With LoL Worlds around the corner and the teams gearing up for the biggest tournament of the season, it’s time to look at the most important picks and bans that we might see during the competition. We will be basing ourselves on the data we got from the first days of play day, and updating it once every stage is cleared.
Image Credit: Riot Games
Without further ado, let’s jump right into it!
LoL 2023 Worlds Picks and Bans – Patch 13.19
Worlds 2023 will be played on Patch 13.19 throughout the whole tournament. That being said, Briar and Naafiri are going to be disabled given that the rule says that new (or reworked) champions “must be enabled for playoffs in all four of the top regions in order to be playable at the next international tournament.”
With this in mind, we will go through some of the most important changes in the upcoming patch and predict which champions, for every role, will rise in priority over the course of Worlds 2023. We will be looking at the most important changes for each role, predicting which champions are going to be higher in priority.
Keep note, that some of these picks will be important if you plan to bet on LoL Worlds.
Top – Will we see the same picks?
After the changes to the teleport, the top lane meta has become more and more exciting. This season we started seeing new picks on the rise, and top laners had the chance to showcase their carry potential on specific picks.
Image Credits | Riot Games
That being said, players have been defaulting to the same picks during the year so there isn’t much diversity anymore. You either run weak side champions like Renekton, Sion, and K’Sante or play more damage-oriented with a good split push like Jax, Fiora, and Gwen. But aside from these picks, and some situational picks, there isn’t much more.
While it’s still unclear how teams have prepared the meta so far, there are two picks that might rise up in priority later in the tournament: Kennen and Rumble. The latter was already banned in the Worlds Qualifying Series, so we’ll have to see whether it’s actually considered a power pick.
Kennen, on the other hand, received multiple buffs in the past few patches so we might see him on Summoner’s Rift. Play-ins will give us a better idea, but for now, the top lane meta doesn’t seem much different from what we saw in playoffs across the globe.
Jungle – the most exciting jungle meta in years
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Even though the big jungle changes are coming in Patch 13.20, we will be getting a refreshing champion pool in the role at Worlds 2023. The most notable one is definitely Lee Sin, who received two buffs. Considering we are in Korea and Eastern teams love to pull out the Blind Monk, he’s definitely going to be played. The champion was already banned twice in the WQS, so he’s likely going to be among the top priority picks.
Despite the nerf, Maokai is still a decent pick that works well in specific team comps, and the same can be said for Sejuani. Apart from them, though, there are also many other interesting picks. We already saw Bel’Veth, Taliyah, and Ivern, and we will definitely have Jarvan IV and Rell. Both champions are close to pick-or-ban status, so some teams will pick them up if they are available.
We might see other potential counter picks like Poppy (considering she can be flexed) but they will depend from match to match. For now, these are looking like the most popular champions.
Mid Lane – going back to the classics
Last year’s mid lane meta was dominated by four different champions: Azir, Sylas, Akali, and Viktor. Among these four, Azir seems to be the only one who is still relevant.
Image Credit: Riot Games
The champion underwent several changes in the past few months, but his value as a scaling carry makes him the ideal mid lane pick. He won’t be the only control mage of the meta, however, as there are many other classic champions making their return, especially champions like Orianna and Syndra, who both got buffed in the previous patch.
In particular, Orianna fits perfectly with some of the champions from jungle and support (which we will see later).
Taliyah is also a good candidate considering her flexibility and Ahri is just an evergreen pick. Leblanc made headlines in the past few patches, but the consecutive nerfs should hurt her overall presence in the meta: she will be played in a few games, but she’s no longer a P/B champion.
ADC – Great diversity
In 2022, the bot lane meta was full of bully laners that could abuse their range to get lane priority for objective control and snowball through turret plate gold.
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This year, things are looking a bit different. Caitlyn got a few buffs but it’s still unclear whether she will be P/B. What we’re sure of is that Kai’Sa will be part of the equation, as she will be one of the most contested picks in the tournament. Xayah is in a similar situation even with the nerf: the changes in her E do not really affect her much. Ezreal is also going to be another major pick: he was P/B in the WQS and given his ability to play both safely and aggressively, he might be the most played champion in the whole tournament. We’ll see whether someone nails him on the Pick’Em predictions.
Sivir is also another pick that will have some relevance. She has a relatively safe laning phase given her wave clearing and spell shield, and she scales insanely well later.
We saw Kalista among pick and bans in WQS meaning that she’s also rated highly in the meta. We might see a few more pop up, but these should be the most important champions.
Support – engage supports dictate
After having enchanters supports dominate the entire bot lane meta last year, 2023 will have the complete opposite meta. Enchanters are almost entirely gone, except for a few extreme cases like Soraka and probably Nami.
Image Credits | Riot Games
Instead, we will predominantly see hard-engage supports that are capable of quickly jumping onto the enemy once an opening is found. Champions like Rell, Rakan, and Nautilus are going to be preferred. Leona and Alistar are one tier below in priority, but they will fit diving comps really well. We also got to see Amumu in action, even though it didn’t really work out.
While it’s easy to predict the support power picks, it will be crucial to understand whether teams are able to come up with answers. Poppy is definitely a logical answer given the amount of dashes tank supports have but we might also see Blitzcrank and Thresh as possible playmakers.
If somehow a bully laner like Caitlyn gets picked, then we might see some ranged supports like Karma and Lux, but the bot lane meta overall looks completely different from last season.
LoL Worlds Picks and Bans – Patch 12.18
Worlds 2022 will be played on Patch 12.18 throughout the whole tournament. It won’t be like MSI, where they used two different patches for the different stages. In addition, Udyr will be disabled entirely since his rework was introduced late later than what the rules allowed.
With this in mind, we will go through some of the most important changes in the upcoming patch and predict which champions, for every role, will rise in priority over the course of Worlds 2022. Stats will be primarily based on the latest competitive patch by the major regions, Patch 12.15 (LCK, LEC, LCS and LPL).
Keep note, some of these picks will be important if you plan to bet on LoL Worlds.
Top – Front Liners and Duelists
After many years of restricted champion pools, this year’s top lane meta is probably in the best shape possible. We’ve seen a lot of different picks across the regions, with tanks, bruisers and carries all being played. Having said that, there are always those go-to options for the top lane champions and they don’t seem to leave any time soon.
Ornn (55% pick or ban rate, aka presence) and Sejuani (36% presence) have been popular picks when needing a front line, with Sion and Gragas being the secondary options. Aatrox (48& presence and the most picked top laner), Gnar (37 picks, 34% presence) are the common answers to these champions, with Gwen also being a viable pick. Renekton was the most present among all top laners (68%), but the 12.17 nerf will probably push him out of priority.
Kennen, Jax and Fiora were mainly played in the East and we’re expecting them to be picked at Worlds as well. Generally speaking, the west is known for playing scaling and bringing utility to the team, while LCK and LPL can also put top laners on carry champions more often. I’m expecting the LoL worlds pick and bans to be more or less the same to previous patches, with the exception of Camille and Maokai: the first got a buff that might push her higher, while Maokai was also received well and I wonder if teams will pick him up.
Jungle – Hecarim and Lee Sin to return for Worlds 2022?
The Jungle meta has had major changes for the Worlds patch. Riot buffed Hecarim again in 12.17, making him from useless to OP territory once again. They’re aiming to nerf him a little in 12.18, but he will surely be back as a pick or ban champion. Together with him, Riot also pushed Lee Sin, making him durable in the later stages. The blind monk is one of the most popular picks in the east, so expect him with a higher presence (currently 7%).
Blind monk wants yet another Worlds Skins addition
Trundle (72% presence) and Wukong (77% presence) were nerfed after the end of the summer splits, with the first receiving quite a substantial nerf on his W. For me it was the best jungle pick since it countered all the meta champions, but he will probably become a situational pick against teams comps with multiple tanks/frontliners. Wukong’s nerf was smaller, and I expect him to be picked anyway. Despite being the highest champion with the highest pick or ban rate, Poppy got the best treatment, with one nerf only. As long as dash champions will be meta, the yordle will be on Summoners’ Rift. As for the rest, I’m expecting Xin Zhao, Vi, Jarvan IV and Viego to be played: they are the evergreen champions since they can fit into almost any team composition.
There’s one more champion that I’m particularly attracted to and that’s Nocturne: Riot buffed him in the latest patch and he also has the advantage of being flexed in mid lane. It’s highly situational, but with how important roams are in the early-mid game, Nocturne can be the secret pick for upsets.
Mid Lane has the most “stable” meta
Speaking of mid lane, the LoL Worlds picks and bans might be very different from what we’ve seen so far. The most important change for the role is Azir’s nerfs. The sand soldier took quite a beating by Riot and I’m sure he will lose the throne of lol pick ban rate. (85% presence, with 80 bans).
The mid lane pool is quite restricted compared to others, with Ahri (63% presence), Azir, Sylas (76%) and Taliyah (46%) having formed the fantastic quartet. All of them have been nerfed in one way or the other. Taliyah and Ahri will probably remain the best picks, with Leblanc (33%), Lissandra (29%) and Akali (30%) rising in priority as strong counter picks. In particular, Lissandra is a good counter to most mid mages, as well as having great teamfighting tools.
Having said that, I also think there’s a possibility where teams will want to play through mid with big AP carries, caused by the ADC meta shift (which we will talk about later). It will be less about making the pick onto the enemy marksman, and more about dealing AoE damage. Champions like Syndra and Orianna are the ones that come to mind, with Ryze doing a similar job: be on the lookout for them at Worlds.
ADC – Rise of new champions
Riot nerfed both Zeri, Sivir, Kalista, as well as the Lucian-Nami combo in the most recent patches. The four were the most present champions during all playoffs, with Zeri hitting an absurd 89% pick or ban rate. (Kalista 81%, Sivir 69% and Lucian 59%)
While we haven’t seen the impact of those changes in competitive, the general sentiment is that all of them have been hit hard. As a result, we are seeing new picks rising in priority, one of which is Miss Fortune. She received a buff in patch 12.17 and despite the expected adjustment for the Worlds patch, she should be a power pick.
Kalista is set to be nerfed in the upcoming patch and things don’t seem good for her: with how the meta is shifting towards bully lanes and poke lanes, she will suffer more.
Aside from her, Draven and Twitch have been two relevant picks and will continue to be among the top picks. Draven has been popular very popular in the LPL, as well as some specific teams around the world, so teams will likely replicate the pick.
I predict Caitlyn to rule the LoL Worlds odds as the most picked champion in Play-Ins. Caitlyn’s buffs have also pushed her back in contention and she will shine with sieging compositions. We’ve seen her picked twice, both by Rogue in the LEC playoff. It will be a very different meta than what we’ve seen in the bot lane all season long: each team will bring their own ideals at Worlds, adding even more complexity and excitement.
Upset being upset by Zeri nerfs
Enchanters gone from Worlds 2022 Supports pool?
Let’s get straight to the point: the answer is no. Lulu (69% presence) will get tagged in 12.18, but most of the enchanters will still be strong.
Janna has risen in play rate following her buffs, as well as Soraka has seen a lot of success. Aside from Janna and Soraka, Seraphine, Yuumi and Bard will likely be picked. Out of the three, Yuumi will be the most preferred option since she was already popular in playoffs (85% pick or ban)
There will be quite a lot of diversity in terms of champion pool, with both engagers and enchanters having multiple viable options. Speaking of engagers, Amumu is good in the right situations and the same thing goes for Rell, which received good buffs in the last patch. Nautilus will always be viable like he’s been the whole season, and Thresh’s buff might put him onto some teams’ radar.
These were all the expected LoL Worlds Picks and Bans. We will update it once the patch will be confirmed and published, so make sure to stay tuned for more updates!
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