T1 crashed down the LCK Summer standings while Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok recovered from an arm injury. Here is what we know about the mid laner’s recovery and when he might return to the LCK.
Faker took a break from competition after sustaining an injury to his right arm. He began feeling discomfort in the June 17 LCK match against BRION and played through pain for the next two weeks, revealing on July 2 the extent of the problem and how it was taking a toll on his game.
Much to everyone’s surprise, T1 fell into disarray after Faker stepped down from the team. With Challengers mid laner Yoon ‘Poby’ Seong-won filling in, T1 were far from their usual selves, which shows just how big of a role Faker plays on this team, both mechanically and strategically.
Things became even messier for T1 on July 8, when Bae ‘Bengi’ Seong-woong resigned from his position as head coach. Im ‘Tom’ Jae-hyeon is taking over the team on an interim basis, becoming the sixth head coach for T1 since Kim ‘kkOma’ Jeong-gyun left the organization at the end of 2019.
Here is what we know so far about Faker’s recovery and when he is taking to the Rift again.
When is Faker returning from his arm injury?
T1 announced on August 2 that Faker has been moved back into the starting roster, starting with the Week 9 match against Kwangdong Freecs.
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The decision, according to General Manager Jeong ‘Becker’ Hoi-yoon, was made “after a thorough discussion with the coaching staff and Faker based on medical prognosis.”
— T1 LoL (@T1LoL) August 2, 2023
That said, Faker still hasn’t played many solo queue games. Though he’s been playing some ARAMs and solo queue matches, the player clearly still isn’t at 100% if his account history is anything to go off of. It remains to be seen if he’ll be able to recapture the magic the moment he steps back on stage.
T1 went 1-7 in Faker’s absence, dropping down the LCK Summer standings. Still, the team has already locked up a place in the playoffs, even if it loses its final regular season matches, against Freecs and SANDBOX Gaming.
The LCK playoffs will begin on August 8 and feature the top six teams of the regular season. T1 are currently fifth in the LCK Summer standings, with a 7-9 record.
Results while Faker was out:
- July 5 – T1 0-2 DRX
- July 8 – T1 0-2 Gen.G
- July 14 – T1 2-0 Nongshim RedForce
- July 16 – T1 0-2 Dplus
- July 21 – T1 0-2 Hanwha Life Esports
- July 23 – T1 1-2 BRION
- July 27 – T1 1-2 DRX
- July 29 – T1 0-2 KT Rolster