The burden on Faker’s shoulders is getting bigger and bigger

Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok also looks like an ordinary 21-year-old man with glasses, a simple smile, and seems a bit quiet. But really, everything for Faker is not so simple. Outside the interview room for last summer’s League of Legends All-Stars event in Los Angeles, reporters from around the world gathered around a glass window just to try to snap a picture or get a chance for one. small interview.

Most gamers often attract the camera when waving to the audience or giving away their autograph. But Faker is different, wherever he is, he becomes the focus of reporters and fans. They whispered names that belonged only to him (“God”, “Unkillable Demon King”…) and did everything just to get his attention.

“Of course, that was a burden for me,” Faker said. “But I tried really hard not to let fancy nicknames like God or anything affect my psyche, I tried to be myself in the games.”

A month before the All-Star event, the most famous player in the video game industry was officially broken in front of millions of fans.

At the 2017 World Championship, SK Telecom T1 and Faker had the opportunity to claim their third consecutive championship trophy in a historic match against South Korean rival Samsung Galaxy at Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing.

Faker led his team throughout the season, delivering the most impressive performance of his career in the semi-finals, against hosts Royal Never Give Up of Shanghai, China. But that is not enough. In the finals, Samsung was the team that performed better in every way while all that was left of SKT was a talented player who carried the world – Faker.

After being knocked down for the last time, Faker also collapsed on his own chair. Tears on that face are also the last photos of the event. As he left the stage, Faker looked back with a longing for another chance. Just one more chance. If he could be remade, perhaps somehow, despite his team’s poor form, he would win.

“I think it’s only natural for anyone to show emotion‘ said Faker. “It is a very normal thing. Regardless of whether those feelings are criticized or praised, I think it’s great that so many people respect those feelings.

Behind the quietness of a boy who became a legend at the age of 18, everything Faker has done in his five-year career has transcended the limits of a player. Whenever he fell, he would go back to the gym with his teammates and bounce back strong. Let’s take a look back at 2014, when SKT failed to win the world championship, Faker returned the following year with new teammates and went on to claim the most prestigious championship trophy in the game, with a great success. The record of losing only one game in the tournament lasted up to 1 month.

This year, it was a different story. At the start of the pre-season, rumors swirled around who would be able to bring SKT back to the top of the world. Maybe former SKT member, Jung Eon.”Impact“yeong, will return to the roster, or maybe former SKT world champion Jang”MaRin“Gyeong-hwan who was recognized as the best player of 2015 will appear. But not. SKT T1 returned to League Champions Korea last month, most of their roster still being the same old members that Faker carried on his shoulders during the 2017 season.

Lee “Effort“Sang-ho becomes full member in support, top lane Parker”Thal“Kwon-hyuk, player in the European youth league and Park”Blossom “Beom-chan, a jungler who doesn’t have much experience. It’s a talent bag.

Without mentioning the name “SKT” and temporarily forgetting about their past achievements, the team minus Faker would be a very ordinary team. In Korea, winning the national championship is seen as much more difficult than winning the world championship. After carrying his team through the 2017 season and all he received was bitter fruit, Faker now still has no one to share the burden on his shoulders. He was under even more pressure and burden.

Once again, everything is on Faker, he is a legend but nothing is immortal. He had to spend every second of every minute of his life working hard, to be the legend everyone needed him to be, to make things better. He has to make things better.

“SKT’s efforts to find a new player during the 2018 LCK Spring Split focused on issues that both the team and fans wondered: “How should SKT T1 play?” Christopher “PapaSmithy” Smith, the LCK’s top commentator in Korea, told ESPN. “Lie that Did SKT and Kkoma have the best lineup to succeed? SKT never has too much time to reflect on themselves, they always have to focus and achieve their next goal. And it doesn’t look like they’ll make it.”

In the first six games of the season, SKT performed worse than last year’s worlds. Their holes haven’t improved as well as their roster itself. And what’s even worse is that their communications department, which is a huge source of power for the entire organization, is now almost non-existent.

Even Faker showed his fatigue and helplessness. Small mistakes that you wouldn’t normally see in him started happening. He often had Highlights but was soon caught and destroyed, creating a domino effect and losing the game. In the games SKT won early in the season, Faker had to play as if it were the finals, playing at his best to bring the team to victory. But instead of doing it with world-class strong teams, they can only do it with low-ranked and under-rated teams.

Just over half way through the LCK Spring Split, SKT has already begun to struggle to find themselves a place where they can go through. For most teams that’s going to be a huge motivator especially when they’re off to a less than perfect start.

But that doesn’t apply to SKT, much less Faker. When Faker’s goal is the world championship, the playoffs shouldn’t be their problem. It was just a small step on the way to their destination.

“With Faker being the only one who can carry in the starting 5 of the season (Untara / Blank / Faker / Bang / Effort [Wolf]) obviously Faker will have to be the one to bring his team forward “, said Smith. “Aggression is something that comes naturally to some, but is difficult to teach to others, and you need someone to invoke the aggressiveness of your enemies to allow your teammates to make the most of their mistakes. their mistake.”

The last day of the All-Stars event, Faker did not stay in the LCS Arena. Korean stars suddenly lost in the semi-finals to the Chinese superstar. Faker and the rest of the team went to Santa Monica Pier, took pictures, and relaxed on their last day in America before returning to Korea. Then one day, while other teams were performing in front of a crowd of fans, becoming the center of attention, he returned to Lee Sang Hyeok, a 21-year-old young man enjoying his day. on the beach with friends, watching the sun set behind the Pacific Ocean.

Faker broke down in tears in Beijing, it was because he was his own harshest critic. None of the nicknames can express the burden Faker places on his own shoulders. For him, it doesn’t matter who SKT puts around him. He believes in the only coach and organization he has ever worked for, and if he doesn’t win the Worlds, it’s not their fault but his own.

“My goal has never changed: it is to win the world championship, nothing else,” Faker said. “For me to come in second is not a desirable result, so what I want to do next year is really give it my all and win that trophy again.”