We knew it before the season started but now it’s been confirmed: after several years of underwhelming performances and being dominated by strong regional rivals, T1 is by far the best team in South Korea once more. Faker and his crew got 9 victories in their first 9 matches and it will be nearly impossible for the others to stop them. The only serious rival seems to be Gen.G Esports, but even they got crushed by T1 just one week ago.
T1’s Results So Far
Up until this point, T1 played against every single opponent in LCK. 4 of those matches ended with a 2 – 1 score while the other 5 were clean victories for Faker’s team. What’s interesting is that among the teams that got dismantled were DragonX (currently 3rd) and Gen.G (currently 2nd). And since these two teams are supposed to be the most likely ones to pose a threat in the Playoffs, it’s hard not to already give the verdict that T1 will win LCK Spring 2022 and secure a ticket for Mid-Season Invitational 2022.
Overall League Results
This is how the rankings table looks after the first half of LCK Spring 2022:
- 1st place: T1: 9 W – 0 L: 18 – 4 (individual games score)
- 2nd place: Gen.G Esports: 8 W – 2 L: 16 – 7
- 3rd place: DragonX: 6 W – 4 L: 12 – 11
- 4th place: DAMWON Gaming: 5 W – 4 L: 14 – 8
- 5th place: KT Rolster: 4 W – 5 L: 11 – 11
- 6th place: Freecs: 4 W – 6 L: 8 – 13
- 7th place: Nongshim RedForce: 3 W – 6 L: 9 – 14
- 8th place: Hanwha Life Esports: 3 W – 7 L: 10 – 15
- 9th place: Brion Esports: 3 W – 7 L: 10 – 16
- 10th place: Sandbox Gaming: 3 W – 7 L: 7 – 16
Looking at these results, we totally need to erase or 2020 and 2021 memories about the South Korean league. Back then, teams like DAMWON were simply unbeatable. Now, everyone seems rather weak with the exception of Gen.G and, of course, T1, which looks unstoppable.
The main difference between T1 and most of the rest of the teams is that T1, despite not getting the results it wanted in 2021, chose to retain its players, while the other competitors, despite getting good results, chose to make big roster moves that proved to be fatal.
To be fair, in DAMWON’s case, Khan decided to retire while the coach left to pursue other adventures. Other team members, despite announcing their departure, were ultimately brought back, which is why DAMOWN is still near the top of the league. But compared to its former self, it’s just a shadow. And this gives Faker’s crew a unique opportunity to dominate the region with ease.