What are the interesting stats behind Faker's quadruple crowns: the first homegrown race with only five heroes?
It has been a week since the 2023 League of Legends World Championship, and I believe that many people have been inundated with massive transfer information recently, and compared to the complicated transfer information, foreign media have recently counted some interesting data for Faker after winning four championships in this World Championship.
These numbers are calculated from the 2013 World Faker race, so let's take a closer look at some of these notable records.
1 - First homegrown race and triumphant return
Despite numerous victories and a glittering career, Faker is competing in the Worlds in South Korea for the first time this year. On his first trip to Worlds, he won the Summoner Trophy, which is reminiscent of his first Worlds victory.
2 - Lost only two games in the entire 2023 Worlds
From the Swiss stage to the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals, T1 has only lost two matches in the entire 2023 Worlds. Gen.G and JD Gaming are the only two teams to beat T1 in a single match.
3 - Achieve a 100% win rate against all four LPL teams this year
T1 and Faker defeated all four LPL teams that advanced to Worlds from the knockout stage. They beat Bilibili Gaming 2-0 in the knockout stage in Switzerland, swept LNG Esports 3-0 in the quarterfinals, JD Gaming 3-1 in the semifinals, and Weibo Gaming 3-0 in the finals. Basically, the entire 2023 Worlds is a matchup between T1 and LPL.
4 - Xiaohu loses to T1 and Faker for the fifth time at Worlds
This year marks xiaohu's fifth defeat to Faker at Worlds, where he partnered with "Uzi" in the semi-finals and quarter-finals in 2016 and 2017. While he did not face elimination due to defeat in 2019, he lost twice to Faker in the group stage. Similarly, he met Faker again in last year's quarterfinals and this year's finals and lost to T1.
5 - Faker won the championship with only five heroes
Faker has only used five heroes in Worlds 2023: Tsar, Clockwork, Silas, Akali, and Ahri. One reason behind this choice is that Faker is the only player in the tournament who can confidently face clockwork with the Czar. In Worlds 2023, Clockwork has a record of 11 wins and 3 losses against the Tsar, with all three of Azir's victories held by Faker.
6 - Defeated 6 previous champions of the S Tournament
Faker defeated six former World Champions on his way back to the throne, and they were:
JDG. Ruler（2017 年冠军，SSG）
WBG. Theshy（2018 年冠军，iG）
WBG. Crisp (2019 Champion, FPX)
WBG Coach Daeny (2020 Champion, DWG)
LNG. Scout (2021 Champion, EDG)
TL. Pyosik (2022 Champion, DRX)
7 - It's been seven years since T1 and Faker last won the title
The last time T1 and Faker lifted the Summoner's Cup was in 2016. After back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016, they reached the final in 2017 but suffered a crushing defeat and regained the throne after a long period of seven years.
8 - Most appearances in Worlds
This year marks Faker's eighth World Championship, and Faker equals the deft record. The other eight competitors who competed in the World Championship were only "Doublelift" and "Jensen". It's worth mentioning that Faker has reached at least the semifinals in each of his eight Worldworld appearances. T1 is also the eighth World, with only Fnatic (11) and Cloud9 (10) competing more at Worlds.
T1 and Faker have always seen the championship as the ultimate goal, but Faker seems to have taken a different approach to the game after suffering a wrist injury. On several occasions, Faker has highlighted his gratitude for being able to play. "I'm grateful to be able to play like that," he said. Faker is no longer obsessed with winning, but has a new mindset. In his press conference after the final, Faker said he would be smiling even if they lost the match with a score of 0-3.
In the final preview, he said: "If the third trophy is for myself, then the fourth is for my teammates". Playing with a more relaxed mindset also makes the victory follow. It seems that the key to victory is insight, not greater power.