Only a few hours left, LCK Summer 2023 will officially kick off. This year, this tournament will be meant to be the last show of strength before the selected players leave for ASIAD. In addition, the teams will also have to do their best for the goal of qualifying for the 2023 World Championship. And among the teams that are carrying a lot of pressure, it is definitely T1.
T1 is still considered the No. 1 candidate for the 2023 LCK Summer Championship
During the Media Day before the 2023 Summer LCK, T1 was selected by 7/10 votes as the champion of the upcoming tournament. In addition, the LPL community also believes that T1 will at least enter the top 3 strongest teams in the tournament. These are not very strange assessments, if you look at the achievements of T1 in recent seasons. However, with the championship goal, many opinions have shown that T1 will not be easy to achieve, even empty-handed.
Nearly all teams have stability
Unlike Spring 2022 or Summer of the same year, this time, the LCK teams have almost absolute stability in terms of lineups and coaching staff. In particular, the teams that can compete with T1 (Dplus KIA, Gen.G, Liiv SANDBOX, Hanwha Life Esports…) almost keep the same lineup. Thus, compared to the Spring of 2023, the teams have had a better preparation and a better lineup.
There are almost no personnel changes in the mid-season of the teams
As for T1, the squad itself has been playing together for almost 2 years. In terms of synergy and stability, T1 completely excels. However, this same roster has failed in 4 consecutive finals and 1 losing bracket final at MSI 2023. T1’s stability in Spring 2022 is a weapon, but for now, it will most likely be is the critical weakness of Faker and his teammates.
Gumayusi’s psychological pressure
It can be said that, although it has only been really familiar with the audience for more than 2 years, Gumayusi is currently 50% of T1’s strength. The audience can clearly see, when this player is played and facilitated by his teammates, he almost never fails. Even veterans like Ruler had difficulty one day Gumayusi reached the threshold of strength to fight.
Gumayusi himself admitted that he was under great psychological pressure
But it is Gumayusi who is making the T1 audience worried. His recent sharing of the pressure of “T1 must win”, or the fact that Gumayusi had to go to a psychiatrist showed that the burden was on him as well as his teammates. This will be a great pressure, especially when T1 enters an important period. And just one non-standard operation, one wrong judgment, will be able to sweep the whole season of T1 with the wind.
Faker’s form
In terms of fighting spirit and mentality, Faker can be considered the most reliable factor. However, there is no denying the fact that age has affected Faker’s judgment and handling. Many times, he made mistakes and made T1 difficult. Not to mention, Faker also has a pressure called “title in every tournament T1 participates in”. This is the catalyst that made Faker drop his form at a crucial moment.
Faker is often in bad form in T1’s recent important matches
In the upcoming Summer, Faker will have the opportunity to prove that he is still very good. The matches in the LCK Summer 2023 between T1 and Gen.G may also contribute to finding the main mid lane in the upcoming ASIAD. Faker himself understands that: every mistake will cost a lot and if the current T1 squad disbands, he may never touch any titles again.
Conclude
Anyway, the tournament has not taken place and the comments are for reference only. T1 will definitely have the highest preparation and every player certainly does not want to continue to be the great losers in the history of LCK and League of Legends.
