The play-in stage was quite a ride of ups and downs. Starting with the rough start of the favorites, LGD to the slow downfall of the Mad Lions who just couldn’t seem to find their footing at all.
These first few games also already gave us some insight into which champions we’re going to be seeing a lot more of and which ones we might just be able to leave behind with the fallen teams. This is where the foundation of the following games is made and we’ve taken a quick look at some of the most prominent picks.
Top Lane
In the top lane, we saw tanks dominate rather than carry top-laners. The most prominent pick had to be Ornn who had a near-perfect play-in. A single loss kept him from achieving a 100% win rate. He is a late-game tank who can outdamage most bruisers. His ultimate is also a great engage tools for any fight, not to mention the amount of stats he can give his teammates thanks to his upgraded items. He was such an impactful champ who, according to gol.gg, received a total of 87% pick/ban rate by the time the play-ins finished. He will surely continue to be banned out throughout worlds due to his strength. Or teams take a gamble and leave him open, hoping to find a counter.
Jungle
Hypercarry junglers are in the meta. Teams often traded between Graves and Lillia, though the young fawn had to really get rolling until she seemed to make any impact. Oftentimes it seemed that Graves won out in the trade. By the end of play-ins, it seemed teams managed to figure out the newest champion playable at Worlds. Picks that looked strong through-and-through though were Nidalee and Hecarim who have solid win rates of 64 and 50 percent. We’ll probably be seeing a lot more of them in the coming weeks.
Mid Lane
The Mid Lane was dominated by mages. Orianna, Syndra and Twisted Fate came in clutch during the play-ins. Especially Orianna who sits at a 90% win-rate as well as 84% pick/ban. This just goes to show how impactful she can be. Her ultimate can turn teamfights around. A pick we weren’t too impressed with was definitely Galio. His ultimate wasn’t used correctly by most teams to enter teamfights and overall he just seemed like a lackluster champion. Maybe we will get to see some better Galion play as the event goes on.
Bot Lane
We saw a lot of variance in the bot lane. Caitlyn made an appearance, but Riot did a good job with nerfing her since we got to see many other champions face off. One champion we were especially impressed with was Twitch. He has the potential to carry teams over the finish line due to his late-game damage. His poison can truly kill off enemy teams. Another late-game champ we can’t wait to see more of is Jhin who, when he gets rolling, is just too strong for teams to deal with. He sits at a 67% win-rate after the play-ins.
Support
Rakan and Leona truly stick out as the best performing Support champs during the play-ins. Rakan’s mobility is key to champions like Jhin or Twitch who aren’t as mobile as others. His shielding is also key to keep them safe. He was a stand-out pick who can also be used as an engage tool for a teamfight and then quickly flit out of harm’s way to keep the ADC safe. Leona can also be used as a great engage tool and she is quite tanky, which is great for any late-game fights.
Flex-Pick
The Flex pick of the tournament so far has to be Sett. The brawler was picked in four different positions since straight-up punching seems to work in the top and mid lane, as well as a support or a jungler. Sett was picked a total of 15 times and has a win-rate of 40%, but it’s impressive to see this champion picked in all positions. We’ll probably see the Boss a few more times on the rift, but we’re honestly not sure where he will show up. Of course, his strength came as a top laner, but he is also a viable support, beefing up into the late-game to protect the ADC. His ultimate is also a great engage tool and he has some decent sustain.
These are the champions that impressed us the most throughout the Worlds 2020 Play-In Stage and we’re excited to see which picks might still come with the Group Stage. Will we ever be seeing Teemo? Who knows…
Are you excited for any pocket picks? Let us know on Twitter and Facebook. For more information regarding the play-in stage, as well as anything else related to League of Legends, make sure to keep reading on EarlyGame.