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The 2022 League of Legends World Championship is well underway, and with 47 games already in the books following the conclusion of the play-in stage, the tournament’s meta is beginning to solidify.
Traditionally, the play-in stage gives fans (and players) a sneak preview of what champions are going to dominate the international stage for the next month since Worlds is played on the same patch from the first game of the play-ins all the way to the grand finals. Champions that are highly prioritized during the play-in stage usually keep up their pace all the way through the closing of the tournament.
Keep in mind that the Worlds meta could shift between the play-in stage and the group stage since 12 teams who directly qualified for the tournament’s main event will be making their Worlds debuts. Those teams could have an entirely different read on the meta, and champions who were initially favored during the play-ins could fall to the back burner. If history is any barometer, though, that’s unlikely.
With the play-in stage in the rearview mirror, here are the most impactful champions at each role during the tournament’s initial phase. Look for these picks to possibly have an impact on the group stage as well.
Top: Aatrox
You probably saw this one coming. Aatrox has been the most contested champion at the World Championship thus far, with 24 picks and 21 bans. There were just two games out of the 47 that were played in the play-ins where Aatrox wasn’t either banned or picked, and they both came during the knockout portion of the play-in stage. Before the fourth game of the series between LOUD and DetonatioN FocusMe, Aatrox had posted a 100 percent pick/ban ratio at the tournament. Now, he sits at a measly 96 percent, still the best among all champions, according to League stats site Games of Legends.
Jungle: Hecarim
Although Hecarim has been picked fewer times than Maokai and Sejuani at the jungle position, he’s the most-banned jungler at Worlds with a total of 17 bans under his belt already. Beyond that, he’s been picked 14 times, splitting those games down the middle for an even win rate of 50 percent at the tournament.
Mid: Sylas
Right behind Aatrox, Sylas is the second-most-contested champion at Worlds with a pick/ban rate of 83 percent. Although he’s been banned just as many times as Aatrox (21), Sylas has been picked on six fewer occasions. Still, he’s the most-contested mid lane champion by a wide margin. The next-highest pick/ban rate for a mid laner at Worlds is Azir’s 53 percent, according to Games of Legends.
AD carry: Miss Fortune
Miss Fortune is back for another go-around at Worlds. After being the most popular champion at last year’s play-in stage, she’s once again a go-to for AD carries at this season’s event. With 17 picks so far, she’s tied with Kai’Sa for the most picks among all ADCs on the roster at Worlds. Ultimately, Miss Fortune might have a lower presence rate than other AD carries like Caitlyn and Kalista, but those two champions are only as high up on the table as they are due to their incredibly high ban rates. At the very least, we get to watch Miss Fortune actually be played on stage, whereas Kalista and Caitlyn only have seven and four picks, respectively.
Support: Amumu
Amumu has the highest presence rate among all support champions at Worlds so far. He’s been involved in 55 percent of drafts, mostly because of how strong he is as a complimentary lane partner to Miss Fortune. The Sad Mummy has an even 13 picks and 13 bans so far, and of those 13 picks, he’s been selected alongside Miss Fortune eight times. The “Curse of the Sad Bullet Time” combo, which sees Miss Fortune and Amumu combine their ultimates for a devastating amount of CC and burst damage, has been a major component of bottom lane comp building for two World Championships in a row.
Flex: Maokai
Although Maokai has seen a majority of his action come in the jungle position, he’s also been flexed into the top lane and support roles at Worlds. Maokai’s 22 total picks are the second-most among all champions at the tournament, while his 74 percent presence rate is the fourth-highest, according to Games of Legends. Plus, Maokai has only lost seven of the 22 games he’s appeared in, making him a high-priority pick across the board. As the tournament transitions to its main event, expect the Twisted Treant to be an integral part of team compositions constructed by some of the tournament’s best teams.
Published: Oct 5, 2022 01:08 pm