The best player in the history of League of Legends shined once again, proving that despite his veteran status, he can still carry full soundtracks. Faker was decisive in the match against JDG, giving T1 (and himself) his fifth Worlds final. Certainly the merit is collective, because to claim that the other T1 players were carried by the midlaner would be false, but Faker still made some decisive actions. To the delight of his fans, he also made them on some of the champions who made him famous.
Faker in top form in the semi-finals
Faker started the series with Galio a character with which he shone during the 2017 World Championships, and concluded the soundtrack with Azir, which is quite simply the character he has played the most on the professional stage. Nevertheless, many will remember above all his Ryze, the first champion that the South Korean has hand. The Rune Mage has always been one of Faker signature picks, who was also one of the first pros to play it at the highest level (Faker wasn’t the only pro to play it, but he was the first pro whose Ryze was mentioned as a big threat, like Froggen’s Anivia). When he chose her for the second game spectators held their breath, because Ryze was not very interesting in the meta this seasonso everyone wondered if Faker would once again succeed in sublimate the championor if it was a comfort pick that was going to lead to a flop. The public was not disappointed by his performance (well apart from the JDG fans).
Even if Fake played well during the second game, it is especially his battles against the Renekton of 369 during the third round which marked the spirits. While his opponent has won his duel two minutes earlierFaker faces him again on the toplane, but this time wins the confrontation, thanks to a pixel-perfect flash. This action has changed the pace of the game, balanced until then, but which then turned in favor of the T1s. However, the result could have been very different.
If he hadn’t used the Flash, it’s likely that an extra tick of the Crocodile’s R (Dominus) damage could have been fatal to him. Faker then afforded the luxury of escaping the JDG duolane, who had come to avenge their top laner. By winning the duel and then escaping them, the T1 midlaner allowed his team to regain control of the map.
The Ban of Respect
Faker’s actions on Ryze caused such problems for the JDGs, that the LPL champions decided to ban him for the final round, won by T1. Even if Faker was not necessarily the MVP of this part, in particular because of Keria who was imperial over Nami, the T1 legend had a very big impact in the soundtrack. Even during the defeat of the T1 in game 1, his Galio had caused several problems for the JDGs, before becoming less useful at the end of the game.
Finally in the final round, his Azir did the trick. It’s probably not a game that will be remembered for years, but the T1 veteran rose to the occasion. Faker is one soundtrack away from claiming another crown, five years after his loss to SSG, and he seems determined to take his revenge on fate.
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