Introduction: The S16 season has officially begun, and it's believed that most players have been following the recent matches closely. The LCK region is hosting very intense competitions, and as the recognized top region in the world, their T1 team has become a hot topic among many fans. Recently, they were defeated by the BFX team and dropped into the losers' bracket. Initially, not many responses were expected, but surprisingly, their mid-laner Faker issued an apology statement, saying he would treat this as an opportunity for self-reflection and reassessment. Perhaps this is the will of the god himself—losing just one match and already taking it so seriously.

Faker’s New Year Apology and Reflection on His Shortcomings

Most players are probably familiar with the LCK region. As the acknowledged top region globally, LCK has developed rapidly in recent years, achieving outstanding results. Especially the T1 team, which won the World Championship three years in a row. Their mid-laner Faker has become a six-star general, unmatched in honors by any other pro player. In the last match before the New Year, T1 did not perform well and was defeated 3-1 by BFX, falling into the losers' bracket. Many fans still believe there is hope because T1 is different in the knockout stage, but the players themselves think otherwise.

As the core mid-laner, Faker posted an apology message during the Spring Festival, stating that after losing the match, he views it as a chance to reflect on his shortcomings and reassess himself. With the support of all fans, he will give his best to complete the remaining matches and wishes everyone a happy new year. This message quickly sparked widespread discussion online, especially among LPL fans. Many felt that Lee had no need to apologize since they were not eliminated and it was only the first loss of the new season. This likely reflects his strict self-discipline, not allowing any mistakes whatsoever.

In contrast, LPL players tend to be less humble. Even top pros rarely admit fault, and if they had T1’s achievements, they might dismiss fans’ criticisms entirely. The most prominent example recently is Bin. After losing matches, he still proclaimed himself the world’s best top laner and frequently made statements during the off-season, showing off his clownish behavior. He suffers from the "world's best" syndrome without the title. Even Uzi was never as arrogant as him, though Bin probably has more haters than Uzi did. Back then, many haters genuinely hoped to see Uzi lift the trophy.

The post-holiday LCK schedule has also been announced. The winners' bracket final features Gen.G and BFX, while the losers' bracket includes DNS, DRX, DK, and T1. Faker only needs to win one BO5 match in the losers' bracket to qualify for the offline event in Hong Kong, China. Both the losers' final and the grand final will be held in Hong Kong. It seems HN must be very nervous now—if this Hong Kong event proceeds without a top-tier star like Faker, ticket prices might plummet, possibly causing unsold tickets.

Farewell Thoughts

Probably no one expected Faker to be so humble. After losing only one match in the first split, he publicly apologized and took full responsibility. Honestly, the biggest issue for T1 in that loss was their bottom lane player Peyz, who was completely outplayed by BFX’s BigPoro in all three games. As the youngest rookie champion in LCK history, his form this season has indeed been somewhat average.

What do you all think about this situation?