There’s honestly way more than three but we’ve got to keep this article brief and readable.
On June 6, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok was officially inducted as the inaugural member of the League of Legends Esports Hall of Legends. It’s well deserved as no one in the history of LoL esports, or maybe esports in general, comes close.
In the 10+ years that he’s been playing professionally, Faker has achieved an almost mythical status among fans and peers. For one thing, he holds the distinction of being the youngest and oldest Korean league and world champion.
There are too many reasons to count why Faker deserves to be the first Hall of Legends member but we’ve got three that really emphasize his legendary status.
The King of Korea
Throughout his career, Faker has played over 70 unique champions in the mid-lane, with a few of those some would consider to be barely suitable for the mid-lane role. Pro players say that he plays a different game than everyone else and he uses that gap to his advantage.
In the Korean league, he was the first to reach 1,000 kills, then 2,000 kills, then 3,000. Similarly, he was first to reach 400 wins, then 500, then 600. Many of his stats look like this and keep in mind this is for South Korea, the best League of Legends region in the world. It shows just how dominant of a force Faker is in his own league.
The King of the World
Of course, this dominance wasn’t just contained within his own regional league. Once he started competing in international events, people around the world got to see just how unstoppable Faker was.
He has made it to the annual League of Legends World Championships eight times, something only reserved for the best teams in the world. Of those eight times, his worst finish was in the semifinals. Internationally, he has the most wins out of any pro player at 181. Plus he’s made it to the grand finals of international events 10 times.
The Unkillable Demon King
All of this is to say that Faker is in the Hall of Legends because he exudes the aura of a champion and has the numbers to back it up. He has 10 Korean league championships, with the distinction of being the only player to win both a regional championship and a world championship in his rookie year. He’s the first consecutive world champion and the only one to win four world championships.
Interestingly enough, when it comes to world championship events, Faker has a 100% win rate against Chinese teams. In a way, this gives credence to the title given to Faker by Chinese pro Yu “Cool” Jiajun years ago. After seeing him play in his debut year in 2013, Cool gave Faker the nickname “The Unkillable Demon King.”
Maybe it was done partly in jest but the name has taken a life of its own. It’s the title that every fan knows belongs to Faker and perfectly encapsulates his legend.
Banner photo from League of Legends Champions Korea LCK.
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