Faker (gamer)

Faker after winning the 2013 World Championship

Faker embarked on his professional career in 2013 when he caught the attention of SK Telecom T1 2 (later known as SK Telecom T1 K), a team affiliated with the SK Telecom T1 organization.[8] Originally competing under the alias GoJeonPa, Faker joined the team as their mid laner, subsequently adopting the name Faker as his official gaming handle.[4] He made his professional debut on April 6, 2013, at a televised match held in Seoul, South Korea, where he secured solo kill against the South Korean All-Star mid laner Kang "Ambition" Chan-yong.[9] In his first professional tournament, OGN Champions Korea 2013 Spring tournament, Faker accounted for 31.6% of his team's kills and secured 133 kills over 20 games, positioning himself as the tournament's third highest performer in both categories.[10] The subsequent split, OGN Champions Korea 2013 Summer, witnessed SKT T1 2's ascent to the tournament finals, where they faced off against the KT Rolster Bullets. The series culminated in a display of Faker's skill when, despite being suddenly engaged by Yoo "Ryu" Sang-wook from the Bullets, he executed a perfectly timed sequence of moves to reverse the situation and kill Ryu. The play is regarded as one of the most famous League of Legends plays of all time;[4][11] it not only propelled SKT T1 2 to a reverse sweep victory over the Bullets but also marked Faker's inaugural major title triumph.[12] In Fall 2013, SKT T1 2 represented South Korea and the SK Telecom T1 organization at the Season 3 World Championship, commonly referred to as Worlds. Throughout the tournament, they showcased their dominance by achieving a formidable record of 15 wins and 3 losses. The finals witnessed SKT T1 2 face off against China's Royal Club in a resounding display of skill and strategy. With a commanding performance, SKT T1 2 emerged victorious, delivering a memorable showcase that established itself as one of the most lopsided finals in the annals of League of Legends history.[12]

Faker achieved his second domestic title in 2014 when SKT continued their successful streak from 2013, remaining undefeated throughout the entire OGN Champions Winter 2013–2014 season. While they experienced a setback in the quarterfinals of Champions Spring 2014, they emerged victorious at All-Star Paris 2014, the precursor to the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI).[13][14] In Champions Summer 2014, SKT qualified for the playoffs but once again fell in the quarterfinals.[13] Faker's misfortune continued at the 2014 League of Legends World Championship qualifiers, where SKT faced Samsung Galaxy White in a crucial qualifier match. Faker became the first player to die, commonly referred to as giving away "first blood," in three consecutive games, resulting in SKT's loss and their failure to qualify for the World Championship.[15] In the following offseason, Riot Games introduced new regulations stating that each organization could only have one team participating in each league, leading to the merger of SK Telecom's two teams, SKT T1 K and SKT T1 S, which became simply known as SK Telecom T1.[16]

Faker competing at the 2015 League of Legends World Championship.

During the 2015 offseason, Faker made the decision to re-sign with SK Telecom. Despite receiving lucrative offers of nearly US$1,000,000 from various Chinese companies, he chose to remain with his current team.[17] Throughout the 2015 LCK season, Faker shared the mid lane position with his teammate Lee "Easyhoon" Ji-hoon.[15] Although Faker started the Spring Split season opener match against NaJin e-mFire, he was benched in the second game after losing the first, with Easyhoon taking his place. However, Faker returned for the third game and led his team to victory by securing a pentakill, which involves killing five opponents within 10 seconds of each other.[18] In the 2015 LCK Spring Split finals, Easyhoon started all three games, resulting in SKT's victory. Despite technically winning another domestic title, Faker expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome and stated his determination to deliver a better performance than Easyhoon in the future.[15] During the break between splits, SKT participated in the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational, reaching the finals where they faced Edward Gaming in a best-of-five match. Throughout the tournament, Easyhoon played as the starting mid laner, but Faker was subbed in for Game 4 after SKT fell behind 1–2. They won Game 4, and Faker selected the champion LeBlanc, a character he had never lost with competitively, for Game 5. However, SKT was unable to secure a victory in the final game, resulting in a second-place finish.[19] During the 2015 LCK Summer Split, SKT advanced to the finals, encountering KT Rolster as their opponents. While Easyhoon had been the primary mid laner for most of the split's matches, Faker played all three games of the finals and emerged victorious, clinching his fourth LCK title.[20] By this point in his career, Faker had garnered several nicknames, including the "Unkillable Demon King" and "God".[4]

SKT successfully secured a spot in the 2015 League of Legends World Championship, with Faker solidifying his position as the starting mid laner. Notably, Easyhoon only participated in four matches during the tournament, allegedly serving the purpose of "keeping Faker's ego in check" as stated by SKT coaches.[21][22] Over the course of the tournament, SKT lost only one game — Game 3 of the Finals against KOO Tigers — as the team went on to win their second Worlds title. With the win, Faker became one of two players to have ever won the title twice.[23] Following the victory, Faker garnered attention for his unconventional celebration, as he consumed a raw stalk of broccoli on stage.[24][25]

Faker started the 2016 year by emerging victorious in the IEM Season X World Championship. This accomplishment was followed by a triumph in the 2016 LCK Spring Split finals.[13] Due to their performance in the Spring Split, SKT earned a spot in the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational. Despite a moderately balanced group stage performance, with a 6–4 record, SKT ultimately claimed the championship title by sweeping Counter Logic Gaming, a North American team, in the finals. Faker's gameplay throughout the tournament, including the second-most kills of any player in the tournament, earned him the recognition of being named the MSI MVP, marking the first time he had been named MVP at either MSI or Worlds.[26][27] During the 2016 LCK Summer Split, Faker achieved a significant milestone on July 11, 2016, becoming the first player in the history of the LCK to accumulate 1,000 kills.[28][29] While SKT fell short of securing their fourth consecutive LCK title after a defeat against KT Rolster in the playoffs, their overall performance during the season still earned them a qualification for the 2016 World Championship.[12] In the World Championship, SKT's journey culminated in a highly contested finals against Samsung Galaxy, with SKT emerging triumphant in a closely fought 3–2 series. Faker's contributions played a pivotal role in securing his team's victory, earning him his third world championship title and an MVP accolade for the tournament.[30] By the end of 2016, Faker had gained widespread recognition and had been likened to "the Michael Jordan of esports".[12][31]

In the lead-up to the 2017 season, Faker, the renowned League of Legends player, extended his contract with SKT. The contract, as stated by an SKT press release, was hailed as the "best contract in esports history".[32] Faker's commitment to SKT was a significant development within the esports community.[33] During the 2017 LCK Spring Split, Faker secured another LCK title; the team achieved a clean sweep, defeating KT Rolster with a 3–0 victory in the finals.[34] At the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational, SKT emerged as the group stage leaders with an 8–2 record. In the finals, they triumphed over G2 Esports, becoming the first team ever to win consecutive Mid-Season Invitationals.[35] However, the subsequent LCK Summer Split posed challenges for SKT. The team often found themselves falling behind early in matches, struggling to maintain their previous form. Despite these difficulties, SKT managed to reach the LCK Summer Finals, where they faced Longzhu Gaming. SKT was defeated in this encounter, signaling a setback for the team.[36] Despite the challenges faced in the LCK, SKT secured a spot in the 2017 League of Legends World Championship and reached the finals. Faker became the sole member of SKT to participate in four World Championship finals. Prior to the finals match against Samsung Galaxy, Faker ranked second among all mid laners in the tournament for kills and assists. He also held the distinction of playing the highest number of unique champions.[37] SKT experienced a defeat in the World Championship finals against Samsung Galaxy, by a score of 0–3. This loss marked Faker's first World Championship finals defeat and left him visibly upset, requiring consolation from his teammates to gather himself and extend sportsmanlike gestures by shaking hands with the Samsung Galaxy players post-game.[38]

Following the conclusion of the 2017 season, SKT underwent a semi-rebuild in an effort to strengthen their roster, and Fakerstruggled to find success throughout the 2018 season. During the 2018 LCK Spring Split playoffs, SKT finished in fourth place.[39] As the 2018 LCK Summer Split began, Faker found himself benched in favor of Choi "Pirean" Jun-sik starting from July 21, 2018.[40] SKT's struggles continued throughout the summer split, and they failed to qualify for the playoffs, as they were unable to advance past the group stage.[41] Faker made a return to the starting lineup for the LCK Regional Finals 2018, which served as qualifiers for the 2018 League of Legends World Championship. Despite Faker's presence, SKT could not secure a spot at Worlds, marking an end to their 2018 season.[7]

SK Telecom T1 after winning the 2019 LCK Spring Finals

In preparation for the 2019 season, SKT underwent significant changes to their roster, but they retained Faker.[42][43] Faker and SKT won the 2019 LCK Spring Split, as they defeated Griffin in the finals. The win marked Faker's seventh LCK title.[44][45] In May 2019, SKT represented the LCK at the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational, where they were ultimately defeated by G2 Esports in the semifinals.[46] Following the MSI, SKT participated in the 2019 Rift Rivals event, where teams from the LCK, LPL, LMS, and VCS competed. SKT, alongside three other LCK teams, clinched their league's first Rift Rivals championship title by defeating LPL teams. After winning Rift Rivals, Faker became the first player to have won all of the Riot-organized League of Legends international tournaments — All-Star, Rift Rivals, the Mid-Season Invitational, and World Championship.[47] SKT faced challenges in the 2019 LCK Summer Split. At one point, they found themselves in ninth place in the league standings, leading to Faker being benched for a match against Griffin.[48] However, SKT ultimately won the 2019 LCK Summer Split by defeating Griffin in the playoff finals, giving Faker his eighth LCK title.[49] At the 2019 World Championship, Faker became the first player to reach 100 international wins, after SKT defeated Splyce in the quarterfinals.[50] However, SKT were defeated in the semifinals by G2 Esports. This marked the first time that Faker had been eliminated from Worlds in the knockout stage.[51]

After the 2019 season, SK Telecom T1 underwent a rebranding and became simply known as T1.[52] In February 2020, T1 announced that Faker had renewed his contract with the organization for three years, and as part of the deal, Faker also became a co-owner of T1 Entertainment and Sports, taking on a player-executive role.[53] On March 5, 2020, during the 2020 LCK season, Faker became the first player to secure 2,000 kills in the LCK. At that point, Faker held a career win rate of 67.4% in the LCK, with 357 wins and 173 losses.[28] In April 2020, he surpassed Go "Score" Dong-bin for the most games played in the LCK, reaching a total of 545 games.[54] Faker and T1 went on to win the 2020 LCK Spring finals against Gen.G, securing Faker's ninth LCK championship.[55] However, in the Summer Split starting in July 2020, Faker was predominantly benched in favor of Lee "Clozer" Ju-hyeon, who had recently turned 17. In the playoffs, Faker was subbed in for the second game against Afreeca Freecs, but ultimately, T1 was eliminated from the competition.[56] In the LCK regional qualifier for the 2020 World Championship, Faker returned to the starting roster. T1 defeated Afreeca Freecs in the semifinals but lost to Gen.G in the finals, failing to qualify for the World Championship.[57][58]

In the 2021 LCK Spring Split, Faker elected to bench himself for a period of three weeks following T1's loss to DRX on February 19. Recognizing his own underwhelming performance, Faker stated that he needed some time off to regroup and improve. He returned to the starting roster on March 13, 2021, and secured a victory over Gen.G.[59][60] In the Spring Split playoffs, T1 faced Gen.G in the semifinals but ended up losing the series.[61] In the Summer Split, T1 reached the playoff finals, where they ultimately lost to DWG KIA to finish in second place.[62] In the LCK Regional Finals, T1 defeated Hanwha Life Esports, securing their place in the 2021 World Championship group stage.[63] As T1 prepared for the group stage of the World Championship, Faker stood as the most experienced player on the team, having competed in over 150 games between MSI and Worlds, compared to his teammates, who collectively had played 65 games in international competitions. T1 finished at the top of their group and advanced to the semifinals. In the finals, they faced DWG KIA once again. T1 was lost DWG KIA and were eliminated from the tournament.[64]

Faker (center) winning his 10th LCK title

During the offseason before the 2022 season, Faker's contract with T1 expired, and he received an offer of $20 million per year from a Chinese team competing in the LPL, according to T1 CEO Joe Marsh. Faker elected to stay with T1.[65] In the 2022 season, which marked Faker's 10th year as a professional player, he achieved notable milestones in the 2022 LCK Spring Split. He became the first player in the LCK to reach both 2,500 kills and 700 games.[2] Additionally, on February 18, 2022, Faker played his 1,000th professional game, becoming the second player in League of Legends history to reach the milestone.[66] T1's attained an undefeated 18-0 record in the 2022 Spring Split regular season, an achievement that had not been accomplished by any team in the history of the LCK.[67] Faker's performance earned him a place on the LCK's first All-Pro team, an accolade he had not received since 2020.[68] T1 excelled in the Spring Split playoffs, culminating in a 3–1 victory over Gen.G in the finals. This marked Faker's and T1's 10th LCK title.[69] At the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational, T1 reached the finals for the first time since 2017 after defeating G2 Esports in the semifinals.[70] However, their 26-game win streak came to an end when they lost to Royal Never Give Up (RNG) in the MSI finals.[71] In the 2022 LCK Summer split, Faker became first player to achieve 500 wins in the LCK. This milestone was attained on July 8, during a victorious match against Gen.G.[72] However, T1's success in the Summer Split playoffs was limited, as they were defeated by Gen.G in the finals.[73] T1 secured their qualification for the 2022 World Championship. During the group stage, Faker made history by becoming the first player to participate in 100 games at the World Championship, with his record standing at 72 wins and 28 losses.[74] Additionally, Faker surpassed Jian "Uzi" Zi-Hao to claim the record for the most kills in World Championship history, accumulating over 350 kills across multiple editions of the tournament.[75] Advancing to the World Championship finals, T1 faced off against DRX, with Faker encountering his high school peer, Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu.[76] T1 fell short in the series, ultimately losing to DRX by a margin of two games to three.[77]

During the 2023 LCK Spring Split, Faker achieved another LCK record. On January 20, 2023, in a match against KT Rolster, Faker surpassed Kang "Gorilla" Beom-hyeon to claim the record for the most career assists in the history of the LCK at 4,137.[78] On July 2, in the 2023 LCK Summer Split, Faker was sidelined due to an arm injury. His absence from competitive play extended for a duration of four weeks. During this time, T1's record fell from 6–2 to 7–9. Faker returned to the starting roster on August 2, helping the team defeat the Kwangdong Freecs.[79][80]

Faker has become a prominent figure in marketing campaigns for various brands. Companies such as Nike, Razer, Red Bull, and Creative Artists Agency have leveraged Faker's image to promote their products and services.[89] In 2017, Faker served as an advertising model for the Philippines' Bacchus energy drink.[90] Lotte Confectionery introduced an ice cream brand named after him in 2020.[91] Faker has also appeared in commercials alongside notable personalities, such as footballer Son Heung-min to endorse SK Telecom products.[92] In 2023, Razer unveiled a customized "Faker Edition" of their DeathAdder V3 Pro mouse.[93]

Faker made an appearance on the KBS2 talk show Hello Counselor in November 2018 and was featured on the esports talk show The Dreamer in July 2020.[94][95]

Following his absence from the 2018 World Championship, Faker announced his decision to donate all the revenue generated from his streaming activities in October 2018 to the UN Foundation.[96]

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, Faker actively contributed to relief efforts, although not always publicly. In March 2020, he publicly announced a donation of ₩30 million (US$25,000) to the Community Chest of Korea.[97] In January 2022, Faker donated ₩50 million (US$41,700) to the Seoul Social Welfare Fund. As a result of his contributions, his name was honored on the wall of fame in Seoul's Gangseo District, recognizing his significant contributions to COVID-19 relief initiatives.[98] The following August, Faker extended his philanthropic reach by donating ₩30 million to the Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association, contributing to the aid efforts for victims affected by the 2022 floods in South Korea.[99]

On February 6, 2017, Faker embarked on his first livestream on Twitch, attracting a peak viewership of 245,100 viewers. This viewership figure set a record for the highest number of concurrent viewers for an individual streamer in the history of the platform.[100] However, in early 2018, Tyler1, another popular League of Legends streamer, surpassed Faker's record. Tyler1's stream quickly amassed 300,000 viewers within 20 minutes, surpassing Faker's previous achievement and causing a temporary overload on Twitch's servers.[101]