As of now, the LCK Summer 2023 has essentially concluded, and the results have nearly been finalized, with only the final name representing this region at the 2023 World Championship left to be determined. This is perhaps one of the most tumultuous seasons in LCK history, especially with T1’s “tower climbing” situation. If we consider it, the injury and absence of Faker has made the League of Legends (LoL) community realize more clearly the role of the “Demon King”.
Since around the summer of 2021, Faker’s performance, as well as T1’s in general, has noticeably declined. Coupled with the rise of Damwon KIA (DK) at that time, T1 was trusted less, both domestically and internationally. In fact, under coach Daeny, Faker had to sit on the bench for several matches. And indeed, many LoL fans believed that Faker was truly past his prime. Even in T1’s undefeated season, Faker no longer had those highlight moments that made his name. His stats were significantly worse than many players like Chovy, ShowMaker… And whenever T1 lost or had poor results, Faker’s age became a point of debate.
However, this viewpoint was dismissed by Faker himself during the recently concluded LCK Summer 2023. T1 became an average team almost instantly when their mid-laner was absent. In fact, with just one brain, BeryL, and four average players, DRX defeated T1 in both matches. It must be said that those two wins against T1 were the most crucial condition that allowed DRX to have a chance to enter the playoffs.
Normally, people would rely on in-game statistics to evaluate a player’s impact on their team’s playstyle and the match’s outcome. However, Faker’s case is entirely different. No statistics can explain why a struggling T1 could defeat both DK and KT Rolster with seemingly “unbelievable” scores (3-0 against DK and 3-1 against KT) just by Faker’s return. Some opinions state: “Faker was once associated with jokes about his calls being able to control the other four members. But the reality is, Faker’s influence is unimaginable, and that cannot be expressed in statistics.”
Of course, as we know, Faker and T1 lost to Gen.G in the Summer 2023 finals. But it is thanks to Faker that T1 remains a top contender for the 2023 World Championship title, regardless of how difficult their Summer 2023 season has been.