eSports

Can T1 Win LCK 2023 Summer Split Without Faker?

Published

9 months ago

July 24, 2023

Reading Time: 3 minutes

This year’s Summer Split in LCK started quite strong for T1 with only a few losses here and there, and they were performing quite well. Not on the level from last year when they dominated the competition while doing a historic 18-0 in LCK 2022 Spring Split.

However, recently one of the most famous eSports players of the world Faker had some issues with pain in his right hand, and T1 was forced to issue a statement on their official Twitter account.

“He underwent a thorough examination at a hospital when his condition did not improve. Fortunately, no major abnormalities were shown in the X-rays and MRI results. (“Faker will be taking a break from League of Legends due to injury”) And after discussions with the coaches, players, and the team – the decision was made for him to take a break to focus on his treatment and recovery.” (“LoL: T1 Without Faker – Superstar Takes Indefinite Break”)

Hand injuries are common in eSports players, actual sports players like snooker, tennis or even professional gamblers who use their hands to make money. Fortunately, there is a solution for the latter, because you can always play Joe Fortune Online Casino for example, and avoid pulling levers or injuring your arms whatsoever.

Who is Replacing Faker in the Midlane?

Right now, Faker is being replaced for the time being, and in his place is a new upcoming star, that has a lot to learn yet named Poby. It is a real gamble on T1’s side because it is a lot of pressure on the young 17 years old player. If you want to try out and guess who will win this year’s Summer Split in LCK you need to know how eSports betting works.

Predicting who will win will be quite hard, especially with our substitute player. So, who exactly is Poby? Well, he has been playing for T1 for almost two years, he started at the age of 15 in the T1 Rookies team and was there basically for the last year and a half. He also went through T1 Academy, T1 Challengers, and T1 Esports Academy, where he is currently slated as a roster member. However, it was time to step up and replace Faker as he is recovering from his injury.

It is a great way for him to showcase his ability to replace Faker permanently in due time, if the legend, the Unkillable Demon King decides to retire. His champion pool that he played this year includes Swain, LeBlanc, Ahri, Annie, Jayce, Lissandra, Nautilus, Ryze, Syndra, Azir, Gragas, Neeko, and Viktor.

Can T1 Come Back?

It is a lot of pressure and stress on the young star, and so far, the performance of T1 is not good. It requires a lot of adjustment and communication training to be on par with Faker who has been in the team forever, since February 2013. In 2020, he even became a part-owner of the T1 team and brand. Faker’s contract currently is set to expire on November 17, 2025, so it’s over two years from now. We can assume that Faker will come back better than ever when he recovers from his wrist injury.

The predictions are that Faker might be back for T1’s match against Hanwha Life Esports on July 21^st, 2023, so Poby will play two more games on July 14 against Nongshim RedForce and Dplus on July 16. So far since the replacement was made T1 has lost to Gen.G, where the opposing team dominated the game over T1, and to DRX, with a similar 0-2 result.

So far T1 dropped down to fifth place, from their dominating 6-2 score to 6-4 with two recent defeats, so their win rate dropped down to whopping 60%. Gen.G that handed them their last loss is dominating the Korean scene now with another historic 10-0 score so far without losing a game. Close second is KT Rolster with a 9-1 score. Everything is possible, and it is worth remembering that the first 6 places have a chance to go further and win the entire split. Even though T1 did 18-0 a year ago, it did not mean they won the entire Split and in the end, they lost in the finals.

It gives a lot of advantages and guarantees you a spot in the finals, but even a team at 6^th place can come out victorious at the end of the tournament, so right now T1 is still in the top half of the ladder. The thing is they need to start winning games to remain in that spot, because there are still eight games to go, and if they somehow manage to lose all of them, they might not even qualify for the later stage of the tournament.

It is difficult to judge a team by being at the disadvantage of having a substitute player with whom no one trained before, and there is another person who has his own playstyle. All-in-all T1 is still at quite the high spot and if they manage to train and get some needed wins soon in the two upcoming games, then they are safe. There is also a possibility of Faker coming back in about 10 days (about 1 and a half weeks), but it is unknown of his performance and predict if he will live up to his name once more.

Related Topics:eSports Faker gaming LCK League of Legends T1

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eSports

North Star Network acquires Um Dois Esportes

Published

3 days ago

April 24, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

North Star Network are delighted to announce the acquisition of umdoisesportes.com.br, which becomes the latest addition to NSN’s global sports media portfolio.

Born from the GRPCOM merger of the editorial teams of Gazeta Do Povo and Tribuna do Paraná in 2020, Um Dois Esportes provides in-depth sports coverage and analysis for the Brazilian state of Paraná and beyond.

North Star Network co-founder Julien Josset said: “Thank you to the team at GRPCOM for their faith in us to take the brand forward. Um Dois Esportes is an established and renowned site in Paraná State, and we’re excited about the challenge of developing this asset.”

“We’re happy to maintain the collaboration with the existing editorial team, and look forward to working with them, bringing our unique NSN approach, to take UDE forward.” NSN’s signing of Um Dois Esportes is the media house’s fourth acquisition of 2024, following the recent deals to purchase UK-based SportsMole and MrFixitsTips, as well as Chilean site AlAireLibre, which was announced in March.

The latest addition to the North Star media portfolio joins existing assets including Top Mercato, Afrik-Foot, and Vringe. The Paris-based company already oversees a significant Brazilian operation, delivering over 6 million sessions per month, from the likes of Trivela, Premier League Brasil and Lakers Brasil.

NSN will retain Curitiba-based journalists from the Um Dois Esportes legacy team to maintain the asset’s unique tone and popular coverage of the Paraná sports scene across site and social.

“We were surprised by the interest, and initially had no intention of selling Um Dois, but as the conversations evolved, we realised this was a serious group with good intentions,” said GRPCOM Director Rafael Mello. “We were very happy to see our project being valued by a large international group and going global, demonstrating the quality of the content we produced.”

“We’re also proud that North Star inherited our journalists, who are truly responsible for the success of the product we offer readers every day.”

eSports

GIANTX Promotes LVP Superliga Toplaner Th3Antonio to the League of Legends EMEA Championship Roster

Published

4 days ago

April 24, 2024

Adrienn Sarkany

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Today, GIANTX is excited to announce an update to its LEC competitive roster. Antonio”Th3Antonio” Espinosa Bejarano is recognised as one of the most successful LVP Superliga players in the history of GIANTX, and he has now reached a pivotal moment in his career to compete in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC).

The LEC is the most important League of Legends competition in Europe and one of the most relevant in the international esports scene. The Barcelona-born ‘toplaner’ will be part of the lineup kicking off the LEC Summer split season in Berlin, which starts in June. As the community quotes; ‘Th3LEC’ is finally a reality.

Commenting on his new role, Th3Antonio said:

“This is the dream I’ve been working towards since I entered esports. I always wanted to compete at the highest level to face the best, and finally, I have this opportunity. I never stopped striving, and thanks to that and the work we’ve done together with all my teammates, we’ve achieved great things in Spain, but the LEC has always been my ultimate goal. Going to the LEC with my lifelong club, GIANTX, is a double dream. Everyone knows what GIANTX means to me”.

Sports Director at GIANTX, David Alonso, added:

“Th3Antonio deserves this opportunity, both in recognition of the level he’s at and all the work he has put in over the past few years. We are convinced of this decision and that he will give everything to succeed in the LEC. He has always been characterised by sacrificing himself for others, and lately, he has taken a step forward by leading in crucial moments, a clear sign of his maturity as a player”.

Having joined at a young age in 2017, Antonio ‘Th3Antonio’ Espinosa has become one of the most decorated players of the LVP Superliga and of GIANTX history. During his time with the team, he has won four Superliga titles, two Iberian Cups, one Copa, and has reached an EMEA Masters final, as well as other national competitions.

The decision to promote Th3Antonio reflects GIANTX’s need to implement changes following the results of the LEC Winter and Spring split seasons. In both splits, the team fell short in the first round of playoffs. The Summer split season is the main shot at Worlds for all teams, and the aim of the club was to make the necessary changes to achieve this goal. After a period of reflection and numerous trials, Th3Antonio has been chosen for the toplaner position.

eSports

L&G esports team founded by Alona Shevtsova won the national Dragon EC Cup tournament

Published

4 days ago

April 24, 2024

Zoltan Tundik

Four teams competed in the tournament's final: Lazer Cats, L&G, which received a direct invitation to the final stage, EsportsBattle, and ThunderFlash, which had open qualifiers.

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Ukrainian esports team L&G won the Dragon EC Cup tournament, held on the 20th of April by Dragon Esports Club. Four teams competed in the tournament’s final: Lazer Cats, L&G, which received a direct invitation to the final stage, EsportsBattle, and ThunderFlash, which had open qualifiers. During the Grand Final, the L&G team competed with Lazer Cats on Mirage, Anubis, and Vertigo maps.

“This victory is a testament to the exceptional talent and commitment of our players, as well as the collective effort of our coaching staff and support personnel,” said Alona Shevtsova, founder of L&G Esports. “We are immensely proud of their accomplishments and grateful for the unwavering support of our fans.”

L&G is among the top 5 Ukrainian teams in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It was founded in 2021. The previous name was Leogaming, and it was created on the initiative of the famous Alona Shevtsova from the fintech sector.

The team began competing in top tournaments and almost immediately made it to the Advanced division of the ESEA League Europe competition. The team also participated in and took prizes in European tournaments such as the SCL League, WhiteBit Crypto Open, Phoenix League, and local competitions. The team players are marat2k, r0ublE, kr1vda, kL1o, OneUn1que, rji (coach).

The winners received a 50,000 UAH prize. Dragon Esports Club also prepared a 15-skin giveaway for the broadcast’s viewers.

It is worth mentioning that the L&G team created its merch items, which are available for order worldwide. To get more information about the team, visit the L&G Instagram page, Twitch, or Telegram Channel.