Where does the game’s best player go from here?
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On November 4, 2017, the world of League of Legends was changed forever as the longstanding paragon of competitive League, SK Telecom T1, finally succumbed to a crushing defeat on the game’s grandest stage, the World Championship. Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok had previously dominated and won each League of Legends World Championship he participated in and it all came to a crashing halt when Samsung Galaxy beat out SKT in a clean 3-0 match.
Faker was denied his third consecutive Summoner’s Cup and fourth overall world championship title. It was a crushing failure for the established organization for sure, but for Faker and the rest of his teammates, this was only where their troubles started.
Road to Not Worlds
The road to the 2018 season saw SKT part ways with their top laner Huni and their jungler Peanut. What followed was a rough transition period for the former world champions as they struggled to find their footing in the crazy 2018 meta. Thal would come in to the team to fill out the vacant top lane position while mid laner Pirean would come aboard in the Summer season to try and salvage Faker’s losing streak.
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SK Telecom T1 failed to secure any of the first two qualifier slots for the LCK after their poor performance in the Spring Split and their seventh place finish in Summer. They had no choice but to wait for the Regional Finals where the last qualifier slot for Worlds was up for grabs. They ultimately lost to Gen.G in a full best-of-five series that mirrored the 2017 League of Legends World Championship. This year marks the second instance of SKT not appearing at Worlds since their championship debut in 2016.
Past Wounds
This is not the first time that SKT has missed their chance to represent their country at Worlds. In 2014, faced off against Samsung Galaxy White in a tiebreaker match to determine which team would claim the second seed of the LCK. SKT, then SK Telecom T1 K, eventually lost and were ultimately dropped down the regional finals gauntlet.
SKT faced off against NaJin White Shield in the last stage of the Regional Finals. NaJin took the series with a commanding 3-1 victory to claim the third LCK seed for the 2014 League of Legends World Championship, denying SKT’s shot at a second consecutive Summoner’s Cup in the process.
The defeat at the hands of NaJin White Shield put a damper on SKT’s competitive season, preventing them from continuing into the post-season. The 2014 SKT roster retained their entire world championship lineup from 2013 with Faker smack dab in the center of it all.
Following the new regulations by OGN to restrict organizations to only supporting one team in the league, SKT chose to build their team around the Jungler Mid combo from their K team. Faker along with bengi would form the foundation of their new “SK Telecom T1” roster along with top laner MaRin and bot lane duo Bang and Wolf. The team would continue on to win both worlds titles in 2015 and 2016 before their crushing loss this past year.
What’s Next for SKT?
SKT has been known to make a few changes to their rosters every year even during the years following a world championship win. The road to the 2019 pre-season is an interesting position for SK Telecom T1 considering their failure to secure the world championship in 2017 and their inability to qualify for Worlds 2018. One is left to think of what impending changes are in store for Faker, or if the organization still believes in his ability to stand as the team’s shining beacon.
The rest of the competitive teams that made it to Worlds are busy with their preparations for the grandest international League of Legends. Meanwhile, SK Telecom T1 is left to pick up the shambling remnants of their disastrous season with their future hanging in uncertainty. There has never been a reason to doubt Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok’s place in his team and as the heart of the entire game, but this year is a different matter. If the organization does indeed to make a drastic change in their roster, it will probably take place only after this year’s world champions raise the Summoner’s Cup.
