After a furious undefeated run through the lower bracket of the 2022 LEC Spring Split playoffs, G2 Esports have taken back their throne as the kings of European League of Legends. On Summoner’s Rift, however, there were only three champions that took over the drafts of almost every team that played in the LEC postseason: LeBlanc, Zeri, and Hecarim.
LeBlanc is one of the most played champions among professional mid laners around the world and is a priority in almost every team’s drafting strategy. The Deceiver was played nine times across the postseason in the LEC but was also banned 62.5 percent of the time, according to League stats aggregate Oracle’s Elixir.
Zeri, one of League‘s newest champions, has also quickly become a pro favorite for her ability to zip in and out of teamfights with her impressive speed. She had a 75-percent ban rate throughout the LEC playoffs while winning 83 percent of her games with an 11.8 KDA. In the hands of capable players, Zeri is a menace who can remain just out of reach of crowd control but run in and deal a significant amount of chip damage across an extended teamfight.
Another champion that is picked because of their speed is Hecarim, although he isn’t known for his kiting ability. Instead, his speed is used to take enemies by surprise during ganks, and his ultimate can change a fight if it fears multiple targets. As a result, he tied Zeri for the second-highest ban rate of any champion in the LEC playoffs at 75 percent.
Related: Riot to nerf Zeri, Lee Sin, others in League Patch 12.7 as MSI preparations get rolling
With multiple changes headed to the game for the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational, however, we could see priorities be altered in the pick-ban moving forward. The meta is being shifted across Patch 12.7 and 12.8, and more picks could rise up to become the new dominant power in the pro scene.
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Published: Apr 11, 2022 11:41 am