Throughout his career, Faker has used a wide array of champions, and that champion pool continues to expand over the years. Just recently in MSI 2024, Faker utilized Aurelion Sol and Zac in the Mid Lane. These are incredibly rare picks for the captain of T1. Of course, not every time Faker uses a new champion in an official match results in success, especially as he no longer reaches the peak performance he once did. Nevertheless, Faker’s constant exploration and experimentation with new options also reflect the relentless drive of the legend, even though he is currently at the very top of the League of Legends player hierarchy.
Among these champions, there are some that have directly helped Faker secure titles or significant milestones in his career. Notably, one champion that perfectly fits Faker’s playmaking style and perhaps, Faker is one of the two players who uses this champion most effectively in the League of Legends scene today (the other being Chovy), is Azir. The Emperor of Shurima is the champion that directly helped T1 defeat JD Gaming after the historic Shurima Shuffle. From this victory, T1 decimated the LPL representatives in the 4th game of the 2023 Worlds semifinals, thus opening the door to winning the largest international tournament of last year in the League of Legends scene.
However, for Faker, this is perhaps the champion he currently feels most frustrated with. According to Faker’s recent interview, he candidly stated: “I’ve played Azir a lot already, and to be honest, I kind of hate this champion right now. I don’t want to play this champion anymore.” In fact, throughout 2023, Faker has played 34 games with Azir, achieving a win rate of 70.6%, making it a champion that teams must either ban early or pick to prevent it from falling into Faker’s hands. Azir also caused much regret for many fans when Faker chose the Worlds skin as Orianna and two Hall of Legends skins as Ahri and LeBlanc.
But still, perhaps Faker means that he wants to experiment with many other playmaking champions rather than being locked into one or two choices that are too easily countered. However, with his professional spirit always at its highest level, it wouldn’t be surprising if Faker continues to use Azir if that choice is available and beneficial for T1’s strategy.