Faker’s full name is Lee Sang Hyeok (이상혁), born on May 7, 1996. He is one of the greatest League of Legends players of all time. From the moment he entered the professional scene until he became a star, he has been with SKT T1 for 7 years. Through many ups and downs, Faker has remained with SKT, building his own empire, witnessing painful breakdowns and then rising again, together with SKT, to be reborn stronger than ever.
This is also the “standard” introduction to Faker that everyone often knows. Below is a special introduction that very few people might know.
The Record Holder of Collecting
While others are passionate about collecting stamps, antiques, and models, Faker from T1 has a passion for collecting trophies, kill counts, and MVP titles: 3 World Championship trophies (2013, 2015, 2016), 2 domestic OGN championships – the predecessor of LCK (summer 2013 and winter 2013-2014), 6 LCK domestic championships (LCK Spring 2015, LCK Summer 2015, LCK Spring 2016, LCK Spring 2017, LCK Spring 2019, LCK Summer 2019), 2 MSI regional championships (2016, 2017)…
Personal awards include MVP titles (Most Valuable Player) for two World Championship victories, MVP of the 2016 MSI championship, and MVP of annual regular seasons at LCK, with the number being too many to mention in this article.
As an experienced player in the scene, Faker has a kill count equal to the number of games he has played. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that this guy also holds the record for the most kills in the history of the tournament, being the first to reach 2000 kills at the beginning of 2020.
One of his most interesting collections is his collection of nicknames. Seven years in professional gaming have brought Faker countless nicknames such as “The Unbeatable Demon King”, “The Ghost King”, “The Messi of League of Legends”, “Broccoli”, “Our Hyeok”…
The Golden Face of Advertising
From the time he was a rookie to becoming a legend, the name Faker has never lost its charm among League of Legends fans. With a massive fanbase and huge influence, it’s no surprise that brands from both domestic and international markets seek him out.
As a result, Faker has uncovered a new talent besides “keyboard dancing”, which is acting.
Some brands in Korea and abroad that have featured Faker in promotions include:
World Cone Ice Cream with the slogan “Ice Cream of the World – represented by the best player in the world”. This is a national brand, so the characters that have previously advertised for this ice cream brand are all big names. For example, soccer player Son Heung Min (송흥민) or national MC Yoo Jae Suk (유재석).
Doritos Snacks, the face of representation in China with the slogan “Eat snacks, carry the team”.
Let me briefly present the way Faker performs the “carry the team” snack routine in the advertisement as follows. Take one, the opponent goes down a kill; take two, a gentle Doublekill; take three, one two three Triple; take four, a fully executed Quadra kill; wanting a Penta, just grab a fifth. And that’s how you carry the team.
The famous brand Razer with a set of mice and mechanical keyboards. “Using Razer products, skills like Faker” was the message conveyed in the advertisements during the years when Faker and the SKT team were representatives.
The Rising Star of Entertainment
Although famous for being calm, speaking little, and sometimes a bit “bland”, this doesn’t stop the “entertainment” spirit of Faker from suddenly bursting forth. Numerous times teammates, opponents, journalists, fans, and viewers of his personal streams have been taken aback by a sudden witty comment from this guy. Here are some typical quotes:
“You just need to not feed”. (in response to the question of how to get used to new champions, interview in 2013).
“Faker sounds like a negative name. But it’s cool” (quote from Legends Rising – produced by Riot in 2015).
“There’s no way anyone who faces me will get crushed by me. I just see them shining brightly every time they solo kill me…” (in response to doubts about stealing the spotlight from opponents due to his fame in 2016, interview produced by OGN).
“I think people rate me as number 1, but I still don’t think I’m that strong” (two-time World Champion, four-time domestic champion spoke in 2015).
“Thank you for cheering for us. But don’t cheer too hard, because we will be back anyway” (world champion predicting that he will win again, in 2015).
The Golden Boy of Singleness
As of January 2020, official information has confirmed that Faker, the legendary Demon King, is still “a flower that has not been owned by anyone”. He admitted he has never dated anyone in an interview. While many in the League of Legends scene are getting married or dating, Faker’s history remains clean and green.
Throughout his 7 years of professional play, Faker has hardly been involved in any dating rumors. The only exception is a beautiful former OGN MC – Cho Eun Jung. Faker himself, in his early twenties, admitted he admired and appreciated this female MC.
“She is a great editor. And I believe that, no matter what she tries her hand at in the future, she will still excel like that” – a person who is usually quiet, reserved, and less communicative with women like Faker has given such “glowing” compliments to MC Eun Jung.
Unfortunately, Cho Eun Jung, although very fond of and admired Faker, was also busy with her own work and study schedule, so the two had little time to get to know each other better. Later on, MC Eun Jung also left OGN, tried her hand at SBS television, and then quietly “retired from the game”, marrying actor So Ji Sub at the beginning of 2020.
The Idol of Idols
If a survey were conducted to see which idol in the professional LOL scene is most admired, it wouldn’t need a vote; everyone would know it’s Faker. His innate talent and heavenly charm have attracted the largest fanbase of both fans and opponents in history.
A small example of Faker’s appeal is that in international tournaments, most of the time, players from other countries want to run to T1’s room, ask for photos or autographs from Faker as soon as they get the chance…
Another case is right in the LCK tournament, where Faker’s opponent in the finals expressed, “I will definitely try to beat you. If I win, can I have your phone number?”
Revealing the Huge Contract and “Max Level” Spending Control Ability
In the MBC radio show Radio Star, Faker, as a guest, revealed some issues related to salary, which fans are very interested in. Specifically, he mentioned that his annual income is about 5 billion won (approximately 96 billion VND). In addition, the most expensive contract he confirmed was from China, with an offer of up to 100 billion won (about 1.92 trillion VND).
Despite having a massive fortune, Faker still maintains a very frugal spending habit. He rarely drinks, does not smoke, does not gamble, and does not spend on dating. According to his statements from about 2-3 years ago, despite earning billions, he spent no more than 10,000 KRW (200,000 VND) each month.
This may sound hard to believe, but it makes perfect sense when you consider that he has fully utilized available “resources”. For instance, eating in the dormitory, wearing team uniforms, company-paid phone bills…
One of Faker’s timeless quotes about spending is “I usually don’t drink soft drinks when eating out. Because soft drinks outside cost 2000 KRW while at convenience stores they only cost 1000 KRW”.