Is Faker joining the LCS? 3 NA teams that League’s No. 1 star could help improve in 2023

Faker is considered the greatest League of Legends player of all time—and for good reason. Faker has won three League World Championships on top of several regional titles year in and year out.

His title of League GOAT, though, comes from his consistent and unmatched success, as well as his inventiveness and entirely unique way of thinking about the game. Besides all of this, Faker’s value as a teammate is incredible since he understands both how to play the game and against many opponents.

After spending nine years with the T1 organization, Faker’s contract expires today, Nov. 21. And Faker is currently considering numerous offers from LCS teams, according to a report from Alejandro Gomis of Blix.gg. Bearing in mind Faker owns shares in T1 and similar situations happened in the past where Faker became a free agent, explored his options, and eventually re-signed with T1, there’s a strong chance he will stay with the org for the tenth year of his professional League career. Still, the North American teams that have expressed interest in Faker, according to Gomis’ report, are FlyQuest and Team Liquid.

Since it would be thrilling to see how Faker would function surrounded by North American talent and with a language barrier between him and his teammates, we’re going to take a look at some of the teams Faker could join for the 2023 season.

Team Liquid

One of the most competitive NA teams Faker could join in the upcoming season is easily Team Liquid. Not only does this org have the funds to give Faker the salary he very much deserves, but it typically has an extremely competitive roster that normally ends LCS splits among the top teams and qualifies for Worlds. Faker, if he joins Liquid, might play alongside an entirely fresh roster built around him, according to various reports.

Related: Live LCS 2023 roster tracker

Although there could be language barrier problems depending on who else is on the squad, Faker would be a strong asset to Liquid’s roster since he could greatly contribute with his extensive knowledge of both the game and pro play and help the team find their playstyle. On top of all of this, Faker would make for a great team captain who could easily help Liquid have the upper hand in domestic matches.

FlyQuest

The next-in-line team Faker might join is FlyQuest. Although the team might have enough funding to support Faker’s salary, if we look at the org’s track record, FlyQuest may not be the best environment for Faker unless he’s strictly looking at the money. Over the past couple of years, the team normally ends their split in fifth to eighth place.

If, under all these circumstances, Faker decides to join FlyQuest, he might be playing alongside former Team Liquid Academy standout Eyla and top laner Impact. Since FlyQuest has been struggling since Worlds 2020, it could definitely put Faker’s knowledge and skills to good use, which could help the squad secure a better place in the standings in the long run. 

TSM

Another NA team Faker could potentially join for the upcoming season is TSM. Although the organization still has a contract with current mid laner Huang “Maple” Yi-Tang until Nov. 21, 2023, it might decide to move on from this Taiwanese player and pick up Faker since this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring Faker to North America. The team could definitely use proper guidance and additional tips to end their season ranked better since they, just like FQ, have been struggling since their last appearance at Worlds 2020. If Faker were to go to TSM, he might spend the next season playing alongside former Estral Esports jungler Lee “Bugi” Seong-yeop, top laner Colin “Solo” Earnest, and support Jonathan “Chime” Pomponio. 

Although Faker could just be the change TSM needs to make to once again become a dominant organization like it used to be in the past, the org might not be looking to spend a ton on Faker and his salary, especially after it suspended its $210 million partnership with crypto exchange FTX last week. Still, Faker could transform the team for the better and help TSM get back on top of the LCS in 2023.