Six most popular League champions in professional play this year
From over 150 champions to choose from, players tend to opt for the same champions. Champions like Aphelios, Nautilus and Jinx are played over and over by professional players in League of Legends tournaments this year.
One of the many reasons is their abilities, weapons, and how they work together with other champions.
According to data from the website Games of Legends, the top six champions from all tournaments played during the 2022 competitive season are as follows.
1. Aphelios
Pro players used Aphelios 1676 times in the Spring Split and 1066 times in the Summer Split. He has a total of 2742 games this year. Aphelios has become the most popular because of his versatility and consistency.
The Weapon of the Faithful was comparable to Ahri’s bot lane role. In addition, his multi-form kit, combined with carrying potential as the game progressed, enabled him to be a great pick in a scaling meta.
His weapon works well with hard-engaged champions and utility, making them an ideal ADC. Aphelios, however, lacks a dash, which may pose a problem.
2. Nautilus
This year, the Titan of the Depths, Nautilus, had appeared in 2723 games.
Despite not being a solid pick, Nautilus is the clear choice for crowd control and offers a simple engagement tool. The champion works well with Aphelios, which explains why the pair are so popular and currently ranks high on the list.
Nautilus is not only tanky but also provides plenty of opportunities for players to interact with his combos. His Dredge Line (Q) into Riptide (E) and then Depth Charge (R) sets off a series of reactions in which the opponent is drawn toward Nautilus and then decelerated, knocked up and stunned.
3. Jinx
One of LoL’s most famous champions, Jinx is commonly referred to as a “fan favorite.” Her popularity made her one of the main characters in Riot’s series Arcane.
Jinx has 1983 picks in the Spring and accumulated 2552 picks this year. She was the only one in a meta dominated by front-to-backs and pick-to-fight comps who could perform well and have a surprisingly strong game wave clear for bot lane priority.
Since Jinx is a scaling champion, she has limited options, especially during the laning phase. She must farm as much as she can to obtain her items and power as quickly as possible. If Jinx has enough items, she can obliterate enemies in seconds. Jinx paired well with Nautilus. The two were frequently chosen together.
4. Viego
This year the Ruined King Viego made 2446 appearances in the professional scene. The tanky champion can possess other champions and has a high damage output, making him an ideal carry.
Viego’s stun and invisibility abilities allow him to execute flawlessly ganks in the game’s early stages. Viego may also participate in early 1v1 battles against the enemy jungler due to his powerful healing passive.
Viego was a champion that nearly all junglers played at some point during the season, despite having negative win rates in both Spring (48 percent) and Summer (49 percent).
5. Gnar
Gnar appeared in 2161 this year. The prehistoric Yordle gradually gained popularity before the summer nerfs hit the other top-laners.
He morphs into Mega Gnar when he accumulates enough rage. Little Gnar can obtain movement speed and bonus damage by throwing a boomerang. He can also jump in any direction and bounce off an opponent’s head.
Mega Gnar can startle enemies by throwing a boulder. Instead of bouncing, he jumps and injures those around him. His Ultimate allows him to hurl everything in the direction of his choice, slowing enemies. They become stunned and take additional damage if thrown into a wall.
6. Ahri
If Riot’s aim with the rework was to render Ahri a popular champion, the balance team did an excellent job. Appearing in 1918 games this year, she was the most selected mid-laner in Season 12 and was a tremendous blind pick with high pick potential.
Her passive is one of the most crucial components of her redesign. It allows her to deal damage to enemies and collect essence fragments.
She can recover for a limited time after collecting nine. Furthermore, Ahri’s ultimate enables her to hunt down and kill low-health opponents. Ahri is an obvious choice for promotion to Gold. Ahri’s mobility empowers her to pursue enemies and aid her teammates in completing targets.
