It’s the second revolution in the League of Legends (LoL) meta. The first one established the EU meta, and this second revolution has shaken the foundations of that long-standing norm. Over the years, the EU meta had been THE meta within the LoL scene: one top laner, one jungler, one mid laner, and an ADC and support in the bot lane. Even while the meta surrounding the champions has waned and waxed, this formation has seemingly always been a constant. At least, until now.

At first, it started in Ranked games. After a recent patch, the game changed drastically. Even with the protection of a support, the traditional ADC champions lost leverage in the early game and started to lose face. Users started to play bruisers and AP champions in their place.

This started to happen in the pro scene as well. With the exception of Ezreal, Lucian and Xayah, many traditional ADC champions lost their jobs. Pro players started to play in the bot lane with non-ADC champions like Vladimir, Swain, Mordekaiser, and Yasuo.

NA LCS, LPL
- ADCs Still Strong

The rebellion against the EU meta has been continuing for quite a while now. Week 3 of the LCK, LPL, NA LCS, and EU LCS Summer Split is over. From the opening match to now, the ADC and non-ADC champions stood strong against each other.

Before checking the data in each region, some standard needed to be set. Picks like Jungle Kai’Sa and Xayah were ruled out. Only the ADC champions that appeared in the bottom lane were included in the data below.

First, let’s take a look at the NA LCS. A total of 30 games were held and at least one ADC champion appeared in 27 of those games. This is 90% of all the games. Furthermore, 44.5% of all bot lane matchups were ADC vs ADC. On the other hand, there were three games where the bottom lanes had no ADC champions. It seems like the NA LCS loves ADC champions.

There were 15 games that had an ADC vs non-ADC matchup. Of the 15 games, eight were won by the teams that picked an ADC champion, so the win rate for ADCs vs non-ADCs was at about 53.3%; slightly more than half of the games.

In the LPL, the ADC champions seem to be in a better situation. A total of 100 games were played in the LPL up to week 3. 81 games had at least one ADC champion and 42 games were ADC vs ADC. Only 19 matches were non-ADC vs non-ADC.

Surprisingly enough, the teams that picked ADCs won 26 games out of 39 games with ADC vs non-ADC matchups. The win rate is at about 66.7%, which is a very high percentage in the pro scene. Apparently in the LPL, ADCs are still strong.

EU LCS, LMS, LCK
- The Rise of Non-ADC Champions

While the NA LCS and LPL are sticking with ADC champions, in the EU LCS, LMS, and LCK, the situation is quite different. The non-ADC champions were strong in the EU LCS; it was as if they wanted to make ADCs obsolete. In the LCK the stats were well balanced, while the LMS still picked ADC champions, but not with a very good win rate.

In the LCK, the EU meta and the ‘new’ meta is fairly balanced. 64 of the 91 games played had at least one ADC champion, and in 21 games it was an ADC vs ADC matchup. The most notable data point was that there were 27 games that had no ADC champions. Nearly three out of every ten games were played without ADC champions. This is the highest rate among the major regions, and it means that in the LCK, non-ADC champions are used a lot more regardless of the win rate.

However, it’s hard to say that the ADC champions are losing their place in the LCK. Although the non-ADC champions appeared more frequently than in other leagues, the ADC champions weren’t really overwhelmed when matched up against them. There were 43 games with an ADC vs non-ADC matchup, and the teams with the ADC champions won 21 games. This is about 48.8%, which is nearly half of the games. The fight between the two metas seems quite balanced.

In the EU LCS and LMS, the ‘new’ meta is doing quite well. Although the ADC champions appear as much as or more than other regions, their win rate isn’t good.

In the EU LCS, 25 of the 30 games played had at least one ADC champion. This is about 83.3% of the total games, but there were only seven games where both teams picked ADC champions in the bottom lane. Most of the games had an ADC vs non-ADC matchup.

In this case, the non-ADC champions came out on top. Non-ADC champions won 11 of the 18 games played against ADC champions. ADC champions won only seven games, with the win rate at about 38.9%. This could be bad news for those who prefer the EU meta or those who love ADC champions.

ADC champions are still appearing steadily in the LMS. The percentage of ADC champions selected in the bot lane was the second highest among the major regions; 25 out of 29, 86.2%. The number of ADC vs ADC matchups were 8, which is 27.6%.

However, the ADC champions weren’t able to win much. ADC champions won only 8 out of 21 games against the non-ADC champions. At 38.1%, this is the lowest ADC win rate among the major regions. It’s similar to the EU LCS, but slightly lower. It’s a tough region to be in as an ADC lover.

EU Meta vs the ‘New’ Meta
- 51.5% WR: The Golden Balance?

With the exception of the LPL, whose biggest strength was the ADC position, there are no regions that have overwhelming results with ADC champions. In the NA LCS and LCK, the win rate is at about 50%. In the EU LCS and LMS, it’s a massacre for the ADCs. Although they appeared often, they weren’t able to win much.

There’s more bad news for ADC players. Most of the wins the ADC champions got were from Uzi of RNG and Ruler of Gen.G Esports. Uzi won most of his games as an ADC champion, picking a non-ADC champion only once, and Ruler picked only ADC champions and is delivering a decent performance. Without these two, the ADC win rate drops even more.

This might be the beginning of the fall of the EU meta. Already, in many solo queue games, people complain about players who pick an ADC champion in the bot lane. In the EU LCS, Karma, Swain, Yasuo, and Heimerdinger often head to the bot lane and have high win rates; in the LCK, Swain, Yasuo, and Mordekaiser have the highest win rates in the bot lane. Vladimir is undefeated in the LMS. 

However, it’s doubtful that the EU meta will completely collapse. In the five regions mentioned above, there were 136 games that had ADC vs Non-ADC matchups in the bottom lane. ADC champions won 70 of those games, putting them at a 51.5% win rate. Based on the data, it could be the start of an era of ‘golden balance’ between the EU meta and the ‘new meta’.

Although the metas are currently well balanced, the ADC champions that have been appearing aren’t that balanced. Only a few champions like Ezreal, Lucian, Xayah, and Ashe consistently appeared. Caitlyn, who appeared often in the Spring Split, vanished. Jinx and Sivir aren’t seeing pro play anymore either, and champions like Miss Fortune, Jhin, and Twitch are still unwanted. To be fully balanced, these champions also should be appearing as well. 

The whole LoL scene is in a state of flux. The EU meta is fighting with the bruisers and mages, and it isn’t clear who’s winning. It’s not unusual to see seemingly random champions in the bot lane anymore. 

What’s important is that the EU meta which set root in the scene for a long time is being unearthed. The bot lane is no longer ruled by ADCs. Bruisers and mages can also head to the bottom lane and carry out their roles well. To avoid playing against these champions, some ADCs are selecting Smite and going to the jungle in funnel comps to carry the team in the late game. While it may seem chaotic, it’s hard to deny that the game has become more diverse and interesting.

ADC champions at a 51.5% win rate, and non-ADCs with a 48.5% win rate. Which champion would you pick in the bottom lane?