Faker debuts at LoL Worlds 2019 with perfect KDA, SKT beats Fnatic
The unkillable demon king is back! Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok debuted at the 2019 League of Legends World Championship with a perfect KDA.
SK Telecom T1 started its World Championship run with a dominant victory over Fnatic. During the broadcast, the analysts predicted that Fnatic would take the game considering how little time SKT had to prepare in the European server. They didn’t anticipate the power of the three-time world champion and neither did Fnatic.
What looked like a standard composition turned out to be an adaptation to counter Garen and Yuumi. Faker took Tristana to the mid lane and let Park “Teddy” Jin-seong take Kayle to the bottom lane. Teddy opted for a Kleptomancy rune on Kayle, a strategy that has become increasingly popular of late.
It was first introduced by Jang “Nuguri” Ha-gwon, but Teddy put his own twist on it to be a bottom lane option. Fnatic wasn’t expecting the adaptation and couldn’t respond to it in time.
The game started with a level one first blood when SKT decided to invade Fnatic’s side of the map and contest the red buff. That early injection of gold put Faker significantly ahead of Tim “Nemesis” Lipovšek. Tristana’s ability to shove the lane and quickly clear the wave, allowed Faker to move into the fog of war and threaten a possible roam to the side lanes.
Once Teddy completed his Guinsoo’s Rageblade, SKT was ready to roll over Fnatic. SKT had flanking options, different disengaging tools, and multiple sources of damage. Fnatic got picks, but that wasn’t nearly enough to get back in the game.
SKT’s plan to close the game was clear, threaten the baron buff and force Fnatic to waste resources. This play worked on multiple occasions until SKT saw an opening to fight.
27 minutes into the match, SKT aced Fnatic. Minutes later the Korean champion claimed the Baron buff and marched into Fnatic’s base, ready to take its first win of the tournament.
Faker finished the game with nine kills and zero deaths.
Read Also
Esports Betting
These Are Our Betting Tips for the League Championship Series Week 4
Ben Boland
The 2026 LCS Summer Split is in full swing, with the eight North American squads all vying for a chance to represent the region at this year's World Championship. With Worlds being on home soil, there is more than just a ticket to Worlds at stake. Each series in the regular season carries weight, as the standings will determine their seeding and potentially their fate in the playoffs. Week four ...
League of Legends
Caps To Be Announced As Third Inductee in the LoL Hall of Legends
Hannan Mundia
After Faker and Uzi were inducted into the Hall of Legends in 2024 and 2025 respectively, the European League of Legends player Caps will be the next to get the same treatment. League of Legends has been a cornerstone in the professional gaming scene for over a decade. In that time, a handful of players have managed to leave their mark for all future fans and fellow players to learn ...
Esports Betting
MLBB is the most-watched game from the EWC, and it’s hard to see another game beating it
Michael Hassall
The Esports World Cup 2026 has officially passed its midway point and viewership figures for the tournament have surpassed many expectations so far, as per Esports Charts. The viewership tracking site revealed new statistics for the event on Aug. 6, showcasing just how many games had set new records in viewership, including one name leading the way in views: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. MLBB leads the viewership charts with the ...
League of Legends
LCK 2026 Rounds 3–4 Preview, Schedule, Predictions, and More
Hannan Mundia
2026 LCK Rounds 3-4 are slated to start soon, and this preview highlights the schedule, our expert predictions, and everything else you need to know before watching. The LCK has been upside down recently. Teams that were considered absolute powerhouses are seemingly falling off, while previous underdogs have been causing upset after upset. 2026 LCK Rounds 3-4 are starting soon, and the big question here is which team will reign ...
League of Legends
LEC 2026 Summer split preview, schedule, predictions, and more
Hannan Mundia
The 2026 LEC Summer split will be the deciding split to determine which teams can make it to the World Championship, and this preview aims to highlight everything you need to know about it. It isn’t a stretch to say that the LCK and LCP are the only two competitive League of Legends regions actually pulling their weight currently. The LEC did show potential at the start of the year, ...
League of Legends
How is League of Legends Classic different from the modern version?
Hannan Mundia
League Classic brings the classic League of Legends gameplay and design from when the game first came out, but how is it different from the modern version? The modern League of Legends mode is arguably in its best state in terms of popularity, with a study even reporting that playing LoL can improve brain function. Over a decade of gameplay and multiple marketing tactics by Riot Games have bumped up ...
League of Legends
Best Champions for every role in League of Legends Classic mode
Hannan Mundia
League Classic sees the return of League of Legends Season 3, but which champions were deemed the best during that time? League of Legends has gone through a lot of changes since it first came out. While the map and item-related changes naturally impacted the game's state, so did the many champion nerfs, buffs, and reworks. Multiple champions played completely differently in Season 3 than they do now. Since League ...
