The LCK is back today, with T1 against Hanwha Life Esports amongst its most anticipated match-ups. The series began with a powerful draft from both teams, including Faker picking a surprise Nocturne in the middle lane for the first time in his career.
This is his 67th unique champion pick over his career, according to stats website gol.gg, strengthening Faker’s status of having an ocean of champions to choose from.
He used the champion early to secure priority in the middle lane against Chovy’s Volibear, before Teleporting in the bottom lane to secure a clean kill alongside his teammates. With the small gold lead, he started moving around the map and using his Paranoia ultimate to continously gank the overextended members of HLE.
While Faker didn’t have the most impressive scoreline this game, he did create a lot of opportunities for his team, who were picking up kills left and right against their scattered opponents around the map. With the current competitive middle lane meta composed of odd picks, it’s likely that Faker will beat his record of unique champions picked over his career during this split. The only question is if T1 will be forced to reveal their hidden picks during the regular season or if they will be able to keep it until the playoffs.
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