Preface: The S15 season matches have fully ended, and most players have surely been paying attention to the recent offseason period, during which all major regions completed their team reorganizations. The LCK region’s competition was intense; judging by the recent clashes, T1’s overall strength remains very formidable. Their newly added AD carry, Peyz, has shown good pacing, but there has been a lot of discussion about Faker lately. The main concern revolves around his item choices—several champions opting for Archangel’s Staff surprisingly did not purchase Tear of the Goddess first. It’s unclear whether this reflects a new understanding of the meta or if the many recent events have left Faker mentally strained, as he has been repeatedly solo-killed during matches.

Faker’s Archangel’s Staff without buying Tear of the Goddess

Most players are quite familiar with Faker; as the undisputed number one player in League of Legends, his overall skill level is extremely high. He has won six World Championship titles, a record unmatched by any other pro player. Although his form and rhythm may not be at their peak early in the season, once the World Championship qualifiers begin, his mechanics become increasingly consistent. For example, in this recent World Championship run, he truly fought his way from the start all the way to the finals. Perhaps he was a bit lucky with Gen.G getting eliminated before the final, but it’s undeniable that his World Championship skill level is far beyond that seen within his region.

The KeSPA Cup is nearing its conclusion, with T1 successfully coming back from a 2-3 deficit to defeat KT and secure the last spot in the finals, where they will face HLE. Both teams will field their full starting lineups, and this match will hint at the direction of the LCK region for the S16 season. Although T1’s form is decent, some fans have raised doubts about Faker, as his play has noticeably declined recently. He has been repeatedly solo-killed by enemy mid laners during matches. If it weren’t for his teammates performing well, T1 might have already been eliminated.

Currently, the biggest issue fans have is Faker’s item build. Both Ryze and Taliyah have chosen Archangel’s Staff, yet he did not buy Tear of the Goddess immediately. Instead, he only completed Archangel’s Staff later on, resulting in having a zero-stack Archangel’s Staff for some time. Normally, stacking items like this should be prioritized early to enhance overall item quality sooner. It’s unclear if Faker is overwhelmed by recent events or if he’s trying to experiment with new strategies. It seems like he’s back to his early-season habit of playing oddly and making questionable item choices. Perhaps even a god needs to relax and can’t stay tense all the time.

T1 has now achieved their best KeSPA Cup result yet. Although Faker publicly stated in interviews that he aims to defeat HLE on the final stage, judging by both teams’ current form, HLE seems more stable. They don’t have Doran forcing 1v5 fights in the top lane, and Faker’s new mid lane approach is still being tested. Even in their last encounter, the AD carry position was suppressed by the opposing player. It feels like T1 will only awaken in later matches; their early game definitely needs some rethinking. Every year follows a similar script: a rough start, falling into tough battles, struggling desperately, then finally delivering victory speeches.

Goodbye, thoughts.

Although Faker’s status is now unshakable, many players find his item build puzzling. Could it be that he’s trying to maximize his laning phase advantage? Yet, his laning hasn’t been great recently, with multiple solo kills against him. Perhaps he’s just experimenting with new playstyles, especially since this KeSPA Cup leans more towards entertainment. Faker doesn’t really need this championship to prove anything.

What do you, the audience, think about this situation?