Faker has a fascinating stat with Sion
In the recent match against Gen.G, T1 found themselves with only one chance left to qualify for MSI, which will be held on home soil in Korea this year. Gen.G was in a similar situation, and both teams were highly determined to win. The match unfolded just as the community predicted, requiring a full 5 games before T1 secured the victory. An interesting point was Faker’s pick of Sion in the Midlane in game 2 — a very rare champion choice for the G.O.A.T.
Notably, this was only the third game in Faker’s career using this tank champion, and he has won all three times. The first two instances were in 2019 when SKT T1 faced JAG and HLE. At that time, the Midlane meta was diverse, ranging from tanks to mages and fighters. Even champions like Nautilus or Malphite were picked by Doinb at Worlds.
Faker continues to prove himself as T1’s leader
In reality, during the match against Gen.G, Faker’s Sion was often targeted. However, as a tank champion, dying 2-3 times didn’t affect T1’s gameplay flow. When necessary, Faker still managed to make crucial contributions that helped his team secure the overall win.
At MSI 2026, T1 will certainly be seen as one of the championship contenders with Faker leading the charge. However, during their win against Gen.G, they also revealed some issues that urgently need to be addressed before aiming for the title.