Recently, Weibo Gaming made a concerted effort and secured the last ticket to the 2023 World Championship (Worlds) after defeating Edward Gaming, featuring superstar Uzi. This achievement also provides several WBG players the opportunity to step onto the international stage after years of absence (TheShy, Crisp). Notably, Xiaohu marks his seventh appearance at the Worlds throughout his career.
However, following WBG’s achievement, host Thorin made a statement on Twitter. His post read: “Xiaohu is the kind of player that Faker fans think their idol is like” (original: Xiaohu is who Faker fans think he is). Immediately, the post sparked outrage among LCK fans and international Faker fans. Some provided blunt evidence: “Faker has defeated Xiaohu at MSI 2016, Worlds 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2022. Both have the same number of MSI titles, but Xiaohu has no Worlds championship”.
In fact, Xiaohu is quite a versatile player for solo lane positions (Top Lane, Mid Lane). Although his specialty is Mid Lane, Xiaohu has at times transitioned to Top Lane, especially when this position was strengthened through Riot’s patches, achieving considerable success.
Nevertheless, Xiaohu has yet to show a knack for international titles, especially at Worlds. Additionally, he has not often achieved good results when facing Faker, particularly in the playoffs of tournaments. Not to mention, Faker at Worlds 2022 (the last time Xiaohu lost to Faker) began transitioning to a playmaking role, having to give resources to his teammates. Meanwhile, Xiaohu has always been viewed as the key “carry” player at Royal Never Give Up and now Weibo Gaming.
Host Thorin is also well-known for his “controversial” statements or reverse predictions. Remember back in 2018, he claimed that Uzi would become the greatest League of Legends player of all time. As a result, after that prediction, Uzi’s career plummeted, and he retired early due to injury. Notably, that was also a “diminishing” comment about Faker and sparked a lot of controversies.
As for Faker, he has returned from injury and immediately helped T1 regain their victories. The potential for T1 to win titles and go to Worlds 2023 remains strong, and surely no team can underestimate Faker and his teammates, especially now that they have their strongest roster back.