Best Faker plays of all time: Lee Sang-hyeok's most iconic LoL moments

On 6th April 2013, an unknown player who came from another MOBA called Chaos made his debut in the League of Legends OGN Champions 2013 Spring season against CJ Blaze. What no one knew is that this player would become the symbol of an entire game, being named by many as the GOAT in League of Legends. Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok has achieved in his eight years of competitive career more than any other player in the history of this title as an esport, since his nine LCK championships, two MSI titles, and is one of two players to have three World Championships.

That is why today, we will review the most iconic moments of the career of the best player in the history of League of Legends, the Man, the Myth, the Unkillable Demon King, Faker.

Zed vs Zed

Starting with a play that has marked an entire generation for both its narrative and its complexity, we have a masterpiece from the 2013 LCK finals, in the T1 game against KT Rolster Bullets.

With the ticket to Worlds 2013 at stake and the score at 2-2, there was a sudden confrontation against Ryu, KT's mid laner, in front of the mid inhibitor tower, in a game in which both players picked Zed.

(Picture: Riot Games)

This play managed to catapult Faker into international eyes not only because of the precision and the low amount of life he had left but also because of the superhuman reflexes that the handling of him with the champion managed to execute. Without a doubt, a play worth looking at in slow motion more than one time.

Faker destroys and overcomes EDG

In one of the most iconic comebacks in Worlds history, SKT found itself on the ropes during the 2017 Worlds Group Stage, going nine kills to zero at minute 29 and with a deficit of more than nine thousand gold, its defeat seemed inevitable.

It is here that in an attempt to turn around the disadvantage, SKT started a surprising team fight in the mid lane. Huni flashed his Cho'Gath to silence all EDG, to which Wolf with his untimely Rakan managed to lift almost everyone into the air.

(Picture: Riot Games)

With EDG unprepared, Faker released one of his memorable Shockwaves thanks to his powerful Orianna, assassinating Meiko's Janna, EDG's support, and leaving the Chinese team without any protection, which ended up delivering four kills and the tower of the mid lane.

Fifteen minutes later, the game was history and the victory went to SKT.

SKT starts their Worlds journey against Cloud9 

Prior to the game that we talked about in the previous point, SKT faced Cloud9 to open the first day of competition at Worlds 2017.

With a lot at stake to have the initial advantage within the competition, the North American team tried to demonstrate its preparation coming from the Play-In Stage.

However, they did not count on Faker's monstrous ability and his eagerness to win his third consecutive World Championship. In the 9th minute and with the kill score at zero, Contractz attempted a gank that would intimidate the Demon King and put pressure on him early in the game.

(Picture: Riot Games)

Both the siege of Contractz and Jensen, C9's mid laner, managed to push Faker to the point of making him enter his tower. What they didn't take into account was that, during Contractz's Kha'Zix Ultimate release, Faker managed to root the C9 jungler.

This prevented him from escaping in time, and despite Jensen receiving the blows from the turret to try to take the murder, Contractz could not do much in front of Faker who would end up taking the first blood.

Faker’s first and only Pentakill

Although it sounds hard to believe, Faker has only managed to make a single Pentakill in his eight-year career, and with none other than one of his flagship champions in the competitive, LeBlanc.

During 2015, SKT was on one of the most dominant runs in the history of the Korean competitive scene. It was in this year's Spring Season that SKT faced NaJin e-mFire, a team that has gone through many changes and is currently known as Fredit BRION.

It was in the 29th minute of this confrontation in which the NaJin jungler and midlaner tried to eliminate Bengi, although in their siege both ended up meeting with the LeBlanc who defended the player by taking the two NaJin opponents.

(Picture: Riot Games)

A confrontation started against the support and toplaner through the blue side jungle, with Bengi and Bang chasing both of them, while Faker managed to lock these two up to secure the quadrakill.

The last kill would come in a surprise launch inside the towers of the Nexus against Najin's ADC, taking with a few seconds of backup his first and only Pentakill in his competitive career.

The power of SKT’s Zed skin

If there's one thing Faker is known for within the community, it's for not using skins in any game, be it ranked queues or official tournaments, with some special exceptions being appreciated from time to time.

One of these came during All-Star Paris 2014, when the entire SKT squad decided to wear their skins as Worlds 2013 winners, putting Zed in the hands of the Demon King again.

In this event, SKT faced Fnatic during the second day of the All-Star Invitational, and it was in this game that at minute 28, a chase by the European squad ended with the kills on Impact and Bengi, which led Fnatic to an attempt at the Baron Nashor.

(Picture: Riot Games)

Everything would have worked in their favour if it were not for SKT's good vision control that prompted Faker to launch a counterattack against Cyanide's Kha'Zix, who upon receiving the damage from his Ultimate along with Baron's, both ended up falling in favour of the Korean team, plus three extra kills for them.

(Picture: T1)

There is no doubt that Faker has managed to conquer the top thanks to his multiple achievements, excellent plays, his great ability, and above all, his good sense of the metagame, placing him as one of the greatest exponents of both League of Legends, and of the esports industry.