Faker explains why professional League of Legends players shouldn’t chat during a game pause

Faker explained to his teammates why they shouldn’t talk during a game pause in a behind-the-scenes clip posted by T1 on social media last night.

Faker’s comments took place in the beginning of the game between T1 and Afreeca Freecs. Both teams were going to their lanes when the game paused, and Faker was one of the first players to break the silence, telling his teammates not to discuss the game.

A rule prevents players from talking about the game during pauses to avoid giving teams more time to plan their upcoming moves as a unit. AD carry Gumayusi asked about the extent of the ban on game talks. Faker replied that it’s better if he shouldn’t talk at all, otherwise referees might suspect that players are using a secret code to talk to each other. Gumayusi jokingly said “Countersign, pigeon, pigeon,” before the LCK referee stopped him and kindly asked him not to do it.

Most regions have a similar rule in their rulebooks to ensure a fair match for the competing teams. Referees might, at their discretion, let teammates communicate with each other if a pause is long enough, to talk about the game conditions.

Next time you see players sitting silently during an game pause, keep in mind that, even if they want to talk to each other, they usually have to refrain from communicating to avoid breaking the rules of the league and risk a warning or a potential fine.

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