Riot pay homage to Faker with new League of Legends Zed skin

One of the greatest plays in League of Legends history, Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok’s Zed outplay, has been immortalized in Zed’s new Galaxy Slayer skin.

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The latest skin for Zed includes a reference to the champion’s most iconic moment, one of the greatest plays by League of Legends’ greatest player.

What is the Faker Zed Outplay?

There are a few plays in League of Legends that stand out as the most iconic and recognizable moments in the game’s history, but perhaps none is more legendary than Faker’s Zed-on-Zed outplay against Ryu ‘Ryu’ Sang-wook.

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Faker’s SK Telecom T1 was playing against KT Bullets in the finals of OGN’s Champions 2013 Summer, and the series went to a deciding fifth game. At this time, Champions used blind pick, rather than draft, in game fives, which meant the possibility of mirror match-ups. In this case, Faker and Ryu both locked in Zed.

Towards the end of the game, Faker found himself being chased down by Ryu, hit down to barely a third of his health before pulling off one of the most spectacular outplays of all time.

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Faker was still in his breakout year, still looking for his first championship title, and the sheer skill of this play, combined with the significance of the moment in which he pulled it off and the legacy he would go on to build, have made it what many consider the most iconic moment in League of Legends. 

An homage to Faker’s play in-game

Now, nearly six years after the play occurred, it’s been immortalized in-game in the form of the latest Zed skin, Galaxy Slayer. One of the skin’s “special interactions” sees him recite an homage to Erik ‘DoA’ Lonnquist’s iconic commentary of the moment.

Unfortunately, for the man whose words are inexorably linked with Faker’s play, seeing them appear in-game is apparently bittersweet.

DoA and long-time casting duo Christopher ‘MonteCristo’ Mykles departed League of Legends for the Overwatch League after several disputes with Riot Games. 

Despite DoA’s commentary now being honored in-game, it seems during his time working with the game his were rarely valued so highly.

"We don't feel you bring the gravity necessary for serious matches." they told me on a Skype call before they offered me All Stars in 2015. I turned them down and they came back a few weeks later with a Worlds offer. Would have been fun to do a couple more, but c'est la vie. https://t.co/44DQp9PML0

— erik lonnquist (@ggDoA) April 3, 2019

That said it is cool to have a play call in the game like that. All credit to Faker though for providing the incredible moment! #ognlegion

— erik lonnquist (@ggDoA) April 3, 2019

It's all water under the virtual bridge at this point.

— erik lonnquist (@ggDoA) April 3, 2019

The Galaxy Slayer Zed skin is currently on the League of Legends Public Beta Environment (PBE), but no official release date for the live game has yet been announced.

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