Introduction: The S15 season has officially begun, and it’s believed that the vast majority of players have been paying attention to the recent confrontations. Currently, there is a brief offseason period during which all teams are gearing up. The clashes between T1 and IG have drawn significant attention. Recently, some fans analyzed Faker’s career champion usage and found that the two mid-lane champions weakened in the world championship patch are both part of Faker’s champion pool. This could be good news for IG, as Azir and Orianna’s early lane strength has been significantly reduced. It now depends on whether IG can seize this opportunity. Judging by the nerfs to these two champions, the patch might indeed be more favorable to IG. Additionally, IG’s player Xiaolübu publicly stated at a press conference that if they lose three games to IG, they will be out — and they won’t lose.

Faker's career champion win rates have become a hot topic.

Most players are quite familiar with Faker. Recognized as the number one player in League of Legends, his achievements and popularity are undeniable. All five of the most watched LCK matches in S15 featured him. Due to changes in the tournament format, after losing to HLE, T1 had to compete with Gen.G for the fourth seed and ultimately entered Worlds as the fourth seed. Normally, their form and results would place them in the top three, so finishing fourth without a play-in stage feels somewhat frustrating. This situation also troubles IG, who struggled to qualify for Worlds and now face a tough opponent in their first match.

Recently, some fans compiled statistics on Faker’s champion usage throughout his career and found that the current Worlds patch is very favorable to IG, as Faker’s champions have been heavily nerfed. First, looking at his most played champion, Azir has been used in 183 professional games with a 70% win rate and a 4.1 KDA. This champion is almost a must-learn for every mid laner, especially under the current global ban-pick system, where it might become a must-ban or must-pick later in the tournament. The second is Orianna, played 81 times with a 74% win rate and a career-high 5.5 KDA.

These two champions are among Faker’s signature picks but have also been targeted in this Worlds patch. Azir’s W ability, the soldier damage, has been significantly reduced, and the charge time has increased by two seconds early on. Meanwhile, Orianna’s W ability has had its base damage cut by 40 points late game. Although the AP ratio was increased by 10%, it’s still difficult to compensate, meaning if Orianna doesn’t build a large hat (Rabadon's Deathcap), her W damage will be lower late game. Will these nerfs to key champions give IG an edge?

Surprisingly, Sivir ranks third in usage frequency, appearing in 80 games with a 65% win rate. Familiar champions like Ryze have only a 60% win rate, while Galio, widely respected, has the lowest win rate on the list at just 57%. Maybe age is catching up. Champions like Akali and LeBlanc have seen a sharp decline in usage, especially LeBlanc, who is now rarely seen. In a recent T1 press event, their AD carry Xiaolübu expressed strong determination, saying advancing is very tough this time and if they lose three games, they will be eliminated, so they are determined to win.

Farewell thoughts

From this analysis, it seems Faker’s champion pool has been somewhat weakened, but it’s not enough to affect the overall competition. After all, his title as the “Demon King” remains unshaken. Meanwhile, Rookie has not appeared on the world stage for six years; his return raises questions about whether he can keep pace globally. Honestly, no matter how champions are nerfed, Faker remains very strong, and IG’s win rate is below 50%. The only unknown is whether Faker’s mindset will be affected, especially since the “cross-dressing Faker” trend is very popular now, even having offline autograph events.

What do you, the viewers, think about this situation?