It’s not a controversial statement to say that the Spring Split meta was quite repetitive. After the 900th Udyr Hecarim matchup, Riot Games decided to make some big changes coming into MSI. Here is what fans should expect.
Top Lane:
Top Lane is interesting cause on paper, not too much has changed, but there are some picks that have resurged along with some new ones entirely.
The most interesting of the bunch is for sure Lee Sin. Lee Sin has received a couple of buffs over the last few patches and has shown up in Solo Lanes now. He can play both Mid and Top. This is a pick that numerous pros from all over the world have been grinding out in EUW SoloQ trying to prepare for the event. Fans should see Lee at least once either in Mid or Top.
But as for just Top Lane champions, Ornn has made a triumphant return. Ornn hasn’t been bad per say, but in comparison to Cho or Sion, he has lacked a bit. He hasn’t even been nerfed, but a few key matchups have gotten better for him with big nerfs to champions like Gragas and Mundo while receiving the benefit of Chemtank nerfs, as he always goes either Sunfire or Frostfire. It is also worth noting that a few patches ago Sunfire was buffed to do more damage. So Ornn is back and he should be a good pick if Sion or Cho are taken off the table.
As for trends that should continue, Noctorne Top is one of the more unique ones. While tanks will always be fine, spicy picks like Noct completely change how the game needs to be played. We have seen him pulled out in JG, Mid and Top, so he is even a solid flex pick. Rumble is also an interesting aggressive pick. On 11.8, Riot WAY overbuffed him, but in 11.9 he is back down to earth, but still being way stronger than the 11.7 version. Rumble is decent into tanks and is a champ that can completely turn a teamfight if given the chance.
Gnar is an interesting pick. He has been nerfed so many times over S11, but he still might see some play into the right comps/matchups.
These Top Lane Staples should also see play:
- Cho’gath
- Sion
- Gangplank
- Volibear
- Malphite
- Wukong
Jungle:
Finally, Chemtank has been nerfed. Fans are free from the chains of Volibear, Udyr and Hecarim. This has allowed Jungle to go through some big changes.
Morgana is still stupid OP. Despite being nerfed on 11.9, Morgana is the queen of the JG right now. Her clear is still insanely fast, her spell shield is disgusting and her damage is nuts. Morgana will be picked at MSI. In the mage category, fans could see Diana. Diana was also overbuffed on 11.8 with Morgana, but she seems to have been nerfed harder. She is still on the table, but teetering the edge of viability. The fall of the Chemtank abusers also may bring Taliyah back into the spotlight. Taliyah was good at the start of S11, but got some nerfs. Since then she has still always had a respectable +50% winrate, but hasn’t seen much pro play. Taliyah should see the stage. Nidalee also stays strong as the pro play / high elo terror she is.
Tank wise Voli and Skarner stand out as the clear kings as their strengths still stand. Zac is probably the best right now, but he hasn’t seen much pro play in years. Adding a champion to a JG pool is hard and while it may be fun to see, don’t expect it.
Mid:
As mentioned earlier, Lee Sin is the big change here. Aggressive picks that are good into mages seems to be the general meta this patch. Take for example Nocturne and Rumble. Good clear, good damage, good roam. Lucian also applies here. All of these picks seem like guarantees heading into MSI.
Mage wise expect the same picks as Spring 2021. Annie is the clear exception. Sure, Jensen broke it out, but Annie is unironically really strong. If an ADC mid like Trist or Lucian are picked, Annie should be as well. She completely denies these champs their ability to play the game.
Mid should be a lot more exciting at MSI than the 2021 Spring Split.
ADC:
Tristana, Senna, Kai’sa and Jinx. that is the Bot Lane pool. These four champs seem to be leagues above the rest. Kai’sa and Jinx have been “nerfed” but the difference is so negligible.
As for champions that fans should HOPE to see, well, there really isn’t much.
Aphelios could get some play if the ADC pool is limited. He got a slight buff to his passive lethality along with his R. Nothing too big, but Aphelios has been played a bit in Spring already and this is just another reason to. Jhin is still Jhin. He has his moments of looking OP and other moments of looking worthless. He will probably be picked in the same condition as Aphelios, the Bot Lane pool is pinched.
One thing that teams should finally consider going is lethality Sivir and Varus. Before diving into this, Varus also has an AP build going around. It is possible we see it, but it’s pretty niche and off-meta. Lethality wise these champions are so strong. They hit like a truck and are safe. Not to mention both of their R are game-changing. Sivir R is god-tier engage/disengage while Varus can lock down targets for the rest of his team. These champions should see some play, but haven’t seen enough in Spring.
Support:
Expect to engage. Leona, Naut and Thresh are still the top picks for the role, but there are some interesting ones that we should talk about.
Sett is coming back. He received a buff to his AD ratio on his R and W. Sett was already strong in a fasting Senna lane and this makes it even better. Lulu is one of the few enchantresses that are good right now. She already was a solid pick, but also got a buff to her Polymorph cooldown making her even better. Zilean is also a pick that feels so underutilized. He has seen some pro play in both Mid and Support, but his ability to force the enemy team to play under his conditions is truly unmatched. Finally, Morgana is also solid. With the buff to JG clear, it makes the Bot Lane able to get Dragon quicker. This is a minor buff, but for teams wanting an aggressive Bot Lane with prio, Morg will be a solid flex pick. Plus spell-shield invalidates some champs.
MSI 2021 Will Be Fun:
Honestly, MSI 2021 is shaping up to quite the tournament. The meta has received some serious changes in the last month and it’s going to be interesting to see what teams can come up with. Fans should expect some champions that were not on this list, but generally speaking, these are likely the ones that are going to be seen in the tournament.
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