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LoL – Meta Check: Notable Champions in the Worlds 2021 Play-Ins

The World Championship main event has just recently commenced, but it has been a while since the last time... Fragster | 12. October 2021

The World Championship main event has just recently commenced, but it has been a while since the last time we saw any of these teams play on stage.

Several patches have been implemented since then, and there have been a lot of changes in the meta. With recent solo queue matches and the first few matches of the play-in stage as a reference, here are some champions that we have seen and we expect to see more of as the tournament progresses.

Tryndamere

The Barbarian King has been a menace in solo queue for a while now, and perhaps professional players and teams may finally be discovering the true power of this champion. He has gotten nothing but buffs over the last year, and the item system rework has only made him stronger. There are many builds Tryndamere players can go for, which helps his versatility. People usually go for either a bruiser-like build or pure critical strike, but there are others who build a combination of both. Watch out for Tryndamere to be flexed between the mid and top lanes.

Lucian

After getting a mini-rework that gives him a bit of power in the bottom lane, Lucian is now a capable flex pick for top, mid, and the bottom lane.He has a new added passive effect, Vigilance, which empowers his next two basic attacks if he receives buffs from allies, or if Lucian triggers the Ardent Blaze mark. In addition, his ultimate was changed to gain additional shots based on Lucian’s critical strike chance, discouraging the Serylda’s Grudge build that was popular over the summer. When paired with an enchanter support, the Purifier is a deadly champion in the bottom lane.

Miss Fortune

Miss Fortune is another marksman that got sizable buffs. In 11.18, the number of waves from her ultimate, Bullet Time, increased. While that may be something that bumps up her presence, what has really been the cause behind her skyrocketing pick and ban rate is the most recent buff to Youmuu’s Ghostblade. The item has become similar to its old form before the item rework– it now builds from a Serrated Dirk and a Caulfield’s Warhammer. Its new recipe means that it gets ability haste and more bonus attack damage. On top of those, the combination cost is 100 gold cheaper, which means it is more accessible to those that would make good use of its passive. 

Amumu

This champion got a mini-rework earlier on in the year, where his Bandage Toss was adjusted to have a two-charge system. This means that if he misses a first one, he has another, and does not need to commit the use of his Flash to make a play. Another possibility that this provides is that if the first bandage hits, this means that the Amumu can use the next one on another priority target. Instead of the jungle, the sad mummy should be expected to be seen in the support role.

Qiyana is right at the center of the Worlds 2021 meta (via League of Legends)

Qiyana is right at the center of the Worlds 2021 meta (via League of Legends)

Qiyana 

As an assassin, Qiyana also benefited from the Youmuu’s Ghostblade changes. As a champion, she has been receiving a lot of buffs all year, and the recent changes to her Q, Edge of Ixtal, and its damage to monsters, put her back in the forefront of the jungle meta. She has always been strong in objective fights due to her Supreme Display of Talent, and the huge improvement in her jungle clear will make sure she gets into a power spike faster. 

Qiyana may also be flexed into a solo lane, if the matchup allows for it.

Zed

Zed has not been present in competitive play for a while. This year’s changes with his damage to monsters and minions, however, has allowed him to become a viable jungle pick. He can make good use of the newly-buffed Youmuu’s Ghostblade as well, which is even more valuable for him because with it, Zed can get to where he needs to be a bit faster. This, in addition to the terrain scaling that his Living Shadow brings, enables him to be more creative with his pathing. This means that Zed can evade vision and then burst down an unsuspecting carry. 

Zed can also be flexed mid and can usually handle a lot of ranged matchups. 

 

(Header image via League of Legends)