Eventually, the League of Legends mid lane god by the name of Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok will have to hang up his keyboard and mouse from the game, leaving a very large gap to fill in the SK Telecom T1 lineup.
The conversation is one regularly discussed, with every name in the book being thrown down, argued and discussed. Starting with Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg and Yoo “Ryu” Sang-ook, fans do not leave a single name unturned, but as we do look towards that inevitable future, who could truly fill in the shoes of a God? Let us discuss.
Kim “Sky” Ha-neul
Current Team: SK Telecom T1
Sky is one of the more obvious, but lesser known, picks. SKT picked up the player this season to be the substitute mid laner for Faker.
Formerly of CJ Entus, Sky has plenty of potential and SKT may be using his signing as a chance to have him play and train under the master of the mid lane to become a worthy successor. However, we only have to look back at the years of many substitute mid laners coming and going to know that this might not be the case, even if it is the most obvious choice for the time being, on paper at least.
Sky was a part of the CJ Entus team that was relegated at the end of last year, so it was surprising to see him picked up by SKT. Maybe the legendary coach, Kim “kkOma“ Jung-gyun, saw something no one else could see?
Chances of Succession – 7/10
Lee “Scout” Ye-chan
Current Team: EDward Gaming
Currently one of the best mid laners in the LPL, Scout was the former mid lane substitute for SKT, only playing once during 2015 when SKT lost in the 2015 KeSPA Cup semifinals.
Dropping Scout early this year was either a genius move to get the player more experience elsewhere in hopes of luring him back in the future or a silly error that gave the LPL one of its greatest players in recent memory.
Heo “PawN” Won-seok’s injury for EDG was a blessing for Scout, as it saw him help EDG get a resurgence in the LPL to take the number one seed into Worlds. Scout has become an undroppable asset for the side, and it would take a lot to get him to claw back into the SKT lineup, but he is a man that cannot be ignored.
Chances of Succession – 5/10
Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg
Current Team: Team SoloMid
To be quite honest, I was never originally going to put this player on the list for many obvious reasons; his age, his lack of Korean language, and his commitment to TSM. But, I don’t think anyone here can really deny that Bjergsen is most likely the second best mid laner in the world.
That is why I don’t think he would be overlooked at the prospect of who, when and why. If SKT felt it was possible to go for him, and if all factors we deemed impossible or unlikely were distinguished, the idea of an impossibility filters away.
Again, like I said, I don’t ever see it happening, but the thought and the chance are still there; never say never in the League of Legends.
Chances of Succession – 2/10
Seong “Huni” Hoon Heo
Current Team: SK Telecom T1
When all is said and done, this year, during the roster changes, there was a constant rumour of Huni joining a different team as their starting mid laner. Considering his style of play, it was entirely possible.
The prospect of Huni not only remaining on SKT, but transitioning from the top lane to the mid lane, is entirely possible, considering how Huni plays at times. There is no reason this might actually happen in the future, providing Huni remains an SKT player for the long term.
It is again very unlikely, but there is still more of a possibility of Huni succeeding Faker in his lane than any others. He will have time to play with the SKT side, learn how the team plays and learn under kkOma to possibly transition there in the future, but that would also mean that SKT would need to bring in someone else to be their new top laner.
Chances of Succession – 4/10
When all is said and done, anything is really possible; none of us knows what will happen until it does occur, but the prospect is still a decisive one. I’m sure you all have players you would like to see take on the throne that Faker would leave behind and I implore you to tell me some of your suggestions.
At the end of the day, sometime in the future, Faker will no longer be a player and League will lose one of its biggest superstars. So until then, let us just cherish watching a master at work in his natural element.
Adam Newell is a journalist for @GAMURScom and can be contacted in ways displayed below. If you have any tips or want anything covered, be sure to let us know:
Email: adam.newell10@outlook.com
Twitter: @MonkeyKingHero
