T1 mid laner Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok revealed he dedicated roughly three hours to 1v1 practice with teammate Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon ahead of their World Championship match against LPL side Anyone’s Legend. Faker played Rek’Sai while Doran practiced Sion, a matchup that heavily favors Rek’Sai.
The disclosure came during a post-Worlds review stream that featured Faker, former SKT top laner Untara, and a fan who won a raffle to stream with Faker after T1’s championship victory. Between game reviews and casual banter, Faker dropped the detail about the extended practice session.
The prep work had a clear purpose. Rek’Sai top had emerged as a strong meta pick at Worlds 2025, and Anyone’s Legend was known to run it.
The matchup punishes tanks like Sion through consistent damage, true damage from Furious Bite, and strong dive setups with jungle help.
Sion can’t win lane against Rek’Sai. The goal was damage control. Doran needed to learn wave management, anticipate Rek’Sai’s unburrow timing, and survive long enough to hit core tank items. By playing from the Rek’Sai perspective, Faker gave Doran direct insight into the aggressor’s patterns and trade windows.
T1 chose not to lane swap despite the bad matchup. They kept standard lanes to maintain bot-side priority and early dragon control. Doran fell behind in lane as expected but preserved turret health and farmed up. His Sion hit item breakpoints and became useful in mid-game teamfights, where his engage and frontline presence outweighed Rek’Sai’s split-push threat.
The strategy worked. T1 funneled advantages elsewhere on the map while Doran weathered the storm. When teamfights broke out around objectives, Sion’s utility paid off.
The player-coach persona
Faker has a history of running targeted 1v1s with his top laners. He did similar matchup drills with Zeus during previous seasons. At this point, Faker functions as much as a player-coach as he does a competitor.
Doran joined T1 for the 2025 season after stints with DRX, KT Rolster, and Gen.G. He entered Worlds facing questions about consistency. T1’s deliberate prep, including Faker’s three-hour investment, reflects their strategy to insulate top lane while enabling win conditions through bot and mid.
Rek’Sai top became viable in 2025 through bruiser builds featuring Titanic Hydra into durable items. The pick excels at forcing trades and denying tanks safe farm near their turret. Her tunnel network and reliable engage make her a constant threat in lane and skirmishes.
