The third patch of the 2021 preseason is live with 10.25 and Riot has once again made a lot of changes to both champions and items.
Even though Riot is getting closer to a balanced state heading into 2021, there are still a lot of champions that are either too strong or too weak. Some of the weakest champions in solo queue are still sitting below a 45% win rate, making it very hard to succeed when climbing the ladder.
Here is a look at some of the champions to now avoid playing in solo queue based on the win rates and recent changes.
Zac is struggling in the jungle on patch 10.25
The preseason jungle meta has favored tanks so far, but the tide is currently turning with patch 10.25. After several patches of nerfs to the Bami’s Cinder, Sunfire Aegis, and other tank items, it’s finally starting to show in the win rates. Champions including Zac, Amumu, Malphite, and others are no longer topping the win-rate charts.
On patch 10.25, Riot increased the gold cost of Bami’s Cinder and reduced the health of Sunfire Aegis. These nerfs seem to put the items in a more balanced state, allowing other junglers to shine in the meta.
As a tank, these nerfs are reflected in Zac’s win rates on the patch. He is currently sitting at a 45.62% win rate, with Amumu next to him at 47.20%. Zac might still be viable despite the win rates, but he can’t just be picked into any matchup with the expectation of winning.
Instead of tanks, junglers such as Kha’Zix, Fiddlesticks, and even Vi are starting to rise in popularity.
Sett support isn’t what it used to be
Sett support was a coveted pick earlier in 2020 after the champion’s released, but the Boss is now starting to struggle in the role. Sett support is sitting at a 44.96% win rate in solo queue and isn’t finding his place in a meta that favors enchanter supports. Sett has seen bad win rates in the bot lane for several patches now, which might just be intended by Riot.
Sett wasn’t originally designed to be a support, so having bad win rates in the bot lane isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sett is seeing a much more stable win rate in the top lane where he originally belonged.
Because of his strength at release, Sett was opted into several different roles and was considered overpowered through many patches. Now that Sett isn’t as viable as support and mid laner, it seems like Riot has found the right balance for him.
This obviously hurts aggressive support players who like Sett, but there are luckily other CC-heavy supports to try out instead such as the newest champion Rell.
Gangplank seeing bad win rates in top lane on patch 10.25
Gangplank has been struggling in the top lane since the preseason started on patch 10.23. Even though it’s a few patches ago, he’s still sitting at the bottom of the win-rate table. He is currently winning 45.89% of his games in Platinum rank and above, which is the worst among all top laners.
Gangplank has not adjusted well to the new preseason meta, mostly because tanks have been overly dominant with their new items. Gangplank is usually a weak laner that scales into the late game, but the high pace of the preseason doesn’t allow for that. Instead, Gangplank is being punished in lane by strong champions such as Malphite and Pantheon.
Despite the poor win rates, Riot didn’t decide to buff Gangplank on patch 10.25, so the pirate will have to struggle for a bit longer.
Patch 10.25 is the last one of 2020 but Riot looks to make a hotfix balance patch to adjust the last things before the upcoming holidays, according to gameplay design director Mark “Scuffy” Yetter.
With 10.25 being the last patch of the year, we will be aiming for a small hotfix balance patch next week to get in a few more improvements before the winter holidays.
— Mark Yetter (@MarkYetter) December 10, 2020
What is solo queueing?
Solo queue is the go-to ranked queue in League of Legends. Players can only queue up as a maximum of two, except for Master rank and above where it’s only possible to play solo. A solo queue rank is usually what matters when organizations are looking for completely new players for their team.
How do you carry in solo queue?
Carrying in solo queue isn’t as easy now compared to when League of Legends was a new game. The game has become very team-focused, which means that a single player can’t carry a team as easily. With that said, it’s still possible to carry in solo queue. The main tip is to play towards comfort champions and practice them as much as possible. When comfortable on a champion, almost anyone can carry a game when playing correctly.
What champions can carry solo queue?
Even though all champions can potentially carry in solo queue, there are obviously some heavy hitters. In the 2021 preseason, champions such as Malphite and Amumu have been great to carry solo queue even though they aren’t the biggest damage dealers. Champions that are known to carry solo queue almost regardless of the patch are Riven, Zed, Fizz, and Rengar, each of whom can snowball a game out of control.
