After a week break following the conclusion of IEM, the major regional leagues resumed play over the week. China and Korea played on patch 7.3, while NA and EU played on the 7.4 patch. Some new picks were seen, while others stayed frequent in picks and bans.
LCK
The first inklings of new champions have come to the LCK with the teams playing on patch 7.3. Though new picks have been seen, none can take over Maokai as the most picked champion, where the tree has been played in 77 games.
Bans across the region has evened out some, with the “big three” being separated, as Jayce has overtaken Rengar as the third most banned champion, while LeBlanc and Camille remain at the top. While Rengar has dropped in bans, he still has a 100 percent pick/ban ratio alongside Camille and LeBlanc.
Surprisingly, Korea has taken a note from the west in picking Lulu as a meta support. Lulu has proven her worth with an 80 percent win rate, which is the highest among champions with 10 or more picks. Along with the rise of Lulu, Elise has become a popular pick among junglers.
LPL
The meta in China has looked a lot like Korea in terms of the champions that are picked and banned. Maokai tops the charts of picked champions with two ADCs in Varus and Jhin right behind him. Maokai has been picked in the LPL with a similar percentage as in the LCK.
The big three remains at the top of the ban list, while there is a massive drop-off after them. Rengar is the third most banned champion at 80 percent, while the next champion is Jayce at 54 percent. Camille is the only 100 percent pick/ban champion in the region, with Rengar falling out of that club.
Jayce has been the most successful champion with 10 or more picks with a 76 percent win ratio in the region, which suggests maybe he deserves more bans. A surprising champion is second to Jayce, as Tahm Kench has a 67 percent win ratio, though he is not seen as much in the other regions, but when he is played, he has won a lot in LPL.
EU LCS
The EU LCS has developed its own meta that is the most different compared to the other major regions. Unlike both Korea and China, Maokai is not the most picked champion in the league; instead it is Jhin with a 71 percent pick ratio. Varus is behind Jhin and Maokai slots in as the sixth most picked champion.
The big three does remain as the most banned with a small drop off after them until another highly banned champion. There are only four champions that are banned in more than half of the games played in the region, showing that Europe tends to ban for the player more so than perhaps banning for the meta.
Rumble keeps his spot as the champion with the best win percentage of champions with 10 or more picks, winning 70 percent of his games. Like China, Tahm Kench is the next champion on that list with a 65 percent win ratio.
With patch 7.4 being introduced to Europe, some picks have emerged that were not seen much before. Specifically, in the jungle, Lee Sin and Elise are becoming key picks for teams, while Renekton has been seen even more in games to counter and punish the other tank top laners.
NA LCS
North America follows its western brother in picks, with Jhin and Varus high up, but Maokai is not at the top of the charts. For NA, Kha’Zix is the most picked champion, but has only been seen in 59 percent of games, which is low compared to the other regions’ highest picks.
NA differentiates itself even more with the teams’ emphasis on Ryze and how he is a heavily banned champion. For every other region, Jayce is in the top four of the most banned champions, but NA has chosen Ryze as a more dangerous pick.
There are many champions with few games that have a perfect win record but the champion with 10 or more picks that has the highest win rate is Miss Fortune with a 70 percent win ratio. NA has started to pick up more AD assassins with Talon and Zed being strong on the 7.4 patch. The rest of the NA meta has remained relatively the same from the prior week.
Global
Blitzcrank is the only new champion that has been selected this week to bring the total champions picked or banned during the split to 99. Maokai has been knocked off his throne by Jhin, with the ADC being selected in 256 out of 445 games, compared to Maokai’s 244. There have been four champions picked in over half of all games so far.
The big three stays as the most banned, but LeBlanc is the only champion that has been banned in more than 90 percent of games played. No champion has been picked or banned in every game, but LeBlanc, Camille, and Rengar all sit high up, with Varus joining them in the over 90 percent club.
Aurelion Sol has the highest win rate among champions with 10 or more picks and Ahri is right behind him. The dragon has a 70 percent ratio, while the fox has a 69 percent ratio. The only champion to be picked more than two times with a 100 percent win rate is Mordekaiser.
What picks do you think will be prioritized this week? Tweet us your thoughts @GAMURScom
