For the Esports community in general and League of Legends in particular, the Hangzhou Asian Games will likely always be the most special Asian Games. This is because it is no longer limited to the realm of Esports; the event also attracts attention from “outsiders” or international League of Legends viewers, not just those from Asia. In fact, the Gold Medal from the Korean LoL players has even drawn interest and controversy from K-pop fans.
Korean League of Legends players are, of course, the biggest beneficiaries of this tournament as they have truly helped affirm the status of Korean LoL on the continent. Alongside the collective achievements they have earned, we cannot overlook the individual accomplishments of the players. Among them, Ruler – the top-performing player for the Korean team and JD Gaming – is becoming the name that is mentioned the most.
With the Asian Games Gold Medal, Ruler has become the first and only player in League of Legends history to collect all the most prestigious official titles that a LoL player can achieve. Specifically, Ruler has been a champion in the LCK, LPL, MSI, World Championship, and most recently, the Asian Games. If Ruler can finish Worlds 2023 successfully, he will be the first player to achieve a Grand Slam title (collecting all titles within one calendar year of the LoL scene). Notably, Ruler’s achievements have occurred in just his first year playing in the LPL.
And surely, Ruler’s achievements will be hard to surpass in the near future. Not only regarding the “Grand Slam title,” but even Faker will also have to bow out as he may never transition to the LPL to win this tournament in his entire career. Considering the players who have had a similar collection of titles to Ruler, they did not have the Asian Games Gold Medal in their first experience of Esports being recognized as a mainstream sport.
Of course, in terms of influence and greatness in the League of Legends community, Faker will always be the G.O.A.T, now and forever. But if we are to find a player great enough to be the “second G.O.A.T,” it would likely be no one other than Ruler. And Ruler’s potential championship at Worlds 2023 (if it happens) will be a strong exclamation point, affirming that another great icon of the League of Legends scene has emerged.