The LoL GOAT, The Unkillable Demon King, Messi of Esport, Lebron James of League of Legends, and above all quite a chill dude who still likes to google himself — Faker. He has been hailed as one of the greatest players to ever grace the Rift, with a skill that borders on the supernatural and a swagger that can only be described as godlike whilst staying humble and down to Earth. Meet Lee Sang-hyeok.
Just like Faker himself, his beginnings were humble. His adventure with games began when he when growing up in Gangseo, Seoul.
When he was a tad older than in the photos above, he often headed down to the arcade with his friends and played games like Tekken and King of Fighters.
While he wasn't particularly good at these games, he eventually became a PC gamer and started playing Maplestory and Warcraft 3 (like many of the world's top professional LoL players). Despite the popular belief young yet-to-be Faker didn't spend a lot of time playing DotA, which back then was still a fan-developed mod to Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.
For most of his time in WC3, he devoted himself to playing custom maps, including Chaos, an early MOBA game similar to LoL. Faker claims that he was "extremely good" at it, and his success as a professional League of Legends player suggests that he wasn't wrong.
The true adventure began when Lee Sang-hyeok’, stumbled upon League of Legends in December 2011 while browsing the web.
Playing on the Korean server as “GoJeonPa”, he quickly rose to prominence. When he couldn't play any more normal games, due to the incredibly high hidden MMR that would make him wait for hours in the queue (Thanks Riot Games!), he started playing ranked games.
Faker playing rankeds ended up as a quick way to reach the top spot on the ranked ladder. No one really knew who he was at that point, which only stirred up the gossip pot with some suggesting that he was a smurf or a foreign pro playing on the Korean server. All that fuss while Faker played for fun.
"Honestly, I didn't really know I was that good. People around me would always praise me and tell me how good I was, so I knew I was pretty good, but I never could gauge myself. But then, I was contacted by a pro-gaming organization." (Faker in an interview for a Korean Magazine - NSports)
It all began for real in late 2012. Korean eSports organization SK Telecom T1 contacted Faker about potentially joining their team. After some thought, Faker decided to become a professional gamer, and his parents were extremely supportive of his decision.
"At the time, my parents would tell me to follow my passion and do whatever made me happy and gave me permission to become a pro gamer. Nowadays, they see me on TV and are extremely happy about it." (Faker in an interview for a Korean Magazine - NSports)
Thus, SKT T1 #2 was formed, featuring both new, upcoming talent, along with some more seasoned veterans. The SKT t1 starting lineup included Faker, who would later become one of, if not the most, recognized League of Legends players in history.
At their debut in OGN Champions Spring 2013, they were, without a shadow of a doubt, considered to be a team unlikely to make it out of the group stage of the tournament. Group A in which they were placed, did not seem to make it easier for them too. CJ Entus Blaze, NaJin Sword, and MVP Ozone all had previous experience and reputations.
All of this did not seem to matter anymore when Faker played his first match and completely destroyed LJ Ambition on Midlane. The solo kill under the enemy's turret followed by a roam bot that got him 3 more kills would be more than enough for the viewers. But he kept on going.
Despite the huge amounts of stress and pressure, SKT Faker did not lower the bar. After the tournament, he was the king of statistics -- 3rd overall in kill share (36.1%) as well as their number (133 kills in 20 games), in the farm, with 9.4 CS per minute, and the only player with over 300 Gold per minute. Keep in mind that at that time he was still a rookie mid-laner no one had known before.
SKT T1 #2 did not win OLYMPUS Champions in Spring 2013 but Faker may as well have. He won the people's hearts and introduced whole a new playstyle to League of Legends. He was also about to play his first major international tournament.
When Faker set foot on the stage of the League of Legends World Championship, he was already believed to be one of the best League players and welcomed as a king.
The only problem was that he still had not won a tournament. Luckily, this was about to change, and honesty, it was easier than it was back at home. In fact, it was South Korea that would cause them the most trouble along the way.
Faker's team lost only once in the group stage to Cool's OMG and even from this one defeat during Season 3 World Championships Faker got something that most of the players of Competitive League can only dream of — the moniker of The Unkillable Demon King of League of Legends.
What started out as Cool's appreciation of Faker's skillset during a regular interview, ended up as arguably the greatest nickname in all Esports, let alone League of Legends. It also could not fit better. Faker was only at the threshold of his career but just like a demon, he was unstoppable, seemingly immune to mistakes, and capable of turning even the direst situations around with a single, well-timed play.
The only thing that the mysterious "demon" aspect didn't address was the fact that he wasn't planning to go down.
As the 2014 season began, Faker and his team, were on top of the world. But as any LoL fan knows, success in a match can quickly change into a throw. Esports can be a fleeting thing and so their fortune turned.
SK Telecom T1 K suffered a setback when ManDu, their support, had to step down due to health issues. They picked up Casper to fill the gap, but the chemistry just wasn't there. They stumbled in the HOT6iX Champions Spring 2014 tournament, ultimately losing to Ozone in the quarterfinals. It seemed like SKT1's, and thus also Faker's reign was coming to an end.
But the roller coaster went on. SKT brought ManDu back into the starting lineup just in time for the All-Star Paris 2014 tournament and proceeded to dominate the competition, sweeping every match and earning a clean 9-0 record. They returned to Korea with renewed confidence, ready to take on HOT6iX Champions Summer 2014.
Unfortunately, their high hopes were dashed yet again when SKT lost to Samsung White in the quarterfinals.
An attempt to rebound in the 2014 Season Korea Regional Finals was made, but they ultimately fell short, losing 3-1 to NaJin White Shield and missing out on a chance to compete at Second World Championship.
It was a disappointing end to the season for Faker and K, but they had already accomplished so much in such a short time. And as fans of the game know, esports is all about perseverance and the willingness to keep fighting, no matter how many setbacks you face. Faker and his teammates would be back, ready to take on the world once again.
The rollercoaster continued to rollercoast. In 2015, because of the changed OGN rules, K and S could not exist separately anymore, thus SK Telecom T1 was formed. Most of the old K roster was removed, except for Bengi and Faker, who still made other mid-laners look like they were playing with at least 300 ping and with oven mitts on.
Weirdly enough, during the SBENU Champions Spring 2015, Easyhoon and Faker shared the starting mid-lane spot, disappointing many fans who wanted to see Faker play in every single game there.
Despite their best effort to fail (come on, keeping Faker benched?!) SK Telecom placed first in the regular season of Champions Summer, dropping only one set of balls along the way (matches, that is). Faker picked 12 unique champions in his 29 games, innovating mid-lane Irelia and Master Yi.
Heading directly into the playoff finals for once, SKT easily swept KT Rolster 3-0 and as you can guess, it wasn't simple fortune — Faker was with them (and he played all three games). They went undefeated all the way to the finals of the 2015 Season World Championship,
The final didn't go well, for KOO Tigers. They were beaten 1-3 which made Faker one of three people to have won two World Championships (together with his coach - kkOma, and Bengi)
Season 6 brought Faker 98 wins and 43 losses, with 4.3 KDA and an average of 8.8 CS per minute. It was a busy year for sure.
Just two weeks after the Worlds it was time for LoL KeSPA Cup where in the semifinal series against Challenger team Eve, SKT proved once again that when you are at the top, the only way to go is down. It didn't even help that their enemies were playing with a substitute mid-lane. The favorites were eliminated early, just like after their first World Championship. But hey, at least Faker was signed for the next season!
Despite the bump on their way, they didn't slow down and found themselves winners of IEM Katowice. It took them only seven games. Even the fact that Blank took Bengi's place for the time being didn't stop them. They had things to do and the cart went on. This time - upwards.
What then? A quick flight to Korea. Why? — you may ask. So that Faker could win his fifth Korean Championship (and the third title in a row). Just like that — Mid Season Invitational was within their grasp.
At least it was nice to think so for a second. Almost everyone seemed to favor them. Maybe it was the overconfidence, maybe the pressure, but the ending record of 6-4 and the 4th place were far from satisfactory.
Just like the Wright brothers, SKT tried to take off, again. The 2016 LCK Summer Split meant another chance that they used, and what a beautiful moment in LoL Esports it was (at least at the beginning).
5-0 score in the series and a 10-0 game score right at the start. Amazing, right? Yeah, up until a point. In a big short: Skt seemed to have a problem with lower-ranked teams.
At least Afreeca Freecs were happy, winning their first game in the tournament this whole season.
Overall it was "not great, not terrible". SKT finished with a 13-5 scoreline in the series, landing them the second spot in the round-robin. This meant they were going to the 2016 Season World Championship. Oh, and by the way, Faker reached the milestone of 1,000 kills in the LCK in the meantime.
It was time for The Worlds and be it as it may, The World Championships are Faker's thing and he has SKT Ryze (above others) to show for it.
There was no surprise when SKT went through teams in the competition like a hot knife through face-checking butter. Finally, they won 3–2 versus Samsung Galaxy and thus closed the tournament and the season with yet another title. It was Faker's 3rd title as the world champion and yet another one as an MVP of the tournament, but he was considering a change.
"I also thought I would leave (SKT),” he said when prompted about his decision to stay. “I thought a lot about the subject and I have been considering going abroad, but I thought winning another world championship with SKT would be for the best." (Faker in a video interview with Fomos before his flight to Allstars)
Luckily enough, he didn't follow through and instead renewed his contract with SKT. From what we've heard, it wasn't only a matter of loyalty. According to NSports"Faker was offered the 'best contract in eSports history". The rest of the team, however, was about to change.
Before the end of the year, and thus also their contracts, the old squad managed to squeeze in one more tournament back at home. Duke, Bengi, and Faker managed to play their last games together during KeSPA Cup in 2016 and get to the semi-final which they lost 0-2 with ROX Tigers.
The year started with the new SKT assembly fully on the ball.
Maybe it was because of the new contracts, or maybe it was a New Season resolution that drove them forward. It doesn't matter — they were at their best during the 2017 LCK Spring Split and annihilated KT Rolster, 3–0, in the final that was so hyped-up it even got its own trailer.
After that, LCK Spring Playoffs, then the 2017 MSI. In both of them, it looked as if enemies were running amok and could do nothing against a well-oiled machine powered by Faker. They did not lose a single game in both finals.
Faker was, yet again, on fire. On February 6, 2017, he even had his first live stream, and like with pretty much everything he does, Faker excelled and broke Twitch's record, reaching 245,100 viewers at the peak.
Even second place during Rift Rivals 2017 didn't seem too bad. All in all, SKT had the utmost right to get some rest and cut others some slack, making the fans hungry for more.
However, the decline was getting more and more visible:
Although the 4th place LCK qualified them for LCK Summer Playoffs it was way less than satisfactory. Even the games that SKT won seemed to be carried on Faker's shoulders. It all made fans a bit worried about the team's fitness for the World Championship.
Nevertheless, 2nd place in LCK 2017 Summer Playoffs qualified them for the World Championship.
The internet was already trying to guess whom Faker, LoL GOAT, is going to face in the final, and what champion will get a new SKT skin. Headlines like this one were a normal sight:
Most of the news sites, just as https://www.dailymail.co.uk and https://www.invenglobal.com/ already had their frontrunner figured out.
The whole world seemed to have their back and they didn't fail. Getting out of the group stage was easier for them than saying "Hide on Bush". Two undisputed wins with Cloud9 and Edward Gaming and a draw with ahq eSports Club were more than enough to send them on their way.
More trouble began later as in both, the quarter and semi-finals. Misfits Gaming and Royal Never give up were not going to make it easier for SKT — all 5 games had to be played in both instances. Despite the best efforts of their enemies, SKT landed in the final.
A rerun of the previous year's final left them on its losing end with all 3 games lost. Faker took it really hard and even broke down after the game.
It's a sad view amplified by the fact that Faker's performance throughout the whole tournament was exceptional. Some would say "Noob team" in a similar situation. First of all, that's rude, second, Faker was above it and did not blame anyone else. He was rather focused on the work he had in front of him.
Even though the others praised his performance and still regarded him as one of the best, if not the best mid-laner in the world.
The year was not over though. KeSPA Cup 2017 and All-Star 2017 Los Angeles were still in front of him. The former got SKT one more 4th place which offered little consolation before the season's end, especially followed by a loss to Bjergsen in the 2nd round of the 1v1 tournament.
After a shaky start, SKT managed to secure a playoff spot in the LCK and still had a place to space. Faker obviously did some soul-searching and he seemed to be leading the charge with his masterful gameplay and shot-calling skills. However, the team faced fierce competition from other Korean powerhouses and the team eventually bowed out of the race.
Ranking 5 in LCK 2018 Spring Playoffs, it was decided for them that MSI 2018 just wasn't meant to be theirs. At least Mid Lane KDA Award found its way to Faker, which was nice.
Later on, Faker made an appearance at Asian Games 2018 Q - East, as a part of the South Korean national team. It was truly eye candy to see them win but it only spewed more debate about Faker's synergy with his own team. It changed nothing though.
The group stage of Rift Rivals in 2018 proved to be SKT's bane. After this, Faker was given a breather and was benched for a few next games.
The 2018 LCK Summer Split liked Fakerless SKT so much that it decided to keep them and not let them out of the group stage. It prevented SKT from qualifying for the World Championship, leaving Faker with unfinished business for the season.
2018 still had 2 more major Tournaments in which the team could show what they are made of. Back at home, Korea Regional Finals treated them badly. A 2-3 loss versus GEN in the first round, with Faker all new and rested already on board, made it hard to look at the bright side of things.
The last one for the year — KeSPA Cup wasn't any better. Although they managed to qualify, ending up in 8th place couldn't have been their dream. Things were about to get better though.
In 2019, The next changes were on the way as SK Telecom T1 decided to become T1. Now all of the people talking about them could save a buttload of time.
The team has also gone through a whole lot of rebranding.
T1 made some major changes to their roster, but they kept the one and only Faker on board. And boy did he make them proud! Surrounded by a talented team, Faker won his seventh LCK title, beating Griffin in the Spring Split finals.
And if that wasn't impressive enough, T1 went on to represent the LCK at the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational in May. But alas, they were defeated by G2 Esports in the semifinals. Despite the outcome, it was still an interesting game that held the viewers at the edges of their seats.
They still had the second half of the year though and T1 wasn't done yet. They went on to compete in the 2019 Rift Rivals event. And what did they do? Good news fellas, they won; the good old T1 (although with a different assemblage) was back.
Along with three other LCK teams, they took home the League's first Rift Rivals Championship title after defeating the LPL teams 3-1. And who was at the center of all this success? None other than Faker himself, who thus became the first player to have won all of the Riot-organized League of Legends international tournaments, including the All-Star, Rift Rivals, Mid-Season Invitational, and World Championship.
But T1's success wasn't without its hiccups. It would be crazy if it was. In the Summer Split, the team's performance started to dip. In June 2019, T1 found itself in ninth place in the league, and even Faker was benched in a match against Griffin. But T1 wasn't about to let that bring them down. They pushed forward and managed to win the 2019 LCK Summer Split after defeating Griffin in the playoff finals. And with that victory, Faker picked up his eighth LCK title.
For the first time since the infamous final of 2017, it was time for the god of mid-lane to take part in the World Championship where he accomplished yet another milestone. He became the first player to win 100 international games after T1 defeated Splyce in Game 2 of the quarterfinals.
Unfortunately, their dreams of winning it all were cut short when they lost to G2 Esports in the semifinals. It was a tough blow, and it marked the first time that Faker had been eliminated from Worlds in the knockout round. But hey, this year was amazing anyway.
Even people with 20/20 vision could not have predicted what the beginning of the year brought to T1.
Lee Sang-hyeok, aged 23, not only got his contract renewed for three next years but also became part owner of the team with which he has risen to fame. Faker humbly accepted the new challenge.
“I am excited to continue playing for T1 and am thankful for all the fans around the world who have supported me all these years. I am honored to become a part owner of T1 and look forward to working with the leadership team beyond my playing career. I love this team and am proud to help mold the future of this organization.” (Faker, in his follow-up statement)
Despite the heavy weight on his shoulder, he did not yield under the pressure and continued to perform at the top level throughout the upcoming season.
Less than a month later, on March 5, 2020, Faker made history by becoming the first player to secure 2,000 kills in the LCK, adding another bullet point to his already impressive resume. Of course, his focus did not lay on the kills themselves, for the time He had a win rate of 67.4% in the LCK, with 357 wins and 173 losses.
The following month, he surpassed Go "Score" Dong-bin for the most games played in the LCK at 545. In April, Faker won his ninth LCK championship after leading SKT to victory over Gen.G in the 2020 LCK Spring finals.
In the Summer Split a controversial decision was made, benching Faker from July 2020 onwards, mid lane was mostly occupied by Lee "Clozer" Ju-hyeon, an up-and-coming player who had just turned 17. Despite this setback, Faker remained determined and continued to support his team.
He was brought back from his role as the supporter to the starting roster before the LCK regional qualifier for the 2020 World Championship. Despite almost a clean victory over Afreeca Freecs in the semifinals, they lost to Gen.G in the finals, ending their hopes of competing in the World Championship and thus ending the year 2020 on a sour note.
In the ever-evolving world of esports, where players' careers are often short-lived, Faker stands out as a testament to longevity and perseverance. While many players retire in their mid-twenties, Faker continued to compete at the highest level well into his late twenties.
At the same time, there is always humanity and everlasting self-criticism which may have just been a reason he managed to survive in this industry for so long. Everyone needs a rest once in a while and that's exactly what he did for the sake of the 2021 LCK Spring Split after the loss to DRX.
At that time, my form wasn’t that good. There were other issues like equipment as well, so when Daeny asked me if I could play, I answered that I needed some time. Also, Clozer was doing great at that time. (Faker in an interview with invenglobal on March 13, 2021)
These three weeks apparently helped him recover as he soon made a strong comeback in the LCK, finishing second in the regular season and securing a spot in the playoffs. Although they lost to DWG KIA in the semifinals, Faker's individual performance was still highly impressive. He was one of the most consistent players on his team and maintained a high level of play throughout the season.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting challenges, Faker remained dedicated to his craft and continued to train rigorously. It paid off.
Faker is an icon. His influence can be seen in the countless players who have been inspired by his skill, dedication, and professionalism, but not only. What do you call someone who has just juked a few skill shots in a row? No, it's not a beginning of a bad joke. Everyone who has ever played League of Legends had to encounter players calling each other "Fakers" after a job well done. It certainly doesn't look as if Faker's legacy was about to turn into ashes.
Many credit Faker for popularizing League of Legends and esports as a whole. His dominance on the international stage helped put League of Legends on the map, and his name has become synonymous with the game itself. His ability to perform under pressure and make game-changing plays has earned him the respect and admiration of players and fans alike.
Sure, his achievements are impressive. As for today, Faker has earned:
However, what is the true spirit of Faker is the noise that you can hear when he enters a stage, the admiration for anything he says in English, and ongoing support that extends way beyond the game. It stopped being only about the game itself a long time ago, after all, Faker is quite a chill dude and it's nice to see him track comments on Twitch every time he thinks he did something impressive.
He also does stuff aside from using computers for a living. Dot Esports as well as many other magazines with a keen eye observe his devotion to pro-bono causes. The way he speaks of the Korean Make-A-Wish Foundation and his devotion to it is truly heart-warming.
“It is our duty to make time for meetings,” (Faker said when asked about T1’s recent visit to children with critical illnesses)
He knows how popular he is, but instead of letting it go to his head as many have done, he uses it for good. It's one of the reasons he will not soon be forgotten.
The internet is full of speculations about the future of one of the best mid-laners. Some seem more probable than others.
One thing we know almost for certain is that he is not retiring. Like a true G.O.A.T, he does not seem to care about such a thing as being in the top 2 of the oldest active players of LoL.
And how exactly do we know it? During a post-game press conference held after the World Final in 2022, Faker was asked a lot of questions and his answers suggest that the thought of him hanging back his mouse (for a lack of better expression) hasn't even crossed his mind.
It is true that we only finished runner-up in this worlds, but I have faith we can grow even stronger as a team.
So we know that he will most probably keep playing the same game that brought him fame 10 years ago, what about details? This, we're afraid, only Faker knows. We can only be sure that with all of the commercial contracts he's gotten throughout the years and the partial ownership of T1 he has a good background that allows him to develop even more, in whatever direction he wishes.
At the same time, there is always humanity and everlasting self-criticism, which may have just been a reason he managed to survive in this industry for so long. Everyone needs a rest once in a while and that's exactly what he did for the sake of the 2021 LCK Spring Split after the loss to DRX.
At that time, my form wasn’t that good. There were other issues like equipment as well, so when Daeny asked me if I could play, I answered that I needed some time. Also, Clozer was doing great at that time. (Faker in an interview with invenglobal on March 13, 2021)
These three weeks apparently helped him recover as he soon made a strong comeback in the LCK, finishing second in the regular season and securing a spot in the playoffs. Although they lost to DWG KIA in the semifinals, Faker's individual performance was still highly impressive. He was one of the most consistent players on his team and maintained a high level of play throughout the season.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting challenges, Faker remained dedicated to his craft and continued to train rigorously. It paid off.
