Reports say LCS Faker was almost a reality

Jun 4, 2023

Reading time: 2 min

For fans of the LCS, Faker might seem impossible, but reports say that Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok almost joined a North American organization.

Faker is the single most accomplished League of Legends player in the game’s entire history. He’s won 10 LCK Championships, two MSIs, and three World Championships. For his entire career, the name Faker has been synonymous with Korea’s LCK.

However, according to reports, that almost changed at one point, with Faker considering an offer from the LCS.

LCS almost got Faker, reports say

Sources: Faker 🇰🇷 had offers from LNG🇨🇳, Weibo🇨🇳, T1🇰🇷, Team Liquid🇺🇸 and FlyQuest🇺🇸 last off season.

FLY's offer of between $3-5 millions was outbid by TL and T1🇰🇷, Faker was really close to join TL.

T1 Scout 🇰🇷 could become a reality.

Read @blix_gg ⬇️https://t.co/6Mx8yqKyai
— Alejandro Gomis (@anonimotum) May 31, 2023

According to a report by Alejandro Gomis of BLIX.GG, Faker had massive offers from two North American organizations during the last offseason.

In the report, Gomis says that LCS organization FlyQuest offered between $3-5 million annually, in addition to bonuses. This is a staggering offer, and one of the highest salary offers ever rumored in the LCS.

Despite that, it apparently wasn’t the largest offer, with Team Liquid Honda beating out FlyQuest’s multi-million dollar offer. It has been reported previously that North American teams had attempted to court Faker into joining the LCS but the exact details were often murky.

Despite the incredible offers clearly at his doorstep, Faker continues to play in the LCK on the only team he’s ever known: T1, formerly SKT T1. It’s clear that no matter how much cash North America pulls out, Faker is determined to stay right where he is.

North America, its import-reliant status, and the future of the region competitively have been in the spotlight recently. This news shows just how much capital LCS organizations can theoretically bring to bear for top-level talent.

According to Gomis, Faker was seriously considering Team Liquid Honda’s offer, but settled back on T1. While TL Faker didn’t come to pass, apparently T1 is also eyeing star talent Scout for their new line up come Summer Split.