On Aug 21, T1 faced off against DWG KIA in the round 2 match of the 2022 LCK Summer playoffs. With a 3-2 score, T1 defeated DWG KIA and punched tickets not only to the finals in Gangneung, South Korea, but also to this year’s LoL World Championship. T1 managed to take game 1 and 2, but DWG KIA fought back to take game 3 and 4. Slow and steady was the game plan for game 5 of the series, as T1 took things slowly and methodically to win the series.

The following is an interview with the mid laner for T1, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok.

How does it feel to be just one step away from winning your 11th domestic title?

In comparison to the Spring split, there’s been a lot of turbulence this split. However, I made it this far, and I’ll make sure to finish this split with the championship victory.

You mentioned turbulence during this split. Can you elaborate?

Unlike the Spring split, we did lose a few matches, and I feel that we didn’t perform that great as well.

It felt like there was so much pressure in game 5, as there was no first blood until the 25 minute mark. With the series tied up at 2-2, were you nervous at all?

I believe that we had the momentum when we did finally get the kill. It was a very important game, so while we did play carefully, our team comp required us to play safe until the key moments, so we had to play very slow. I realized that we had the game in our bag when we secured Baron.

DWG KIA swapped Burdol and Nuguri in and out throughout the series. Did it affect T1’s gameplay at all?

Not really. We didn’t pay too much attention to it.

As T1 played tonight’s series and will play the finals on patch 12.14, what are some of the key changes that you feel are from this patch?

I think the biggest thing is the turret bug fix. Also, the drakes are a lot tankier, and the Rift Herald gives more gold, so I think those changes to the objectives can create a variance.

How do you predict the finals’ score against Gen.G?

In comparison to the Spring split, I believe Gen.G’s teamwork has gotten much better. I expect a tough series, so I predict that we’ll win 3-1 or 3-2.

You briefly mentioned that if you win the finals, you’ll play a jumping game for your fans.

Whenever I stream, I play a game that the fans like. After I win the finals, I’ll choose a game that chat likes and try to beat it on stream.

Lastly, is there anything you’d like to say?

While we didn’t play as well as we’d like to during the regular split, I believe the Summer finals are just as important as Worlds, so I really hope that we win. I’ve rarely been to Gangwon-do, and I think it’ll be neat to play the finals in a new region. I hope to enjoy the cleaner air in Gangneung.