The competitive League of Legends scene in Korea isn’t too known for importing talent outside of its own region, but when T1 signed a legendary European AD carry for its Academy team for 2024, heads instantly turned.
In T1 Academy’s first series with former LEC superstar Rekkles today, the League team paid homage to the 27-year-old’s former squad Fnatic by flashing the team’s logo at the end of a match, much to the surprise and delight of European fans around the world.
Rekkles was signed by T1 at the end of 2023 after the veteran marksman moved on from his inactive role on Fnatic’s bench to the support role for the new year. It was a surprising decision for both parties since Korea is filled with top-tier prospects to bring up while Rekkles was not expected to leave Europe.
In his time in Korea, Rekkles has reached Challenger rank in his new role with astounding win rates, boasting a 66 percent win rate over 150 games with soaring numbers on Janna, Senna, and Bard. It is a good sign for a player who is debuting in a new region for the first time in his career and should be a good place to test himself mechanically.
Although T1 Academy ended up losing the series against Kwangdong Freecs’ Academy team, there is still plenty of room to grow for the roster, and plenty of work to do in terms of teamwork. Rekkles must adapt to not only the Korean way of life but also their work schedules, playstyles, and tendencies while on Summoner’s Rift.
The last few seasons have been up and down for Rekkles, but this upcoming year could be a way to revitalize his passion and skillset as he tries to reinvent himself for the foreseeable future.
