LPL fans are living in dreamy days as Chinese League of Legends teams have dominated international tournaments for the past two years. Although they missed out on the MSI 2019 championship, overall, LPL has completely outperformed their long-time rivals – LCK.
However, there is still one thing that the League of Legends community in China holds dear, as they have never experienced the feeling of having a truly great player – Greatness here is defined as perfection and possessing world-class status.
LPL once had Uzi. This marksman deserves to be the number one legend of League of Legends in China, but sadly, he never touched the most prestigious trophy of his career – the Summoner’s Cup. Uzi has ended his illustrious yet tumultuous career, and LPL has lost the only symbol that could be compared to Korea’s Faker.
Indeed, LPL has dominated the world in the past two years, but what makes their fans feel the most “inferior” is that these titles still bear the strong mark of Korean imports. Chinese fans always hold special affection for Doinb, Rookie, and TheShy, but they also impatiently await the day when a star that brings pride to China will emerge.
It is not Ning, Tian, or JackeyLove, but a name that has never stepped onto the podium is becoming the greatest hope of the Chinese fan community right now, that is Zhuo “Knight” Ding – the mid-laner of TOP Esports.
Knight is not a rookie; he has been competing for nearly three years, even though he is only 20 years old. Knight and Tian are the famous duo in the Chinese League of Legends scene, both originating from the Young Miracle training camp. However, while Tian has already reaped the rewards, Knight has yet to shine on the big stage. The only title he has achieved so far is the championship of the Mid-Season Cup LCK – LPL, after finishing as the runner-up in the LPL Spring 2020.
However, since the MSC, Knight’s name began to become a topic of discussion among League of Legends fans worldwide. TOP Esports claimed the championship in a tournament gathering the top 8 names in the world, with inspiration coming from Knight.
Earlier, in the LPL Spring 2020, this mid-laner was also the brightest performer, helping TES finish as the runner-up after defeating former champions Invictus Gaming in the semifinals.
Currently, Knight is regarded as the best mid-laner in LPL and even possibly the best in the world, especially as a super star like Doinb shows signs of being… out of meta, while Rookie, Faker, and Caps still lack consistency.
It has been a long time since China had a mid-laner reaching the world’s top level. Or to be more precise, they have never had one. Even Xiaohu – the player with the best record among local mid-laner stars, has never been placed on the same pedestal as legends like Faker, Pawn, or Dade…
In a recent discussion topic, the gaming community has made comparisons between the current Knight and the “perfect” version of Faker, specifically during the peak performance of the Demon King from 2013 to 2017. Many opinions from Chinese fans, and even from Korea, suggest that Knight is the mid-laner closest to Faker at his peak, and if TOP Esports can win the World Championship, the star born in 2000 may even surpass his senior:
– Watching Knight play LeBlanc, I can confidently say his skills rival those of Faker at his peak.
– This might sound a bit presumptuous, but if Knight wins LPL and the World Championship, then he would be on par with Faker.
– The only thing Knight lacks compared to Faker is the titles.
– Knight has everything needed to compete for a world championship: good form, skills at their peak, and especially, he plays alongside equally wonderful teammates.
Of course, Chinese fans also emphasize that comparing Knight to Faker is only within the realm of performance and display of each player in that season; in reality, Faker’s name has become a concept that no one can topple, at least in the near future.