After a rapid-fire opening to the new year, the European League of Legends scene is approaching the final series of the 2023 LEC Winter Split. G2 Esports and MAD Lions are getting ready to collide in what should be a thrilling way to finish off the first split of the league’s new format, with drafts that will surprise and energize the players and fans alike.
There are, however, two champions that have been prioritized in team compositions over the course of the playoffs that have not seen much success: Varus and Lucian. The two marksmen have been played six times each, but only one of them has brought good tidings for the team they’re playing on.
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Varus currently has a 76.9 percent ban rate through the playoffs, according to League stats aggregate Oracle’s Elixir, and has been a go-to choice for any players who want a good early-game champion that can take over the lane with his superior poke and chip damage.
He has only won one game through the playoffs with G2 Esports’ AD carry Steven “Hans Sama” Liv, when he and the rest of his team took down KOI to advance further into the winner’s bracket. In many circumstances, Varus is a sitting duck for enemy team compositions with lots of crowd control, since he has no way to escape any enemies engaging, save for his flash.
Lucian, on the other hand, has yet to win a game in the LEC playoffs so far. Normally, Lucian is lane dominant when paired up with Nami, since their early-level damage burst is lethal to squishy targets. This time around, however, Lucian has failed to take control of the early game with a lowly -227 average gold difference at 10 minutes.
Whenever they are faced up against an engage support like Rell or Nautilus—or a duo with a lot of burst of their own—they can soak up a ton of damage without needing to recall or chug too many health potions. They can also counter-attack with plenty of lockdown that could eventually send them back to the fountain with a grey screen.
