A new dawn for Rekkles and T1

T1's stock is sure to rise with the introduction of Rekkles to the South Korean esports scene.

It was already confirmed a few days ago after T1 announced via X (formerly Twitter) of its acquisition of the famed AD carry-turned-support from Europe, Martin “Rekkles” Larsson to its Challengers squad. And since then, there has been an uproar of approval from many fans of Rekkles' arrival in the four-time world champion organisation.

In the past few days, T1 have also gone on to secure many of its young prospects to new contracts to finalise its 2024 LCK Challengers League squad. This also includes the likes of another up-and-coming star within the org — Yoon “Poby” Seong-won as the young midlaner made his debut during this year's Summer Split.

And what is interesting about Rekkles' imminent arrival in the Challengers League next season is that he will be the first-ever import player to take part. Since the inception of Challengers Korea in 2015 and the eventual rebranding to the LCK CL in 2021, there has never been a single-imported player, let alone in the LCK itself. He will also be the first Swedish player ever to make the move from the LEC to the LCK.

The LCK's first-ever import

When it comes to players moving across regions, no other region has seen more exports than South Korea. Known for being the motherland of esports in Asia and quite possibly the world, Korea has churned out countless world champions over the last decade in various esports. This also includes League of Legends as the LCK is widely regarded as the best regional league in the professional scene.

Since the beginning of the LCK, every org has always filled its roster with local talents. Given how there's also an over-abundance of emerging prospects every day, many of them would also head overseas in hopes of more exposure, experience, and playing time. This is the first time ever that a Korean org is importing a player to the LCK, especially one that carries the calibre and legacy of Rekkles.

The long-standing Fnatic AD carry isn't quite who he was back in the day and his positional switch to the supporting role did raise a few eyebrows earlier this year. He played both the LEC Winter and Spring Splits this year as the AD carry before switching to support later in the year. However, he was already moved to an inactive position by the time the Summer Split came about and since then, Rekkles has not been seen in any official matches.

His move to the LCK CL is a surprising one but it isn't the first time he had dropped divisions. In the 2022 season, he spent a year with the popular French org, Karmine Corp in the LFL where he carried the team to its second European Masters title. However, that was still within Europe; this time, he will be competing in a totally different environment. Add to that the language barrier, it will be interesting to see just how well Rekkles adapts to his new surroundings.

Can he make a return to the top?

Rekkles has had a storied career over the past decade that saw him lift four LEC titles as well as be named the region's MVP on five separate occasions. And it's because of his resume that he does have a certain level of respect within the community, but how far can that carry him? Having been with the LEC for most of his career alongside a short stint in the LFL, this will be the first time he will compete in a totally different region as well as playing in a completely new role.

However, in the short introduction video of Faker in Korea with his new teammates from T1, he went on to say that he had always thought about switching to the support role. This was something he also came close to doing back in 2014, which was also the year he won his first LEC title (then known as the EU LCS.)

Given that orgs are allowed to switch players around from its various Challenger and Academy rosters, it wouldn't be all that surprising to see Rekkles make his LCK debut sometime next season if he has proven to be up to the task. Ever since the introduction of the LCK CL, T1 have only ever won it once back in 2021 but have since not been able to replicate that feat. Hopefully with the introduction of Rekkles, it could spell something different for them next season.

This is also his chance to show the world that he can be as great a support as he was an AD carry. T1 does have some serious talent on its LCK CL roster and with the guidance and experience of Rekkles, he could help lead this team to new heights.