The end of T1? Faker's injury and more!

Lightning never strikes twice, but it seems like it did for T1.

The squad has been changing coaches at an alarming rate, failed to win both the MSI and Worlds finals last year, and didn't reach the MSI final this year. After praying for a morale boost, they got the exact opposite, as the legendary Faker was benched due to a wrist injury right as the Summer Split began.

The legendary "mid-lane demon", Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok, is still out due to an arm injury. Besides this tragic situation, fans noted that the team has gone through a cycle of head coaches ever since 'kkOma' departed the organization; this cycle has continued with Bengi quitting T1 halfway through the Summer Split.

What's happening with the T1 roster?

The resignation of head coach Bae 'Bengi' Seong-woong was unexpectedly announced by T1 on July 8 and surprised a lot of fans. The 29-year-old, who won three world championships while playing for SK Telecom T1 in his playing career, left his position just before the squad's LCK match against Gen.G. His departure had a clear impact on the team, and it showed in how they played the game.

According to T1, Im 'Tom' Jae-hyeon has been appointed interim head coach for the rest of the season. While this information boosted the team's morale, it is not yet known whether the company will try to expand its coaching staff or not, particularly if the squad qualifies for the World Championship, but by now, 'Tom' is the sixth coach to take on the role since 'kkOma' left in 2019. The team's alarming performance without Faker's shot-calling has only served to confirm the idea that the mid laner is the real coach of the group, with some people going as far as to say that T1 are getting an elo boost from Faker, as the team has appeared disoriented without the assistance of its star player.

Regarding 'kkOma', he guided DAWMON Gaming to the Worlds 2021 championship game following a disastrous stint with Vici Gaming. He will collaborate with the T1 team of Faker, Choi 'Zeus' Woo-je, and Ryu 'Keria' Min-seok as the head coach of South Korea's League of Legends squad for the 2022 Asian Games.

Faker's injury could end his career!

After suffering a right arm injury, Faker is taking a vacation from competition. His arm pain and discomfort came back in the LCK game against BRION on June 17, but he continued to play despite pain for the following two weeks until disclosing the full nature of the issue and how it was affecting his performance on July 2.

In an LCK post-match interview, Faker admitted that his arm caused him serious pain, and on Reddit, multiple people commented on how his injury had been under treatment multiple times and for years now. Although the treatment boosts his resistance and helps with the discomfort for a while, he eventually ends up having to return with the same injury, which has fans worried that it might get worse and prevent him from playing all together.

While the legendary player's return date is still unknown at this time because T1 has not established a timeline, Bengi, the former T1 coach and Faker's long-time duo partner, claims that Faker will be out of commission for at least two weeks.

The T1 staff has kept Faker's recovery a secret, but the organization will most likely provide an update on their star player's health following their match on July 14. With a 6-4 record, the squad is now in fifth place overall in the LCK Summer rankings. Only the top six organizations will advance to the playoff round at the end of the regular season.

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