At Worlds 2023, many champion matchups have been chosen, making it one of the tournaments with the widest variety of champions used. For instance, player Gumayusi alone has utilized a total of 10 champions across 12 matches. Notably, some champions have only been used for the first time at Worlds 2023 but have shown effectiveness and are gradually becoming a new meta. A prime example is the return of the duo Senna – Tahm Kench, or Jhin in the Bot Lane.
However, according to Riot’s statistics, there is one matchup that has been dominating at Worlds 2023, appearing a total of 13 times throughout the tournament. This is the matchup between Orianna and Azir. The current number stops at 13, usually because one of the two champions is banned or picked against other champions. Nevertheless, the total of 13 confrontations between Orianna and Azir is significantly higher than other matchups. Currently, Orianna holds the upper hand with 10 wins compared to just 3 for Azir.
For those who may not know, all 3 of Azir’s wins occurred when this champion was played by Faker. This means that the Mid Laner of T1 is also the only player at Worlds 2023 who can use Azir and win against Orianna in a matchup where Orianna’s champion quality is superior. In confrontations between these two champions, players using Orianna typically dominate in lane, leaving Azir behind in both level and minion count. Later, in team fights, while Azir must carefully angle his complex combo, Orianna can operate much more easily by simply positioning her ball correctly and hitting two or more targets to achieve success.
Additionally, another reason for Faker’s “one-of-a-kind” achievement at Worlds 2023, as mentioned earlier, is that these champions frequently appear in the ban-pick phase. This means that if a team intends to use one of the two, they must ban the other champion to avoid any risk. Furthermore, if one side already has Orianna, the opposing team will typically look for more effective champions to counter her. And perhaps only T1 with Faker dares to use Azir or remains confident with Azir even when the other side has Orianna. Fans must also admit: “There are no useless champions, only players who are not Faker.”
With the current form, T1 seems more ready than ever for the finals of Worlds 2023. And perhaps, as many predictions have suggested: if they do not win this time, the current T1 lineup may never claim the throne again.