This LoL jungle sleeper pick took nearly a decade to break out into esports

With League of Legends’ ever-expanding roster, champions often break into the esports meta through major reworks or buffs. But one jungler defied the norm—after nearly a decade of near-total obscurity, she’s suddenly a dominant force in pro play.

In a Reddit thread, League players are talking about Vi’s initial entry into the esports scene, and many are pleasantly surprised to find out that the champion—despite releasing in 2012—could never find her place in the meta and always remained a niche pick for players until 10 years after her release. 

The Piltover Enforcer’s presence remained below one percent in competitive matches, and players hardly picked her until season 12, according to Games of Legends. Riot Games’ patch 12.10 brought the durability update, which made tanks and divers stronger while nerfing assassins. Champions like Vi, who have sustained damage, durability, and crowd control in their kit, became far more valuable and she finally gained some presence in the competition. 

Vi had a massive 72 presence in esports matches during the 12.16 patch featured at Worlds 2022. The Worlds meta revolved around Ahri’s mobility and Zeri’s hyper-aggressive playstyle, which opened the gates for Vi given her ability to lock down mobile or squishy carries. LPL esports players like Yan “Wei” Yang-Wei and Zhao “Jiejie” Li-Jie played many games on her, increasing her popularity. 

After that, Vi never looked back, and she has always remained relevant in esports, being particularly popular in Chinese and Korean leagues. She did receive a few nerfs to her kit in an attempt to push her presence down, but she has always found her way up. Vi’s kit naturally allows for versatility. She can build both tanky and damage-heavy items, making her an adaptable pick in matches.

Players have also pointed to the Arcane effect, as the hit Netflix show which features Vi and Jinx as protagonists came out in 2021, giving a solid popularity boost to the champion. Jinx was already a popular pocket pick, but Vi also became a big choice among junglers during that time. 

Currently, she has maintained her presence in over 50 percent of matches in season 15, and she has continuously been a solid jungler often picked or banned across tier-one esports leagues. As Fearless Drafts are also been implemented now, she’ll likely continue to see play as champion pools are only opened up further. 

Just like Vi, players are now wondering what other “hidden picks” there are in ranked matches that haven’t been played in professional esports yet, and maybe some other champion will take the spotlight from the current meta champions.