One unconventional LoL champion is dominating the mid lane in bronze

Odd picks often dominate in League of Legends’ lower ranks. In Patch 13.16, a truly unconventional one has become the best mid laner.

Players in Bronze are finding the most success in the mid lane while playing Garen. The champion currently has the highest win rate in the role with a jaw-dropping 54.19 percent win rate, according to a League stats site U.GG.

While it’s not unusual for Bronze players to be fond of Garen, the fact they’re so successful on the champion in the mid lane is. In the end, he’s arguably the simplest champ in the game with numerous counters.

Make no mistake, however, once Garen gets behind the steering wheel, it’s difficult to shut him down. From my experience in lower rankings, junglers tend to gank mid a lot, so it’s possible a lot of these Garen mains are getting ahead early. Once they do, they likely play aggressively and successfully until the enemy Nexus is down.

The mid lane isn’t the only lane Garen is dominating, as he’s also powerful in his original position at top lane. There, he boasts the third-highest win rate in Bronze with a solid 52.95 percent.

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While Garen is an off-meta pick for mid lane, the position’s mains are also pulling out a bunch of champions that are actually in the meta. Naafiri and Swain are the second and third-best picks in terms of win rate respectively, and they’re currently two of the strongest mid laners in Patch 13.16 overall.

Still, it’s possible the dynamics in the role will change quite shortly due to the release of Patch 13.17. The update is set to go live on Wednesday, Aug. 30.