The esports industry has drastically flourished over the last few years and is gradually managing to get the same level (if not more) of recognition as the traditional sports.
Playing videogames was once seen as a mere hobby, but now more and more people want to pursue a career in one of the world’s most money-making business. Esports has seen numerous debutants in the past years. Some who failed to reach their desired potential. And some who did not do well at first but have improved ridiculously ever since.
With that all said, today, we are going to look at the debutants that shook the entire eSports industry with their phenomenal performances.
#1: Faker, aka Sang Hyeok:
Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, as a child Sang Hyeok played the MOBA Chaos but moved to the famous League of Legends back in 2011, which was a mere coincidence and has been hooked since.
In 2012, Faker received a contact from the renowned Korean esports organization SK Telecom T1. They wanted to have him on-board. This was the turning point of Faker’s esports career.
In 2013, while playing in this dream team, Faker took down a few major Korean players, one of whom was Ambition. He and his team had a sweeping victory against CJ Entus Blaze. His debut turned into a perfect career.
Seven years since then, Faker has collected eight domestic titles and has won over three world championships. He was also awarded the title of Best eSports Player by the Game Awards back in 2017.
Faker’s estimated net worth currently is about $4 million. SK Telecom T1 him $1, 000, 000 annually.
Sang Hyeok is, without a doubt, the best League of Legends player out there.
#2: Ninja:
On number 2, we have the face of Fortnite, Ninja. He is a gamer, streamer, YouTuber, and a very famous internet personality with a massive fanbase.
He is a former Halo pro and has switched to several teams i.e., Evil Geniuses, Renegades, etc. while becoming one of the greatest streamers on Twitch.
In 2018, at Party Royale during E3 week, Ninja had his first offline debut where he was to show prowess against other pro gamers and personalities. He accompanied with partner Marshmello did not let the audience down and performed brilliantly. Since then, Ninja has only peaked. He was also crowned as the face of Fortnite, which is a huge deal in itself.
#3 Geguri:
On number three, we have yet another South Korean gamer. Se-Yeon Geguri Kim. Geguri is an off-tank player and currently happens to be working with Shanghai Dragons. She was accused several times of using an aimbot while playing in competitive play. Still, she proved everyone wrong by playing matches in a very controlled setting that had cameras everywhere. She has gained recognition since then.
Geguri made her debut in Overwatch League in 2018 and played against Dallas Fuel, becoming this first-ever woman to play in the said league. She has many people rooting for her in the upcoming 2020 championship.
#4 ZywOo:
20-year-old Mathiew ZywOo Hebaut, born in France, is a very famous professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player. He plays for Team Vitality. He stepped in the pro world back in 2018 when he signed the contract with the team mentioned above. With his debut in the DreamHack Open in Atalanta, his performance left everyone shook. By the end of the tournament, every next person knew who ZywOo was too. His performance and sweep win against Brazil Luminosity, in the finals, made him look like he has been playing against the pros for years. ZywOo was awarded as the best player in Counter-Strike in 2019 by HLTV.
So, these were our top 4 picks. Who is your favorite amongst them all?
