Buzz
Faker and T1 continue to etch their own history.
Facing KT Rolster for the second time in the playoffs alone, T1 still faces plenty of doubt. Among LCK experts, while it's not a unanimous prediction for T1's defeat this time, most still believe KT will emerge victorious. Furthermore, in the match against Gen.G, T1 revealed numerous flaws while KT just decimated Hanwha Life Esports. Nevertheless, T1 fans still place their trust in their team's ability to pull off another magnificent victory.
And indeed, the T1 players did not disappoint their audience. Though it was quite challenging despite being ahead in 2 sets, T1 still clinched a thoroughly deserved overall victory. The win against KT also helps T1 settle the debt they incurred in the group stage by defeating T1 in both legs. Notably, in this extremely crucial match, Faker and Gumayusi along with Oner also stood out as the three players who had the most outstanding performance throughout the 5 sets.
Victory equates to a ticket to the 2023 World Championship (Worlds) for Faker and his teammates. This also marks a historic milestone for Faker. Specifically, throughout his career spanning over 10 years, this is the first time Faker has the opportunity to attend Worlds when the tournament is held in his home country of South Korea. In the previous two occasions (2014 and 2018), Faker and SKT T1 had to stay at home when Worlds was held in Korea. It can be said that his two younger teammates, Oner and especially Gumayusi, have helped Faker fulfill his wishes. Without Gumayusi's brilliant performance in set 5, T1 might have had to continue bearing the grudge.
Moreover, many fans are hoping T1 will repeat their historic 'tower climb' journey. In this year's Summer Split, T1 swept all matches in the playoffs as they progressed from round 1, defeated KT in round 2, lost to Gen.G in the winners' final, and defeated KT in the losers' final to reach the grand final. If they win the LCK Summer 2023, T1 will replicate their own achievement from Summer 2019. There's only one difference: in Summer 2019, T1 reached the grand final from the winners' bracket.
The upcoming final will mark the fourth encounter between T1 and Gen.G this summer. Now, the two teams are evenly matched. Surely, witnessing the performance of T1's players, Gen.G also needs to exercise utmost vigilance because T1 will capitalize on every mistake, no matter how small, made by their opponents.
