Following SKT’s win over MVP two days ago, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok gave his own take on the meta, describing it as team-oriented in a post-game interview that was translated by Inven Global.
In seasons past, SKT relied on Faker pulling off magical performances to carry them through thick and thin. Unfortunately for them, this strategy has not been working, partly due to the new meta and partly due to poor individual play by the team’s members.
SKT have been trying a wide variety of styles, seemingly unable to settle on a single winning strategy. Faker has played a host of champions, from support Taric in the mid lane to Darius in the bot lane to Rumble with Smite in the mid lane. He explained in the interview that this was due to there being many more viable options in the meta.
“The current meta is very interesting,” Faker said. “Looking at the game from the perspective of a professional team, I had thought that individual performance was the most important. However, nowadays, it’s a lot more strategical—there is a lot more to think about.”
SKT is currently tied for seventh in the LCK with MVP, sporting a 4-7 record. The team struggles to find an identity and dropped a match to longtime rivals KT Rolster earlier today despite winning game one and building a big lead in the second game of the series. The team looks outclassed in most of its game, often losing lane. The jungle position has been especially weak for SKT, with veteran Kang “Blank” Sun-gu failing to make an impact in most games.
SKT is at risk of missing out on the playoffs, which would be a massive disappointment for a team that reached the finals of the World Championships last season. They will need to get as many wins as they can in order to qualify for the postseason, beginning with their match against Hanwha Life Esports on Saturday at 6am CT.
