Faker — the road to glory

There are only a few days left until the first matches of the Worlds Championship 2019, where SK Telekom T1 will again try to take the coveted cup, which they have already won three times. Of the legendary team that won Worlds Season 3, only Faker remained — the player who became the best in history less than a year after the start of his professional career. And this year he will again try to raise the Summoners’ Cup over his head.

This year SK Telecom T1 is 17 years old. The organization was created back in 2002 by the incredible and terrible SlayerS_`BoxeR` — players of the StarCraft discipline, who for many years managed to climb the throne of the most famous e-sportsman in the whole world and the living legend of StarCraft. Initially, the organization was called Orion but later changed its name to 4 Union, and already in 2004, with the sponsorship of the famous Korean giant SK Telecom, it was called SK Telecom T1.

First player roster

In many successful teams, including those where teamwork and interpersonal relationships are elevated to the absolute, you can find a player who outshines others. Such diamonds are unique for each organization — somewhere it’s an exceptional leader who leads the team and is its beacon, while in others it’s the strongest player who alone can turn over evenly lost matches. And today we’ll talk about one of them.

There are players for whom becoming an e-sportsman is a real stress. Here they are, simple players from matchmaking, where they sit quietly at home and enjoy the free atmosphere of comfort and silence, and after a moment there are thousands of fans around them and an incredible buzz of the audience. But Lee San Hyuk, better known as Faker, seemed to have been born for this. He literally enjoyed every second when he was the center of attention of the entire audience.

In 2013, the young GoJeonPa carelessly played matchmaking, long waiting for the search for the game because of its high rating. However, he was soon tired of this, and he decided to go to conquer the ranks and for a blink of an eye managed to get on the first line of the ladder. The young player was strewn with offers from a variety of teams: CJ Entus, KT Rolster, and Incredible Miracle, but they were all simply ignored. But another team, already widely known in Korea for its legendary players, decided to get another diamond in its collection. SK Telekom T1 managed to get Lee San Hyuk, after which he changed his nickname to Faker and took center stage in SKT T1, from which he began to perform.

Debut on the professional stage

On April 6, 2013, SK Telecom T1 Throughout the third season, SKT T1 simply dominated the stage — aggressively capturing the entire map, they did not give opponents even a chance to rest. And the constant pressure on the Faker on the center line did not allow the midlaner of their rivals to try to help on other lines. Having just arrived on the esports scene, Faker, led by SKT T1, managed to earn two golds already at Champions 2013 Summer and Korea Regional Finals Season 3, furnishing the strongest Korean teams in pursuit of the main tournament of 2013 — Worlds Championship 2013.

At one time, Royal Club was an extremely strong team that could even rely on top positions in international tournaments. In 2013, they had great chances for the cup, because their performance than could be called “ideal”, no less. But who could have expected that a player who came to eSports less than a year ago would simply drop them from the throne, which was already right before their eyes? Faker didn’t play professionally even for a year, but he already got the right to be on the “OnGameNet throne” — he was recognized as the strongest in Korea, and maybe even the strongest in the whole world.

debuted in a match against Azubu Blaze, one of the strongest teams in the LCK, led by the best central line player in South Korea, Kang “Ambition” Chan-yong. Faker showed himself just brilliantly — this match showed the entire audience his aggressive manner of playing and an incredible sense of style. Well, the match finale was an omen — newfound fans already foresaw the trophy on their land.

Throughout the third season, SKT T1 simply dominated the stage — aggressively capturing the entire map, they did not give opponents even a chance to rest. And the constant pressure on the Faker on the center line did not allow the midlaner of their rivals to try to help on other lines. Having just arrived on the esports scene, Faker, led by SKT T1, managed to earn two golds already at Champions 2013 Summer and Korea Regional Finals Season 3, furnishing the strongest Korean teams in pursuit of the main tournament of 2013 — Worlds Championship 2013.

At one time, Royal Club was an extremely strong team that could even rely on top positions in international tournaments. In 2013, they had great chances for the cup, because their performance than could be called “ideal”, no less. But who could have expected that a player who came to eSports less than a year ago would simply drop them from the throne, which was already right before their eyes? Faker didn’t play professionally even for a year, but he already got the right to be on the “OnGameNet throne” — he was recognized as the strongest in Korea, and maybe even the strongest in the whole world.

But if he is at least three times the strongest in the world — League of Legends is still a game where it is impossible to take the cup until there is support from the other four players. And that is exactly what was not enough in 2014 when after a year of a super-aggressive game, SKT T1 began to burst. Casper came in for a temporary replacement for PoohManDu, who had health problems. Impact could no longer support the aggressive manner of playing Faker and support it during the game, due to which the interaction of the top and center lines of SKT began to deteriorate. All this did not allow the team to go to Worlds 2014. And after losing to NaJin White Shield in the qualifications, many players decided to go their own way, but there was no Faker among them.

The constant search for the ideal

For some, the team is their home and family. For others, it’s just the players you have to play with, just like in thousands of regular matches with random players around the world. But for Faker, the team has become something more. Gathering a new squad around him, mixed from the two previous squad members — SK Telekom T1 K and SK Telekom T1 S, Faker began to create a true legend. The new line-up proved to be excellent at the Champions 2015 Spring Preseason, consolidating its successes in the spring and summer split, as well as at MSI 2015, where it took silver, losing to Edward Gaming in the final. And at the Worlds Championship 2015, SK Telekom T1 again raised the cup, and Faker proved that he was not just called the strongest.

The following years can be called constant experiments in search of excellence and building your personal team. Faker is an incredibly strong player and has a good eye on talent — almost the same as himself. Throughout their career, they have been gaining players in SK Telekom T1 who can match his style. This does not always work out — after winning at Worlds 2016 and silver at Worlds 2017, the 2018 season turned out to be extremely unsuccessful for SK Telekom T1. It could even be called humiliating — the seventh place in the summer split, and even after so many years of incredible performances. Fans would sound the alarm if it weren’t for the presence of Faker on the team — this guy definitely knows how to make a victory out of defeat.

True legend

For six and a half years of his career, Faker played in sixty-five champions, won 518 of 756 games, collected twenty-one gold medals, including three Summoner cups and one silver at Worlds 2017. For him, this is no longer a race for cash prizes and awards. Rather, it is a matter of honor and pride — to become the greatest e-sportsman of all time, so that you will be remembered by the generations after.

From a young playmaker who dominated the line and destroyed teams alone in 2013, Faker has long been a true trendsetter in style and aggressive play that dictates terms to teams around the world. He won in Europe and North America, China and South Korea, but constantly strives forward with his team, which became a real staff in his hands. This time the staff is pointing towards the Worlds Championship 2019, and who knows — maybe Faker will take his fourth trophy? Follow the tournament with MoreLegends!