where T1, as the representative of LCK, will have to shoulder the responsibility of reclaiming glory for Korean LoL after DWG KIA’s defeat against Royal Never Give Up in Iceland.
Next up is LCK Summer 2022, where teams will surely be more “in shape” compared to this Spring. And finally, the Worlds 2022 – where the fourth championship trophy that Faker has been longing for nearly 6 years awaits, since his last victory in Los Angeles.
On the evening of March 20 (Vietnam time) and perhaps for many days after, it will be a very joyful time for T1 in particular and all fans of the team and Faker worldwide in general. However, it can be said that the decisive phase of the journey has only just begun. Winning with a record for the most perfect season that the League of Legends community has ever witnessed or everything being just a beautiful memory, both require Faker and his teammates to strive with over 100% capability in the matches that lie ahead.