Excel UK, EU Masters display new meta champions before Worlds
The EU Masters is underway and is showing glimpses into what could be the meta for the 2019 League of Legends World Championship.
Seven teams took part in the play-in stage and Excel UK was the biggest winner. The team finished the group stage undefeated and was seeded directly to the main event. Excel UK was aided by their bringing to the stage some surprising picks, including Heimerdinger and Yuumi in the bottom lane.
Excel UK used the new combination to destroy Rogue Esports Club on day two of the competition. Heimerdinger and Yuumi is an unexpected combination that brings a lot of poke to the bottom lane. In their early levels, the duo is vulnerable to the ganks, but in the two-versus-two laning contest, it’s a perfect combination to zone out enemy laners.
The creative drafts continued through the play-in stage, where Excel UK played Pantheon support. The global ultimate allow Pantheon to assist his teammates and the damage makes him a real threat. Pantheon support builds the same items as support Pyke.
Other pro players are taking on this new trend. In solo queue, G2 Esports’s Mihael “Mikyx” Mehle has been spamming Pantheon and Pyke.
EU Masters also brought some innovations in the jungle. For the most part of the summer, teams around the world stuck with the same options for the junglers.
After a couple of months out of the meta, Taliyah is returning to the jungle. This is a champion that can clear the jungle early and with high mobility.
Ornn is making a surprising transition to the jungle. This champion is normally played as a top laner that can be flexed to the support role. Now, Ornn is taking on a new challenge as a jungler. Jungle Ornn is a tank that needs to get to level six before he can impact the lanes. This champion can upgrade his items in the jungle, reducing his backing times and allowing him to access the lanes a bit earlier in spite of his need for six levels.
The picks in EU Masters could potentially influence the meta for Worlds since the tournament is taking place in the region. Team Liquid and Cloud9 are some of the teams that are
bootcamping in Europe
ahead of the competition. The Asian teams are staying home for the time being.
It would be interesting to see the clash between the two metas. It’s clear that the western teams could try a more creative and explosive approach. The question is, how will the eastern teams counter that style?
The 2019 LoL World Championship starts on October 2 with the play-in stage.
Read Also
Esports Betting
League of Legends Classic will be back in 2026, here’s what we know
Wasif Ahmed
Riot has announced that League Classic will come out in Season 3 of 2026, as a game mode. League Classic is “old League of Legends”, the ability to play the game on a specific patch from over a decade ago. How much information do we have? What is League Classic, when will League Classic release, and what patch will it be for? Ever wanted to rediscover the old version of ...
League of Legends
Karmine Corp vs Team Liquid: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
While both Karmine Corp and Team Liquid lost one series each, both teams will have another chance to continue in the 2026 MSI play-in stage to potentially qualify for the bracket stage. Both participating teams got swept by T1 in this MSI stage, bringing them to the third round. Team Liquid’s performance against Deep Cross Gaming was impressive, but does that really mean that it has what it takes to ...
Esports Betting
T1 exposes Karmine Corp with 3-0 win at League of Legends MSI 2026
Wasif Ahmed
T1 just beat Karmine Corp 3-0 in the play-in stage of the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational. More importantly, T1 turned KC’s strengths into weaknesses. The bot lane and teamfight prowess that shone in the LEC were no match this time. The match started with Karmine Corp picking a disrespectful draft, blind picking three immobile squishies. Right off the bat, a botched invade put their jungle and bot lane at a disadvantage. ...
League of Legends
KeSPA Cup returns in July 2026 exclusively on Disney+
Hannan Mundia
The KeSPA Cup is slated to return sooner than most expected, though its date and exclusive Disney+ partnership raises some questions. The KeSPA Cup is an annual tournament organized directly by the Korea e-Sports Association. While it doesn’t get nearly as much attention as Riot-organized leagues and events, LCK powerhouses still participate in it. 2025’s KeSPA Cup is still fairly fresh since it took place in December. This year’s tournament ...
Esports Betting
Best betting odds and picks for T1 vs Karmine Corp at MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
This year’s MSI is still ongoing, and the next match in the play-in stage is slated to pit T1 against the LEC’s Karmine Corp. Both participating teams absolutely destroyed their respective opponents in this stage’s first round. With two 3-0 scores, both Karmine Corp and T1 have established themselves as powerhouses. However, the level of opposition was clearly different, and that fact may show its face in this match. Tournament: ...
Esports Betting
T1 vs Team Liquid: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
The League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2026 will kick off with T1 facing off against Team Liquid, but will the match really be as one-sided as the betting odds make it out to be? While some didn’t think that the reigning world champions, T1 would make it to this year’s MSI, the team proved many wrong once again. It barely made it to the play-in stage, where Team Liquid ...
Esports Betting
Karmine Corp vs Deep Cross Gaming: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Wasif Ahmed
Karmine Corp goes up against Deep Cross Gaming on the first day of MSI 2026. Obviously, KC is the favorite by a long shot. Does DCG actually stand a chance, though? Can they repeat the achievements of CTBC Flying Oyster who took down KC at First Stand 2025? Tournament: Mid-Season Invitational 2026 Stage: Play-in Game: League of Legends Format: Best-of-five Betting tips: As the second seed from a lower region, ...
