Martin “Rekkles” Larsson, one of the biggest names in the European League of Legends, recently made a huge career move by signing with T1’s academy roster in South Korea. This unexpected transfer of the former Fnatic legend to the prestigious Korean organization sparked immediate speculation about the potential for Rekkles to play alongside global superstar Lee “Faker” Sang-Hyeok. However, Rekkles joining T1’s secondary squad means that dream teaming up with Faker is far from guaranteed.
Rekkles’ Accomplished Career in Europe
Rekkles is renowned as one of the best AD carries Europe has ever produced. He spent the majority of his career with Fnatic, helping lead them to their biggest achievements like a Worlds finals appearance in 2018. After a stint with G2 Esports, Rekkles returned to Fnatic in 2022.
However, he struggled to regain his past form and decided to role-swap to support. This led to Rekkles being benched by Fnatic in Summer 2022 as he lacked experience in this new role. As a free agent, Rekkles fielded offers from LEC teams but declined, feeling he needed more development first.
Signing With T1 Academy in Korea
In a shocking career move, Rekkles opted to join T1’s secondary academy roster competing in Korea’s Challengers league. The legendary organization had never signed a European player before.
The move demonstrates Rekkles’ drive to challenge himself. Playing in the highly competitive Korean ecosystem will test his skills against elite up-and-coming players.
Photos of Rekkles already wearing T1 apparel at their training facility circulated online, proving his commitment to the transfer. Rekkles even signed a long 2-year contract with T1 showing he is serious about this new chapter in his career.
Can Rekkles Find Success in Korea?
Playing in Korea and switching to support represent massive changes for Rekkles. Questions emerged about whether he could handle such adjustments at this stage of his illustrious career.
However, hitting Challenger in Korea as a support suggests Rekkles has already rapidly developed new skills. While far from guarantees, Rekkles has proven he can find success in Korea’s ultra-competitive solo queue environment.
Of course, professional play brings additional communication and teamwork challenges. Rekkles’ veteran leadership could benefit T1’s younger academy players, but his individual performance remains uncertain.
What Are the Chances Rekkles Plays With Faker?
Every League of Legends fan instantly imagined the possibilities of two living legends like Faker and Rekkles teaming up together. But with Rekkles joining the academy squad, the chances seem low for now.
T1 currently has the world’s best support, Lee “Keria” Min-Hyeok, signed through 2024. As long as Keria is healthy, he will start for T1’s main roster. Rekkles would likely only play with Faker if Keria couldn’t play for some reason.
In the long run, Rekkles could potentially prove himself on T1’s academy team and earn a starting spot for 2024 if Keria declined to renew his contract. However, banking on Keria leaving T1’s dominating roster seems an unrealistic bet for Rekkles.
Marketing Potential for T1
While unlikely to play together regularly, T1 can still capitalize on the marketing potential of having two huge Western and Eastern stars under their brand. Content featuring League’s most renowned veterans would draw global interest.
T1 has proven its ability to create engaging content around its star players. Fans remember Faker and Tyler1’s collaboration fondly. Creative content with Rekkles could similarly showcase T1’s roster personalities.
The Future for Rekkles
Realistically, Rekkles will likely focus on developing as a support for T1 Academy in 2023. With his contract length, Rekkles seems fully committed to proving himself in Korea over the next few years.
If Rekkles excels for T1 Academy, he could attract starting offers from top LEC or LCK teams for 2024. The academy stint gives Rekkles time to expand his skills at support against elite competition.
While hopes of seeing Rekkles and Faker dominate together are likely just a dream for now, Rekkles joining T1 opens up an exciting new chapter for the legendary European superstar.
