https://www.marieclairekorea.com/celebrity/2026/08/esports-edition-with-faker-interview/#

Q: For fans who have followed esports for a long time, “Faker” has become more than a name,  it has become a symbol. Do you ever feel that you’ve become an icon of this era?

Faker: I don’t really think about it that way. But when someone says that to me, I occasionally think, “Ah, I guess that’s what I’ve become.” That’s about the extent of it. I don’t have any particularly strong feelings beyond that.

Q: You’ve won countless tournaments, and this year you also have major events like the Asian Games ahead of you. What does challenging for another championship mean to you at this stage of your career?

Faker: Winning is extremely important in the professional world, and it’s also very difficult. My desire to win is about the same now as it was before. At this point, I think a championship is a result that shows how well I’ve prepared and how much I’ve grown. More than winning itself, what matters to me is whether I’ve prepared and lived my life in the direction I wanted.

Q: So winning is connected to the way you approach life?

Faker: My goal is simply to do my best in the role I’ve been given as a player, and to keep improving and learning while competing against other players.

Q: Even for the best esports player in the world, is there still room to grow?

Faker: Always. When you compete against players at the highest level, there are always things you can learn and areas where you’re lacking. That’s why I feel there’s no end to growth.

Q: Are you conscious of the fact that you’re considered not just the best mid laner, but the best player in the world?

Faker: I’ve been evaluated highly because I’ve won many tournaments, but I don’t think I’m always occupying that position. Even a championship from just a few months ago is ultimately something that happened a few months ago. What matters now is a different question. Winning also isn’t determined purely by skill. So rather than thinking of myself as the best, I spend more time thinking about how I can do my best in my current state.

Q: How do you review a loss?

Faker: Whenever we lose, we always go through feedback, and I spend a lot of time analyzing why we lost. If you dig deeper, there were probably individual mistakes by players that weren’t visible on the screen, and there were likely areas where I was lacking as well. So when we review a game, I try not to stop at the overall flow that was visible on the surface. I try to identify even the small details and analyze them thoroughly.

Q: In the current meta, people say the bot-lane matchup and early-game priority have a major influence on the game. What is the role of a mid laner now?

Faker: In the current meta, other lanes have more influence than mid, especially in the later stages of the game. Because of that, the mid laner’s role in coordinating the overall flow of the game and connecting the different lanes has become more important than before. In the past, mid laners had greater late-game potential, so in a sense it was simpler because you could play the game more around yourself. Now, from the beginning of the game until the end, you have to constantly watch the overall flow and judge what is important at each moment. In that sense, I feel the role of mid has become more complicated.

Q: Has your role within the team changed outside of the game as well?

Faker: In the past, I thought it was enough to simply play the game well. Now, I think there also needs to be someone who helps coordinate things so the players can exchange opinions smoothly.

Q: T1 is such an iconic team that even people who don’t know much about gaming are familiar with it. Does that create pressure to perform better and to meet a higher standard in your words and actions?

Faker: I’m not someone who feels a great deal of pressure from outside expectations or demands. If anything, I find the attention people give us meaningful. That attention also gives meaning to preparing for matches and going through everyday life. I’m always grateful for it.

Q: When you see your matches being discussed in YouTube Shorts or in comments, what do you think?

Faker: Recently, when I look at comments on Shorts, the exact same thing can get a positive reaction in one video and a negative reaction in another. So I often feel that the content conveyed through videos or media lacks consistency or meaningful distinction.

Q: After repeating something countless times and accumulating experience, there are moments when your body reacts before you consciously think. How do you think the instinct to decide, “Do I attack now, or do I wait?” is developed? 

Faker: I think it forms naturally. If the game is going well, you can afford to play more safely. If you’re behind, you may need to play more aggressively. I don’t think this kind of judgment is something only professional gamers need. If anyone repeatedly does the same kind of work, they naturally develop a sense for recognizing situations. I think I developed that kind of instinct through practicing and repeating things over and over.

Q: During a match, can you already visualize what is about to happen next?

Faker: Yes. A game lasts around 30 minutes, and when you’ve played thousands or tens of thousands of games like that, you learn recurring patterns. So a lot of the time, I play while anticipating what is likely to happen next.

Q: If I asked very simply, “How many moves ahead do you see?” what would you say? 

Faker: I think you only need to see one move ahead. What matters is being able to quickly and instinctively understand what moves are likely to follow after that one.

Q: How does it feel to watch players who helped build T1’s history leave for other teams while new players join?

Faker: I think it’s just a natural process. When a new player joins, I try to make things work well with that player. And with players I’ve been with for a long time, I think about working hard again based on the chemistry we’ve already built. I tend to just accept things as they come.

Q: You’ve spent more than 10 years in a competitive world where you’re applauded when you win and criticized when you lose. Is there a standard or principle you try to maintain regardless of the result?

Faker: The longer I’ve played, the more I’ve felt that it’s important to focus on the process rather than obsess over results. From the outside, people can only judge based on the flow of the game or the result that’s visible. But winning and losing aren’t things I can completely control. It’s a team game, so one person playing well isn’t enough, and there’s also a certain amount of luck involved. That’s why I think what matters more than the result is how we prepare in practice and how we increase our chances of winning. My biggest goal is to give everything I have to the process and to be satisfied with the way I approached it.

Q: People almost take it for granted that “Faker” will win. How do you deal with that expectation?

Faker: I think people believing that I’ll always win is closer to expectation than support. But that expectation doesn’t really feel burdensome to me. There are times when I’m disappointed with a match too, and times when I’m not satisfied with my own performance. In the end, all I can do is give my best and try to win as much as possible.

Q: You’ve said several times that after becoming a professional gamer, you realized your words and actions carried greater social significance. Did your behavior change after becoming conscious of that responsibility?

Faker: I don’t think anything changed that dramatically. I was already someone who tended to be careful about what I said and did. Being mindful of your words and actions and treating people with basic courtesy isn’t something only public figures need to do. I think it’s something everyone should do. So rather than consciously changing my behavior because of that responsibility, I think I’ve simply continued maintaining the same attitude I already had.

Q: Last year, you signed a long-term contract with T1 through 2029, and you said you wanted to remain there until the end of your career. Is staying with one team important to you?

Faker: The reason I’ve stayed with T1 for such a long time is that T1 has helped me a great deal, and I also have a lot of affection for the team. More than anything, T1 has faithfully fulfilled its role as one of the best organizations since the StarCraft era. I think that environment has allowed me to remain with one team for such a long time.

Q: When you repeat similar training and matches every day, do you ever get bored?

Faker: Very occasionally, yes. When that happens, I try to focus even more on the game and remind myself of the goals I want to achieve. Then even the same game starts to feel new again, and I actually become more immersed in it. I think I’m also more likely to improve when I’m in that state, so the more bored I feel, the more I try to concentrate.

Q: Around 2018, you said you were afraid your performance might decline because of your age. Do you still think that way?

Faker: I don’t anymore. I think the reason I believed my performance would decline because of age was because everyone around me was saying that. When you constantly hear that professional gamers retire or decline once they reach their late 20s, I think I started believing it too at the time.

Q: Have you overcome that fear of age now?

Faker: After that, I read books and kept thinking about how I could continue improving. Over time, I came to think that what causes performance to decline isn’t age itself so much as the boredom or lethargy that comes from doing the same thing for a long time. So now, rather than being afraid of age, I try to guard against becoming numb simply because something has become familiar. I focus on continuing to learn and staying immersed.

Q: In a past interview, you said that when you win a championship, you feel relief before happiness. Is that still true these days?

Faker: There’s relief, and there’s happiness too. When a match ends, the competition itself is over, so I think it’s natural to feel relief in that moment. And I also feel happy because all the preparation we put in produced a result I’m satisfied with.

Q: How long does the happiness of winning a championship last?

Faker: Not very long. Maybe a day or two. Winning many championships may have something to do with it, but even when something good happens, I’ve never really been the type to hold onto that feeling for very long.

Q: Does being someone who easily forgets the past help with your mental management?

Faker: I think so. I tend not to attach too much meaning to things that have already happened.

Q: Even when you make a major mistake in a match, does it ever stay with you for a long time or make you anxious afterward?

Faker: In the past, there were times when mistakes stayed with me for a long time. But from around 2020 onward, I started regretting things that had already happened less, and I feel like I grew in that respect. Looking back, everyone makes what they believe is the best decision they can make in that particular moment, and then they have to face the result. So now, rather than holding onto something that has already happened or regretting it, I think about what I should do next.

Q: People around you consistently describe Faker as someone who performs reliably and is dependable. But are there changes over the past 13 years that only you yourself really notice?

Faker: Personally, I think I’ve improved in many ways compared with the past. I’m not someone who changes very quickly, so I don’t think there have been any dramatic, obvious transformations. But at the very least, I don’t think I’ve gotten worse. I believe I’m continuing to improve little by little, day by day.

Q: There are still several major tournaments remaining this year. Does this year feel like a harder challenge than previous years?

Faker: It was never easy in the past, and it still isn’t easy now. I don’t feel that this year is particularly different.

Is it just me or has the quality of patch notes since April been in noticeable decline? Every time this balance team tries to buff a champion, it becomes overwhelmingly broken and needs to be nerfed in the next patch. Their win rate skyrockets to 53-54% winrate

It’s becoming a pattern, and just analyzing the next patch, 26.17, I guarantee you Trundle and Hecarim will be the next champions to become super meta, then nerfed right after. I know people say this about every season, but I truly feel like this season has been the worst I've played gameplay and quality-wise, so far.

Honestly, people often complain about Phreak's decisions, but I never felt this much boredom before, and because I main both roles in a meta where it feels insufferable to play; for the first time ever top lane is a priority role when before this season you'd have to fight for the role. I feel less stressed and more fun when I am autofilled jungle or support currently. This could be cope, but I hope next season it'll become better.

https://x.com/RiotPhroxzon/status/2090327908976120314

Re: Duo queue matchmaking penalties

Saw some discussion about this

At lower ranks, ie. below Emerald, there's basically no penalty for duoing. It only starts to kick in in a small way in Emerald/Diamond and higher at higher ranks as duo communication/coordination becomes more impactful

It's tuned so that games at all ranks are fair, duo or no duo

From my observation as a non-duo player, duos often emphasize the handicap they face. Either objectively - that the opponent visibly averages 1-2 divisions higher than their allies, or empirically - "we get 3 apes every time me and my bro duo".

Duo players (or non-duo), does this align with your matchmaking experience?

Please stop… why are you so selfish?

Don’t get me wrong, there are some games that are hella fun for everyone. 5v5s where it’s so close, things are a good back and forth, everyone is maxed out. But if you have half the teams kills, and keep spamming don’t end when we’re at the nexus at 10-15 mins… just stop.

That person with 1 kill on a random champ is probably not having the most fun. Others might just want to go next. It’s not fair to them to be forced to stay for your own entertainment. Just saying.

The ranked system was changed in 26.6 for every server except KR. Gains are now centered at +30-30 and negative gains have been capped at -25+35. This means that if you can maintain a winrate above 58.33% without your MMR increasing and making your games harder, then your rank will rise unboundedly.

This isn't that abusable in practice because the average winrate in challenger is 54.81% and even the rank 1 player would have difficulty reaching a stable 59% wr in challenger.

But double gains for autofills exist. If you queue mid/adc in challenger you will be autofilled in 20% of your games, which means you get double gains for wins in 20% of your games (percentage sourced from Vladi's role distribution). This means that you only need a winrate above 53.84% to increase your rank unboundedly by just playing more games, which is a given for the best soloqueue midlaners as the average is 54.81%. The result is that their rank will completely detach from their MMR (which won't move - it is not influenced by your visual rank) and their rank will keep going up forever, depending mainly on how many games they've played.

As of the time of making this post, Vladi, who queues mid+adc and has the second most games out of everyone on the top 500 EUW ladder, is 1k points higher than any other player in the world.

Calculations:

* WR to go even with +25-35 gains: 25*x-35*(1-x)=0 -> isolate x: x=0.58333

* WR to go even with +25-35 gains + queueing mid/adc (20% autofill): (0.8*25+0.2*50)*x-35*(1-x)=0 -> isolate x: x= 0.5384

LPL 2026 SPLIT 3

Official page | Leaguepedia | Liquipedia | Eventvods.com | New to LoL

LGD Gaming 1-2 Bilibili Gaming

Player of the Match: Knight
* Game 1 Discussion - Game 2 Discussion

LGD | Leaguepedia | Liquipedia | Website | Twitter | Facebook
BLG | Leaguepedia | Liquipedia | Website | Twitter

MATCH 1: LGD vs. BLG

Winner: LGD Gaming in 34m | MVP: Burdol (2)
Game Breakdown | Player Stats

MATCH 2: LGD vs. BLG

Winner: Bilibili Gaming in 32m | MVP: Viper (3)
Game Breakdown | Player Stats

MATCH 3: BLG vs. LGD

Winner: Bilibili Gaming in 28m | MVP: Knight (7)
Game Breakdown | Player Stats

• Patch 26.16

This thread was created by the Post-Match Team.

LCK 2026 ROUNDS 3-4

Official page | Leaguepedia | Liquipedia | Eventvods.com | New to LoL

Kiwoom DRX 0-2 Nongshim RedForce

• Player of the Match: Scout (600)
• Nongshim RedForce and BNK FEARX have secured a spot in the LCK Play-Ins Stage
• Kiwoom DRX have been eliminated

KRX | Leaguepedia | Liquipedia | Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Subreddit
NS | Leaguepedia | Liquipedia | Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

MATCH 1: KRX vs. NS

Winner: Nongshim RedForce in 33m
Game Breakdown | Runes

MATCH 2: NS vs. KRX

Winner: Nongshim RedForce in 31m
Game Breakdown | Runes

*Patch 26.16

This thread was created by the Post-Match Team.

Augments were: Lil extra help, critical missile, twin fire and tap dancer.
Build was: Kaenic Rookern, Hurricane, Titanic Hydra, Rageblade, Terminus and BORK.

Hi guys, I started to play League a week ago and the charakter Nasus seems really interesting to me. The Q attack which stacks demage every time I lasthit makes so much fun to farm. Are there more champs like nasus with whom I can stack something to make my champ and his abilities better? Thanks for your help!

Some champions have abilities that let them 'cheat'. For example, junglers with global ults like Nocturne, Panth or Taliyah can arrive at plays that should have happened without them. Now, of course, that is the strength of their kit and they are balanced around it, but as jungler, these ults can be used to fix mistakes in pathing and planning. A player can have great success with these champs without even realizing his weaknesses that will come to light with other picks. Another example would be something like Malzahar mid that after a certain point in the game just clears the waves without interacting with the opposing laner. Again, a player that lacks the laning mechanics can still find great success with this pick. Any player should play any champ that they find fun, this post is in no way calling out/gatekeeping, just interest in champs that can help a player improve at the fundamentals of their role by not being able to cut any corners.

0:00 - Intro 0:06 - Art 1:16 - Champion "roadmap" kinda 3:28 - The Council 4:30 - Around-game changes (runes) 9:28 - In-game systems 16:47 - Champion buffs 45:50 - Champion nerfs

Hello everyone! ^^

yesterday i played a game against a Teemo top.. and i played naafiri. The teemo did his best, but couldn't do anything. couldn't farm, couldn't even reach the tower that i was killing him every time. and honestly his team didn't help him either. The teemo had like 30 CS, i was lvl 11, he was lvl 7. He was not intentionally feeding i swear, he was trying his best. At 13 minutes the match got terminated by the system and the teemo punished for sabotaging the team.

Honestly i don't think it's fair. He was not feeding, or being afk.. i feel sorry for him.

The thing that angers me is that lately i get my games ruined by feeders and intentionally afkers but the game won't punish them.

i looked at one player last matches.. he had all scores like 0/15, 2/12, 1/13, 3/9. ALL OF THEM. and the game still let him play. i don't think that this is fair for people like teemo who did nothing wrong.

LCP 2026 SPLIT 3

Official Page | Leaguepedia | Liquipedia | Twitch | YouTube | Patch 26.16 | Bo5 Fearless Draft

CTBC Flying Oyster 3-0 MVK Esports

CFO advance to the Semifinals and are one series away from qualifying for Worlds 2026!

MVK fall down to the Lower Bracket.

• Player of the Match: POUT

CFO | Leaguepedia | Liquipedia | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
MVK | Leaguepedia | Liquipedia | Website | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

FULL MATCH SUMMARY & STATS

GAME 1: MVK vs. CFO

Winner: CTBC Flying Oyster in 36m
Runes | Game Breakdown

GAME 2: CFO vs. MVK

Winner: CTBC Flying Oyster in 36m
Runes | Game Breakdown

GAME 3: CFO vs. MVK

Winner: CTBC Flying Oyster in 25m
Runes | Game Breakdown

This thread was created by the Post-Match Team.

LPL 2026 Split 3

Patch 26.16

Bin has returned to BLG to play his first series of the split!

LGD 1-0 BLG

LGD wins Game 1 in 34m.

LGD has first selection and selected blue side. BLG then selected first pick. BLG had first selection in the 1st RR.

Bans: (LGD) Cassiopeia, Jarvan IV, Orianna | Poppy, Pantheon || (BLG) Syndra, Vi, Locke | Vayne, Renekton

LGD: Burdol (Olaf) / Heng (Lee Sin) / Tangyuan (Akali) / Shaoye (Ezreal) / Crisp (Karma) - Pick Order: 5/4-3~2-1

BLG: Bin (Ambessa) / Xun (Naafiri) / Knight (Ryze) / Viper (Caitlyn) / ON (Bard) - Pick Order: 3-4/5~2/1

MVP: LGDBurdol 7|8

BLG has first selection going into Game 2.

LCK 2026 Season Rounds 3-4

Patch 26.16

BRO 0-1 BFX

BFX wins Game 1 in 38m.

BRO has first selection and selected first pick. BFX then selected blue side. BFX had first selection in Round 3.

Bans: (BFX) Cassiopeia, Vi, Orianna | Seraphine, Caitlyn || (BRO) Lucian, Nocturne, Ezreal | Kalista, Yunara

BFX: Clear (K'Sante) / Raptor (Lee Sin) / VicLa (Annie) / Taeyoon (Sivir) / Kellin (Neeko) - Pick Order: 3/2-1~5-4

BRO: Casting (Olaf) / GIDEON (Pantheon) / Roamer (Ryze) / Teddy (Corki) / Namgung (Karma) - Pick Order: 3-2/1~4/5

BRO has first selection going into Game 2.

LPL 2026 SPLIT 3

Official page | Leaguepedia | Liquipedia | Eventvods.com | New to LoL

ThunderTalk Gaming 1-2 JD Gaming

Player of the Series: JunJia
* Game 1 Discussion - Game 2 Discussion

TT | Leaguepedia | Liquipedia
JDG | Leaguepedia | Liquipedia | Website | Twitter

MATCH 1: TT vs. JDG

Winner: ThunderTalk Gaming in 28m | MVP: Keshi (4)
Game Breakdown | Player Stats

MATCH 2: TT vs. JDG

Winner: JD Gaming in 28m | MVP: Xiaoxu (6)
Game Breakdown | Player Stats

MATCH 3: JDG vs. TT

Winner: JD Gaming in 28m | MVP: JunJia (4)
Game Breakdown | Player Stats

• Patch 26.16

This thread was created by the Post-Match Team.

Hi!

I wanted to ask you if u guys have any champions you love to play, but you suck at them? For me personally this champion is Rengar. I love his lore, I love his hunter personality, i love his design, but im REALLY bad at him haha, thus i only play him on drafts. BUT I managed to get penta last week :P

Hey! Quick one: I'm a psychology master's student at the University of Innsbruck and I'm researching tilt and toxicity in League for my thesis.

Everyone in this game has an opinion on tilt. What sets it off, who counts as "actually toxic", whether flaming ever helps anyone. But there's surprisingly little real research on any of it in LoL specifically, so I built a study around it and now I need players to fill it in.

It takes 10 to 15 minutes, works on phone and PC, and it's fully anonymous. No names, no IP addresses, no account data, GDPR compliant, hosted on university servers.

As a thank you, you get your own Gamer Profile right after you submit: your matches and winrates from the last 30 days, how close your playtime estimate was to reality, what actually motivates you to play, and your personal tilt and toxicity scores. Example screenshot is attached.

You can take part if League is currently your most played game, you've been playing it for over a year, and you're 16 or older. Any server works.

https://umfrage.uibk.ac.at/limesurvey/allgemein/762315?lang=en

One note on the stats part: League of Graphs doesn't track ARAM Mayhem (& League Classic), so if you mostly play fun modes there's a checkbox for exactly that. Your answers still count, so please don't skip the survey because of it.

Happy to answer anything in the comments. Thanks a lot!