Faker misses out on Worlds 2020 after T1 lose to Gen.G in LCK qualifier
Colin Young-Wolff / Riot GamesLegendary League of Legends player, Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok, and his T1 squad have missed out on a Worlds 2020 slot following their defeat to Gen.G in the LCK’s Regional Qualifier.
Having won three Worlds titles in 2013, 2015, and 2016 respectively, the iconic T1 organization has always been one to watch in the run-up to the last event of the year.
The final Worlds qualification match of 2020 was the LCK Gauntlet clash between T1 and Gen.G — two of the top Korean teams — to see who would lock in their region’s third seed.
Riot GamesT1’s lineup has changed dramatically since they last won a World Championship and Faker, the last remaining player, was accompanied by young rookies for the match against Gen.G.
Despite being plagued with struggles throughout the Summer Split, T1 came into the match with a 1-1 record against Gen.G in the regular season, with many fans confident that they could get the win.
Unfortunately for the Demon King and his line-up of young stars, Gen.G took the series with a convincing 3-0 sweep, off the back of Ruler’s hard carry performances in the bot lane.
After their loss in the #LCK Regional Qualifier, three-time World Champions @T1LoL will not be at #Worlds2020. pic.twitter.com/xeThBtmxUR
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) September 9, 2020
The Summer Split has been quite a bizarre one for the T1 organization as they received massive backlash over some of their roster decisions that they have made in recent weeks.
There were also concerns for Faker and his future with the organization after even he was benched by Coach Kim for a brief period, with Lee ‘Clozer’ Ju-hyeon getting some stage time in the mid-lane, towards the latter half of the season.
Popular T1 players such as Teddy and Cuzz were absent from T1’s run through the LCK Gauntlet, with the likes of rising talent, Lee ‘Gumayusi’ Min-hyeong, even making his pro debut during their qualifier run in an attempt to fix their issues.
As of now, it is unclear what T1’s roster will look like moving into 2021, but fans have called for major changes after the organization has missed out on the chance to earn yet another Worlds title.
Gen.G, however, will have their eyes set on Worlds and will be moved straight into the Group Stage, as the LCK’s third seed, after the Vietnamese teams dropped out from the competition. You can find all confirmed teams on our Worlds 2020 hub here.