The Grind & The Glory: An Esports Miracle
- ejorigin
- Mar 17, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 27, 2025
Written by: Skyler Chong (24-U2)
Designed by: Tan Kai Rui (24-I1)
What is a legend?
What does it take to make a legend? Is it the accolades? Is it silverware? Or is there more to it? Among all of those great players, one man stands above them all, Lee “Faker” Sang-Hyeok. He is undoubtedly the king of League of Legends, a popular Multiplayer Online Battle Arena(MOBA) game created by Riot Games. His mere presence, as well as the presence of his team, T1. attracts generations of audience to watch their games, showcasing just how big of a figure he is in the industry. While many Esports and even sports actually have many contentious candidates for the title of the GOAT, Faker stands alone as the clear holder of the title in League Of Legends. This is his story.
Faker’s trophy case
As the GOAT of any sport, it is to be expected that you have a stacked resume. Faker is no exception. In fact, to even be able to get close to the number of trophies he’s had would be difficult. His list of tournament wins include:
10 X League of Legends Champions Korea(LCK) Champion
2 X Mid-Season Invitational(MSI) Champion
1 X Asian Games Champion
4 X World Champion
Beginning Success
Between the span of time from his debut in 2013 to 2017, Faker had amassed an incredible trophy case, with 3 Worlds titles along with 6 LCK titles and 2 MSI trophies. His trophy case, his skill level, and his consistency solidified his legacy as the best League Of Legends player already at that time, and his team was in the history books as the greatest team ever, being the only team to win 2 Worlds titles back-to-back.
Knocked down
The Grand Finals of Worlds was the day the greatest dynasty in League history crumbled, where they got swept 3-0 in a one-sided affair against fellow Korean team Samsung Galaxy Gaming. Right after the match, Faker held his head in his hands and cried, showing how much it affected him.
If many fans hoped they would bounce back next year, they ended up disappointed. The team failed to qualify for Worlds in 2018, and it looked doomed for SKT T1’s dynasty.
Finding the pieces
In 2019, T1 had constructed what many thought to be a super team, that team fell short in both MSI and Worlds, losing in the Semi Finals both times to Europe's G2 esports. In 2020, while finding initial success with a few rookies in the lineup alongside Faker which led them to one LCK title, they were unable to sustain their performance. Eventually they did not make it to Worlds that year as well. In 2021, Faker and his young squad of rookies managed to make it to Worlds and even made it all the way to the Semi Finals. But it was there where they got knocked out by reigning World Champions Damwon Kia in a close 3-2 series. While it was still a loss, their strong performance showed high potential for the young core of T1 led by the veteran Faker.
ZOFGK is born
Coming into 2022, T1 only made one roster change, which was to bring up their academy top laner Choi “Zeus” Woo Je. With Zeus, Moon “Oner” Hyeon-Jun, Faker, Lee “Gumayusi” Min-Hyeong and Ryu “Keria” Min-Seok, the 5-man core of ZOFGK was complete. In Spring, they completely dominated, going 18-0 in the double round-robin, marking the first undefeated regular season since format changes in the LCK. They would go on to win the LCK title, and looked like the strongest team in the world, and the clear favourite to win MSI.
Finals Curse
While being viewed as a heavy favourite in MSI, T1’s performance looked somewhat weaker than their LCK form. Nevertheless, they were still considered one of the strongest teams at the tournament. They would make it to the Grand Finals, where in the crucial Game 5, T1 looked simply outmatched, and lost to China’s Royal Never Give Up(RNG), marking the start of the Finals curse.
Going into the World Championship, people were unsure of how strong T1 would be, but T1 proved their worth, ending the Group Stage in 1st place. They would sweep RNG 3-0 in the Quarter Finals, and overcome China’s Jing Dong Gaming(JDG) 3-1 in the semis. In the Finals against Korean team DRX, T1 were considered heavy favourites. For Faker and T1, this would mean a return to the throne, a return to glory. Alas, they lost once again in a crucial Game 5, leaving the younger members of T1 in tears.
In 2023 LCK Spring, T1 placed first in the regular season, but in the playoffs, they fell short once again in the Grand Finals against Gen. G. In MSI, they displayed a lacklustre performance, losing Game 5 to JDG in the Upper Bracket Finals, and bombed out of MSI by losing to China’s Bilibili Gaming(BLG) in the Lower Bracket Finals. For a team that was so good, it was hard to believe that they kept losing in the big matches. This would take a huge toll on their mentality, and the T1 players looked exhausted and defeated. However, something worse would happen…
Injury and Break
In LCK Summer 2023, Faker experienced discomfort in his wrist and had to get checked by a doctor. It was decided that Faker would take a break for the time being. T1 subbed in academy mid laner Poby to take his place, but the team looked lost without Faker. They were making weird decisions, and often did not look like their usual selves. After an abysmal 1-7 match record, Faker decided to sub back in right before playoffs started. With Faker back in the lineup, the team looked rejuvenated and fired on all cylinders heading into playoffs. They made it all the way to the Grand Finals where they would lose again to Gen. G but they qualified for the World Championship. For a team that looked lost without a veteran star who was past his mechanical prime and was entering his tenth year, it showcased just how valuable Faker was as a piece to this team. His shotcalling, his experience all amount to the team’s success, giving them the confidence to perform.
The Grind & The Glory
Coming into the World Championship, many believed they would not be able to overcome the strength of the best teams in the world, including the strongest of them all, JDG, the team who was on the way to the Golden Road, having won Spring, Summer, MSI, and only missing the Worlds trophy to complete the perfect year. T1’s initial performance looked shaky after a somewhat unstable performance against North America’s Team Liquid and a loss against Gen. G. Everyone thought T1 would crack and the team would disband amongst many rumours that this World Championship was their last together. However, they bounced back, and in a huge way as well. They took down North America’s Cloud 9 and BLG in epicly dominant fashion to end the Swiss stage with a game record of 3-1, advancing to the Quarter Finals. Their Quarter Finals opponents were Li-Ning Gaming(LNG), which many rated as the second best Chinese team in the tournament. Everyone thought it would be a close, nail biter series, going all the way to 5 Games. Instead, it was a massacre. T1 obliterated LNG in a full sweep 3-0 and injected hope into the fans. But they had a big mountain to overcome in the Semi Finals to reach the Grand Finals once again, that being JDG. JDG had been renowned for their stellar team-fighting and other-worldly ability to fight back from any position possible and was thought to be unstoppable. But from Game 1, T1 turned the expectations on its head, taking a win in Game 1. While they lost Game 2, Game 3 was victorious with hero plays coming out from both Oner and Faker to win the game. In Game 4, they ended the Golden Road of JDG, beating them 3-1 and advancing to the Grand Finals. The doubt was gone, it was almost a certainty to everyone that they would come out victorious. They would sweep the final seed from China Weibo Gaming 3-0, reclaiming their title as World Champions once again.
Through the doubt and adversity, T1 and Faker still managed to pull off a win. In a year littered with so many challenges, their long grind and unwavering determination has finally allowed them to capture their long deserved glory. For Faker’s teammates, this is their first title, but for Faker, after a seven year drought of an international trophy, this fourth Worlds trophy just cemented his legacy as the most dominant player in the history of the sport. His ability to stay on top after a decade of grinding is truly remarkable, and shows us all that even through adversity and challenges, just keep grinding, and you will achieve your own glory.
References
Comments