Various tournaments held for League of Legends competitions feature the best teams and players. The League of Legends World Championship is perhaps one of the most significant events in the competitive scene of LOL.
One of the most awarded teams in the League’s World Championships is South Korea’s SK Telecom T1, also known as SKT or simply T1. SKT was crowned LoL Worlds Champions the most times out of any team. It is undeniable SK Telecom T1 is one of the nerve-wracking opponents to face in the tournaments.
Learn more about SKT T1 and its members below.
Background on SK Telecom T1
SK Telecom T1 were crowned League of Legends World Champions in 2013, 2015, and 2016. They also won three years in a row by defeating Royal Club, KOO Tigers, and Samsung Galaxy. They have a huge fan base from people in various countries because of their competitive game play and amazing skills.
This team appears to refute any idea of failure. They can take over the game with the tiniest mishap from the opposing team, and once that happens, they don’t let go until they reach the opposing Nexus, which keeps their opponents on their toes.
T1 was established in Korea in 2002 as Brood War team Orion by BoxeR before becoming a title-sponsored by SK Telecom in 2004. They are best known for their StarCraft division and three World Champion League of Legends titles.
By 2019, they also joined Artifact and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournaments. In August, they confirmed their DotA 2 debut by signing Forev, the second of the former KespA companies to do so.
During the 2019 LoL KeSPA Cup, T1 almost defeated Gen.G’s new team before succumbing to SANDBOX Gaming’s upgraded roster. After being defeated by Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) in week one of the League of Legends Champions Korea Spring Split, the team went on an unexpected winning streak, beating the top teams DragonX and Gen.G.
Unfazed by their loss, T1 continued with five wins in the second part of the split. Despite the unexpected mid-season hiatus due to the COVID-19, T1 did their best to switch their play styles as per the suggestion of their coaches.
SK Telecom T1 was the top-earning team at worlds, taking home $2,050,000, $2,130,000, and $5,070,000. For the three titles SK Telecom have won, they used the same mid-laner and jungler: Faker and his long-time sidekick Bengu.
Members of SK Telecom T1
SKT has a lot of members that play in various game competitions. This section is about the five best members who are included in T1’s main roster while others who left an impact on T1’s LoL gameplay.
Faker
SK Telecom T1’s most valuable player is Lee Sang-Hyeok, widely known as Faker. He was recruited in 2013 and has been playing as the team’s mid-laner ever since. Faker is the most popular member of T1 because he is globally considered to be the greatest League of Legends player of all time.
| Real name | Lee Sang-Hyeok |
| Birthdate | May 7, 1996 |
| Age | 25 years old |
| Position | Mid |
| Hero pool | 9 |
Most used champions by Faker:
- Orianna
- Azir
- Ryze
- Lissanda
- Twisted Fate
Zeus
Choi Woo-Je, the top-laner of SK Telecom T1, is popularly known as T1’s young prodigy. At the age of 16, he is currently the youngest player on T1’s current roster. Together with the rookie team of the squad, Zeus won the LCK Academy Series in 2020. He also moved to the top 5 on the Korean ladder with two distinct accounts.
| Real name | Choi Woo-Je |
| Birthdate | January 31, 2004 |
| Age | 17 years old |
| Position | Top |
| Hero pool | 7 |
Most used champions by Zeus:
- Gnar
- Camille
- Renekton
- Sion
- Gragas
Oner
Moon Hyeon-Joon usually plays Ashe and is the jungler of T1. Oner is a rookie who joined T1’s Academy roster in March to begin his professional career. On one of the live stream highlights, he mentioned that Clozer urged him to enter T1 Academy before being named to the main roster of the squad.
| Real name | Moon Hyeon-Joon |
| Birthdate | December 24, 2002 |
| Age | 18 years old |
| Position | Jungle |
| Hero pool | 9 |
Most used champions by Oner:
- Xin Zhao
- Poppy
- Talon
- Jarvan IV
- Lee Sin
Gumayushi
Lee Min-Hyeong is currently the bot-laner of T1 and was previously known as Finale and Catan. He is also the younger brother of a professional StarCraft II player, Innovation. Gumayushi said in an interview that his role model in League of Legends is Uzi.
| Real name | Lee Min-Hyeong |
| Birthdate | February 6, 2002 |
| Age | 19 years old |
| Position | AD carry |
| Hero pool | 10 |
Keria
Ryu Min-Seok is the support of SK Telecom T1. He is widely recognised as one of the best supports in the esports industry. However, a loss to Edward Gaming in Group B proved that capturing the title outright is still a long way off.
Keria graduated from DragonX’s training programme and made his KeSPA Cup debut alongside fellow former trainee Pyosik in 2019.
T1 likes to shift their roles and line up, but Keira was the only constant.
| Real name | Ryu Min-Seok |
| Birthdate | October 14, 2002 |
| Age | 19 years old |
| Position | Support |
| Hero pool | 11 |
Most used champions by Keria:
- Zilean
- Lulu
- Thresh
- Leona
- Rakan
Canna
Kim Chang-Dong was a former top-laner of T1. Although he is no longer an active member, he contributed a lot to the team. Kanna Kamui’s character from the anime Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid inspired his ID Canna.
| Real name | Kim Chang-Dong |
| Birthdate | February 11, 2000 |
| Age | 21 years old |
| Previous position | Top |
| Hero pool | 8 |
Most used champions by Canna:
- Kennen
- Jayce
- Graves
- Yasuo
- Gnar
Roach
Kim Kang-Hui was previously part of the leading roster of T1 and is now a coach for T1 Challengers. The Roach unit from StarCraft II inspired his ID, and he went to the same middle school as Cuzz.
| Real name | Kim Kang-Hui |
| Birthdate | January 31, 1999 |
| Age | 22 years old |
| Previous position | Top |
| Hero pool | 14 |
Most used champions by Canna:
- Gnar
- Poppy
- Nautilus
- Shen
- Gangplank
Teddy
Another one of T1’s former members, Park Jin-Seong was the attack damage carry of the group. With a score of 1456 creep kills, he broke Zven and Bang’s records of 946 and 972, respectively, for the greatest CS rating in League of Legends history. He is also noted for having consistently high CS per-minute numbers. His playstyle is usually described as a late-game farming hyper carry.
| Real name | Park Jin-Seong |
| Birthdate | March 15, 1998 |
| Age | 23 |
| Position | AD carry |
| Hero pool | 9 |
Most used champions by Canna:
- Ezreal
- Jinx
- Ashe
- Varus
- Aphelios
SK Telecom T1 is a worthy team to watch and support on the professional field of League of Legends competitions. They were able to prove over time that they are a formidable team to face because of their skilled members.