It would be redundant to reiterate Faker’s influence and reputation in the League of Legends scene and the global Esports community. Since debuting in the colors of SKT T1 until now, no League of Legends player has won more World Championship titles than Faker. Alongside that, no one else has an influence as profound as the “Chairman”.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that Faker has the most powerful fanbase in the League of Legends community. It’s not hard to hear many players, both in the LCK and the fierce rival LPL, calling themselves “hardcore fans” of Faker. Many take Faker as a role model or express admiration for the “Demon King”, even those players who have just been defeated by T1.
At MSI 2022 this time, League of Legends fans were thrilled as the annual international tournament unexpectedly turned into a “Faker fan meeting”. Kicking things off was Jankos – the leader of the “national circus” G2 Esports. Specifically, when discovering that G2 and T1 were on the same floor, the G2 jungler was incredibly excited and joked: “T1 is on the same floor as us. Same floor! So, basically, I slept with Faker then. Not in the same bed or room, but on the same floor, so I can consider it as sleeping next to Faker.”
Not stopping there, Jankos praised the “Chairman” to the skies, asserting that Faker exudes a glow: “You can feel him. It’s like you know he’s there. Truly a ‘Demon King’. He is the main character. The atmosphere changes immediately when Faker appears.”
Besides Jankos, veteran Evi from DetonatioN FocusMe also encountered Faker while riding the elevator. And needless to say, the player regarded as a legend of the LJL also agreed with Jankos’s opinion: “Faker’s aura is truly amazing. I usually don’t believe in this aura stuff. But Faker really has an aura. I can feel it. When he walked out, he even greeted me.”
Besides the two veterans Jankos and Evi, there were also names like TitaN from Red Canids and Puma from ORDER who were thrilled to meet Faker. But it should be noted that for teams in smaller regions, attending MSI 2022 and meeting Faker, even having the chance to face off against the “Demon King” is undoubtedly an experience that any player would want to have at least once.
But even if it’s a “fan meeting”, these teams will surely try their best if they face T1. Faker himself will have to give it his all if he wants to bring home the first international title after several seasons of being empty-handed in these arenas.