Image credit: T1
The Unkillable Demon King isn't going anywhere.
It has been confirmed via T1's Twitter that Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok will be staying with the organisation. This comes after he signed a three-year extension, keeping him until the end of the 2025 season. While T1 has been relatively quiet in the transfer market, it appears that they have decided to stick with the same five-man squad that placed second at Worlds 2022.
When news broke of Faker's free agency, many were predicting the unthinkable, "Will Faker leave T1 and the LCK?" This further fueled the flames of speculation when Faker had apparently been considering multiple offers from other regions, particularly the LCS. The likes of Team Liquid and FlyQuest appeared to be frontrunners for the three-time world champion's signature.
But given that Faker is also a part-owner of T1, it would be awkward to see him sport any other colours than his own. And the three-year extension proves that T1 will do anything to keep their star player. Considered to be one of, if not the GOAT of the game, Faker has always brought his best into every tournament he's competed in.
After missing out on a regional title for only the second time since the team's introduction, T1 started their 2022 season in some style by going undefeated in the LCK Spring Split group stage while also going to back-to-back LCK split finals, winning and losing one apiece in the process. Faker was also responsible for bringing the team to two second-place finishes in both the Mid-Season Invitational and Worlds respectively.
Leading a relatively young squad at his seventh Worlds appearance, Faker and T1 came into Riot's biggest tournament as one of the outside favourites to make it to the grand finals. Taking apart the likes of Royal Never Give Up, JD Gaming, and EDward Gaming (the three biggest teams in the LPL) was no easy feat on their road to the grand finals and it seemed like they would go all the way.
Unfortunately, another fairytale was already in the works for a different LCK team as Faker came to within one game of claiming his fourth Worlds title. While DRX deserved winning Worlds 2022 after starting from the Play-In Stage, it would've been a bitter pill for Faker to swallow. Having come so close and not making it, in the end, is hard to take and to see him re-signing with T1 shows that the Unkillable Demon King still has unfinished business to attend to.
T1
Choi “Zeus” Woo-je