Top 5 Mid Lane LCS Meta Picks After Week 1
The League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) has been heating up with teams going all-out in the first week of the Spring Split and securing matches. The North American league saw some intense, action-packed battles, closely knitted with some quality gameplay from all the teams. The Lock In tournament concluded a few days ago, and teams like Cloud9 took advantage of that and used their experience to outshine competitors.
The current meta is beneficial for the carry jungle picks and the bottom lane championships based on the current items. However, the mid lane has always been one of the most influential lanes in the game, and it has the capability to steer the momentum of the match. Moreover, off-meta mid lane picks always makes their appearance in every meta of the game and this season is no different. In Season 11, LCS mid lane picks have been consistently similar in all the matches, and professional players are opting for control mages with late-game scaling to help their squads in the team fights and snowball their leads into the mid-late game.
League of Legends' best professional players have indeed emerged from the mid lane, which further showcases the importance of the role in the game. A mid laner has the most tools in their arsenal to push a team forward and gain leads all over the map. Moreover, it can catch enemy laners off-guard and gank other lanes to secure kills for the team. Therefore, here is a list of five top LCS meta based mid lane picks which have been gaining more and more popularity in the competitive league.
Players could use these champions in their ranked matches to get a better win-rate, help their team more and win more matches than usual.
TOP FIVE LCS META MID LANE CHAMPIONS IN LEAGUE OF LEGENDS
1. SYNDRA
Click to enlargeSyndra is arguably one of the easiest champions to master in League of Legends, and she is a counter to many mid lane champions with her CC enriched kit. Her Q helps her poke enemies from a distance; her W lets her secure buffs and deals more damage. Moreover, her E is a great CC-stun ability which can set up ganks for the jungler and punish overextending enemies. Her ultimate, Unleashed Power, deals a lot of damage and it a point-and-click ability which makes it easier to use for the players.
After maxing out every ability, her passive grants enhanced effects on the existing abilities, which make her a great threat in the late-game team fights and provides late-game scaling on her abilities. Her downside would be the lack of mobility in her kit; therefore, mastering her stuns is crucial while playing this champion.
2. AZIR
Click to enlargeAzir, the Emperor of Sands from Shurima has witnessed a lot of competitive play in multiple regions, and LCS isn't an exception. He has great abilities in the form of sand soldiers which can be used to safely poke enemies and mobilise himself if he gets in a sticky situation. Moreover, he is a very late-game based champion, and his damage doesn't shine through until the mid-game.
His ultimate ability, Emperor's Divide, could be used to set up team fights and separate the enemies for picking different priority targets. His weak early-game needs to be played safely, and after that period, he can solo carry team fights and win the matches for the teams.
3. ORIANNA
Click to enlargeOrianna has her trustworthy ball which could be used for different purposes such as attacking the enemies, protecting allies, and more, to set up team fights around her team. She has a bit of everything in her kit, which makes her an attractive champion to blind pick against others. She lacks a bit of mobility, but her W gives her enough movement speed to escape sticky situations.
Moreover, her ultimate, Command: Shockwave, allows her to set up team fights and deal a chunk of magic damage which be followed up by allies to deal even more damage to the stuck enemies. One well-set ultimate could change the tides of the match and land a favourable fight for the ally team, therefore playing around her ultimate is very crucial for the enemies as well.
4. TWISTED FATE
Click to enlargeTwisted Fate has been a fan-favourite pick, and his abilities are very interesting. His Q throws three random cards in the shape of a cone. His W has a choose a card feature where the player can choose a card between stun, mana gain and AOE effects and use them within a certain time. His E provides him with extra attack speed, and the most iconic ultimate ability, Destiny, in his kit provides him with a true vision of his enemies and allows him to teleport anywhere in a set radius on the map.
This ultimate makes him a continuous threat on the map, and enemies have to play around it. Moreover, having a one-man advantage without the use of any Summoner spells is a very key thing to have in his kit. He has a fairly weak early game, but his passive allows him to garner gold faster than other champions and out scale other champions in the game.
5. YONE
Click to enlargeYone is one of the newest champions to be added to League of Legends, and his kit works very similar to Yasuo, his brother. His abilities are focused on risk-taking, and players have a lot of tools in their arsenal to trade with the enemies without risking his life. His abilities work in great synergy with his ultimate as he could punish enemies in the choke points or if the enemy team lines up. His abilities deal a mix of damage and have a lot of sustain in his kit, which makes him a champion who is relatively tanky and hard to be countered.
Images via Riot Games