Top Champions to Expect at Worlds 2024

Worlds 2024 is now closer than ever! While hype builds up for the start of the Play-in Stage, doubts swirl around what champions are expected to show up at the tournament.

With Worlds patch (14.18) changing up a lot of trends we've seen persist throughout the summer season, teams are expected to don whole new looks in draft come time to compete.

The question still remains however; which champions exactly are expected to show up the most frequently at Worlds 2024?

Top lane

K'Sante

Having been a staple of the top lane since the champion's inception to League of Legends, do not expect Worlds 2024 to be the exception. K'Sante's numbers are expected to be overhauled very soon, but not before Worlds takes place.

Renekton

The other side of the 2024 top lane coin, Renekton has shown up across all major leagues for large parts of the year, and will do so again at Worlds. A strong laner and an able team-fighter in the right hands, Renekton is nothing short of a top lane powerhouse.

Gnar

For a champion that often bullies the top lane, a +3 base AD buff, which he received in patch 14.18, is simply massive. Expect Gnar to show up a lot at Worlds, and make great use of the base AD buff by always building Trinity Force.

Jax

Jax was already showing up quite a bit towards the end of the Summer Season, particularly in the LCK. And then Jax received buffs to his ultimate during patch 14.18 which were not insignificant.

With some of the most dominant top laners at Worlds 2024 historically favoring the champion, expect Jax to make several appearances throughout the tournament.

Rumble

For reference, during the LPL Summer Playoffs, Rumble had a 100% pick or ban rate. Out of 60 games, he was banned 57 times, and picked 3.

Rumble did receive some considerable nerfs for the World's patch, but the fact that he opens up the draft for AD junglers to shine will be invaluable to several teams.

Honorable mentions/Counterpicks: Poppy, Jayce, Kennen, Camille, Olaf, Garen, Aurora

Jungle

Sejuani

Sejuani has everything you can possibly want in a game of professional League of Legends: reliable crowd control (CC), good pick potential, mobility and good frontline capabilities. The champion, furthermore, has great synergy with several expected meta picks in top and mid, helping her stack her Permafrost [E] passive with ease.

Maokai

Like Rumble in the LPL, Maokai had a 100% pick or ban presence at the LCK Summer Playoffs. The champion was slightly nerfed during patch 14.18, but certainly not enough to remove him from the meta altogether.

Skarner

Skarner was seen as a reliable alternative to Maokai towards the end of the year. Like Sejuani, Skarner has a very complete kit, heavy with slows and CC, which many drafts can benefit from.

Jarvan IV

Jarvan got buffed during patch 14.18 and has suddenly surged into a powerhouse in the jungle. The champion currently boasts incredible pick and win rates in high end SoloQ, and is expected to carry that form over to Worlds 2024.

Viego

Like Jarvan, Viego received a substantial buff during Worlds patch. Viego is an able pick, though admittedly harder to pull off due to his squishier nature in comparison to the other champions on this list. Under the right conditions, however, Viego can completely take over games.

Honorable mentions/Counterpicks: Ivern, Zyra, Brand, Xin Zhao, Amumu, Poppy, Kindred, Nidalee

Mid lane

Yone

Yone rose in popularity towards the end of the Summer Season, particularly in the LCK. Moreover, buffs to Fleet Footwork and Immortal Shieldbow's melee values have left the champion in a fantastic spot.

A champion that synergizes incredibly well with several high priority jungle picks, Yone will be a coveted pick in the mid lane at Worlds.

Syndra

With the recent buffs to AP items like Stormsurge or Shadowflame in patch 14.18, Syndra has suddenly risen in popularity in high end SoloQ. The champion is able to bully the lane against a myriad of picks, and will thus be a coveted pick for any mid laner who feels confident in their own skills.

Orianna

Come Worlds, come Orianna. Orianna can lane well and team fight well, provides good magic damage while also providing a good bit of utility between her Command: Protect [E] shields and Command: Dissonance [W] slows, and should thus show up a fair amount at this year's Worlds.

Annie

Like Syndra, Annie is a big fan of the AP item buffs. She is a champion that provides a lot of setup for other picks to shine, and does so in an incredibly simple and straightforward manner. Annie is easy to pull off in several team compositions, making her a coveted pick.

Tristana

With several AD carry champions being gutted in order to see them disappear from the mid lane, Tristana stands as one of the last survivors. She has been nerfed, mind you, but not quite significantly enough to see her removed from the meta altogether.

With Tristana expected to go through some large changes in patch 14.19, Worlds 2024 may well be her last dance around the mid lane.

Honorable mentions/Counterpicks: Sylas, LeBlanc, Lissandra, Ahri, Neeko, Hwei, Vex, Smolder, Azir, Aurora

Bot lane

Kai'Sa

A champion that has burst into the scene all of a sudden, Kai'Sa boasts an incredibly high pick rate in top rated SoloQ. Nerfs to other ADC champions recently have opened up a slot for Kai'Sa to come through and truly shine as an aggressive pick that rewards good mechanics and awareness.

Ashe

The ultimate utility AD carry, Ashe has shown up in pro play all year long. Her ultimate ability and unrelenting slows being so strong in a competitive environment, not to mention the power of her Hawkshot [E], the champion simply brings too much value into a game of pro play.

Jhin

Like Ashe, Jhin brings so much utility into a professional game of League of Legends that the champion is impossible to ignore. Jhin's Deadly Flourish [W] provide invaluable pick potential, while his Curtain Call [R] lets him enter a fight from a safe distance, not only dealing damage but also providing heavy slows to allow his teammates easier access to priority targets. Jhin is expected to be a sought out pick at Worlds 2024 for teams looking to play through other lanes.

Jinx

Jinx received a buff in patch 14.18 and, like Kai'Sa, suddenly rushed back into the mix. She holds fantastic pick and win rates in high end SoloQ at this time.

Though she has not been a coveted pick for some time now, Jinx' most recent buffs should be enough to bring her to the top.

Lucian

With how much value there is to be acquired early in the bot lane from plates and first tower gold, aggressive counterpicks like Lucian should show up at Worlds 2024.

Honorable mentions/Counterpicks: Caitlyn, Miss Fortune, Varus, Draven, Ziggs, Ezreal, Nilah

Support

Nautilus

Another champion that brings too much to the table like several forms of reliable CC, frontline, and good pick potential, Nautilus will be a coveted pick at this year's tournament. Mostly, though, it's his Depth Charge's [R] ability to seamlessly pick a target to lock down that truly sets him apart.

Lulu

Lulu received a substantial buff to her passive's damage in patch 14.18. That, coupled with buffs to Jinx, one of the champions with whom Lulu synergizes the most in the game, have made Lulu rise through the ranks. Expect the champion show up at Worlds despite dwelling in the shadows for most of 2024.

Alistar

Alistar's ultimate is strong enough to buy time for your carries to shine through in team fights. That alone is such a valuable asset that, in addition to his strong area of effect CC, it makes Alistar a very strong champion in pro play at the moment.

Rell

Similar to Nautilus, Rell simply provides too much value. Admittedly, the champion got nerfed in patch 14.18. And yet, it may not have been enough to see Rell removed from the meta. A well timed Magnet Storm [R] in pro play can be devastating, and that's enough to make her a coveted pick at Worlds.

Karma

Like Lucian, Karma's incredibly strong laning phase means there is so much gold to be found in the early game through the bot lane thanks to the pick. Karma, then, should make appearances at Worlds in lane setups that will look to dominate through range and sheer early game damage.

Honorable mentions/Counterpicks: Poppy, Leona, Braum, Renata Glasc, Rakan, Nami, Senna, Blitzcrank, Bard

A welcome shift in the wind

Worlds patch (14.18) is expected to turn several aspects of pro play into a welcome new direction.

The loss of ADCs in the mid lane, for one, is one for which viewers should be immensely grateful. The mid lane meta has grown incredibly stale as of late. Champions like Corki, Smolder or Azir often simply agreed to shake hands at the start of the game and farm their way to relevance.

Thankfully, nerfs to several ADCs in the mid lane should push these champions out of that lane despite their overwhelming presence across most of the year. Now at Worlds 2024, the mid lane should be a far more explosive place than it has been throughout the buildup to the tournament.

Shaking things up

Lane swaps will hopefully be no more at Worlds 2024 with the recent changes to turret resistances and fortification, which will punish teams that choose to go for a swap. This, in turn, should place a higher value on strong laning in the bot lane than what it has been for most of the year.

Likewise, the gradual decline of AP junglers will make way for AD junglers to shine through at Worlds. Meanwhile, the return of hyper carries like Jinx to the bot lane will be a welcome change to the game, as it will also open the door for new support picks to come through as well.

All in all, expect Worlds 2024 to be an exciting tournament that promises to bring a breath of fresh air to the meta.

For the latest League of Legends news, follow Strafe Esports. To follow everything on Worlds 2024, check out our full guide. Also, follow the Strafe YouTube channel for exclusive interviews with players and coaches.

Image source: Riot Games

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