In 2023, T1 and especially Faker achieved all the goals they set for the season, as well as since their last World Championship win (in 2016). This was one of the most tumultuous years for T1, as they went from being a team that dominated the LCK alongside Gen.G to a rather mediocre team when Faker was sidelined with an injury. They then made a strong comeback, finishing second in the LCK Summer 2023 and ultimately winning the World Championship that same year. Notably, on their journey, T1 defeated all four representatives from the LPL and lost only one match.
Although this victory is glorious, many viewers feel that this season was not the most tumultuous and memorable for T1 since the team changed its name from SKT T1. According to some fans, the thrilling and emotionally charged season was actually 2021, when T1 underwent a series of changes, from player personnel to coaching staff. This year is viewed as the most turbulent year for T1, not just for the players but also for the fans.
Many fans likely still remember that year when T1 also set several historical milestones in League of Legends, but most were sad stories. For the first time, a team used more than 12 lineups within a single group stage (Spring 2021). Players and coaches openly criticized or made negative statements implying each other through the media. Faker had to sit on the bench for the first time in the history of SKT T1/T1 and in his career due to professional reasons. All this showed just how unstable T1 was in 2021, both in terms of performance and internal morale.
Furthermore, T1 at that time saw problems everywhere, and fans had the feeling that T1 winning was an anomaly, while losing was too normal. T1 was also the first team in the history of professional League of Legends to change coaches while the season was still ongoing.
However, during that year, T1 was also the only team to utilize a rejuvenated lineup, with 4 out of 5 players having almost no international experience yet still reaching the semifinals of the World Championship. In fact, T1 was the first team in that World Championship to push the mighty Damwon KIA to a tiebreaker, stretching to game 5 in the semifinals and forcing DK to reveal all their strategies. Some opinions even suggested that Edward Gaming’s 2021 World Championship title was partly due to T1 forcing DK to show all their cards beforehand.
T1 of 2023 completed the tasks that T1 and Faker from previous years had left unfinished. But for many hardcore T1 fans, 2021 was truly the year of ups and downs, marking the values of the past that were merely nostalgic as T1 aimed for new successes thereafter.