As the greatest star in professional League of Legends, it’s no surprise that Faker’s name is used as a benchmark to compare or evaluate other players and stars. In fact, being nicknamed after Faker is considered a point of pride for the player, such as “Baby Faker” G2 Caps.
However, despite having been given the nicknames “Faker this, Faker that” by the League of Legends community, at this point, only one individual is at the peak of their form and has a chance to win the 2020 World Championship.
Here are the individuals who have been associated with names that compare to Faker:
“North American Faker” – TSM Bjergsen
Once one of the first players in League of Legends to be dubbed “Faker” by the community, Bjergsen was once the number one mid-laner in the West. However, currently, with his performance being less than stellar, many are questioning his position as the number one in North America, let alone the West.
In the past, Bjergsen dominated North America with Team SoloMid, winning multiple LCS championships in a roster where he and Doublelift were the two stars of the league. The departure of Doublelift caused Team SoloMid to plummet in the LCS, and although Doublelift has returned, the team has yet to defeat Cloud9, the undefeated reigning champion in the LCS.
Currently, Bjergsen is working hard with Team SoloMid to return to the international stage after years of absence. Many believe that the main reason for Bjergsen’s decline in performance is due to internal drama within Team SoloMid, while others say it’s simply due to Bjergsen himself.
“TFT Faker” – TSM Keane
The only one on this list who is no longer competing in professional League of Legends, Keane has impressive skills in Teamfight Tactics (TFT), where he is called the “Faker of TFT” by the community. Since TFT doesn’t have many major tournaments yet, Keane doesn’t have many opportunities to compete, but at least he has pocketed an international championship in Season 2. Currently, Keane is a streamer for Team SoloMid, casually “playing chess while sipping tea”. His fans hope that Riot Games will introduce more TFT tournaments so Keane can have a stage to play on and fans will have a place to watch.
“Faker of Heroes of the Storm” – DYN Rich
In the past, Rich was a professional player who won multiple world championships in Heroes of the Storm (HotS), earning the nickname “Faker of Heroes of the Storm” from Korean fans. Therefore, the community was quite surprised when Rich, standing at the peak of glory, suddenly transitioned to playing League of Legends. Currently, he is playing top lane for Team Dynamics in the LCK, a newly promoted team that is performing much better than long-established teams like Hanwha Life Esports, KT Rolster, and others. Surprisingly, Rich managed to defeat both Faker and T1 in their first encounter in the LCK:
“Baby Faker” – G2 Caps
Caps’ past is intertwined with championships in Europe, from the LCS to LEC, his name is well-known. Rising to the top of European League of Legends at the age of 17-18, this young talent earned the endearing nickname “Baby Faker” from the community. Among his two most notable achievements is winning MSI 2019 and being the runner-up at Worlds 2019 in his first year with G2 Esports.
By spring 2020, Caps still claimed the championship with G2 Esports even after switching from mid-lane to play as an AD carry. Currently, G2 is on a “temporary break” as Perkz needs some time off following family issues, while Caps is temporarily playing mid-lane waiting for Perkz to return. However, since MSI 2020 was canceled due to the pandemic, all of Europe is eagerly awaiting Caps and G2 Esports’ performance at the 2020 World Championship.
Nevertheless, with the rise of Chinese teams, G2 Esports will find it challenging to compete for the number one spot in the world.
“Faker Season 3” – TES knight
Although he has performed excellently since arriving in the LPL, knight did not have many notable achievements at that time. It wasn’t until this year, when knight had several teammates with similar skills, that he finally got the chance to showcase his talent. Among those two stars from Top Esports are the “Taiwanese jungle god” – Karsa and the superstar AD carry JackeyLove. With the addition of these two members, Top Esports transformed from a tier 2 LPL team to one of the strongest teams in the world. Recently, knight has been called “Faker Season 3” by the community due to his insane skills, reminiscent of the Season 3 World Champion.
At the end of May, knight and Top Esports recently decimated the reigning world champions, FunPlus Phoenix, to claim victory at the Mid-Season Cup 2020. Currently, knight is showcasing an incredible performance in the LPL with 8 consecutive wins. In total, TES and knight have played 18 games, out of which knight has purchased Mejai’s Soulstealer in 13 games, highlighting his confidence and overwhelming power over the rest of the LPL. LPL fans believe that by the end of this year, knight will lift the championship trophy at the 2020 World Championship.