Faker vs Caps : The eternal rivalry of midlane legends

Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok is unquestionably the greatest to have played League of Legends; with unparalleled longevity across his twelve-year career, and five stars on his jersey, Faker has become the face of LoL. Four years after Faker's debut, on the other side of the planet, a young Danish midlaner named Rasmus "Caps" Borregaard was entering the European spotlight as the Korean legend's namesake: Baby Faker.

With Fnatic in 2018, Caps won both splits of the EU LCS and achieved a historic run at Worlds — one step from the trophy, the team was defeated by Invictus Gaming (3-0) in the finals. In the offseason, Caps shocked the world: He joined Fnatic's primary rival, G2, marking the start of a story deeply entwined with Faker.

The first and second time Faker and Caps faced each other was during the Group stage of MSI 2019. In a symbolic twist, Caps picked Ryze, a champion emblematic of Faker, in the first game — going on to win both of their Group stage matchups. Despite those two losses, SKT T1 made it to the semifinals, coming paths with G2 once again in an electric Bo5 series. Baby Faker and his team were on a another level that year, beating SKT T1 3-2 and booking their tickets to the Grand Finals — where they crushed Team Liquid in a one-sided 3-0. For their first clash, Caps was just better, proving himself as one of the best midlaners in the world, 5-2 for Caps.

2019 was clearly Caps and G2's year — Worlds, hosted in Europe, was no different. They met T1 in the World and overwhelmed them in a convincing 3-1. Caps was, for the second year in a row, a step from claiming the throne. Kim "Doinb" Tae-sang and FunPlus Phoenix pulled out a shocking upset, shutting down Caps and Luka "Perkz" Perković in a brutal 3-0.

Most-played champions by Faker and Caps in their head-to-head matchups.

The rivalry between the two midlaners kept growing from afar, finally revived during the Group stage of MSI 2022. This time, both sides took Bo1 wins. They met in the Semifinals once again, but this time Faker had a whole new roster — Choi "Zeus" Woo-je, Mun "Oner" Hyeon-jun, Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong, and Ryu "Keria" Min-seok would go on to define a new era for T1 alongside Faker. The gap between West and East widened once more, and with a clean 3-0, Faker and his rookie teammates began to define the ZOFGK legacy.

2024 didn't start well for the 2023 World Champions, T1. Gen.G's dominance during the LCK Spring Split and their victory at MSI impressed fans around the world. Still, T1 qualified to the MSI as the second LCK seed. Things were completely different for G2 — having retained their 2023 roster, the team was historically dominant, rolling over the Winter and Spring Splits to qualify for MSI.

They met in the first round of the MSI 2024 in a close Bo5 — with a masterful performance on Varus, Gumayusi took the win for T1, sending G2 to the Loser's Bracket against Top Esports. Faker's Azir was, as usual, sharp and decisive against Caps. The Samurais were far from dead, though, and T1's to BiliBili Gaming in the Upper Bracket Semifinals, the teams met for a decisive Lower Bracket rematch. A clean sweep by T1 and The Unkillable Demon King sent G2 home with a bitter taste in their mouths. This game also marked Faker's 13th win over Caps, giving him the lead in their legendary head-to-head for the first time.

Their most recent confrontation was at Worlds 2024, in the fourth round of the Swiss Stage — the winners would book their tickets to the quarterfinals, while the loser would have one more Bo3 to decide their fates. G2 believed strongly in their Orianna-Vi combo, picking it twice in response to Faker's Ahri and Oner's Skarner and Vi. With a swift 2-0, T1 qualified to the quarterfinals and pushed Faker's head-to-head lead against Caps to 15-12.

Though Faker may have the lead for now, this rivalry is far from over. As the 2025 season kicks off, both teams have made significant changes to their roster — it seems inevitable that Faker and Caps will meet again on the international stage.