Swain and Pantheon among the best picks for LoL patch 10.25

Tanks have been stealing all of the headlines so far in the 2021 preseason, but with LoL patch 10.25, that’s finally changing. 

Riot has gone through many attempts at this point to knock the tanks off the throne of solo queue, and it finally seems to be working. With patch 10.25, new champions are starting to see great win rates while several tanks are dropping. The game is still full of unbalanced champions and items, but it seems to be going in the right direction. 

It’s time to take a look at some of the strongest champions in the game that players might want to pick for climbing in solo queue. 

Swain has the highest win rate on patch 10.25

Swain continues to do well in the bot lane with patch 10.25. The preseason has not been kind to marksmen in the bot lane, while Swain is having a blast with the new ability power items and his strength against squishy bot laners. 

Swain has been in the top 20 of win rates throughout the preseason, but on patch 10.25 he really takes the crown. Swain is currently sitting at the highest win rate of all champions in the game with 54.71%. The Noxian Grand General wasn’t touched by any changes in the recent patch, while several other champions took a hit. This leaves Swain as likely the best champion to climb solo queue with. 

Since Swain isn’t usually known as a bot laner, try to rush the Liandry’s Anguish Mythic item, followed up by Zhonya’s Hourglass to get some armor against the marksmen.

Pantheon is back in top lane for LoL patch 10.25

Pantheon is finally swapping back to the top lane, just like Riot wanted it. Pantheon saw a lot of changes in patch 10.25 to get him out of the support position and back to where he belongs up top. This has resulted in an impressive win rate of 54.40%, which is currently the second-highest of all champions. 

To shift Pantheon back into the top lane, Riot made his Comet Spear (Q) better for poking with by reducing its mana cost and increasing the cooldown refund on an early release. Riot also gave his Grand Starfall (R) an overhaul by giving Pantheon armor penetration on cast, as well as slows and damage on enemies that stand in his ultimate before he lands. 

So far, the changes seem to be working, but his win rates as a support is also still great. With that said, Riot wanted him to be primarily played in the top lane and that seems to be the case now. 

Kha’Zix dominate the jungle on patch 10.25

Kha’Zix finally got rid of the tanks in the jungle and it’s now his time to shine. The bug assassin is seeing a great win rate of 53.31%, which makes him the best assassin pick for the jungle. He wasn’t touched in the latest patch, but his biggest counter picks were. 

Kha’Zix is mainly benefitting from the new Duskblade of Draktharr Mythic item, which provides him with even more stealth. Followed up by Youmuu’s Ghostblade, Edge of Night, and other lethality items, Kha’Zix can burst through squishy opponents with ease. 

If Kha’Zix continues to perform like this in solo queue, Riot will likely make some changes at the start of 2021. A strong assassin like Kha’Zix can be extremely dangerous in the right hands, and one-trick players will likely be able to abuse him. 

How do you counter Pantheon?

Pantheon can be hard to counter in the early game, so try to play safe in lane and farm up a couple of items. Pantheon’s biggest weakness is his late game, where he isn’t usually as strong unless he snowballs. Try to shut him down together with the jungler so he doesn’t get any early advantages, then he will be easy to burst down or kite in team fights. Some good counters to Pantheon include Olaf, Shen, and Malphite.  

What position is Swain played in?

Swain was originally a mid laner, but has shifted towards other roles since his rework. As of patch 10.25, Swain is best as a bot laner. With his tankiness and sustain, Swain is able to deal with most marksmen and other bot lane mages. 

How does Swain Q work?

Swain’s Q is called Death’s Hand and is a low-cooldown ability with good damage for poke and wave clear. Swain unleashes eldritch bolts that deal damage in a cone in front of him. The ability does magic damage and is usually the ability that should be maxed out first.