Rekkles' T1 secures first win in LCK CL as team picks up steam
T1 Academy around Swedish League of Legends player Carl Martin Erik "Rekkles" Larsson has finally broken the spell, winning the team's first match in the LCK CL after a four-match loss streak at the start of the season. Rekkles was even seen back in his trusted ADC position in game 2, though with limited success.
T1 Academy puts a score on the board
It took them five matches, but it finally happened. In their match against DRX Challengers, T1 went the distance, taking Games 1 and 3 to win their first Challenger League match this season. In all three games, Rekkles showed strong individual performances, contributing to 32 out of 38 T1 Academy kills during the series.
Interestingly, Rekkles' role swapped to ADC for Game 2, the role that had brought him world fame over his decade-long career as one of Europe's best marksmen of all time. Playing Varus with his lane teammate Sin "Smash" Geum-jae on Rumble, the game didn't quite go as planned, with T1 losing steam after a solid early start.
In the first and last match of the series, Rekkles stayed on Support, playing a strong Milio game at the start of the series and winning the decider on his signature champion, Janna.
Rekkles speaks highly of Botlane potential
"To be honest, we are way further than we should be as a duo because we have played for a month and a half together, so the fact that we can already show such strong performances on however many picks" gave Rekkles confidence, the Swede said in a post-match interview.
Giving high praises to his lane companion, Rekkles showed himself optimistic about the future of T1. "I’m really happy about Smash. I feel he’s a good player and I know that if I make him have a good game, we will win games," he said.
When asked where their current level was, Rekkles said he felt it was a strong 8 out of 10, speaking to the confidence the Support player has had in his duo.
After a 10-year career at the highest level in Europe and a lack of quality offers from within the LEC, Rekkles had left for LCK CL to revitalise his career amid a role swap, citing the opportunity to develop his skills in a new role within the region.
