Every year The League of Legends World Championships brings a brand new meta. This year we've had three patches of change since we last saw our teams compete, and the meta bubble of Worlds scrims always shows fresh conclusions about which champions are viable.
Extensive changes to 12.15 meta champs however show a clear direction for what will be strong at Worlds. Top lane is stacked as ever this year, and the lane kingdom is back in the driving seat.
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Worlds 2022 Top lane
Carry tops could well be back in the driving seat in Worlds 2022. Most of the best top laners attending are known for their carry top performances, with 369, Zeus, Wayward and Breathe springing to mind.
The impactful changes are:
- Jayce - Q & E hammer form damage increases
- Camille - Passive Shielding increased and Big E damage buff
- Graves - Q cooldown decrease
- Sett - W damage buff, E slow increase
- Renekton Q damage nerfs
If pros are as excited about the changes as we expect, we could be seeing more Jayce and Graves blind picks that dominated the meta at Worlds 2022 (Flandre will be very excited).
Counters to these will also likely rise. Irelia buffs mean she could be playable as a counter, and Ornn is still untouched as the premier tank.
How These Changes Affect the Drafts
When the top lane indexes more for carry champions, the rest of the team comp has to adapt. Weakside bot lanes are likely to be prevalent, with Senna and Tahm Kench being a good example.
Other buffed champs that can fill this role are Ashe and Kai'sa, with Ashe, in particular, being a good counter to the now very powerful Caitlyn.
The most important adaptation though is in roaming mid laners. Snowballing through top will become paramount if the meta goes the way we expect, so expect TF, Ryze, Galio and even Taliyah. Sylas also comes with these as an answer.
How the Worlds Meta Inevitably Evolves
At the beginning of Worlds, teams are yet to see new picks proved on stage, and will likely show a very familiar meta. Early game is also paramount, as teams look to get an advantage early, which also fits what we have seen from 12.15.
As Worlds progresses every year though, the meta shifts. Regardless of which champs are prevalent, teams slowly move to more scaling options, as pressure mounts, and players don't want to be the first to make a mistake.
This plays directly into the hands of Korean Teams like GenG, who thrive in this environment. Carry junglers like Canyon's famous Nidalee can also be a feature of this style.
Time will tell what conclusions pros draw from the recent patches, but one thing is for sure. The best League of Legends in the World will be on show for everyone to see this October.
For more League of Legends check out our Worlds Teams Tier List, as well as the previous entry in my column.