Fans have been worried that an injury to legendary League of Legends pro Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok could derail his career. After his return to the game, it appears that those worries were overstated.
Faker returned from a scary arm injury for the beginning of the LCK Summer Playoffs, and he is already impressing fans, commentators, and opposing players alike.
This is no surprise to the T1 coaching staff, who long maintained that not only would Faker return from his arm injury, he would do so in time for the playoffs. But it’s still amazing to see Faker look like the unkillable demon king once again.
Faker returns from injury for 2023 LCK Summer Playoffs
Faker’s injury was feared to potentially sideline him for the remainder of the year, if not even longer. T1 fans were scrambling to imagine how the team could possibly succeed without its star mid laner in the 2023 LCK Summer Playoffs.
This fear was only exacerbated by T1’s performance in the regular season. The Korean side struggled to a 9-9 record with substitute mid laner Yoon “Poby” Seong-won repeatedly failing to impress. There were even concerns that T1 might miss the playoffs entirely, something that might’ve seemed inconceivable not long before.
Faker put all of that to bed upon his return. He first led T1 to a dominant 3-1 series victory over Dplus KIA, in which Faker dipped into his bag of tricks for a rare Corki pick and extended his long unbeaten streak on the AD champion.
Next up was a familiar foe in the form of a long-time rival.
T1 defeats KT Rolster in another derby domination
T1 versus KT Rolster is one of the longest-running and most storied rivalries in all of esports, and particularly in League of Legends. The two teams have clashed many times for control of the LCK. KT Rolster looked much stronger than T1 this summer, compiling a near-perfect record of 17-1, far better than T1’s 9-9.
KT Rolster even went so far as to specifically choose to play T1 in the playoffs. KT had the right to choose its opponent, and decided that Faker and his teammates were the best choice. KT was quickly proven wrong.
In a stirring performance, Faker led his team to a 3-2 series victory over KT Rolster. The exclamation point on the series was a solid performance from Faker on Azir, outpacing the opposing mid laner’s Tristana.
It’s yet another feather in the full cap of Faker, and a reminder that for all of his injury and age concerns, Faker remains among the best players in pro LoL today.
