From the past to the present, T1 has witnessed many former players leave after a rollercoaster of experiences in the colors of the top LCK League of Legends team. Some names have retired or transitioned to become coaches, streamers (Wolf, Bengi…), but many have become rivals of T1 and have defeated their former team numerous times, such as Khan (DWG KIA) or, more recently, Peanut (Nongshim RedForce).
Although he only joined LCK since Spring 2021, NS has shown remarkable progress, currently holding 7 wins out of a total of 10 matches played (3 losses against Gen.G Esports, Hanwha Life Esports, and Fredit BRION). Peanut and his teammates even managed to defeat DWG KIA – the reigning champions, but if we had to point out, surely the 2-0 victories both in the first and second rounds brought the most emotion to Peanut.
In the performance on July 11 (Vietnam time), Peanut made T1 fans nostalgic from the time he played for SKT, especially when witnessing Cuzz continuously making mistakes and being camped by Peanut time and time again. Even in game 2, when Peanut seemed to be a bit overshadowed by his younger teammate Gori, he still outperformed the jungler from T1.
Recently, a long list of “victims” that Peanut has “robbed” throughout his professional career was released. Among the “victims” of this player are some very famous names like Top Esports, Invictus Gaming (during his time in LPL), or more recently DK and Gen.G.
Looking at the list of Peanut’s successful “thefts”, the League of Legends community, especially T1 fans, perhaps miss this “Peanut” even more. There may have been a long period of hardship while he struggled in LPL, but Peanut always carries the champion’s genes – a trait, a mentality that now at T1, perhaps only Faker still retains, but remember, the time of the “Demon King” is also running out.
Witnessing Peanut soaring in NS colors, T1 fans probably understand that they can only place their trust in the next generations and hope that players like Canna and Cuzz will soon stabilize their gameplay and cultivate their mentality over time. For now, T1’s mission will be to put all their strength into securing a playoff spot. But as mentioned, if they do not regain their form soon, the ticket to Worlds and the days of glory will be quite far from this LCK monument.