Not long ago, during the final matches of the first round of the LCK Spring 2020, Faker achieved a historic milestone in his career by reaching 2000 kills since he began competing in the prestigious League of Legends tournament in South Korea. He is also the only player from Korea to reach this milestone; however, it is unfortunate for Faker that T1 lost to Afreeca Freecs in a comeback, 2-1, leaving his joyous moment incomplete.
Nonetheless, this remains a historic milestone in Faker’s competitive career, an undeniable mark of his legacy in the history of League of Legends worldwide. However, the DOTA2 community thinks differently; while the number 2000 kills may be significant and challenging in League of Legends, for DOTA2 fans, it seems rather trivial.
As soon as the news broke that Faker had reached 2000 kills, DOTA2 analyst Noxville tweeted the kill records of players in this game along with a strong jab – “He needs to work harder to catch up with Resolut1on.”
There are many reasons why DOTA2 players have such high kill counts. First is the nature of the game; DOTA2 features a lot of fighting, especially in the laning phase, where both sides can clash at any moment, sometimes just over a creep. Furthermore, the number of tournaments in DOTA2 is significantly higher compared to League of Legends, making it quite normal for a player to participate in over 10 tournaments in a year, which naturally increases their kill counts.
Meanwhile, in League of Legends, a professional player typically participates in an average of 2 domestic tournaments a year. If you are on a top team like Faker’s, you will also participate in both the MSI and the World Championship; in addition, the format of international tournaments in League of Legends is usually single-elimination in the playoffs, lacking the winner’s and loser’s brackets like in DOTA2, leading to significantly fewer matches and thus fewer kills.
Not to mention that League of Legends always emphasizes control and features very few skirmishes, especially in Korea, in an environment that prioritizes skillful movement and avoiding fights, the fact that Faker has still achieved 2000 kills is already a remarkable number. Perhaps every comparison is flawed; it is not surprising that DOTA2 players have more kills in a competitive environment that emphasizes continuous fighting.
However, one thing is certain: the number of kills for the “Demon King” will not increase in the near future as the second round of the LCK is currently postponed due to a certain well-known virus.
