Whether we like it or not, we all are affected by the League of Legends metagame. Picks that were once powerful are laughed at, and sleeper champs suddenly become overpowered. Innovation is praised while at the same time scoffed at. What is a truly good pick and what is a bad pick? Why do people get so mad when a champion intended for that lane is used?

The meta is sometimes broken by just trying something new. Look at Morgana; she once was considered a somewhat troll support pick, now she is one of the most banned champions. The page for banning guidelines rather humourously lists her as an off-meta pick for example:

While you should always acknowledge the meta, being so nervous about it that you don't pick champions you're good at is less than ideal. It also shouldn't be a cause for extreme worry when someone else does it. There are times where champions don't necessarily have awful problems with them and are just underpicked, or those who have problems with how their kit worked in the past compared to the present meta. Whatever the reason, I strongly believe that there are no champs that are so abysmal that they aren't even worth looking at in their own lane. Looking at all champions as viable will let you discover fun ones you never thought you'd like.

Skill > Pick

I think this has happened to everyone. They go against a champion who is considered bottom of the barrel and laugh at it, only to cry at the “DEFEAT” screen. A Poppy comes out of nowhere and slams you against the wall while being invulnerable for 8 seconds, or a Viktor annihilates you with his laser. It’s unfortunate that unpopular champions are given a raised eyebrow- even when people don’t actually know what they do.

w h y d o n 't y o u j u s t l a y d o w n y o u r w e a p o n s n o w ?

Other champions who do work out in their lane have other problems that are hard to get over unless serious practice is involved. For example, Poppy has a horrible laning phase this meta but she becomes one of the strongest hypercarries in the game. If you happen to be super skilled with her anyways you will get used to problematic matchups for the current meta. Take a look at Vizicsacsi, the toplaner from Unicorns of Love. She was a good but unconventional top pick into Dr. Mundo, and he ended the game 8/0/6. No doubt he had a lot of practice on her, and he made it work when she was barely looked at in soloqueue, let alone professional play.

Many people will ask high elo players or pros who to climb with or what their advice is, and they often reply with "play what you like and what you are comfortable with". Some streamers even joke that they should title their broadcasts as "EVERY CHAMPION IS VIABLE". This question has become so commonplace that its almost too easy to ignore. People want concrete answers as to who they can carry with when there really isn't a solid answer that will work for everyone.

There are certainly champions who are factually under and overpowered, but letting that be a deciding factor for how you or someone else plays the champion is going to stress you out more than anything. A champion isn’t made overpowered by just clicking to win. As much as the salty opponent in allchat yells at you for picking a “no skill” champ, some degree of proficiency is required to actually do well. Picking Yasuo alone isn’t going to make you a god unless you have the mechanics to back it up.

Help! Someone Picked an Off-Meta Champ!

One surefire way to start off your game in the worst way possible is to argue someone’s champion pick before the match even begins. Whether it be someone insisting they can carry as Urgot or playing support Veigar, it is bad to assume someone is trolling or doesn't know what they are doing. Though there are champions that can easily fit into more than one lane, it is hard to gauge what is a pretty okay idea, what is genuinely not that great, and what has worked before. Assuming someone will do bad will also get you into the wrong mindset and set you up for failure.

A lot of meta worrying has a lot to do with ranked anxiety and not wanting seemingly huge factors to lose them the game. Some players worry internally, while others resort to aggressive behaviour towards their teammates. If you are concerned about winning, freaking out on someone for their pick is going to make the situation worse. It may be something completely ridiculous but it isn’t going to change anything if they’re already locked in. It'd be like being angry at the rain soaking your clothes when you could just bring an umbrella. You can not control it, so you may as well adapt and move on.

It is easy to blame others for their pick and overlook your own mistakes when the game doesn't go as planned. Play for the present, focus on your own play, and don't hold a game long grudge about it.

Should I try ___?

That being said, it doesn’t mean you’re going to definitely find success as support Katarina because you are good at her. Some champions are indeed a little too niche for the role you’re trying to play. While nothing is stopping you, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if it isn’t working out.

The team meta of Top/Jungle/Mid/Marksman/Support doesn’t have to be followed…but you’re better off doing radical team comp changes with people you know. Straying from the lane meta is a little more questionable in that it has become part of the game itself. Because of this, the strife that will likely come from changing it up is not worth it. It's easier to play an unpopular champion than it is to convince everyone to play in a completely different way.

Whether people should or shouldn’t adhere to the meta will always be an ongoing debate, and every player has seen strange things work out. Even in a professional setting a "cheese" pick will come through and win. The record for most kills in any LCS game (19) is held by Scarra on AP Master Yi for instance. It doesn't mean odd things will work out, and sometimes it won't unless the player is quite good. It is best to gauge your team’s disposition before launching yourself into a role that probably doesn’t work for your champ. You may get a team who is completely down for something fun or different!

Pros vs You

There is a tendency to think that professional picks are completely overpowered, and some people run for these champions without them actually being incredible at them. When you compare the win rates for pro picks versus soloqueue picks, the results look quite different despite bans panning out relatively the same.

Most banned champions over the past month:

Champions with the highest ranked win rate for this month:

Highest win rate for Challenger:

We can see that a lot of champion bans are what were played in the LCS, such as Tristana or Zed. However, the win rates show a much different story. It's not to say that those champions are not strong, but rather playing them isn't necessarly "freelo" or a surefire way to win despite being meta champs. In challenger we are able to see a wide variety of champions that are not played often have some degree of success.

Why is there such a disparity? The biggest thing to keep in mind is that a lot of pro-level picks are chosen because those champions are the absolute, calculated best for their situation. They need to pick champions that are strong for the patch and for their team comp whether they love playing them or not. Organized play backed with voice communication make certain picks better than one that can stomp. What may be a fantastic pro pick may not be that great in soloqueue, and vice versa. Work with what you can win on and genuinely enjoy playing, not what others are doing when you can’t put the theory into practice.

Enjoy Yourself

Some champions will certainly be better for certain iterations of the meta, and that can't be denied. However, keeping an open mind about what you and others pick will not only help to calm you down while playing, but improve how you play as well. Playing what you are comfortable with matters much more than what others will think especially if you have a proven win record with it. We all take our play seriously- but don't forget to have fun too!