[Caster Jun] What does it take to be a legend? They are the undisputed, best team in the world! Faker’s Shockwave, will find them all! The Unkillable Demon King, rebuilds his throne, with the skulls of his enemies! Faker! Form is temporary, Faker is forever! INAUGURAL INDUCTEE: Lee Sang-hyeok a.k.a. Faker MASTERY It is one of the five tenets of the Hall of Legends. It refers to how skilled one is at the game. Shall we take a look at Faker's resume? 10 x LCK Champion 2 x MSI Champion and 4 x World Champion. In reality, Faker was born different. Faker, who enjoyed gaming since a young age, mastered the game of LoL extremely quickly. Before my career, I didn’t play much ranked games because
I was too afraid. But after a while, I was unable to find matches in the normal game mode. That’s when I started regularly playing ranked games. At the age of 16, Faker became
the top ranked player in Korea. He joins SK Telecom as their rookie mid laner. The hype here in Korea, around this
SK Telecom team is immense. [SEONG K] Faker was facing Ambition
in his debut game. Ambition was one of the top three Korean mid laners. I was commentating back then. I can remember it clearly. Woah, woah, Ambition! What? Faker - just executes
Ambition in the mid lane. [Caster Jun] If it was just any mid laner, it would have been less astonishing, but it was THE Ambition. [SEONG K] Ambition's Kha'Zix started evolving at that moment. It was such a short moment of time, but Faker decided to take advantage of it. His confidence was very impressive. It was a surprising moment for many people. [Ambition] I still remember my anger back then. It was that impressive. Oh, there’s something that I tell
people all the time, and people think I’m joking. Faker’s 3000th kill, 4000th kill, 5000th kill... No one will remember it. But people remember his first kill. Yeah, me. Thanks for killing me first, Faker. Please give me a shoutout one day. [Faker] I am glad to see Ambition mentioning this memory in such a fun way. It makes me happy. [Caster Jun] Faker, after a momentous debut taking down the one and only Ambition, moved forward head-on with incredible momentum. Faker, oh he gets a Charm onto Mata
and he lights him out! They’re not done yet, Impact has to dash away. Faker with the chains, he’s going
to go in and assassinate Elise! These are some of the most impressive LeBlanc
plays I have ever seen DoA. Oh Faker may be in trouble here Death Mark tries to clean it up for Ryu! Oh look at the Cleanse, look at the moves FAKER! WHAT WAS THAT? There’s just no way you could encapsulate every iota of what just happened in
front of me when I was casting that. I can’t believe I just saw that! He actually won that duel! And that play, that game, is what put Faker
and to a large part, Korean League of Legends, on the map. Look at the moves, Faker! WHAT WAS THAT? [Ryu] Oh, this is a dark moment in history for me. I think Faker did really well in that play. I accept it. We’ve got to introduce you guys to Faker
if you haven’t seen him already. He might be just the best mid laner in the world. Keep that farm going on, Reginald
putting some pressure down, but Faker actually turning him down,
a lot of damage. Reginald goes aggressive, uses his ultimate! He’s gonna get caught out, Faker gets him down! [Hai] If we play against Faker? I’m either going to get dumpstered mid
and then learn something new, or I will do fine and still
learn something new. [mancloud] Faker just takes lanes that might not be as one-sided as people think and he just dominates them. They are going to fall one after the other
in the, “I think I can mentality” No! Inhibitor turret in 12 minutes! [Doublelift] Cool was like,
“Faker senpai, please, no, stop!” And Faker was like, “I am not human, I am a robot programmed to play mid perfectly.” [Cool] Unkillable Demon King. [Caster Jun] Unkillable Demon King. Has there ever been a rookie player with this much of an impressive debut year? [Impact] We were over the moon back then. Looking back now, I realize how well he knew the game, he was about 5 to 6 years ahead of everyone else. They will be the Season 3 World Champions, here at the Staples Center! [Caster Jun] The word “mastery” is not only befitting to Faker now, but also 11 years ago when he debuted. 2013, Faker's era begins. CREATIVITY [Kobe] Creativity to me, in League of Legends, is using tools that other players are not using, to defeat what is currently the
most popular and “meta” strategies. [Phreak] So Faker has played 83 unique champions, more than any other mid laner in pro play. This man plays basically everything, and considering there's a bunch of champs
that will just not be viable mid laners, he's played most of any conceivable
mid laner, period. And the fact that he's often been the first to do it. To be the one to be like this is
what we're playing now, and you're all just going to keep up with me, it's just really impressive. I don't know if this is a mid Rumble or
if it's going to be a mid Irelia. Look at GorillA on your screen right now,
he looks a bit confused. [kkOma] For opponents, it must have been hard to predict Faker. I don’t know if this is the right way to describe it, but I guess his opponents felt hopeless. I don't know which one of these
Faker is going to play. I would suspect this is a mid Irelia. [Smeb] Mid Irelia! [Kuro] Is he crazy? Wolf comes in, there's a four man Pulverize. Kuro knocked back into the play, and Faker takes him out. Well Bang actually gets a kill, and Faker, double kill! Getting those resets. [Kuro] It was a pick that was not possible at the time. So I was caught off guard. [Faker] I think back then, those picks just regularly popped out in my daily life. [Wolf] He was super passionate about the game, he talked about the game even while eating, and even on vacation, he would stay in and play instead of hanging out. Faker can play anything. Wow, it's Master Yi. Faker, that’s got to be Faker playing the Master Yi. Here comes Ambition, they're going
to turn on to him though. Faker gets the damage. Not quite enough because of the Position Reverser. No! He does get enough, he gets a double kill. Wolf coming in, double six, they get the flash from Nagne. Faker comes in, he's got the... [Kobe] At this time in history, this was
truly Faker god status. Just styling on people, picking these champions that no one else played. Champion Summer for his team, SK Telecom. 3-0 in the Spring Season. 3-0 in the Summer Season. This is the year of SKT. [Ryu] Honestly at that time, what ever Faker played became the meta. [Kuro] When you play in ways that others
didn’t think of, or create situations that shouldn’t be possible, I think those types of players are creative. Flashes were blown in the mid lane as well. It looks like Faker and Kuro went hard, so there's no flash for this. Hojin in a real bad situation, Faker takes him down 2v1. He's going bot lane now. Just going into the river brush,
but it’s going to be... Oh my god. Getting dropped immediately, how did he think
he could take that fight. [Vedius] He's probably the most creative
player in the world. There are multiple plays throughout Faker's career where you probably wouldn't be able to practice it, and it wouldn't surprise me if he sat there and told you,
“That's the first time I've ever done that.” They do see Faker. And the Cocoon is not going to land though, so can they get anything else? The flash chase, it's Smeb, on to his face looking
for a little bit more. And he's not going to go down! Faker, with just the Ghost gets away with it. [Kuro] Faker was always with T1. And T1 was always so strong,
so we could never let our guard down. [Phreak] He’s an innovator. Seeing the kind of things he can with the tools that we put in the game? It makes us happy to be like, “Oh wow this guy can do that? Ok, that's cool." Please join me in welcoming, your finalists for the 2016 League of Legends World Championship! [Ambition] Faker was best at the time
at utilizing the jungler. Everyone used to call Bengi, his jungler,
the shadow of Faker. It was like he was always behind Faker. I tried catching his bluff, but Bengi was actually there for him. Faker uses his third Summoner's spell, Bengi,
to get revenge! [Ruler] During the game, he was very
difficult to kill. He would take over the game if we played normally. Things like that made me scared,
and he felt like a wall to me. [Kobe] If you make one mistake, then they will take that mistake and find a way to take the game
away from you. SK Telecom have overcome every challenge. They are the undisputed best team in the world. The SKT reign continues, they win their
third World Championship. [Kobe] This era of Faker felt truly unstoppable. RESILIENCE [Bang] I think I get it. I think I get what people want to say when they say that
Faker is a robot born to play the game. As a former pro, I think that's
more of a compliment. But the Faker I know is far from that. [Jeesun Park] SKT were unstoppable back then,
and it was like the Worlds trophy had their name on it already. They were a dominant team. So as a newcomer to the scene, I was like, "No doubt, SKT are going to do it again.” [Atlus] I came halfway through 2017, which was, SKT continuing to be dominant, but some upstart teams making their way through. And right at the end of my very first year, that was when Faker’s downfall started. [Ruler] I saw the angle. So I went in. The flash ult! They’ve caught Faker! They’ve got a CC! The mid laner is down, the Unkillable Demon King is done through! The SKT dynasty is over! All hail the new kings! [Bang] Seeing Faker cry like that. It was my first time. I was there right next to him. He wasn't just crying, he was... wailing. Watching a teammate express that much sadness
was devastating. [Faker’s father] I cried then too. How can a parent not cry when your child is crying? [kkOma] Back then, the players... They were grinding tirelessly. It must have been extremely tough for them. It was for me too. Back then, the expectation for T1 was
at bare minimum a championship. And even when we won, people were asking why we couldn't win
in a better fashion. That was the expectation. This kind of pressure must have been crushing for the players. [Faker’s father] After the loss at Worlds 2017 Finals, Sang-hyeok went through tough times for
two to three years. Everyone at the arena,
and you in the chat were there, when the dream died for SK Telecom T1. And the Korea curse when it comes to SKT making it to a domestic World Championship does extend from 2014 to 2018. [Faker] In 2018 many players left the team, so I was with new teammates. At that time we were not functioning very well. I faced difficulty in winning
no matter how hard I tried, it was a some what frustrating year. The LPL has never won before, but that
will change today. The crownless are finally king. [Drakos] The T1 dynasty, was probably
for the first time, one of the only times really out of the picture. They just weren't the first team you brought up. They weren't the first team that you talked about. This is it! The greatest team in the history of League of Legends taken down by the greatest team Europe has ever produced. [Caps] He was just the mid laner. The guy to beat. I also had been watching him for so many years so to come out on top there, we were just overjoyed. Gen.G will be making it to the World Championship
of 2020. T1, we will not be seeing them at Worlds. [Caster Jun] There were sayings that the sun was setting on Faker’s era. That it isn’t just a slump, he is being aged out. [Atlus] So we're looking at these new players,
and Chovy comes in with his 150 KDA. And then ShowMaker comes through with all of his ridiculous plays. [Drakos] Damn old legends and old legacies. Goodbye Faker, Goodbye T1. Hello Damwon and ShowMaker. [ShowMaker] It was an incredible honor. He is an idol to all pro players. To be compared to him was an incredible honor. [kkOma] Once the match ended, he came up to me... and told me, “Great job, sincerely.” I think it's hard to put into words the
feeling I had at that moment. [Drakos] And it has to be bittersweet for kkOma, taking out a former comrade. [SEONG K] Faker is in a tough position. He can’t only be good at the game, he must be good at other things as well. He has to lead his team. As a symbol, he is not allowed to be unstable. He isn't allowed to give bad performances. Non-stop. 11 years and on. Doesn’t that sound suffocating? [Faker] In 2021, I had a very strong ego and thoughts on how the game should be played. I acted based on my personal experience and knowledge. But now I have become more objective and open-minded and have become more flexible and mature. [Bang] He was resilient and became a champion again. I think that's very admirable as a person. Resilience means to endure, or to withstand, but rather than enduring and fighting against it when difficult times come, I think finding knowledge and truth from it and riding with the tides is more important. TEAMWORK [Gumayusi] Faker has had many teammates
throughout his 11-year career. But I think we are his best? [Caster Jun] In 2022, with Zeus
joining the main roster, Zeus, Oner, Faker, Gumayusi, Keria, better known as
ZOFGK is finally completed. ZOFGK, they immediately achieve the unthinkable:
An undefeated Spring Championship. This team is working like a well-oiled machine. 18-0 for the first time in the LCK. Unprecedented from this T1 roster. T1 are your Spring 2022 victors! [Caedrel] I would say that the number one thing that Faker probably got from all of these rookies joining is an energy boost. When you're sitting there and you have
these bubbly personalities, maybe it fueled him a bit, maybe it gave
him a second wind. [Faker’s father] They were all much younger than he was but he knew exactly what to do in that position of being the big brother. [Gumayusi] When we are nervous, Faker often says to you, “Don't be nervous, it's just another match.
Just play like how you did during scrims.” This definitely helps because the
person who says it is Faker. [Dash] One more time, San Francisco,
it's DRX and T1. No Lee Sin around means no attempt at a Smite steal. The baron, still at 3000 HP. The Smite? No way in the world! T1 are on match point! I cannot believe it. Hostile Takover over the wall, Wish from Soraka
will heal the mid laner, but Maokai! DRX, are taking us, to Game 5! I’m looking! Cancel the base! Just buy us 20 seconds! 20 seconds! TP! I’ll try to push. I think I’m dead. Azir is base. You gotta get him. I am dead. Unlucky guys. We did well. It’s okay guys. Unlucky guys. [Faker’s father] Honestly, I thought about Sang-hyeok when I saw Min-seok crying. It resembled the Sang-hyeok of 2017 so much. I felt just how badly, even desperately,
he wanted to win. [Gumayusi] For us young players, it was our first
Finals at Worlds. Whilst Faker had won before and also had been to the Finals multiple times, so I think he looked at us first, empathizing with us. [Faker] I was checking if the players were okay. It was quite a pity to lose at the Finals. However, I tried to look ahead to next year. I thought about that and focused on
taking care of our players. Since the beginning of 2023 Summer, I felt numbness and tingling sensations in my arm. I was checking to see if was temporary,
and kept playing. It got worse, so I finally decided to take a break to be ready for Worlds. Faker did get injured, they are on a four loss streak. [Caster Jun] The impact of the absence of a single person, Faker. Injured due to the prolonged use of his wrist from his long career. He just needed a break while under going treatment. But the impact it had on T1... It was not the T1 that I knew. [Faker] I thought the best thing I could
do at the time was to think more positively about my injury. I thought that as long as I come back,
we will be able to qualify to Worlds. After 31 days of being out, Faker makes his return to the LCK. And Guma's also there. [Gumayusi] After Faker returned, we joked around and laughed saying that we are going to win again from now on. And T1 qualify for the World Championship! [Wolf] When I see Faker nowadays,
he feels like a big brother figure. He's the center and leader of the team. so I think that he has matured as an individual too, and he has this 'big brother' aura around him, even from my point of view. [Faker] Through the tough times, I believe we could grow more. I thought about it positively. IMPACT [Sjokz] Back 2013 is really where we witnessed
the beginning of the legacy that Faker was about to build,
even though we did not know that it was unfolding
right before our eyes. By the time we arrived in 2023,
Faker has already become an absolute legend and icon. He's proven anything
and everything that he needs to prove. But there was that lingering question
if he was ever going to win a World Championship again. And the biggest chance offered itself up the World Championship
was being held in South Korea, something Faker had never been able
to qualify before. This time he made it. [Azael] I think there was so much pressure on him to be able to succeed and
on the Korean teams to succeed this year. JDG, on their way to the Golden Road,
they had won Spring, they had won MSI, they had won Summer and they were coming into Worlds as the heavy favorites. T1 also lost to both LPL representatives at MSI. They lost to Gen.G in Summer. People just didn't think they could do it. But lo and behold, when Quarterfinals
came around, all of a sudden T1 is the lone representative alive from the LCK. [Sjokz] For T1 the task ahead of them
is absolutely monumental. Only LPL team starting with LNG today
and if you get through that well then you get to play JDG so it's
just insane. [Faker] I knew it would not be easy. But we were working hard. And throughout Worlds, I saw our
performance steadily increasing. So I thought that we could do it. Both sides squaring up with the big
ol’ golem here, flash in wall-bang First Blood! Oner living up to his name! Counter punch coming in from Guma,
using the ult to stop the play in it’s tracks GALA continuing to step up, desperate to get a little bit more here
but has to be careful the mark now coming through. It’s good damage.
Guma wants to finish it! And he gets it! And even as every other LCK team
falls away, Faker stays standing, T1 stay standing! The last light of the LCK burns bright, as they head to the Semifinals. 20 seconds it’s JDG who are favored, not quite enough members in the mid lane
T1 just need to weather the storm. [Faker] I saw the angle. So I took it. TP coming in, Faker looking to
make the flank against Ruler! Oner goes in! And again the combos are clean! The Hostile Takeover, is damn well hostile! [Atlus] We get goosebumps watching
League of Legends plays, I think Faker’s responsible for like
8 out of the top 10, and that’s pretty close to the top for me. It is T1 versus the LPL, and they like those odds! [Caster Jun] Are you ready, for the Finals? There is the ultimate from TheShy, but it just doesn’t quite do enough. They try and get out but Faker has
the perfect execution, and locks down his fellow ninja! Xiaohu now taking a whole lot of damage,
and Faker is in the shroud, he’s toying with him, it’s a double kill as he backflips away, and back in again it’s a triple! It was seven years since their last, a decade since their first, the SKT legacy has been reignited T1 will be your 2023 World Champions! [Caster Jun] A Chinese publication called Bong Joon-ho,
BTS, Kim Yuna, Son Heung-min and Faker, "The Big 5 Korean National Treasures". And an American publication called Son Heung-min, BTS, Bong Joon-ho and Faker, "South Korean Elite 4". He's no longer just a player in a discipline, nor a certain sport. He is beyond that. [Sjokz] And looking back I think, League of Legends esports and Faker, they needed each other in a way. There was a platform given by League of Legends, going professional and having all these leagues, and then there was one person who stood up and said, “I will be that icon for you.” [Drakos] Every single person who wants
to be great at something isn’t reading a book about a fictional character, they’re looking up to an actual human being. That is the reason that so many people play, because of this single human being. [Caps] He’s just the final boss of League of Legends. [Zeyuan] Faker is the highest mountain and the longest river in League of Legends. He possesses a glory akin to Mount Everest. Others may find it hard to reach his level of glory. I've been a commentator for more than ten years. Looking back, his pro career is even longer than mine. And he has never stopped moving forward. [Ruler] I want to walk the same road
that Faker is walking. Someday, even if I'm not right beside him, I want to be one of the players
right behind Faker. [ShowMaker] In life, there are uphills
and there are downhills. What is amazing about Faker
is that he did not give up to get back to the top. [Bdd] I've also been playing for a while
and it feels like the longer I play,
the more hardships arrive. Faker has been playing even longer than me
and it's very admirable. I've realized that if you work hard,
you can climb to the top one day and it motivated me to work harder. [Xiye] He sets a good example for us professional players. His consistency over the last decade is hugely motivating for us long-time players. [Levi] I can't picture the day when people talk about League of Legends without mentioning Faker. I believe it’s something people can only imagine, and it would be hard to accept that day ever coming. It's like a day no one would ever want to see. [SEONG K] He is Mr. LoL. He indeed is. Would Sir LoL be more appropriate? [Marc Merrill] Brandon and I, as PC gamers, always looked up to games that were truly sports, that we loved to watch and that other people loved to really compete with. The thought of being able to create
something that would, earn the fandom and the opportunity in esport was a true dream. And Faker is the face of the sport. He is the ultimate personification of the things that make League great. [Aiden Lee] If I were to describe Faker
in one word it would be: A pine tree. This maybe cliche, but whether it rains or snows or time passes, no matter the hardship, he is never-changing. And this is Faker, Lee Sang-hyeok. [Naz Aletaha] Just the impact, I think that he’s had, on this game, on this sport, it is unlike anything that esports,
broadly has ever seen. And so we are incredibly grateful for his contribution and what he has done and how
he’s carried this game to new heights. So congratulations Faker, on this very deserved honor. [Caster Jun] The first inductee into
the Hall of Legends, Faker, Lee Sang-hyeok. Congratulations, sincerely. [Gumayusi] I know you are not the type
to be satisfied just yet, I hope we can do well together this year and beyond. [Khan] I heard that you were the first inductee
into the Hall of Legends. This sends the message that before any other legends, there was Faker. I'm very envi... envious, yeah. Maybe if I played longer, I would have made it. [Bang] Congratulations to Sang-hyeok,
for being inducted into the Hall of Legends. Although I know it is very obvious. [Wolf] I think that it's obvious that he should be
the first inductee, and I think he will make even more legendary moments
in the future. He is the perfect fit, so I want to congratulate him. I hope that he keeps going, for at least 7 to 8 more years. [Keria] Congratulations, Faker, and I think that the first player to be
inducted should be none other than Faker. I hope you keep playing for a long time, filling the fans' hearts with happiness. [Ambition] Sang-hyeok, you have been so cool.
Keep being cool in the future. Congratulations for entering the Hall of Legends! Maybe I can go next? [Jeesun Park] You've given so much positive
influence to people, so I hope you have a happy
and healthy life in return. Congratulations! [Faker’s father] Congratulations, my son. This will also be a heavy burden for you. That’s what follows being the first. Just know that there are
many people that are supporting you. Keep doing your best and give back to those that are supporting you.
Congratulations. [kkOma] I don't think there is someone more deserving to be the first inductee into the Hall of Legends than Faker. For there to be no one else more fitting
for this title makes me also think about how tough it must have been for him over his long career. And thinking of that makes my heart ache. But you perservered and overcame it all and that's what makes Faker, Faker. Congratulations
from the bottom of my heart. [Faker] As I'm entering the Hall of Legends
as the first inductee, I'm so touched and thankful to receive
congratulatory messages from so many people. I’m grateful for all the support
from the fans and also my teammates, who all helped me
arrive where I am today. Even more than being inducted into the Hall of Legends, your support is what I cherish the most. I hope there are many players in the future that surpass me and completely fill up the Hall of Legends. Thank you very much, and I'll keep working hard. The undisputed, best team in the world! Faker’s Shockwave, will find them all! The Unkillable Demon King, rebuilds his throne, with the skulls of his enemies! Give it up! For, Faker! Form is temporary, Faker, is forever! [Caster Jun] What does it take to be a legend?
