On March 13, in the 2021 League of Legends Champions Korea Spring Split, T1 took down Gen.G in a clean 2-0 sweep. It was the first time T1 featured this roster this season: Canna, Cuzz, Faker, Teddy, and Keria. As if they knew that fans had high expectations for this roster, their performance was near perfect. After the match, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok joined the media for an interview.

You haven’t been playing for a while. How do you feel about the win?

We had lost to Gen.G in the first round. I feel good that we had a chance for revenge and that we had a clean win.

In a previous interview with Daeny, he said that you told him that you needed some time.

At that time, my form wasn’t that good. There were other issues like equipment as well, so when Daeny asked me if I could play, I answered that I needed some time. Also, Clozer was doing great at that time.

What other issues were there?

There was an issue with managing my condition and there was something uncomfortable with my equipment. As for my condition, I’m not in my best shape, but it’s better than back then. I believe it’ll get better in the future.

You play AD champions like Talon or Nocturne often in solo queue. Is it practicing to counter the AP mage meta?

When I played solo queue, my teammates kept dying to Talon. So I played Talon a few times, and I kept playing him because it was fun.

Will you be using Talon or Nocturne in official games? Do you think they go with the meta?

If we prepare it, I think it can be played any time.

You picked Seraphine for the first time today. Your champion pool just keeps getting wider. How is mid Seraphine?

If the team’s prepared to use Seraphine, I think she’s a good pick. In today’s game against Gen.G, we knew that Gen.G likes teamfights, so I think it was a perfect pick to play against them.

What did you think and what did you prepare while you were off the starting roster?

The most important part was that I focused on bringing up my own prowess and I did my best to prepare while watching my teammates play.

Today’s game showed the positive vibe of last year’s T1. It was the first time this player combination played. How was it?

It hadn’t been long since we’ve played with this combination, so there still are some problems with the synergy or macro, but in today’s match, everyone tried hard to make the plays together. Also, we were able to take a lot of benefits in the early game, so that was the reason we were able to have a swift win.

What did you focus on while preparing for today’s match against Gen.G?

Gen.G seemed to like Azir and Syndra, so we prepared a balanced draft. From my experience, Gen.G liked skirmishes, so I kept that in mind as well.

Today’s starting lineup was one that fans wanted for a while. How did it happen?

I don’t know the exact background. The coach’s choice is important. I remember him saying that since this lineup played together a lot, it’s good if we gave it a shot.

How was the synergy?

There were parts that lacked a lot. The macro lacked, and our communication or movement wasn’t the best. We’ll be working hard to improve this next time.

How were the scrim results with this lineup?

They weren’t bad.

How were Canna and Cuzz? They haven’t played for longer than you.

They’re really high in the solo queue ladder; they were really good as expected.

The season is already nearing its end. How would you evaluate T1’s spring season up to now?

Our head coach said that this spring season is a test season. Our starting lineup still isn’t fixed, so I’m thinking the spring season is just preparation. Still, the results are regretful, so my goal is to get as high as possible by winning as many remaining games as possible.

The Playoffs structure has changed. How do you think it’ll be?

I wouldn’t know until I play in it.

What would be the pros of this lineup?

It’s a lineup that played together last year. We know pretty well about what kind of plays each other would attempt. They’re all experienced players, so I think our advantage would be that the performance is consistent.

Your next opponent is DRX. If you win, there’s a chance that you could get higher in the standings. What’s your expectations or goal for the remaining games?

Our performance isn’t 100% yet. It would be good if we win as many games as possible to get higher in the standings, but I think it’s more important to bring our performance up.

What are you aware of the most in playing against DRX?

In the first round, we stumbled in the laning phase and lost. This time, unless we lose too much, we’ll be able to win.

It was T1’s 10th roster this season. You wouldn’t know if you’ll be included in the starting lineup yet. Are there any regrets or any difficulties while preparing for the match?

There aren’t many difficulties in maintaining my condition since that’s on me. As for the roster, the spring season is a test period, and it’s fully our head coach’s choice. We’ll be prepared.

Any last comments?

There aren’t that many matches left. We’ll prepare well so that we can show good performances to the fans. Please cheer for us a lot in the future too.