On July 13, in the 2022 LCK Summer Split, T1 defeated Hanwha Life Esports 2-1 and concluded their first round of the split. The game went on for a long time, as there were several pause issues, including a chrono-break that cost T1 five kills. However, the T1 players maintained their concentration and delivered the win for their fans. After the match, T1 head coach Choi “Polt” Seong-hoon and Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok joined the press room for an interview.

How do you feel about concluding the first round?

Faker: Although we did lose one match, we beat all the top-tier teams, so that’s satisfying.

Going 8-1 was great still. What was the most regretful about the first round?

Faker: The most regretful part was that our match score isn’t that good and that our performance is on and off.

Polt: There are some parts that are regretful, but considering what I thought while preparing for the season, our players did really well, so I’m more satisfied.

(To Faker) You’ve collected your 500th win, 2,600th kill, and broke your own win streak record. As a 10-year active pro gamer, what do you have to say to the younger pro gamers following your steps?

Faker: When I reached those records, I didn’t feel too excited about it, but looking back now, I think they’re great records. I’ve been playing for ten years now. There haven’t been many pros that have played as long, but I’m able to play this long and reach those milestones thanks to their work. They laid all the groundwork for me. I hope there are more players that become like me in the future and I’m looking forward to it.

(To Polt) You had said that the summer season won’t be easy. What was the biggest reason?

Polt: The biggest reason is that the LCK is a league with very high-level play. Besides that, we didn’t have enough time to prepare because of the MSI.

You had your difficulties through Round 1, but you still beat Gen.G and rose to the top. How’s your performance compared to the spring season?

Faker: Compared to the spring season, I think we’re about 80%. We were trying and attempting several things in the first half, but our performance still needs improvement.

You played Seraphine twice. What do you think about Seraphine? Why didn’t you pick her in game 3?

Faker: Seraphine’s a pick that I played quite often, so it was comfortable to play and she went well with the meta. The reason I didn’t play her in game 3 was that I thought I needed to play a champion that can carry more. 

(To Polt) Could you give us some insight on how T1 prepares the team strategies?

Polt: I want to make a team that can win the championship, and we prepare that way too. The main focus of the coaching staff is that. We also watch foreign leagues and get ideas from them too. Basically, we can’t predict how the patch will be for Worlds, so we practice to be prepared in any situation.

(To Faker) T1 players seem to watch the LPL a lot. Are there leagues that you watch for inspiration?

Faker: I also watch LPL quite often. In the current meta, many champions appear, and each region interprets the meta differently, so I also watch the LEC as well. Since I thought RNG’s macro was much better than I thought when we lost at MSI, I’m keeping an eye on the LPL teams.

You’ve played against all the LCK teams in the first half. Which team do you think would be the biggest competition for the summer season championship?

Faker: I think it’ll be Gen.G or DWG KIA.

Recently, there have been many inconvenient situations due to bugs and issues in the game. How does it feel as a player?

Faker: We ran into an issue where the game won’t start very often during the first round. I feel bad. Also, during the spring split, including today, the pause issues are solved way too later than they should be. It’s unfortunate that the game was affected by that. As for today, we had 5 kills - whatever the reason, we had to do it over. It was bad for myself as an esports player, but I think this is an unfortunate result that lowers esports’ value in the eyes of fans.

I also feel bad that there have been several other things that are inconvenient as a pro player, yet they don’t fix them. I was much disappointed about these issues in today’s game. I hope they fix these things as soon as possible for esports fans and for the development of esports.

Any last comments?

Polt: As Faker said just now, there were several issues in today’s game so it was difficult for the players to concentrate on the game. Despite that, I’m thankful to the players for keeping their concentration to show a good performance.

Faker: Today’s match was long and full of issues, so I’m thankful to the fans that stuck around to watch to the end. I hope Riot Games provide a better quality game to the fans.