People of different ethnicity share different culture throughout the world, but still, there is no denying the fact that everyone is of the same species, human. Eastern people can also listen to metal and rock, and their western counterparts can also enjoy sushi. In the current era, where we are able to travel wherever we want in less than 3 days, the cultural gap is definitely closing. But even so, there are still many noticeable differences.

The same goes for 'League of Legends'. At first, before digging up data, I honestly didn't expect to find any large differences - especially because, although there may be minor regional differences, most stats are usually standardized when handled on a larger scale. But in the end, the data I discovered proved to be quite different from my expectations.

Here, we will be comparing NA, EU, and KR. (Data regarding the CN servers were near impossible to find; especially because there were so many different servers.) Out of the three, NA and EU shared similar stats - most likely due to the fact that the two regions have relatively close relations with each other. And in comparison to the two, Korea had many differences. So what was so different? And furthermore, what was similar?

※ The data used in the article is based on Ranked Games (All tiers) played within the month before Ornn's release and is taken from 'OP.GG'.

■ Putting our differences aside

◎ Weather exists everywhere

Janna has the highest win-rate in all three regions. The majority opinion is that the newly-risen, "overpowered" item, 'Ardent Censer' is the main reason behind it. Out of the three regions, EU has the lowest win-rate with Janna(55.3%). And shared across all regions, the gap between Janna and the champion with the 2nd highest win-rate is about 2%.


◎ Sad-Purple-Bald Guy

Ryze has the lowest win-rate in all three regions. But out of the three, KR has the highest win-rate(42.18%) while NA's sits below 40%.


◎ Everyone hates us

'Aatrox', 'Ivern', and 'Skarner'... these three picks are in the "top 4" least picked champions for all three regions. However, NA and EU have Aurelion Sol in the mix as well - while KR has Udyr as the no.1 least picked champion(0.54%).


◎ No threat whatsoever

Skarner has the lowest ban-rate shared across all three regions. It sits at 0.1% - which statistically means that you would need to play about 1,000 games to see him banned just once in your ranked games.


◎ The fear of the fourth hit

Jhin is an ADC that placed himself in the "top 5 most picked champion" in all three regions. It's pretty impressive that Jhin's pick-rate exceeds 20% for all regions despite being a marksman that benefits the least from Janna and her Censer.


◎ A lot more than I thought...

Vayne is the 6th most picked champion in all three regions. Her pick-rate is near 20% in Solo Queue, which is pretty impressive in comparison to LCS or LCK... where she is never picked. 

■ Now comes the differences

◎ We'll just dodge his skills

In NA and EU, Cho'Gath has a ban-rate of over 60%. The reason being is simple; Cho'Gath is a force to be reckoned with in the toplane. However, in KR, Cho'Gath only has a ban-rate of between 12 to 13%. That's about a 1/5th of NA and EU. He is still frequently picked, but it's a lot harder to land his skills when everyone is running around with a single digit ping. 


◎ Humans over Yordles

Tristana has a pick-rate of over 27% in NA and EU. In comparison, KR has about a half of that. But in KR, Caitlyn is picked 6% more than the other two regions.   


◎ The wind is more subtle in the east

Contrary to my expectations, KR had a pick-rate of less than 15% with Janna, while NA and EU exceeded 20%. In addition, Ezreal, a champion known to have very little synergy with Janna, is picked 3 times more in KR over NA and EU.


◎ We don't like new champions

The new champion, Kayn, has a pick-rate of 21% in NA and EU. But KR has only half of that; newly released champions are looked down upon until the champion is thoroughly researched for ranked. However, in "normals", Kayn has a pick-rate of 30% in KR... but it's still a lot lower than NA and EU's 43%. 


◎ Martial arts are cool

In KR, Lee Sin is picked 8 to 10% more compared to NA and EU. Overall, Leesin is the 2nd most picked champion in Korea. This data to a certain extent reveals Koreans' tendency to play agile and mobile champions. But that doesn't necessarily mean that every Korean is great with Leesin; as his win-rate rests at 47%.


◎ Robots are beautiful

Blitzcrank fills in for the missing Janna picks in KR. With a pick-rate of 19%, it's approximately 6% higher than NA and EU. And once again, it doesn't mean that KR players are superb with this champion. The win-rate is about the same across all 3 regions.