With League of Legends: Wild Rift esports set to kick off this first quarter of 2021, the scene is getting its first taste of professional-level play.
The ongoing Wild Rift Asia Brawl 2020 is the first international tournament of the year, with 16 teams from different regions, and we’re definitely seeing some champions being favored by the pros.
We spoke to Liyab Esports assistant coach, Reggie Dominik “Cheesto” Paat, to get his thoughts on which champions are proving to be more popular for pro play.
Liyab’s Wild Rift team is currently competing in the Wild Rift Asia Brawl, and is looking to be one of the top teams in the SEA region.
Here’s what he said:
Kennen
This isn’t a surprise because this Yordle is probably the most overpowered champion in the game at the moment. There are also no good counters to this champion in the current game.
As Coach Cheesto puts it, “Even if he doesn’t win lane, even if he dies, as long as he’s able to bring out all his abilities in a team fight, he’s already a big help to your team.”
In other words: How to play Kennen? Press all the buttons. Stay tuned to see if Kennen continues to be an S-tier pick as Wild Rift esports picks up this year.
Lee Sin
Lee Sin is one of the best junglers in the game, particularly in the early game. He’s a very mobile champion and great for ganking.
“Regardless of meta, he’s always going to be useful to a team, because of his kit.” says Coach Cheesto.
This kit might be a little harder to master than that of other champions, but at high-level gameplay, he’s another S-tier pick.
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Alistar
Alistar is incredibly important for his ability to set up the team, with his crowd control and knock-ups.
Cheesto says that more importantly, his ultimate, Unbreakable Will, lets you tank a lot of damage even early into the game.
“Even if you don’t have any items, as long as you have your ultimate up, you can soak so much damage while you have your ultimate up. He fits with any lineup. Regardless of who the other four are, you add an Alistair in there, it can work out.”
Wukong
“He’s the best team fighting jungler in the game right now,” says Cheesto. “That’s because of how much crowd control he can give for his team.”
Anyone who’s gone up against Wukong in ranked games will attest to just how chaotic a team fight with him can be.
His dashes and gains to movement speed make him a really slippery target, and he’ll most likely take you down before you can even find him in the clash.
Miss Fortune
If you’re solo queuing, Miss Fortune is more of an unfortunate pick, but that’s only because she works best in a well-coordinated team setting. If you do have a well-coordinated team that can set for you, she packs quite the punch.
“She can push your lane over and over,” says Cheesto. “She has really good gameplay and early game damage.”
Miss Fortune is also the most picked champion in the Wild Rift Asia Brawl qualifiers.
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