Rekkles reveals why he joined T1 instead of staying in Europe

Rekkles spoke with Korean news outlet Naver in an interview that explained why he decided to join T1 instead of staying in Europe, and why he feels that swapping to support is the best choice he could have made for his career.

Rekkles playing for T1’s Challengers team is one of the more surprising moves from the incredibly hectic 2024 League of Legends off-season. And, though there were other groundbreaking moves planned with Western players like the possible signing of jojopyun to Liiv SANDBOX, Rekkles is the only big transfer that went through.

And, though this news was a shock for many, his move to T1 makes a lot more sense after hearing his perspective on why he decided to come to South Korea.

In an interview with Daily Esports’ Kim Yong-woo, he revealed a lot about what it was like playing in Europe and why he opted to train with T1 instead of taking a chance on an LEC or LFL team.

Rekkles explains his move to T1

It was revealed in this interview that T1 contacted Rekkles first. And, though he’d been contacted by other teams, T1 instantly stood out.

“I was looking forward to it since the time Becker contacted me in mid-October. I was contacted by other teams at a similar time, and, after speaking with him, I felt like I really wanted to take on the challenge. I think I’m the kind of person who wants to take on every opportunity or challenge that comes my way,” Rekkles explained.

Considering T1’s reputation when it comes to training superstar players, it’s no surprise that Rekkles preferred the idea of training with their team rather than staying in Europe. Although that isn’t the only reason Rekkles had to leave, citing that he had more trust in the quality of T1’s Challengers league than in any ERL circuit he could have joined.

Rekkles | Twitter

“When I was at Karmine Corp in 2022, I was worried about the management of the league and the poor attitude of some teams in the league. You don’t have to worry about that here because all teams are LCK teams and behave professionally.”

In other words, it seems Rekkles didn’t feel like going back to the ERLs after his experience playing there. However, it seems that Rekkles may have taken joining T1 even over playing for an LEC team. Especially considering that he’s in a place where he wants to hone his skills in a new role.

According to him, T1 is a team he dreamed of joining.

“My dream scenario with this position change is that, if I could play in any part of the world, it would be to play for T1 in Korea. (laughs) Even though I’m on the Challengers team, I have a lot to offer as a support.” Rekkles explained.

And, though he’s got a long history as one of Europe’s best players, he’s approaching his experience on the team as a rookie.

“I’m older and more experienced than the other players, but I’m the rookie here. I’ve only been playing support for seven months. I think I need to play in the best region and against the best teams to get better.”