On Jan 31, day 15 of the 2022 LCK Spring split kicked off with the Match of the week, T1 vs DWG KIA. With a set score of 2-1, T1 took the victory over DWG KIA. T1 is now the only undefeated team in the LCK so far in the split, as Gen.G fell to KT Rolster in their match on day 14.

Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok joined the press room for a post-match interview. 

Thoughts on going 6-0 in the split so far?

I felt we made a lot of mistakes, but I feel that we won tonight because there were a lot more positives than the negatives. DWG KIA were tough opponents, so this victory feels that much sweeter.

For the last two years, T1 didn’t have a great track record against DWG KIA. How did you feel when they were pushing up to the Nexus turrets?

Our top side wasn’t doing too well, especially with Moon “Oner” Hyeon-joon got killed level 1. Our game plan was to delay the game as much as possible, so I felt that we still managed to execute our game plan to the best of our abilities. Our bot lane was gaining a lot of advantages, so we felt that we still had a chance to win.

T1 defended their Nexus turrets very well in game 3.

There were a lot of games where we showed lots of persistence, so I was confident that we would be able to successfully defend. Also, members of DWG KIA were pushed up way too far, so there was lots of potential for flanks as well.

Game 2 was a very swift victory. Did getting the blue side after game 1 loss help with the win at all?

I personally don’t care which side I’m on, but I do hear that the blue side has a statistically higher win rate.

The LCK competitive meta in Season 12 shifted towards teams playing longer games. What are some of the factors that contributed towards this shift?

The biggest change is the Teleport change. Laning phase became that much more important, as it became that much harder to create plays that cause variance. Every team now tries to tough out the early-mid game and focus more on scaling towards the late game, hence the longer average game timers.

What’s your personal opinion on these meta shifts, especially on the Teleport changes?

I think that the games were more dynamic before these changes. From the perspective of the viewing experience, I think the fans can also agree that it was a lot more entertaining before these TP changes. 

Some players are complaining how wave management has completely changed due to these changes. What are your thoughts?

I think players that recently started their careers may feel that it’s a change that’s hard to get used to, but Teleport actually functioned similarly in the past, where the cooldown of it was reduced when used on a turret. I’m referencing my memory of how people played back then to adjust my playstyle.

There's an argument to be made in how the Ryze build with actual AP items is far superior than the tank build Ryze.

It’s hard to reach his late game potential with his tank build. Item builds aren’t something that I decide alone; you have to factor in the pros and cons of the team to find that correct build.

T1’s now on a six-match win streak. At one point in time, the team once went on a 14-match win streak. Do you think you’ll be able to break that record this split?

I don’t think the team’s currently at that level just yet. If we’re lucky, I think a 10-match win streak is a possibility. In order to do so, we have to beat Gen.G win week 4, the team that we consider to be our toughest opponents. If we can beat Gen.G, I think the 10-match streak is possible.

Plans for the Lunar New Years?

I’m planning to focus on maintaining my health. In order to produce great results in week 4, a break is definitely needed.

Lastly, a word to your fans.

Happy Lunar New Years! We’ll also get some proper rest to put on a good showing for our next matches.