Of the 42 games played during the 2021 LCS Lock In tournament, only two champions made appearances in every single pick/ban phase, according to League of Legends statistics site gol.gg.
Olaf and Pantheon held each and every champion select with a vice grip during the Lock In tournament since they were both of the utmost priority for every team in the LCS. Mostly, the two champs had more of an impact on the ban phase rather than the pick phase, though, with Olaf being banned 34 times and picked on only eight occasions. The champion finished the tournament with a win-loss record of 5-3.
Pantheon, on the other hand, was banned in all 42 contests, receiving no playing time on Summoner’s Rift during the Lock In tournament whatsoever. Furthermore, Pantheon leads the game’s full roster of champions with 505 bans across worldwide professional League so far in the 2021 season.Â
To emphasize exactly how present Olaf and Pantheon have been on the LCS stage the last three weeks, only two other champions had a pick/ban rate over 90 percent at the Lock In tournament, according to gol.gg: Renekton and Kai’Sa.
Moving forward, though, it wouldn’t be totally surprising to see Olaf and Pantheon drop out of favor with many pro players. Heavy-handed nerfs to Goredrinker, a core item for both of those champions, are set to be put into motion with the release of Patch 11.3. Still, the patch most likely won’t make its way to professional play for at least a week or two, which should allow Olaf and Pantheon to continue their reigns of dominance over professional League.Â
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