The League of Legends meta-game is constantly changing and throughout the years we’ve seen a bunch of different playstyles, from strong split-pushing drafts to protect-the-carry compositions. This year we’ve seen a few changes in the meta since the competitive season started and as usual, some of the meta picks vary depending on which domestic league you’re looking at.
These ADC Picks are Taking Over the World
Regardless of the region, Jinx and Aphelios are some of the champions that keep showing up. These two champions aren’t the strongest during the laning phase and lack mobility so the question stands: Why do these two picks have so much priority during drafts? The answer is simple: teamfights.
The meta is revolving around objective control and while these two ADCs are played in two very different ways, they are best-in-class when it comes to skirmishes and teamfights. Jinx has a really long auto-attack range and her passive is one of the best for teamfights, Aphelios excels at huge AoE damage, making it easy for teams to play around pick-offs and then clean-up the rest of the fight.
Xayah is a champion rising in priority but this time she is being played with a lethality build, mainly because her Q has been recently buffed and is now being maxed first, this paired with going Aery on her gives her a powerful poking tool in the laning phase.
Now, who is aiding these strong ADC champions in the bot lane? Well, there is a one that sticks out above the rest in every region and that is Nautilus, one of the champions with the biggest amount of crowd-control tools. Nautilus’ reliability is what makes him such a great pick but if we take a look at regions like the LCK and the LCS that play a slower game and focus on pushing and lane control, Karma and Yuumi definitely stand above the competition.
What Is Happening Around the Other Side of the Map?
Most of the time, the meta is defined by the state of the jungle. Is the role in such a weak spot that the junglers are forced to pick tanks? If so, the solo lanes can play a slower game and pick strong late-game champions. Fortunately for junglers, this isn’t the case and the jungle meta is at an excellent spot if you are looking to carry from this position.
Xin Zhao has been dominating every region in the world because he is one of the most aggressive picks you can have in the jungle. To nobody’s surprise, Lee Sin also has a high priority for the same reason, they have a strong early game and have a lot of tools to invade their opponent’s jungle.
This jungle meta is often accompanied by mid laners that have the ability to push waves easily and have some form of crowd control. This is because it allows them to roam around the map with their jungler and find pick-offs. Twisted Fate, Ryze and Ahri are some of the strongest picks right now but mid laners can rely on picks like Viktor and Corki because they function as an insurance for the later stages of the game due to the damage they provide.
If we look at the top lane, there is much more variance. We’ve been seeing every type of champion, from tanks to split pushers. Jayce and Gwen have been the ones with highest priority in this lane but as of recently we’ve seen a rise in priority for champions that work as a frontline like Ornn and Gnar. In general, top laners that have a big champion pool are the ones succeeding because it allows teams to play a variety of different playstyles.
