Since 2014, League of Legends has released a video each year presenting the anthem for the current World Championship. The accompanying footage tells stories from the e-sports scene, with a focus this time on the Korean player Deft, who attended school with Faker and had to compete against him in the 2022 finals.
What kind of video is this? The World Championship anthem is called GODS and was recorded with the K-Pop band NewJeans. The lyrics focus on being ready at the right moment and giving everything to rise to become a god and attain immortality.
The video features a stylish cartoon style showing the player Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu mastering this ascent.
It begins right away with a scene where Deft enters his school. While he sits alone at the back, you can see LoL legend Faker speaking at a table with others at the front. This also summarizes their later relationship in League of Legends:
- Both players made their professional debuts in 2013.
- Faker won the Worlds with SK Telecom T1 in the same year and repeated that success in 2015 and 2016.
- Deft, on the other hand, missed the World Championship in 2013, placed 3rd/4th in 2014, and was eliminated in the quarterfinals in the following six years.
But in 2022, the fateful duel occurred. Both Faker and Deft faced off in the finals. The Best-of-5 series was played all the way to the last match, where DRX ultimately triumphed 3-2 against their opponent.
This special “Cinderella story” has been honored by Riot Games with the video we have embedded here for you:
Deft had to face many legends
Who else is seen in the video? After the school scene, you see Deft training against the monsters of League of Legends. The abilities of Ezreal are showcased, fitting his role as an AD-Carry. Later, he also takes on other characters like Lucian, Caitlyn, or Senna.
The first competitor in the video is Pawn, a former Korean professional. Both faced each other from time to time, but also played together for several years at KT Rolster.
Other professionals follow, such as Meiko, Rekkles, Doran, Canyon, Showmaker, and Keria, who was voted the best supporter in Korea in 2022. He posed some challenges for Deft, both in the Korean league and in the World Championship finals.
At minute 2 of the video, Deft then falls into a pit. It seems as if the dream of the World Championship has officially died. But then, you see the entire DRX team from 2022 pulling him up.
Together, they manage to create a miracle. DRX qualified as the fourth team from Korea for the knockout stage of the Worlds. There, they managed to go 5-0 in the group stage. In the semifinals, they performed a miracle and destroyed the last 8 perfect betting slips with their victory.
From minute 3 in the video, everything revolves around the duel between Faker and Deft. Time and again, it looks as if the three-time world champion has the upper hand. But in the end, it is Deft who lifts the trophy high.
How is the song received? Overall, very well. While many agree that the songs from the last two years were better, the story this time was incredibly exciting. With over two million views and over 210,000 likes in 4 hours, the new anthem has already achieved great success.
What do you think about the song, the video, and the overall story between Deft and Faker?
