Faker (gamer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Faker |
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Faker in 2020
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| Current team | |||||||||||||||||
| Team | T1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Game | League of Legends | ||||||||||||||||
| Role | Mid | ||||||||||||||||
| League | LCK | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Name | Hangul: 이상혁 (Lee Sang-hyeok) |
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| Nickname(s) | Unkillable Demon King | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | May 7, 1996 Seoul, South Korea |
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| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2013–present | ||||||||||||||||
| Team history | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013–present | T1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Lee Sang-hyeok (Korean: 이상혁), known as Faker, is a professional League of Legends player from South Korea. He was born on May 7, 1996. Faker started playing professionally in 2013. He has always played as the mid-laner for T1, which used to be called SK Telecom T1.
Faker has won many major titles. He holds a record of 10 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) championships. He also won two Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) titles. Most impressively, he has won a record five World Championship titles. Many people consider Faker the best League of Legends player ever. Some even compare his success in esports to Michael Jordan in basketball.
Contents
Faker's Early Life
Faker was born in Seoul, South Korea. He grew up with his grandparents and father in Gangseo District, Seoul. As a child, Faker was quiet and liked to learn things on his own. He enjoyed solving Rubik's Cubes and learning new languages.
He didn't play many computer games when he was very young. But he did like arcade games like Tekken and King of Fighters. Later, he started playing PC games such as Maplestory and Warcraft III.
In 2011, League of Legends came out in South Korea. Faker quickly became very good at it. While he was in high school, he asked his father if he could leave school to become a professional esports player. His father agreed, and Faker began his amazing career.
Faker's Professional Career
Starting Strong in 2013
Faker began his professional journey in 2013. He joined a team called SK Telecom T1 2, which later became SK Telecom T1 K. He was their mid-laner and chose the name Faker.
His first professional game was on April 6, 2013, in Seoul. He quickly showed his skill by defeating a famous player named Kang "Ambition" Chan-yong. In his first big tournament, Faker was one of the top players.
Later that year, his team reached the finals of the OGN Champions Korea 2013 Summer tournament. They played against the KT Rolster Bullets. Faker made an incredible play that helped his team win. This play is still famous in League of Legends history. It also gave Faker his first major title.
In Fall 2013, Faker's team, SKT T1 2, went to the League of Legends: Season 3 World Championship, also known as Worlds. They had a great record of 15 wins and 3 losses. In the finals, they easily defeated China's Royal Club. This win made Faker a world champion in his very first year!
Winning More International Titles (2014–2017)
In 2014, SKT T1 K won another title. They went undefeated in the OGN Champions Winter 2013–2014 season. After that, they won the All-Star Paris 2014 tournament. This event was a preview of the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI).
However, SKT T1 K did not qualify for the 2014 League of Legends World Championship. After this, Riot Games changed the rules. Each organization could only have one team. So, SKT T1 K and SKT T1 S merged to become SK Telecom T1.
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In 2015, Faker stayed with SK Telecom. He even turned down offers from Chinese teams that were worth a lot of money. During the 2015 LCK season, Faker sometimes shared his mid-lane role with another player, Lee "Easyhoon" Ji-hoon. Faker showed his skill by getting a pentakill in one game. Even though his team won the Spring Split finals, Faker wanted to play even better.
SKT reached the finals of the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational. They lost a close match to Edward Gaming. Faker played a champion called LeBlanc in the final game, a character he had never lost with before. But they still couldn't win.
In the 2015 LCK Summer Split, Faker played all three games of the finals. He led his team to victory against KT Rolster, winning his fourth LCK title. By this time, people started calling him the "Unkillable Demon King" and "God."
SKT qualified for the 2015 League of Legends World Championship. Faker was the main mid-laner. SKT only lost one game in the entire tournament. They defeated KOO Tigers in the finals to win their second Worlds title. Faker became one of only two players to win Worlds twice. After winning, he famously ate a raw stalk of broccoli on stage!
Faker started 2016 by winning the IEM Season X World Championship. Then, he won the 2016 LCK Spring Split finals. This earned SKT a spot in the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational. SKT won the MSI championship, sweeping Counter Logic Gaming in the finals. Faker was named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the tournament.
On July 11, 2016, Faker made history. He became the first player in LCK history to get 1,000 kills. SKT didn't win the Summer LCK title that year. But they still qualified for the 2016 World Championship. In the Worlds finals, SKT beat Samsung Galaxy in a very close series. Faker won his third world championship and was named the MVP of the tournament again. By the end of 2016, Faker was widely seen as "the Michael Jordan of esports."
Before the 2017 season, Faker signed a new contract with SKT. It was called the "best contract in esports history." He won another LCK title in the 2017 LCK Spring Split. At the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational, SKT won again, becoming the first team to win two MSIs in a row.
However, in the LCK Summer Split, the team struggled. They lost in the LCK Summer Finals. SKT still qualified for the 2017 League of Legends World Championship. Faker was the only player to reach four World Championship finals. But SKT lost to Samsung Galaxy in the finals. This was Faker's first time losing a Worlds final. He was very upset after the game.
Challenges and Comebacks (2018–2021)
After 2017, SKT changed some players. Faker faced challenges in 2018. SKT did not qualify for the 2018 World Championship. Faker was even benched for some games in the Summer Split. SKT struggled and did not make it to the playoffs.
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For the 2019 season, SKT made more changes but kept Faker. Faker and SKT won the 2019 LCK Spring Split. This was Faker's seventh LCK title. In May 2019, SKT went to the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational but lost in the semifinals.
Later, SKT won the 2019 Rift Rivals event. This meant Faker became the first player to win all of Riot's international League of Legends tournaments. These include All-Stars, Rift Rivals, MSI, and Worlds. SKT also won the 2019 LCK Summer Split, giving Faker his eighth LCK title.
At the 2019 World Championship, Faker reached 100 international wins. But SKT lost in the semifinals. This was the first time Faker was eliminated from Worlds in the knockout stage.
After 2019, SK Telecom T1 changed its name to T1. In February 2020, Faker signed a new three-year contract. He also became a co-owner and executive at T1. On March 5, 2020, Faker became the first player to get 2,000 kills in the LCK. He also played the most games in the LCK. Faker and T1 won the 2020 LCK Spring finals, his ninth LCK championship.
However, in the Summer Split, Faker was often benched. T1 did not qualify for the 2020 World Championship.
In the 2021 LCK Spring Split, Faker chose to take a break for three weeks. He felt he needed to improve. He returned and helped his team win. T1 reached the Summer Split finals but lost. They still qualified for the 2021 World Championship. T1 made it to the semifinals but were defeated.
Fourth and Fifth Worlds Titles (2022–Present)
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Before the 2022 season, Faker received a very large offer from a Chinese team. But he chose to stay with T1. In 2022, his 10th year as a pro, Faker reached many milestones. He was the first LCK player to get 2,500 kills and play 700 games. On February 18, 2022, he played his 1,000th professional game.
T1 had an amazing 2022 LCK Spring Split. They went undefeated with an 18–0 record, which was a first in LCK history! Faker was named to the LCK's first All-Pro team. T1 won the Spring Split playoffs, giving Faker his 10th LCK title.
At the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational, T1 reached the finals but lost. On July 8, Faker became the first player to get 500 wins in the LCK. T1 qualified for the 2022 World Championship. Faker became the first player to play 100 games at Worlds. He also broke the record for most kills in Worlds history. T1 reached the finals but lost a close series.
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In 2023, Faker set another LCK record. On January 20, he got the most career assists in LCK history. On July 2, Faker had to take a break due to an arm injury. He was out for four weeks. T1's performance dropped during this time. Faker returned on August 2 and helped the team improve. T1 reached the LCK Summer finals but lost.
However, T1 qualified for the 2023 World Championship. This was Faker's eighth time at Worlds. On November 19, 2023, Faker won his fourth Worlds title! T1 defeated Weibo Gaming in the finals. Faker became the first person to win four World Championship titles. At 27, he was also the oldest player to win one. He was named Mid Laner of the Year and Player of the Year at the 2023 LCK Awards.
On February 1, 2024, Faker got his 600th win in the LCK. He was the first player to reach this milestone. Two days later, he became the first LCK player to get 3,000 kills. On April 7, 2024, Faker earned his 5,000th career assist in the LCK, another first. He also became the first player to reach 100 wins at the World Championship. On November 2, 2024, Faker won his fifth Worlds title! He was chosen as the Finals MVP, his second Worlds MVP award. On the same day, he also became the first player to reach 500 kills on the Worlds stage.
National Team Career
Faker has also played for the South Korea national esports team. He represented South Korea in League of Legends at the 2018 Asian Games. He felt more pressure playing for his country. The South Korean team won a silver medal after losing to China in the finals.
Faker played for South Korea again at the 2022 Asian Games. He was one of six players on the League of Legends team. South Korea won the gold medal! Faker was not able to play in all the matches due to flu symptoms. Winning the gold medal meant Faker received an exemption from mandatory military service in South Korea.
Faker's Legacy
On May 22, 2024, Riot Games announced that Faker was the first person chosen for their Hall of Legends. He was officially inducted on June 6, 2024, in South Korea. This honor celebrates his incredible impact on League of Legends esports.
Awards and Honors
- Five-time Worlds champion (2013, 2015, 2016, 2023, 2024)
- Two-time Worlds MVP (2016, 2024)
- Two-time Mid-Season Invitational champion (2016, 2017)
- One-time Mid-Season Invitational Finals MVP (2016)
- One-time Esports World Cup champion (2024)
- One-time Esports World Cup MVP (2024)
- One-time Rift Rivals champion (2019)
- 10-time LCK champion
- Two-time LCK Season MVP
- One-time LCK Finals MVP
- Two-time LCK Player of the Year (2023, 2024)
- Two-time LCK Mid Laner of the Year (2023, 2024)
- Asian Games gold medal winner (2022)
- LoL Esports Hall of Legends inductee (2024)
- Esports Hall of Fame (2019)
- Three-time The Game Awards Best Esports Athlete (2017, 2023, 2024)
- Two-time Esports Awards PC Player of the Year (2023, 2024)
- Named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Entertainment & Sports list (2019)
Faker as a Media Figure
Endorsements and TV Appearances
Faker is a very popular figure in marketing. Big companies like Nike, Razer, and Red Bull have worked with him. In 2017, he was in ads for a Philippine energy drink. A special ice cream brand was even named after him in 2020. Faker has also appeared in commercials with famous people, like footballer Son Heung-min. In 2023, Razer released a special "Faker Edition" of their gaming mouse.
Faker has also been on TV shows. He appeared on the KBS2 talk show Hello Counselor in 2018. He was also featured on the esports talk show The Dreamer in 2020.
Helping Others
Faker is also known for his kindness. In October 2018, he announced that he would donate all the money he earned from his online streaming to the UN Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, Faker helped with relief efforts. In March 2020, he publicly donated ₩30 million (about US$25,000) to the Community Chest of Korea. In January 2022, he donated ₩50 million (about US$41,700) to the Seoul Social Welfare Fund. His name was even put on a wall of fame in Seoul for his help with COVID-19. In August 2022, he donated ₩30 million to help victims of floods in South Korea.
Online Streaming
On February 6, 2017, Faker started his first livestream on Twitch. A huge number of people watched him, with a peak of 245,100 viewers. This set a record for the most viewers for a single streamer on the platform at that time. Later, another streamer broke this record.
Protecting Players Online
On July 19, 2022, Faker and T1 took legal action against people who were making very hurtful and inappropriate comments and drawings about Faker online. T1's CEO explained that the lawsuit was not about normal criticism. It was about repeated comments that crossed the line into threats and harassment. This action showed how important it is to protect professional players from online abuse.
Images for kids
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Faker after winning the 2013 World Championship
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See also
In Spanish: Faker para niños
