Three-time champion Faker and his team SK Telecom T1 failed to qualify for the Worlds in League of Legends (LoL) 2018. Internal problems and strong competition from young players are making it hard for the champs.
Who is Faker?Faker is like the Lionel Messi of eSports. Only he is a 22-year-old South Korean and not a bearded Argentine. He is generally regarded as the “best LoL player” there has ever been. But even Faker, like Messi, can no longer lead a team to victory alone.
Faker plays the “Mid-Lane” position in League of Legends, the central spot. There, he can have a significant impact on the game. For years, fans around the world have admired his insane stunts and crazy kills.
His team has been SK Telecom T1 since 2014. He has never played for another organization. This is a rarity in League of Legends, where players usually swap teams quickly.
Here’s how it went in recent years: The most important tournament in League of Legends is the World Championships at the end of each year, the “Worlds.” Teams must qualify from their regions.
SK Telecom T1 has won the Worlds three times in the last 5 years:
- In 2013, the team was actually just the “B” team for SK Telecom, but won the World Championship for the first time and started an incredible run.
- In 2014, they did not qualify.
- In 2015 and 2016, the team won the Worlds again – then people thought it would become a dynasty.
- In 2017, there was a dramatic final against Samsung Galaxy, which they lost.
Veterans Let Faker Down
This is what happened: SK Telecom T1 failed to secure one of the three spots Korea has for the Worlds in 2018.
In the decisive series, they lost again to the finalists from 2017 with 3:2. The rivals are now called Gen G., after Samsung withdrew. However, top players like Ruler and Ambition still play for Gen G.
Weakness Jungle: In the decisive game 5, they neutralized Faker through concerted play.
After ADC Bang had so many problems at the Worlds 2017, this time the jungler Blank proved to be the weak link. He was caught and killed for the second time at 2:30 minutes, and throughout the match, Gen.G frequently claimed his scalp:
South Korea Simply Extremely Strong in LoL
What was the reason? Apparently, SK Telecom T1 has several problems, as observers note (via vEsports):
- While newcomers shine in other teams, SKT 1 also has top rookies but does not trust them – they benched the young jungler talent Blossom after making mistakes.
- The veterans appear to have weaknesses for years now, and the departure of old top players cannot be compensated.
- Then the head coach changed.
- And the harmony and synergy are not there.
- Other teams in South Korea are just getting stronger – this year some great rookies joined the league. Teams like KT Rolster or Afreeca Freecs are now simply stronger than SK Telecom T1.
Who will represent Korea at the World Championship? The defending champions Gen G. have snatched the last spot. They will compete for South Korea along with Afreeca Freecs and KT Rolster. Faker and his team will have to watch the Worlds 2018 from home.
Even Faker Can No Longer Win Alone
What’s behind it: Never has South Korea been stronger than this year, as observers believe. Apparently too strong for SK Telecom T1.
It is now also no longer possible for the LoL God Faker to carry a team to victory virtually alone. The same phenomenon could be observed with Lionel Messi during the World Cup. Even the best player in the world cannot consistently make a difference with such a high level of competition.
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