Two League of Legends champion picks, Kai’Sa and Xayah, have sprung to the top of the early 2023 World Championship metagame and were played the most across Play-Ins.
There were many champions brought onto the Rift in the Worlds 2023 Play-In stage, but Kai’Sa and Xayah were the most picked champions by a decent distance, being played in 24 and 19 matches respectively.
They were followed by Rell and Rakan (16 each), which begins to solidify how vital having power picks in the bot lane will be at Worlds this year.
Most played League champs in Worlds 2023 Play-Ins
- Kai’Sa, 24 games
- Xayah, 19 games
- Rell, 16 games
- Rakan, 16 games
- Renekton, 15 games
- Nautilus, 13 games
- Jarvan IV, 11 games
Kai’Sa and Xayah may not have received direct buffs or nerfs in League Patch 13.19, but from significant item changes in Patch 13.10 to the midseason update, the items these ADCs use and how they’re played have all changed for the better.
Now, these two champs may not be performing well for regular League players. However, in the hands of pros, it’s a different story. While Patch 13.19 was still live, Kai’Sa and Xayah were two of the most picked ADCs with above-average win rates, and they dominated this patch because of their serious damage, strong one vs. one potential, excellent teamfighting skills, and survivability. With a few items under their belt, they become fearsome on the Rift.
It’s not as if it were just one team consistently picking these champions, either. We saw PSG Talon’s Wako, Movistar R7’s Ceo, and GAM’s Slayder play Xayah, and LOUD’s Route, CFO’s Shunn, and Team Whales’ Artemis play Kai’Sa.
Because of their incredible sway over the Rift at Play-ins, these champions were either picked or banned, with Xayah having a 100 percent pick-ban rate during Play-Ins. Only Maokai kept pace; he appeared in every drafting phase but made it through bans just 10 times. Every time he escaped the bench, he was played.
Expect to see these champions pop up again in the Swiss stage from Oct. 19, though as the meta evolves, new and whacky picks could begin to emerge too.
Published: Oct 15, 2023 11:11 pm