The mid lane meta in competitive LoL is taking a walk on the wild side. In the LCK, we’ve started to see the emergence of Garen and Nasus, two top lane champions, being picked against each other. Now, fans are wondering whether this has promising implications for the low-elo solo queue.
In an Aug. 28 Reddit thread, League of Legends players voiced their desires for Riot to put these champions on the chopping block after their emergence in the mid-lane. The sentiment arose after ShowMaker and Chovy, two of LoL’s biggest names, locked in Garen and Nasus in their LCK Summer Playoffs match. The matchup between Chovy and ShowMaker was relatively uneventful, but perhaps this is the new answer to mid, now that ADCs are appearing less and less.
These champions’ emergence doesn’t come as a surprise, as LCK mid laners have been donning these pocket picks in the Korean solo queue. It was only a matter of time before Garen and Nasus made their way into pro play.
After the game, fans explained why they want the pair to see balance changes. “The good thing about seeing Nasus and Garen in pro play is that they will finally get nerfed,” the OP wrote. Riot may have to consider tackling both champions if they’re seen too often to avoid conflicting with their Worlds patch.
But why are they so strong? Both are relatively straightforward, with kits that are easy to master. Many players find Nasus’ Wither ability annoying to play against, since it essentially roots you in place. “I been praying for Nasus wither to be nerfed forever. Most disgusting ability in the game” one player said.
At the same time, Garen is the ultimate fighter. He’s a lane bully and will dive you under your turret at any chance. If you’re filled in the top lane, you’ll probably end up picking one of these champions. “If you are filled, you can just blind this shit,” another player said.
The numbers back this up. At lower ranks, Nasus and Garen are the two most-played champions in the top lane, according to the Mobalytics stats site. The pair have a combined 47,924 games played on LoL Patch 14.17. We’ll have to wait and see whether Riot nerfs the champions, but if not, we should expect to see more bruisers in the mid lane going forward.
