TheShy's Signature Champions: From Riven to Aatrox
Aatrox, Jayce, Fiora, Vladimir, Akali — and the Riven that started it all. A guide to the champions that defined TheShy’s career.
Few players are as closely tied to their champion pool as TheShy. His picks are not just strong — they are statements. Here are the champions that define him, and why each one matters.
Riven — where the name came from
Before TheShy ever played a pro game, he was famous in Korean solo queue for Riven. His mastery of her animation cancels was so complete that a specific fast combo entered the community vocabulary as "The Shy Combo." He rarely plays Riven on stage, but she is the foundation of his legend — the reason scouts noticed a teenage top laner in the first place.
Aatrox — the Worlds 2018 icon
If one pick sums up TheShy's peak, it is Aatrox in the Worlds 2018 semifinal against G2 Esports. Facing multiple members of G2 near the dragon pit, TheShy turned a losing fight into a highlight that has been replayed millions of times — the play that cemented IG's run to China's first world title. Aatrox has been linked to him ever since.
Jayce — the lane bully perfected
Jayce is the purest expression of TheShy's style: relentless lane pressure, pixel-perfect poke, and the confidence to play on a knife's edge. Across his LPL career it has been one of his most-picked and most-feared champions — the one opposing teams ban when they do not want their top laner to spend fifteen minutes under tower.
Fiora — the duelist's duelist
TheShy's Fiora is a study in 1v1 mechanics. His Riposte timing — parrying key crowd control by fractions of a second — has produced some of the most dissected clips in pro play. When the meta allows split-push carries, his Fiora is never far from the pick/ban conversation.
Vladimir and Akali — the flex threats
Part of what makes drafting against TheShy miserable is that he does not only play bruisers. His Vladimir has carried teamfights from behind, and his Akali — played in the top lane long before it was common — gave IG devastating flex options during their championship years.
Honorable mention: Kalista top
Yes, it really happened. TheShy famously pulled out Kalista in the top lane in pro play — a pick so strange it trended worldwide, and so effective in his hands that Riot later adjusted the champion's solo-lane power. It remains the ultimate example of his willingness to break the meta in public.
What the pool tells you
Every signature TheShy champion rewards the same things: mechanical precision, lane dominance, and the nerve to take fights other players decline. That is why, a decade into his career, his champion pool is still the first thing analysts check on draft day.
Watching his 2026 comeback split? Check the champion pool tracker and the schedule for his next series.