In the League of Legends scene, if we had to name the two most talented Marksmen throughout the history of Riot’s “national game,” the first name that most people think of is Uzi. “Super Marksman” is the nickname that fans of Royal Never Give Up and LPL in particular, as well as League of Legends fans in general, assign to Uzi. Although he has never touched the World Championship trophy in his entire career, Uzi is a legend in China. Many famous Marksmen around the world, such as Doublelift, Gumayusi, Ghost, and Ruler, consider Uzi their idol.
But is Uzi really the most talented Marksman in League of Legends? And in this question, the counterpart often brought up for comparison with Uzi is Bang. The reason is that Bang is also a legendary Marksman in League of Legends in general and in LCK in particular. Even to this day, although LCK has witnessed “God Archer” Viper, Ruler, Teddy… Bang is still the name that Korean League of Legends fans mention as a worthy counterpart to Uzi from LPL. And it was Bang, along with Bengi, Faker, Wolf… who created the historical achievement of SKT T1 – the first team to defend the World Championship title.
In the same period at the end of the 2021 season, Bang announced his retirement after many years of tireless fighting. Shortly after that, also during the end of the 2021 season, Uzi was officially announced to return in the colors of Bilibili Gaming. At the same time, the two most talented Marksmen that League of Legends has ever produced took two opposite paths, just as they have throughout their careers. And just before the 2022 season, the question “Uzi or Bang, who is better?” once again ignites debate in the LPL community.
Uzi is an outstanding Marksman. He is so talented that, in a roster filled with stars of RNG at that time, they all had one goal when entering the match: maximize resources for Uzi, and after that, let Jian Zihui (Uzi’s real name) take care of it. Uzi’s Vayne is legendary. Marksman champions in Uzi’s hands always reach their maximum potential.
However, because of this, RNG became incredibly predictable. Uzi is very skilled and can play even when being pressured by opponents, as long as his teammates “take care” of him until he reaches his power threshold. This inadvertently binds Uzi and RNG. The playstyle of RNG during Uzi’s time was too predictable, and this team didn’t dare to do otherwise. Thus, when Uzi’s performance declined due to illness and injury, RNG lost almost 90% of their strength and ended up empty-handed in the last two seasons Uzi played.
As for Bang, the LCK Marksman is the complete opposite of Uzi. Bang played in a lineup where his teammates were always talented players. Sometimes MaRin, sometimes Faker took turns shining, causing Bang, no matter how talented, to still be “mocked” as only having titles because of Faker. But Bang, and no one else, was the perfect piece for SKT T1. Because he is talented, and he knows how to play around the team rather than demanding the team to make him the “center of the universe.”
More importantly than Uzi, Bang has titles. Bang is one year older than Uzi, but both became professional players at the end of Season 2. As one LPL viewer commented: “Uzi is talented but has never had a World Championship title, nor any skins to honor him. A good Marksman player should not only wait for teammates to ‘take care’ him but also be self-reliant. Therefore, the better Marksman must be Bang, not Uzi.” Or as Bang himself once stated: “Who is better doesn’t matter, but the important thing is that SKT T1 always beats RNG.” Just this answer shows that Bang is the type of Marksman who places the team’s victory above all else. Because of this, he sometimes gets overshadowed compared to his teammates and Uzi.
In terms of what they have shown, Uzi and Bang can be considered on par. But in terms of titles, especially the World Championship title, Bang is far ahead of Uzi, even though Bang has retired while Uzi has just returned. Not to mention, Bang’s playstyle is something any team can handle. As for Uzi, whenever this Marksman declines, almost certainly the entire team will be affected.
However, there will never be a satisfactory answer to the question “Bang – Uzi, who is better?” as Bang has retired and Uzi has also entered the decline of his career. Fans can only be happy and proud to have had the opportunity to witness the extraordinary moments created by these two legendary Marksmen in the peak years of their careers.