Ahead of the start of the LCK, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and acting head coach Im "Tom" Jae-hyeon attended the 2026 LCK Media Day held at LoL Park in Jongno on the 26th. With head coach Kim "kkOma" Jeong-gyun having announced that he would be taking a break, T1 will enter the LCK regular season under an acting head coach system led by Tom.

Taking on the acting head coach role once again after the 2023 season, Tom said, “It’s not my first time, but even so, there is still a certain amount of pressure.” He continued, “The atmosphere within the team itself is good, but there are still many areas where we can raise our level of play further. I hope our players can practice well and play well this year with less stress, and achieve strong results.”

Faker also shared his thoughts, saying, “Coach has ended up taking a break. He may come back later, and we don’t know what the situation will be, so for now I want the remaining players and coaching staff to do our absolute best together and show a strong performance in this LCK.”

Then, when asked how much the team’s synergy with new member Kim “Peyz” Su-hwan had improved, Faker replied, “We did work on our coordination during the LCK Cup, but I still think there are a lot of areas where we’re lacking.” He added, “During the remainder of the LCK, we’ll continue working to show how much we can improve.”

Faker will soon mark the 13th anniversary of his debut. He is a veteran among veterans who has gone through every kind of challenge imaginable, yet his heart still beats for League of Legends Esports.

Faker said, “For me, competing is incredibly fun. Also, there is great meaning in feeling that I am learning and improving through playing against other teams.” He added, “With that kind of goal in mind, I will work hard again this season,” revealing that his energy remains as strong as ever.

This article was translated from the original that appeared on INVEN.