'I Think Faker is Not at His Best Right Now' Says SKT's Mata

Early this morning (Pacific Time) the LCK Spring Split Finals match between SK Telecom T1 and Kingzone DragonX took place. The winner would advance to the finals where they would go head-to-head against one of the scariest looking squads in League of Legends history; Griffin.

While hall-of-fame mid-laner Faker and his team of SKT did what was expected of them, winning 3-0 in easy order, it was his teammate's comments post-game that had the world looking back at the last few matches with a magnifying glass. 

Prior to the game, SKT’s Faker made multiple mentions of the opposing team in a talking head segment. Afterward, in an interview with Korizon, Faker’s teammate Mata said that “the Faker I know is a player that does not have anything else on his mind other than him and his team winning the game.” 

Looking back, you can’t say that Mata is wrong. Normally, Faker is very self-centered when addressing the media (in a good way, mind you). His confidence and belief in his ability is probably a very large factor in his success within the professional League of Legends world. 

“I think Faker is not at his best right now, but he is getting there,” added Mata in his interview. Which could be a deciding factor as SKT seek to win the LCK Spring Playoffs against Griffin next week. It’s evident, however, that Faker is shaking something off. 

Normally, Faker has the skills as a player and as a leader to lift his team above adversity. In recent events, Faker and SKT have not been playing all that well in comparison to how we know they can. Last Summer Split in the LCK, SKT finished 7th Overall, and the team finished 4th and missed qualifying for Worlds for the first time in recent memory. This, only a year after making it all the way to the Worlds Finals in 2017. They lost that matchup 0-3 against Samsung Galaxy (now Gen.G). 

Is Faker really off his game? Is the competition in Korea just catching up to him? Mata thinks that his leader and mid-laner will be “back to normal” real soon, and should possess the focus and precision to “hard carry us [SKT] to victory” against Griffin. 

We think it’s far too early to call Faker’s career something that is winding down. Faker is currently ranked #1 overall in League of Legends Pro League games played, across every region or series, with 460 games to his name. His mark on the history books is likely not coming to a close anytime soon. 

We will see how he and his SKT squad fair next weekend against the LCK league-leading Griffin. SKT Coach kkOma sure has faith, “as for Faker, he is always someone who steps up in the most important moments, so I expect him to do well in the finals.” he told Korizon. 

“Well honestly, I am confident whenever I play in the finals, and while Chovy played well this split, I think I can beat him.” Faker mentioned in a different interview with Korizon when asked about his current state and how he thinks he will play against Griffin next week. 

The 2019 LCK Spring Split Grand Finals will take place next Saturday, April 13th, at 1:00 AM Pacific Time.