After spending a month on the bench due to a hand injury, Faker is finally back in T1’s starting roster for the 2023 LCK Summer Split, and has already helped the team to win.
The organization announced his surprise return to the starting lineup for T1’s match against Kwangdong Freecs on Aug. 2. The series itself reminded LCK fans how dominant T1 is with Faker, with the team closing out the victory in a stunning 2-0 fashion.
“After a thorough discussion with the coaching staff and Faker based on medical prognosis, he made the decision to return starting with today’s match against KDF,” T1 said on social media.
In the match, T1 swiftly dominated KDF, though Faker himself wasn’t the main driving force behind victory. He played solidly and didn’t fall behind, while also delivering enormous damage in teamfights.
More importantly, the rest of T1 looked completely different, clearly given a confidence boost with the return of their star player. They once again dominated the early game and played with no hesitation, similar to how they performed back when Faker was a part of their roster prior to the injury.
The game marked Faker’s first competitive match since July 2, when he helped T1 take down Nongshim RedForce in week four. In the following week of competition, the organization announced the 27-year-old would be taking some time off due to a wrist injury and was replaced by academy midlaner Poby.
Related: How the impact of Faker’s injury draws comparisons to the absence of one sports star
During Faker’s absence, T1 performed horribly. In the span of four weeks, they won just one game with Poby on the starting roster. Luckily, they still managed to secure a spot in the playoffs but have since fallen to fifth place.
Despite the injury, Faker continued to help T1 from behind the scenes. The midlaner sat in for scrims, boosting morale and providing feedback after wins and losses according to T1 jungler Oner.
