T1 has been on a tear lately in the LCK, sitting atop the leaderboard with a 12-1 record. One of the reasons the team has been so good is their support player Ryu "Keria" Min-seok and his insane bot lane picks. Now he's telling others not to play like him.
T1 is the most dominant team in the LCK. After staying together in 2023, after a heartbreaking 2-3 loss at the 2022 League of Legends World Championship, the squad is out for revenge, taking on every single opponent with ease. One of the reasons they're so succesful? Their support player Kim "Keria" Min-Seok and his crazy bot lane picks.
Marksmen as supports are nothing new. We've seen Miss Fortune support back in 2016 and Ashe support has always been viable, but now it seems like any and every marksman can be played as a support... if your name is Keria that is.
LoL: Keria Dissuades Players From Picking Marksmen As Supports
In recent times Riot have made an effort to buff melee support picks in hopes of bringing them back into the meta and while that has worked in solo queue, it seems that pro players continue to prefer marksmen over their support counterparts thanks to the sheer early lane pressure they provide.
Maybe one of these choices is good for Keria to play next?
One of the biggest names who is at the forefront of this trend is T1's support Keria who has single-handedly taken the meta into his own hands, with other support players following in his footsteps, whether that is other pro players or solo queue players.
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On Saturday, February 25, Keria brought out the LCK's first-ever Varus support when the team played against KT Rolster in the telecom wars. The game earned him a 'player of the game award for his outstanding play.
This wasn't the first time he's brought out a unique pick like Varus. He's played Ashe, Kalista and Caitlyn in the support position. With marksmen as supports, T1 is able to gain huge leads in the early stages of the game and then snowball them to easy wins... or at least what they make look like easy wins.
A tip to all those considering Varus support in solo queue?"You are not Keria. Your teammates are not T1. Keep that in mind." - @T1Keria pic.twitter.com/0jOgDfJlaq
— LCK (@LCK) February 25, 2023
After the match against KT, Keria and T1's jungler Moon "Oner" Heyon-jun held the player of the game post-game interview in which Keria was asked about his newest unique support pick. He laughed, stating that others should be careful when picking Varus support.
You are not Keria. Your teammates are not T1. Keep that in mind.
Keria's response might seem harsh, but there is some truth to it. Champions like Caitlyn and Varus are very difficult to pull off in the support position, because the moment you fall behind early, you basically become useless.
Therefore, you need a good team, good communication when pulling off this type of pick. Hilariously, Korean streamer Lee Sang-ho had just locked in Varus support after the game with the stream running right when Keria made his announcement. His reaction says it all.