It’s only been less than two weeks since the LPL captured the 2023 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational, but the powerhouse region is already back in full swing with an 18-game set to welcome fans to the new Summer Split.
Over the last week, one popular champion has continued his domination of team drafts in the new split, on top of his unmatched late-game firepower on Summoner’s Rift: Aphelios. The Weapon of the Faithful has been arguably the most destructive bottom lane champion over the last year in pro play and has been a huge focus for competitive teams.
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Aphelios is the only champion with a 100 percent pick rate in the LPL over the first week of the 2023 Summer Split, according to League stats aggregate Oracle’s Elixir. He has been played by stars like Top Esports’ Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo, OMG’s Dai “Able” Zhi-Chun, and LNG Esports’ new superstar marksman Chen “GALA” Wei, but he has a relatively low win rate of 33 percent due to his high usage.
Aphelios’ consistent usage on the pro stage has been a saga in itself, especially after his takeover on the MSI stage this past May. This mystic master blaster was the most-played champion at the event with 46 games across the month, boasting the most kills in the tournament with some outrageous moments in the hands of the world’s best marksmen.
JD Gaming’s superstar AD carry Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk, for example, only played Jinx and Aphelios on his way to lifting the MSI trophy, and he eventually ended with some of the highest damage numbers of any player in London. Bilibili Gaming marksman Zhao “Elk” Jia-Hao led the tournament with an eye-popping 159 kills while playing seven games on Aphelios as well.
Related: The LoL pro meta hasn’t shifted much in first week of 2023 LPL Summer Split
The destructive marksman is a popular champ due to his ability to control any situation with the right set of guns at his disposal. Whether he needs destructive teamfighting capabilities, self-peel, or extreme healing, top Aphelios players can play ahead and micro-manage their weapons so they’ll have the perfect combination of guns for the moment. It also helps that he deals a disgusting amount of damage in the late game.
