There’s always a few champions that dominate across the five roles at each League of Legends World Championship. And Worlds 2019 has been no different. Throughout the main event, pros have been pretty consistent with their picks, creating the meta and setting up standards for others to follow.
Each of the lanes, or roles, have had that one champion that shined in terms of pick rates, though. But that doesn’t mean that their win rates were just as high. Even though these were the most popular picks, it wasn’t due to other pros’ performance with them. Instead, it was because of the mechanics and potential that fit their competitive criteria.
With the Worlds 2019 finals quickly approaching, let’s take a look at which champions dominated the lanes of Summoner’s Rift on this year’s main stage.
Top lane – Gangplank
Top laners have picked Gangplank in 24 games. FunPlus Phoenix’s Kim “GimGoon” Han-saem, one of the finalists, has the highest KDA, 6.9, with the pirate and a win rate of 75 percent across four games.
There are a lot of things that make Gangplank a good champ in the current meta. His global ultimate allows for map control, he can escape CC, and his AoE damage is amazing both for wave clear and clearing enemy champions. Pack Grasp of the Undying with his Q and he becomes difficult to fight against.
Jungle – Lee Sin
Lee Sin has been picked in 39 out of 74 games played at Worlds so far. But pros might have had higher expectations for their martial arts mechanics since only 41 percent of those games resulted in wins.
Lee Sin is mechanically complex to play, but thanks to that, he’s fast to move around the map, outplay enemies, and pick up kills. If you don’t manage to do that well, though, you’ll find yourself struggling to come out on top in the late game.
Mid – Ryze
Ryze has been seen on the screen 27 times, 22 of which were as a mid lane pick. FPX’s Kim “Doinb” Tae-sang and G2’s Rasmus “Caps” Winther, both mid laners set to clash in the finals, had successful runs with Ryze.
In fact, Doinb’s Ryze has an insane 21.7 KDA at Worlds. Ryze can be picked into most matchups and fits different compositions. He’s also easy to grab CS with. He snowballs heavy into the late game and becomes a machine of AP burst.
Bot lane – Kai’Sa
Kai’Sa has been the most popular ADC at Worlds, picked in 49 games. G2’s bot laner Luka “Perkz” Perković is the only pro to have a 100 percent win rate with her so far. Other pros didn’t do as well with Kai’Sa, losing 25 games with her in the bot lane.
Kai’Sa is highly mobile for an ADC and can pop in and out of combat in the blink of an eye. Her bust potential is very high and her kit allows for creative plays. But she requires a specific build that can’t always fit the team’s needs.
Support – Nautilus
Nautilus never seems to get old. Pros have opted for him in 32 games, through which they’ve achieved a 53 percent win rate. He was even a mid lane pick three times. Against Rakkan, however, Nautilus struggled.
As a support, Nautilus simply offers everything needed. He’s very tanky, which allows for heavy peel. He has lots of CC and a point-and-click ultimate. A grab is always an amazing engage tool and Nautilus can make the best out of it.
