T1 still lives on Faker's shoulders at the age of 28

Faker in T1 shirt. Photo: LCK .

Faker, the game’s best player, remains in impressive form in his 13th year as a pro. The Korean player has broken the stereotype of a short lifespan in the game. At the end of his career, suffering from impaired reflexes and hand injuries, the T1 icon still carried his young teammates to the quarterfinals of the World Championship.

Two matches with 100T and once again showed that Faker's level has not decreased after a long time of playing. The ability to manage himself and the professional attitude of this player is an example for the new generation of gamers.

The weak face of T1

T1 entered Worlds 2025 as the fourth seed from Korea, similar to last year. This reflected the poor form of the entire roster in the decisive stage. The world champions lost to GenG and HLE throughout the LCK season. At the same time, they have not won a title in the past year, since replacing their top laner. T1 failed in the LCK Cup, missing out on a ticket to First Stand. They then finished second in the LCK Spring, and continued to lose at MSI and the Esports World Cup. In the summer, they finished fourth, only getting a “runaway ticket” to Worlds.

Because of this result, T1 had to play a knockout match against IG, the 4th-ranked representative of China. The opponent from LPL was not a difficult problem for Faker and his teammates. They won 3:1 and went to the main event.

T1 lineup at CKTG 2025. Photo: Lol Esports.

In the Swiss round, T1 continued to be unstable. While KT, GenG and HLE quickly secured tickets to the next round, the reigning world champions had to spend 5 hard matches to reach the quarterfinals. Among them, the loss to the Taiwanese team CFO was the most surprising. Faker and his teammates almost fell into the opponent's pre-planned plan. They could not resist and lost the match early in the 28th minute.

The two matches against 100T and MKOI, the “easy” Western opponents, were not easy in reality. T1 completely lost the identity of the Korean region, which is strong in movement and control. The members made mistakes many times, almost losing.

Faker carries the load

In a weakened team, Faker also played poorly many times. Typically, in the match against GenG, the most successful player in history could not control Chovy on the other side of the battle line. Holding a stronger champion in the early stages, Faker let his opponent increase his strength and carry the team later.

However, he was still the player who kept his composure and the spirit of a champion to lead his teammates to the next round. At the age of 28, the Korean player overwhelmed Jojopyun, who was only 8 years old when Faker played his first professional match.

Taliyah's 3-man knock-up against 100T was the most important moment of the series. Meanwhile, Azir and Ryze did not die once against MKOI, contributing a large amount of damage, leading the team to victory. Since the beginning of the tournament, Doran, Oner, Gumayusi and Keria have not been in good form. In the last two matches, they also often made mistakes, losing their advantage in an amateurish way. When the 4 young players of T1 could not maintain their composure, Faker stood up to lead his juniors.

Faker with the 2024 championship trophy. Photo: Lol esports.

According to statistics, Faker has entered the quarterfinals of the most important League of Legends tournament of the year for the 10th time. He has won 5 times and still has the chance to extend his achievements in the event taking place in China.

At 28, Faker is still the best player in the world, after 11 years of playing professionally. An interesting statistic shows that if Faker's career is divided into before and after 2017, he is the two most successful players. Previously, T1 announced that the team's contract with Faker had been extended until 2029.

By winning the 2023 Asian Games gold medal, this player is no longer bound by mandatory military service in his home country. His continued competition is a joy for both the publisher and the tournaments. Faker is an icon of the game and the global eSports industry.

Source: https://znews.vn/t1-van-song-tren-vai-faker-o-tuoi-28-post1597116.html