These champions could dominate the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational

After a lot of changes for the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational patch 11.9, it’s expected that the meta will shift and new champions might take the spotlight. 

An international League of Legends event is always exciting. Not only because the best teams in the world will clash, but also because the meta will always go in unexpected directions. Every international event creates its own meta and MSI 2021 likely won’t be different. To prepare for what is to come, here are some champions that could end up dominating at the tournament. 

MSI 2021 will be played on patch 11.9, which has up until very recently been the active patch from the live servers. On this patch, new champions have crawled the priority list in solo queue while others have fallen completely out of meta. The recent regional playoffs were played on patch 11.5 and 11.6, so a lot has changed since. 

Jinx and Tristana to be prioritized in the bot lane at MSI 2021

Starting in the bot lane, it looks like the champions to dominate the pick and bans will be Jinx and Tristana. The two hyper carries have already been seen a lot in professional play during season 11 and it’s not expected to change. 

On patch 11.9, Jinx has been the most dominant of the two in solo queue. Her win rate was at a whopping 52.28% in Platinum ranks and higher and will likely be a contested pick among the best bot laners in the world. Jinx’s ability to farm up in the laning phase and carry in the late game will be very valuable in games with a lot on the line. 

With the right team around her, Jinx can decide a game on her own and that makes a great win condition when an MSI trophy is on the line. Since the regional playoffs, Jinx hasn’t seen any nerfs despite her strength in solo queue. It’s, therefore, expected that her strength will be around the same as during the LCK, LPL, LEC, and LCS playoffs. 

The same goes for Tristana, who has been a reliable marksman during the spring split. Tristana is a hyper-carry like Jinx but played in a much different way. Her single-target damage is significant and can burst down squishy targets in a split second with the Hail of Blades rune. 

Her win rate in solo queue on patch 11.9 was a bit lower compared to Jinx at 50.23%, but she should still be a champion that many teams will prioritize at MSI.   

Seraphine is still a strong flex pick

In professional play, flex picks can often give a big edge in champion select. This naturally leads us on to Seraphine, who remains the scariest flex pick in the game. The utility mage was heavily prioritized during the spring split and in many cases banned. 

On patch 11.9, Seraphine is still picked in both bot, mid, and as a support. Her strongest role is the bot lane where she is rocking a 52.83% win rate. Her strength indicates that she will still be viable at MSI, despite Riot’s greatest effort to balance her. Even though she is a supportive champion, she can be very oppressive in the bot lane against marksmen. Her damage won’t be significant, but her crowd control and healing can outscale any opponent. 

Expect teams to keep an eye on Seraphine at MSI if she isn’t banned during champion select. She will likely be picked for the bot lane, but could also end up in the mid lane or as the support.   

Lee Sin as a top laner at MSI 2021?

One of the most untraditional picks at MSI could be Lee Sin in the top lane. Lee Sin is strictly known as a jungler but hasn’t found his spot in the jungle meta during season 11 so far. 

Instead, high ELO players are starting to pick him for the top lane in solo queue and with great success. One of the most prominent names to try him out is Cloud9 mid laner Luka “Perkz” Perković. Even though Perkz isn’t a top laner, he has still showcased the strength of Lee Sin top lane on his stream recently. 

Even though Lee Sin in the top lane might sound odd to many people, his early-game strength and mobility can take over the top lane completely. With the top-lane meta being bruiser favored, Lee Sin fits perfectly with an eagerness to fight and take advantage of his skirmish power. 

With around a 50% win rate in solo queue, Lee Sin top lane should be a strong pick for the most skilled top laners at MSI. He is a complex champion and hard to pull off, but it can come with a high reward.  

Xin Zhao could make his appearance in the jungle

Now for the jungle, where Riot has made the most changes for patch 11.9. After a season where Hecarim and Udyr have dominated the jungle with Turbo Chemtank, Riot has tried to shake up the meta for MSI. 

Hecarim currently seems to be out of the meta, but Udyr might still make appearances at the tournament. To take the place of Hecarim might be an unexpected champion, which is none other than Xin Zhao. The Seneschal of Demacia has risen in popularity recently, to a point where he wins 52.53% of his games in solo queue. 

Naturally, Xin Zhao is an easier champion to pull off in solo queue compared to professional play but confident junglers might pull him out. Xin Zhao has a strong dueling power in the early game, making him a tempting pick for a player like DWG KIA Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu or other junglers who want to carry. 

MSI 2021 will kick off on May 6, starting with a brawl between Cloud9 and DWG KIA.