Faker Adresses T1’s Loss to Hanwha

After T1 Loses to Hanwha, Faker Had Something to Say to the LCK

Following T1's 0-3 loss to Hanwha Life Esports in round two of the LCK Spring 2024 playoffs, T1 Faker expressed frustration over the team's inability to practice effectively due to ongoing distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks affecting the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK).

During a post-game press conference, Faker highlighted how these attacks have significantly impacted T1's preparation, particularly in solo queue practice sessions. "I believe it is true for me to state that we were not given a fair opportunity to practice compared to other teams," Faker stated, as translated by content creator Ashley Kang.

This statement, of course, implied that Hanwha Life Esports’s opportunity to practice was boosting their chances of defeating the current League of Legends World Champions.

The T1 team has been severely affected by the widespread DDoS attacks targeting the Korean solo queue, preventing players from engaging in online practice matches. Jungler Mun “Oner” Hyeon-jun, bot laner Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong, and support Ryu “Keria” Min-seok, key members of the team, were among those targeted during their livestreams, leading to the team's challenges in preparing for the playoffs.

T1 Faker attributes T1’s 0-3 loss to Hanwha Life Esports in the LCK Spring 2024 Playoffs round 2 to the detrimental impact of the ongoing distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on the team’s performance.

The disruption began on February 25, 2024, during matches in the LCK between DRX versus Dplus KIA and OKSavingsBank BRION versus Kwangdong Freecs. These attacks prompted technical pauses and significant delays during matches, and the League of Legends Esports team never came up with a definitive solution. Several LoL Esports organizations suggested boosting the quality of servers or creating an offline practice mode for all teams to keep them on the same level.

As a result of the attacks, matches involving OKSavingsBank BRION and Kwangdong Freecs were rescheduled and conducted offline. Despite efforts by LCK management to address the issue, including network inspections and response measures, the DDoS attacks persisted, causing disruptions to broadcasts.

To mitigate the impact of ongoing attacks, the LCK management switched to pre-recorded matches for the remainder of Week 6. Ticket holders for affected matches were assured full refunds, and ticket sales were stopped.

In response to the continued disruptions, LCK Secretary General Aiden Lee announced a plan to gradually return to live broadcasts without an audience.

On March 13, 2024, an offline game server was finally implemented at LoL Park to provide a secure environment for LCK matches and defend against future DDoS attacks, but it was too late for the teams who were affected the most, as all other squads had already received a huge boost from the number of practice sessions they had.

What is a DDoS attack in Esports?

DDoS attacks in esports refer to the deliberate flooding of a website, game server, or online service with an overwhelming amount of traffic from multiple sources. This flood of traffic overwhelms the target, causing it to become unavailable or slow to respond.

In the context of League of Legends esports, DDoS attacks are often targeted at game servers or individual players' internet connections during online matches. The goal is to disrupt gameplay by causing lag, disconnections, or other issues that hinder the players' ability to compete effectively. These attacks can greatly impact the integrity and fairness of competitive matches, leading to frustration among players and fans alike.

 

GG Boost, the Best Elo Boosting Experience!