Worlds 2017: Kalista's 100% ban rate

If you asked the average League of Legends player whether Kalista was overpowered, you probably wouldn't get many yeses. All in all, while Kalista has many unique aspects (like being able to threaten objectives from the ad carry position,) she doesn't seem too out of scale with what other ad carries can do at their best.

But still, The Spear of Vengeance was banned across the entirety of Worlds 2017. 

So what happened?

The bigger picture

While looking at the ban rates alone would shock the League of Legends community, those not putting these numbers into the broader picture are falling short of the full story. 

Kalista's most unique characteristics are her incredible mobility, her total package kit involving tools to chase, escape, burst, and even initiate/CC, as well as her ability to control objectives. These things may not seem too out of scale with other carries in a vaccum, but we're talking about quite a Worlds 2017 fighting it out in quite a strange meta.

First of all, Ardent Censer, one of the most griped about items in the game's history, still remained a pivotal part of the game that heavily influenced how teams approached their matches. It also means that, in a rare state, AD carries are running the show on the competitive stage. 

While the era of strategies like high health champions with Gargoyle Stoneplate and Ardent Censer/Stoneborn Pact are still around, they simply pale in comparison to the good ole' heals and shields Ardent Censer comp with enchanter supports. 

Meaning for Worlds 2017, an AD carry that can traverse a teamfight better than any, burst targets that matter while consistently damaging others, and initiate teamfights/control key targets is perhaps more important now than ever. 

Leaving it behind

Kalista comes out of Worlds 2017 looking like a million bucks, but with Ardent Censer nerfs in effect off of the World Championship stage, and plenty more meta tweaks to come before competitive League of Legends action rolls back around, Kalista will likely be a short-lived issue that is soon solved.

Whether it comes naturally, from direct nerfs in a future patch, the negative result of Ardent Censer nerfs, or even buffs in other directions, Kalista will certainly be kept in control if the results start to suggest otherwise. As of now, it's just a matter of when and how, questions fans and opponents alike will be asking themselves for the near future. 

What do you think of the state of Kalista, and her ban rate in Worlds 2017? Let us know in the comments below!