As the match between T1 and Royal Never Give Up wrapped up the Rumble Stage of the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational, the final knockout stage is set to begin. In this tournament, the importance of the draft has been emphasized more than ever. The top-tier champions in MSI 2022 are Ahri, Lucian, and Wukong, according to data gathered during the event.

Although Lucian appeared only three times, he proved why he is a must-ban champion in this tournament when played. The pick or ban rate of Lucian is 100%. Ahri has been picked or banned in all of the games played at this MSI as well. She hasn’t been banned as much, but she was picked in all of the games that she wasn’t banned. Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok played Ahri in four games and won them all.

The next most active champion was Wukong. After recent changes, Wukong has been appearing much more often, and the MSI 2022 was its showcase. Wukong specializes in early game skirmishes and he truly shines in teamfights. Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski played Wukong five times and won four of them, and Moon “Oner” Hyeon-joon won all three of his games piloting the monkey as well.

Ahri and Lucian were picked or banned in all games played at the MSI, while Wukong appeared in 95.5% of the drafts. All three of these champions were usually picked first when they weren’t banned in the first ban phase.

Following these champions are Gwen and LeBlanc. Gwen was picked or banned in 84.8% of the games, while LeBlanc appeared in 80.3% of the games. When LeBlanc was picked, she mostly appeared to face Ahri. Faker, Li “Xiaohu” Yuan-hao, and Joseph “jojopyun” Pyun all played LeBlanc and failed to drop a game. In the top lane, Gwen appeared the most. Due to her kit's versatility, she is convenient to pick first, and she proved her value with a 62.2% win rate. 

Other noticeable champions were Jax, Sylas, Pyke, Xayah, and Senna. Jax wasn’t picked nor banned in most of the matches, but whenever he appeared, he won — with a 5-0 record. Sylas was mostly picked to counter Twisted Fate, and did a good job. Sylas won six out of eight games he was played.

Pyke was a memorable pick for Raphaël “Targamas” Crabbé, as he picked Pyke four games and won all of them. Targamas’ Pyke was a death reaper to Evil Geniuses, as he picked Pyke three times against them. Xayah and Senna were also decent picks in the tournament, as they were picked in 10+ games with a 70+% win rate.

The biggest "trap cards" of the tournament were Viego and Ezreal. Although Viego was picked in 33 games, he only won 10 of them, sporting an underwhelming 30.3% win rate. Lee "Juhan" Ju-han had no better luck with the Ruined King, as he picked Viego six games and lost five of them. In the bot lane, Ezreal didn't meet up to Tim "Nemesis" Lipovšek's expectations, as he ended up with a 10-12 record and a 45.5% win rate.

MSI 2022 will continue on May 27, with the match between Royal Never Give Up and Evil Geniuses, followed by T1 vs. G2 Esports on May 28, leading to the grand finals on May 29.