Faker dominates LPL coach! Homme admits mistakes, Kanavi loses control again, T1 tops viewership

Greetings to all LPL viewers and League of Legends summoners, this is Tianxia Gaming Report.

Yesterday, the LCK saw its highest-ever viewership since the season started, with T1 playing against HLE in a decisive clash also involving OFK versus ZG, ending with T1 overturning the deficit to win 2-1.

This match had many intriguing points, particularly the performance of the two LPL players that caught everyone’s attention.

Faker convinces LPL coach, Homme voluntarily admits fault

First, here is some data: the HLE vs. T1 match reached a peak heat index of 1 million, while previous matches peaked at just over 300,000. This shows T1’s massive influence as a viewership king, and also that the match against HLE had plenty of highlights.

Firstly, the duel between two strong LCK teams guaranteed a solid baseline for viewership.

Secondly, the focus on T1 facing off against the "traitors" Zeus and Gumayusi, who left to build a new dynasty at HLE. Zeus failed last year, and even with Gumayusi added this year, they still lost the opening game.

The third highlight comes from the LPL side: LPL fans focused mainly on Homme and Kanavi, two highly controversial figures in the LPL region who went together to the LCK late last year. Everyone wanted to see if LPL had held them back or if they simply lacked skill.

In the end, T1 defeated HLE successfully, and Faker managed to convince the LPL coach. Homme even admitted mistakes after the match, openly stating that the lineup choices in games two and three were flawed, taking primary responsibility for the loss.

Kanavi loses control again, T1 exploits his weaknesses

During the match, much discussion centered on Homme’s draft picks. For instance, in game two, letting Faker play Sylas was puzzling, since HLE’s lineup had five champions with strong ultimates—Gnar, Wukong, Riven, Ziggs, and Rakan—all top-tier, and Sylas could easily steal and use any of these effectively.

Faker played effortlessly that game, showing off his mechanics almost the entire time.

In game three, Homme picked one of Keria’s signature supports—Bard—and the mid-jungle duo chose Orianna and Nocturne. T1 is very adept with this composition, and Orianna is particularly strong in the current meta.

Ultimately, despite winning game one, HLE lost games two and three decisively with almost no chance to fight back.

Even more shocking than Homme was Kanavi on stage. As a top-tier LPL jungler known for his aggressive and sometimes reckless style, Kanavi posted disastrous personal stats of 0-6 and 1-8 in games two and three, making numerous individual mistakes.

T1 clearly understood Kanavi’s gameplay flaws; Faker and Oner repeatedly targeted Kanavi’s F6 plays, causing Kanavi to lose composure.

Indulging a protégé’s style leads to poor results

Kanavi’s performance in game two was especially terrible. When the enemy invaded the jungle and hadn’t yet started F6, Kanavi recklessly engaged Oner. Zeka had to come to assist, but after both sides’ reinforcements arrived, Oner secured a clutch low-health counterkill with Sylas, setting up a dream start.

Despite being behind in items, Kanavi still dared to provoke Xin Zhao, only to be killed again. After two waves, he was almost invisible in the game.

Kanavi’s style is exactly what top LCK teams excel at exploiting—they identify your weaknesses and strike hard. Once Kanavi encounters a bad situation, his mindset falters, leading to increasingly erratic plays.

I believe the main reason Kanavi continues playing like this without change is Homme’s excessive leniency. This indulgence was evident during Kanavi’s time on TES last year and JDG the year before. During JDG, Kanavi had significant conflicts with Ruler, but Homme clearly sided with Kanavi.

Last year at TES, the whole team revolved around Kanavi, tolerating his temper. This approach might work against LPL teams, but it fails in the LCK. If this continues, HLE might face serious trouble.