Champions to watch at Worlds 2023: Who will be the most picked LoL champions at Worlds

There are over 160 champions in League of Legends, but the metagame plays a significant factor in whittling down how many of those actually get picked in pro play, especially on the biggest stage of them all: Worlds.

There are a handful we’re expecting to see picked again and again at the 2023 League World Championship over the next month, including Kai’Sa, K’Sante, Lee Sin, and more.

Here are our top tips for the Worlds 2023 power picks.

Our tips for most-picked League champions at Worlds

Kai’Sa

If there’s one champion we can, with almost 100 percent certainty, expect to see picked at Worlds 2023, it is Kai’Sa. Since the item rework in League Patch 13.19, she has become a force on the Rift, especially in the hands of pros.

She is versatile and can be built in various ways, which means she can take on most matchups with ease, and when paired with one of the more popular tank support, she can be quite effective in taking out single enemy targets. Kai’Sa is one champ we expect to be a high priority, but this also means she may become the most banned champion if teams don’t pick her first.

Lee Sin

Lee Sin is “the” jungler for pros in Patch 13.19, and while his mechanics are challenging to master, it’s nothing for pros. He has a shield, great damage, and a knockback, which means he can effectively engage in solo or team fights and disengage quickly. With his buff in Patch 13.19 and the buff to Goredrinker, one of his core items, he is one champ we can expect to see picked often at Worlds because of his playmaking abilities.

Alistar

After several years at the bottom, Alistar has risen to the top of the tanky support meta again and will be one of the champions picked often at the 2023 Worlds, especially by playmaking supports. From the mid-game, Alistar’s abilities have a shorter cooldown, which means he can use his wombo-combo more often to pick off champs.

As a tank with crowd-control abilities, he is also quite versatile in that he can be played against most matchups, barring a few exceptions, alongside most of the popular ADCs. So, even if he’s picked blindly, he should have no trouble dominating bot lane.

Rakan

Season 13 has been about the tank support meta and amid that Rakan has been a consistent playmaking pick for pros, even in Patch 13.19. He is an unstoppable force in the late game as his abilities have low cooldowns, he can help pick off enemies easily and disengage quickly.

With his ultimate, he can charm his enemies in teamfights, making all the difference between winning the fight or losing, and he’s versatile, meaning he can work synergistically alongside most champions. Regardless of whether we see him picked alongside Xayah, Rakan will potentially be a solid support choice at Worlds 2023.

Taliyah

Although champions with combat-based ultimates are highly sought after, Taliyah is one champion who, despite not having this, is a popular pick among pros in Patch 13.19, and we can expect to see her played quite often in the jungle and mid lane at Worlds this year.

When used at the right time, her ultimate can be excellent at sectioning off the map to initiate a team fight or as a valuable tool to help her team disengage from hairy situations. Along with her slows and high damage, she can be a valuable gamechanger.

Orianna

Orianna is the most picked mid lane champion for pros in Patch 13.19, and we can expect to see her quite often on the Rift at Worlds 2023 because her ultimate is vital in team fights and can turn the tide in her team’s favor. On top of this, she can have a safe laning experience with her range and shield, which means the jungler can focus on the bot, top lane, farming, or solo objectives.

K’Sante

K’Sante is a popular pick for pros in Patch 13.19 across all regions because his kit, while hard to master, offers crowd control, invulnerability, and damage. This makes him a strong necessity in team fights and stable enough to take on the top lane alone.

With his rework on the horizon, this will be one of the last times we’ll see this specific set of stats and passives for K’Sante, so, it will be exciting to see how Worlds pros handle this champ’s challenging and sometimes disadvantageous mechanics.

Xayah

In Patch 13.19, Xayah is one of the top AD carries pros are picking because when she’s built with Berserker’s Greaves, Navori Quickblades, and Kraken Slayer, the critical strike chance and attack damage make her a must-pick. In saying that, she may be one of the League champs that, if she’s not picked up first or second, she will be banned just because she is simply too good to leave on the table for the other team.

Aatrox

Regardless of the stage, Aatrox is a staple pick for pros and, one of the top lane champs in the Patch 13.19 meta. With his buffed items, especially Goredrinker, he has become a scary and tanky top laner who can quickly wave clear, engage effectively in teamfights from the mid-game, and be crucial in getting objective fights.

Jhin

Jhin may not be one of the more popular ADCs for pros, but in the Patch 13.19 meta, he is one ADC that we should see at Worlds this year. He’s excellent at scaling and dealing high damage, and his critical strike chance makes every hit feel like a massive blow. And when in the hands of pros, he becomes versatile and perfect to take out enemy players one by one with his ultimate.

Jarvan IV

Jarvan IV is the complete package and a popular pick for pros on the competitive stage due to his playmaking ability and skirmishing potential. He can be used in various roles, making him quite versatile and a great blind pick.

He does fall off slightly in the lategame, but if he can make plays and snowball early, he can be oppressive and disruptive in teamfights.

Bonus: Aphelios

Aphelios may not be a meta champion in League Patch 13.19, however, due to his versatility and damage output, he is often sought after on the professional stage and is a tried-and-true comfort pick for many pros.

While he doesn’t have the best win rate on the pro stage, he is often chosen in a “we have to take him or else they will” situation. So, unless he’s banned, we may see him picked often in the bot lane when Kai’Sa, Xayah, or Ezreal are banned or can’t be picked.

And if we’re talking about League pro favorites and comfort picks, we can also expect to see Ezreal, Nautilus, Vi, Jax, and Azir picked often in South Korea too.