Buzz
Particularly since Faker's departure, T1 has become one of the weakest teams in the LCK.
At present, there's hardly anyone who can doubt Faker's significance to T1 anymore. The LCK Spring 2023 runner-up has swiftly transformed into an exceptionally average team in the LCK, capable of losing to any opponent since their illustrious captain went on injury leave. Even the players now seem to be lackluster. It can be said that Faker's absence creates an unfillable void, even though many believed he had stepped back to a supportive role for the younger teammates.
Not only has T1 suffered from poor performance, but their accompanying statistics have also immediately plummeted. According to stats from the specialized website Elixir, T1's average gold difference after 15 minutes of play has gone from 1065 (prior to the match against DRX in the first round when Faker was absent) to -529 (from the T1 - DRX match in the first round up to now).
This is the fastest decline rate in LCK history and the quickest in LCK Summer 2023. T1's stats rank fourth-worst in the tournament, only surpassing the three teams that have consistently lingered at the bottom of the standings: DRX, Kwangdong Freecs, and Nongshim RedForce. It's worth mentioning that even OK BRION (a team that has only won 4 matches so far) has better stats than T1 when comparing the gold difference in the first 15 minutes (-174).
During this period, T1 has only won a single series against NS and has lost to every other opponent. It's a staggering decline that has bewildered both fans and experts. As mentioned earlier, no one could have anticipated that 4 out of 5 players who participated in 5 out of 6 finals in the tournaments they attended, including 2 MSIs and 1 World Championship final, could plummet like this when their leader is absent.
Nevertheless, T1 has secured a spot in the playoffs and rumors suggest that Faker will make a comeback, possibly even in the final week of the LCK Summer 2023 group stage. At that time, T1 will have their strongest lineup back, and they can completely overcome any challenges ahead, just as they have done in the past seasons.
