Minho “Crown” Lee recoiled a minute after the line of fans had formed — flushed, he turned to us like he didn’t know if it was okay or not to be so publicly celebrated.
Crown is Samsung Galaxy’s mid laner and one of the most hyped newcomers to the Worlds stage. On Summoner’s Rift, he is one of the most mechanically gifted players in the world — he’s in the top 3 for KDA and kills among remaining mid laners at the tournament. And his dominance over Bjergsen in Week 2 showed why his Viktor is so feared.
Ahead of Worlds, it was hard to gauge just how good he is — one critique is that he doesn’t move around the map that much. His low assist and kill participation rates thus far support that. But in a meta where so many mid laners focus more on helping their teammates, it’s refreshing to see a player focus on lane dominance and find success with it.
I asked how he felt about being our 19th ranked player at Worlds — which might now (rose-tinted glasses and all) be seen as underrating him. Our translator, Mark, smirked and said, “I think he’s being too polite. He said, ‘I am honored to be ranked so high, but I think I am overrated.’”
When I met up with Crown and the SSG squad in their practice room, he was — of course — in the middle of a Solo Queue game. Samsung’s room featured 11 people in total — perhaps a testament to the amount of structure behind a World Championship caliber organization. Crown was one of two people not watching the game — the OGN feed of CLG’s upset over the ROX Tigers. Instead, he was focused on the Rift.
He looked like he’d just installed League of Legends and was playing the game for the first time. Pro players look so stoic on the stage and sometimes even off it, so seeing him smiling and having fun was a good reminder as to why these players are here in the first place — why any of us were there and watching.
“I play a lot of Solo Queue,” he says. “Mainly to practice my own champions outside of a team setting. The NA server is different from the Korean one — they have a different meta. Practicing in this environment helps me be more analytical because I’m placed in new situations.”
I ask if that just meant NA had more trolls. He said, “Actually, up to last season, I would say that’s true. But high Korean elo is now flooded with more foreigners, so while the seriousness hasn’t quite disappeared, it’s reduced. NA and Korean ladders are more similar now.”
The plan was take Crown and SSG’s AD carry, Ruler, around the venue so they’d have a chance to interact with some fans. I asked Mark if the pair had any concerns or questions. The only thing they were worried about was whether or not American fans would even recognize them.
We made our way down as the CLG vs. ROX game was winding down to catch the rush of fans who filled the hallways between the games. I asked them to remove their jackets to show off their white Samsung jerseys. Ruler took his off, but Crown shivered and shook his head — I didn’t need a translation for that. I was told Crown speaks English but isn’t confident with it. He looked at Mark and asked something.
Mark laughed and said, “Does he have time to step outside?” He was feeling a little nervous and wanted some air.
In the end, it didn’t matter whether he showed off his jersey or not. We’d taken only a couple steps off the elevator before three girls screamed, “Crown!” In succession, he took a photo with each of them and then signed his autograph — on notebooks, clothing, and even some thunder sticks.
The game ended before we could go inside the auditorium. The doors opened and hordes of thirsty and hungry fans rolled through the lobby. Some looked annoyed having to step around us, but once it became clear what was happening, their heads locked. They lined up for a chance to meet the players, and the line stretched at least 50 people deep within minutes.
Ruler took the whole thing in stride — welcoming fan after fan with a smile and throwing up the peace sign with his fingers. Crown, though, wasn’t sure what to make of the whole thing. He says it’s not that he was stressed, but a little overwhelmed by how many people were interested in taking a photo with them.
Once we cut the fan interaction off to let them go back and practice, they walked by the whole line and gave all the fans high-fives. It was maybe not the best consolation for those who’d wanted a photo, but anyone who’s been to an event can attest to how crazy the queues are for seeing a player.
Crown looked both energized and relieved once we cleared the line. “We can go outside now, yes?” he asked. Outside we went.
“This has never happened before,” he said. “It’s a totally new culture to me — I still have to get used to it. Compared to America fans, Korean fans are a little bit quieter. I was a little bit shy, but at the same time, I was really happy that people recognized me.”
I asked him how he wanted to be known outside the game. His face scrunched up as he thought about it. He said, “That’s too difficult of a question. I’ve never thought about that before. Outside of League of Legends, I am just a normal boy — hanging out and drinking with my friends.”
Inside the game, though, he says, “I don’t want to be on the same level [as Faker]. I want to be higher.”
