Each eSports game has its icon. Unlike many, Faker doesn’t lose his position and keeps dominating in League of Legends. Recently, Faker shook the world with his fourth Worlds trophy lifted, and it seems he’s going for the fifth. Let’s discover his story.
The Beginning
Lee Sang-hyeok, or Faker, was born in Seoul in 1996. In the early years, Lee was inclined to challenges, spending time with the Rubik’s Cube and foreign languages. Soon, he discovered a PC.
Some of Faker’s first games were Taken and King of Fighters. But probably, the most important project that he embraced was Warcraft III. It was the father of MOBAs. And when its child, League of Legends, was born in 2011, Faker instantly joined it.
Lee was hooked on the game. He liked it so much that he asked his father if he could drop out of high school to focus on playing. Surprisingly, he granted his request.
First and the Last Team
It was obvious that LoL eSports would go viral. Team scouts searched for prospects. As Faker started tryharding since the very launch of the game, he quickly caught their attention.
In 2013, SK Telecom 1 invited Faker to join them as a mid laner. Faker’s first game was on April 6, 2013. He performed well, and solo killed an All-Star mid laner Kang “Ambition” Chan-yong.
At the end of 2013, SK T1 attended the Season 3 World Championship, the World’s predecessor. They’ve won it. It was the first time Faker tasted success, but soon, he got more.
Worlds Trophies
By 2015, Faker was a star. Many teams wanted to get him on their rosters. Some Chinese offered Lee over $1,000,000 to join them, but the proud player declined them.
At the end of 2015, Faker and T1 (renamed in 2014) entered the 2015 World Championship. They were impeccable. Throughout the entire event, T1 lost just 1 game in the finals. Obviously, they won. It was their second big trophy and $1,000,000 in the pocket.
The next would arrive in 2016. It was another World Championship where Faker won. This one was tougher. The finals were a contested BO5 series against Samsung Galaxy with the final score of 3 – 2.
Before Faker took his last (at the moment) Worlds cup, he participated in many others. In both 2017 and 2022, he scored a second place. In 2023, T1 joined another World Championship and won it, shocking the entire eSports world.
Faker has become the first player in history to win 4 Worlds cups. Also, he was the first to win the World Championship at 27 (the oldest player to do that). Can he do any more?
Nobody can answer if Faker wins the World Championship 2024. But he’ll obviously be active this season. That’s your chance to capitalize off his skill with LoL betting. Follow this link, pick a bookie with the best welcome bonus, and wager on T1 for easy cash.
Faker’s Playstyle
If you want to become a MOBA star, you play carry or midlane. Faker knew that. His choice fell on the midlane, where he dominated countless players 1v1.
LeBlanc is probably his best pick. Since 2015, he has held an 80% competitive win rate on her for 5+ years. Faker has a unique perspective on Blanc’s kit.
As it’s tough to catch pro players out of position for a one-shot, his LeBlanc is not an assassin. He uses her as a poke mage. His default mid-game playstyle would be using his W and R to damage several enemies during or before a team fight.
Another champion famous due to Faker is Azir. It’s a perfect competitive pick, as he can farm carefree due to his long-range and escape. But that’s boring. The fun starts when Faker’s Azir team fights with his Shurima Shuffle into the entire team.
And lastly, it’s worth mentioning Ryze. If you’re aware of the current LoL meta, you should know that Ryze is a weak champ. It’s probably because of Faker. Back then, this Korean beast eradicated anyone with his fast Ryze combos and pressured the entire map with Realm Wrap.
