In the 2017 World Championship Finals, SK Telecom T1 were seemingly on the right path to force championship rounds. Down 2-0, they were playing with poise as they had mountain soul. Dancing in the mid-lane, they were just awaiting their opportunity to either turn onto baron or force a fight mid. The game just a formality at this point.
But then Faker got caught out. Wait, Faker got caught out?
Samsung Galaxy’s star marksman Ruler would take a flash of fate – looking to lockdown Faker. They knew the timer on his summoner spell, mere milliseconds away from having it back up. The world awaited the brilliance of Faker to maneuver his way out of this. I mean, it’s Faker. He wouldn’t die here. It didn’t happen. He fell. SK Telecom would immediately counter engage yet it would be the coordinated effort to keep Ruler that won them the series, their first title.
Faker would struggle from his desk. Head on his forearm, screen completely black as if he was disgusted with seeing the “Defeat” screen on his monitor. His marksman would rub his shoulder, urging him to emerge to congratulate his opponent. Samsung Galaxy would wait as the king attempted to compose himself. And even if for just a brief moment, he would do that just. As the line passed, he crumbled back into his chair, no longer a throne. It was instead the canvas for the famous portrait of his defeat. Head in his hands.
That was the day the Faker as we knew him died. We just didn’t want to acknowledge it at the time. Since then, the world has been waiting for his glorious return only to be met with disappointment, unable to tap back into his greatness despite general success. And with the announcement of a three-year contract that will likely be the final one of his career, it touches on a very interesting topic: when should a king rest?
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While the greatest to ever do it, it is important to acknowledge a very real statement regarding the status of Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok: he has not been the best player in the world for some time. The beauty of Faker has been his aura, his presence. How every single game of League of Legends he plays, it is known he is on the rift. Teams look to combat him, play against him. Teams want to beat him, over beating the actual team. Truly, teams have been more successful at than we’re willing to acknowledge.
He’s been much more vulnerable. It was like seeing the Undertaker need assistance walking to the back of the ring after a match. As much as an entrance, a sound of a “gong” can return that old feeling, the reality creeps in the back of the mind. He’s a dude in his fifties.
This isn’t to state the idea of Faker no longer being a welcomed player in competitive League of Legends. He has continued his streak of ending the season averaging a gold lead at fifteen minutes – a streak starting in the summer of 2019. But one of the biggest surprises has been his mixed involvement and influence. He ranks fourth among LCK mid laners in total kills participated in (354) but has the seventh-best gold usage rate (1.906 damage per one gold). He wasn’t constantly pressuring his opponents, outputting damage at all opportunities like he once was.
At this past Worlds, he was able to remind the fans of just how special he can be with beautiful outplays, destroying the hopes and dreams of his opponents. But at times, if his name wasn’t on the screen, he would simply be perceived as another player. In the finals match against DRX, he would be outclassed by Zeka in the laning phase, averaging a deficit of 118 at fifteen minutes over five games. His 19 total deaths topped the leaderboards of that series by a significant margin.
And while difficult to admit, it could be argued that he was the weakest member of T1 at the 2022 World Championship. For the tournament, across 18 games, Faker averaged a gold deficit of 141 and an experience deficit of -171 at fifteen minutes. His 2.8 KDA was his worst at a Worlds event for his entire career.
The idea that this could have been Faker’s last run was entirely realistic. He went out on his back, simply facing a team that outmatched his own when it mattered the most. After failing to complete a desperation backdoor attempt, he simply sat with his hands behind his head. No tears, no pain. Just acceptance. He helped guide a young team to the grandest stage of them all. Maybe he would hand over the keys to the franchise.
He did not. Instead, he signed a three-year contract. Three f***-ing years.
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Three years is a very long time in esports. For some, it is the entire peak of their career. For others, they dream to even reach that point in time. Faker’s eleventh season in competitive play will start in 2023. If destiny holds, he will finish this contract at the age of 29 – well past the presumed prime of competitors in League of Legends. And he’ll be doing this with a contract well above the player average.
The argument could be made that this lineup was arguably the team that could replace Faker. It featured four incredible young talents, three of which came through T1 Challengers, their amateur line-up. But T1 as a whole has often struggled to even think about replacing their franchise mid laner. There have been challengers for the throne: Lee “Clozer” Ju-hyeon, Lee “Easyhoon” Ji-hoon and Lee “Scout” Ye-chan. But the idea of even thinking about replacing him seemed improbable. Asking yourself, “Who would T1 pick to replace Faker” is difficult to answer – even if names immediately come to mind as to who is better than him.
It is what made it so easy to simply to just look to re-sign him. Faker and T1 have a mutual interest to work together. Faker makes more money than God, T1 keeps their fan base somewhat sane and profits off the greatest player of all-time being on their roster. But it is a complicated balance to make that happen. It is truly a rare sight to see this type of situation work out in the way that it has. The 90s Bulls were aging out despite the brilliance of Michael Jordan. The New England Patriots were struggling to keep paying an aging Tom Brady – who was struggling to find his long ball – at large contract.
T1 gave Faker a long, large contract and they have a contending team around him. Everything that doesn’t usually happen is happening.
The writing on the wall that people don’t necessarily want to engage is the concept of a “window.” This idea that a team has a specified period of time to capitalize on their combined strengths given the uncertainty of how long they can stay together as a collective. Everyone focuses on “having the GOAT on the roster window.” But there is another window open. T1 has only one player on their main roster contracted to play after the 2023 year: Faker. The rest will be free agents after this season. What if it means only one more year with their prodigal top laner, their pillar of a jungler, and their bottom lane making the case for being the best in the region? And what if a championship is dependent on one more magical year from their mid laner?
A contract renewal that is celebrated as potentially the last of Faker’s illustrious career may just have ramifications the world doesn’t want to admit or acknowledge just yet. It’s a long-term vision that doesn’t align with their short-term hurdles and pain points.
When a king is ailing, the wolves smell blood. They plan their attack; they plan to overthrow. They won’t just look for the crown, they’ll look for the entire kingdom.