On 19 November 2024, the packed O2 Arena in London erupted with the joyful cries of T1 fans. The Korean roster won its third consecutive grand final of the most prestigious League of Legends tournament.
Behind the young top laner “Zeus”, who joyfully raised the Summoner’s Cup above his head, stood a modest man who had contributed to each of these five victories.
The player who is considered the greatest player in MOBA, nicknamed who is often compared to Ronaldo, Messi and other legends of big-time sports in the world of esports — 28-year-old mid-laner Lee Sang-hyeok, winner of 23 prestigious gaming awards and prizes, triumphant in 17 major tournaments, a legend who created the image of a successful esports player — Faker.
The Inception of the legend
Lee Sang-hyeok was born and spent his childhood in Seoul under the care of his grandparents. His father described him as an introverted child who constantly strived for self-improvement. Faker loved playing with Rubik’s cube and showed an aptitude for learning foreign languages on his own.
Surprisingly, he was not interested in video games at all. Lee Sang-hyeok only occasionally enjoyed playing the arcade fighting games Tekken and King of Fighters. As he grew older, the future star switched to the computer and spent his time playing Maplestory and Warcraft III.
In 2011, Riot’s new MOBA League of Legends was released, and Faker began to devote all his free time to this game. At first, he only played unranked matches until he started winning so much that it took him hours to find a game. Then he switched to ranked matches and achieved such rapid success that by the end of the second ranked season in 2012, he was second, and the following season he took first place.
It was then that Faker realised that LoL could become something more than just a fun pastime in his life. But to do that, he would have to devote much more time to the game, so Lee Sang-hyeok asked his father to let him leave school and focus on gaming. After much hesitation, his father permitted him, and thanks to his belief in his son, we now have a world-class legend.
At first, Faker played in a semi-professional team with his friends, but soon he was approached by kkOma, a coach of SK Telecom T1. He made his debut with the team at Champions Spring 2012. Throughout the tournament, Faker’s aggressive style was the driving force behind the team. The first trophy did not take long to arrive, with T1 winning Champions Summer 2012.
By the start of the Season 3 World Championship, his team approached the competition as the undisputed favourites. The grand final between T1 and the Chinese team Royal Club would become known as the most lopsided series in Worlds history. Faker gave his opponent no chance and became the youngest world champion at just 17 years old.
The reigning champion and worldwide recognition
The following years were marked by T1’s dominance. Despite failing to qualify for Worlds 2014, Faker overcame internal team disputes after the roster was unified and lifted the season’s top trophy for the second time the following season. Faker thus became the first two-time world champion.
2016 was even more successful in terms of trophies and records. Not only did T1 win all the year’s major tournaments, but Faker was also named MVP of each one, setting a unique achievement that has yet to be surpassed. After the third Summoners Cup, comparisons between Lee Sang-hyeok and Michael Jordan no longer seemed like flattery, but a statement of fact.
It’s not even about the number of victories or impressive statistics. Which are truly impressive: Faker made 30% of his team’s kills in his debut tournament, and T1’s overall score at Worlds 2013 was 15:3 on maps. On his signature hero, LeBlanc, he did not lose until 2015, and his official win rate is still 80%.
In an episode from his debut season, Faker was able to come back from a serious HP deficit against master mid laner Ryu, dodging his opponent’s abilities and earning a phenomenal solo kill.
And his talent was recognized by everyone, regardless of whether they were fans or haters. An interview with the mid laner of the Oh My God team, cool at Worlds 2013 gave Faker his famous nickname, Unkillable Demon King, because you had to give up too much to take him down.
His style influenced the formation of a new generation of mid laners and was admired far beyond the world of esports. In 2016, he became one of the wealthiest and most famous athletes in South Korea, appearing in commercials with Tottenham Hotspur footballers and starring in documentaries. His Twitch stream still holds the record with 245,000 viewers.
Decline and what it takes to get to the top
However, true greatness is forged in the fire of failure. This tempering came to Faker in 2017. Despite a winning season, the team often fell behind in the early stages of the game, and despite Faker’s titanic efforts, he lost the Worlds final for the first time.
A picture of the Korean legend in tears overshadowed the photos of the winners. Next year, he won’t even make it to Worlds, which will be his first season without a single victory in a major tournament.
In the following years, Faker himself began to make more and more mistakes and often lost duels to younger mid laners. His status as an absolute genius began to waver.
At the peak of the crisis, Faker once again demonstrated his championship character: Chinese organisations offered $20 million for the opportunity to sign the living legend, but Faker refused and instead signed a new long-term contract with T1 and became a co-owner of the team, showing that he wanted to achieve greatness with the club once again.
And the chance to achieve that greatness came around again. The team’s new roster in 2022 will reach the Worlds final for the first time in four years, and next season will defeat the Chinese organisation Weibo on the way to Faker`s fourth career victory.
Thus, at the age of 27, ten years after his debut, he became the oldest Worlds champion. His role in the team has changed. He is no longer the absolute weapon that the team works for, but rather an organic element of the entity that drives it to victory.
This trait is the secret to Faker’s success: he does not follow the beaten path, but always explores all available options and looks for new ways forward. He thoroughly and meticulously studies each patch and has a perfect understanding of the technical side of the game.
His ability to adapt to new conditions is what makes him so strong, despite his long career, when all his opponents from previous years are either training or sitting on the bench. He skilfully twists the Rubik’s cube called T1 and always knows which facet will bring success to the team.
In addition, Faker is a real bookworm. His collection includes such international bestsellers as You, Too, Can Age Slowly by Jung Heewon, Inner Communication by Joohan Kim, and The Real Happy Pill: How to Train Your Brain to Create Happiness and a Longer Life by Anders Hansen.
Faker pays a lot of attention to his daily routine, diet, and mental and physical health. This is a trait that is common to all traditional sports stars and is rare among e-sports players. This approach to work allows Faker to stay fresh and energetic and often compete and defeat younger opponents.
However, hard work and dedication to results come at a price. In 2024, Faker increasingly showed disappointing performance, and later in an interview, he revealed the reason for this. The legendary player suffers from Cubital Tunnel Syndrome and numerous other problems with his hand and wrist joints, and the hectic season schedule does not allow the world champion to recover.
Only a forced break before the biggest tournaments of the year was able to get Faker back on track. And even an injury did not prevent him from triumphing again, reaching 100 wins at Worlds and 500 frags, and winning the MVP title for the second time in a row. In doing so, he broke his own record and cemented his legacy.
Conclusion
Many wonder how long Faker will continue to play and whether he still has the motivation to play after achieving everything an esports player could dream of. And indeed, we don’t always see top performance from the Korean mid-lane legend, but changing priorities and approach to training is one of the ways Faker adapts.
His season now looks more like that of an athlete who plans his training so as to be in peak form only for the main competition. And it works. Despite roster changes and new challenges, Faker continues to forge his path and has long since joined the elite ranks of stars where it doesn’t matter whether he wins or not. If you’ve seen him perform live, you can consider yourself a witness to something truly legendary.
