Walls won for the second year in a row, and at the center of history is 'Faker'

Nov 03, 2024

◇T1 players lifting the Walz trophy. Photo courtesy = Riot Games

T1 has risen to the top of the world this year following last year. At the center was Lee Sang-hyuk, a history of e-sports.

In the final of the '2024 League of Legends World Championship' held at the O2 Arena in London, England on the 3rd, T1 won the Chinese Bilibili Gaming with a set score of 3 to 2. As a result, T1 won the Walls for the second consecutive year, increasing the number of wins to five. Previously, T1 won the Walls for two consecutive years in 2015 and 2016.

T1 was helplessly defeated by Bilibili in the first and third sets, falling behind in banpick and operational capabilities. In a situation where the loss was deep, there was no 'circus play' that utilized T1's unique mobility.

It was Lee Sang-hyuk who changed the flow. He made a crack in the opponent's operation with aggressive play in the 4th and 5th sets, and played a key role in the victory by leading several battles to victory with his control ability reminiscent of his heyday.

◇"Faker'Lee Sang-hyuk, who won the Walls MVP award. Photo courtesy = Riot Games

On this day, Lee Sang-hyuk was selected as the MVP and became the Walls MVP player again in eight years since 2016.

Lee Sang-hyuk is the only two-time MVP in Walls history. Analysts say that he has actually established himself as the best player in the history of the League of Legends by achieving an unprecedented milestone of 500 kills.

Coldly, T1 has not been good this season. As he ranked fourth in the LCK (League of Legends Champions Korea), which was competing for first place and second place, he was even criticized for the need for a change in the team. It is true that expectations for winning the Walls also leaned toward Hanwha Life e-Sports, which is 1 seed, and Gen.G, which is 2 seed.

But again, T1 was strong in Walls. Even Gen.G, who met on the threshold of the final, was no match for Walz's T1.

◇T1 players sharing their joy immediately after winning the championship. Photo courtesy = Riot Games

For T1, losing to TES from the first round of the first round of the Swiss stage was rather a medicine. Since then, he has shown his true character as an LPL killer by winning all the remaining games after a quick reorganization. With this victory, T1 will have won 10 consecutive games against LPL in the multi-faceted tournament. The phrase 'T1 does not lose to LPL' eventually became a truth.

After the names of the T1 players' summoners 'Jeus' Choi Woo-je, 'Oner'Moon Hyun-jun, 'Faker'Lee Sang-hyuk, 'Gumayushi'Lee Min-hyung, 'Keria'Ryu Min-seok has now become the best team in the history of 'League of Legends'.

They did not leave the team for three years and played as the main players, reaching the finals for three consecutive times and winning the Walls for two consecutive years with the same squad.

kwj1222@sportschosun.com