T1 and JD Gaming showcased the highest level of League of Legends at the Mid-Season Invitation on May 18—but even the best players can make mistakes sometimes.
T1 mid laner Faker, arguably the greatest player of all time, bought an Abyssal Mask on Nautilus in game one of the best-of-five series between the two Asian juggernauts. This wasn’t spotted by the casters at the time, but a player on League’s subreddit later pointed out he made a crucial mistake.
On Nautilus, he was seen selling his Negatron Cloak to buy an Abyssal Mask. While the cloak is now used to build the other item, this isn’t the case in the patch MSI 2023 is being played on—Patch 13.8. Because of this rookie mistake, Faker lost precious gold by not investing in the right item.
To Faker’s defense, Negatron Cloak had been used to build Abyssal Mask for a long time. It was the case until 2010 before it was replaced by Spectre’s Cowl. It’s only now become a part of the recipe again in Patch 13.10.
Ultimately, the gold difference Faker would have gained from building the right items probably wouldn’t have made a big difference to the outcome of the series.
Related: Cloud9’s EMENES sought out Chovy’s advice immediately after lopsided MSI 2023 loss
Still, it just goes to show anyone can make mistakes—even the GOAT.
Despite losing to JDG 3-2, T1 still have a chance to bounce back and make it to the finals in the lower bracket. They’ll play the winner of Bilibili Gaming and regional rivals Gen.G on May 20.
