The Bottom Lane at MSI 2022: A Diverse Champion Pool
Throughout the first three days of the 2022 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational, the bottom lane has seen a remarkable amount of diversity in champion picks. In the first 18 games of the tournament, the event’s bottom lane players have chosen 14 different champions.
Out of the 14 champions played so far, 13 have been traditional AD carries, while one was an AP carry—Ziggs, who was successfully played by Saigon Buffalo’s Shogun in a win over Team Aze.
Ezreal and Jhin Lead the Pack
Ezreal and Jhin have been the most popular picks among bottom lane champions at MSI. The Prodigal Explorer and the Virtuoso have both appeared five times each, according to League stats site Games of Legends. Lucian closely follows with four picks, appearing in 100 percent of all drafts.
Notable Exclusions and Jinx’s Decline
Among the traditional AD-focused bottom lane champions, Twitch, Sivir, Kog’Maw, Ashe, Kalista, Jinx, and Caitlyn have yet to be seen at MSI. While Kalista, Jinx, and Caitlyn have been banned at least once, they have not been picked by any player.
Jinx, in particular, was a dominant champion in the first half of the 2022 season. However, her presence rate has dropped significantly at MSI and sits at only six percent. This decline can be attributed to a nerf on her base stats in Patch 12.8.
What’s Next
As the MSI group stage enters its second round robin, we can expect to see more unique picks in the bottom lane. Stay tuned for the continuation of the tournament tomorrow, May 13, as PSG Talon and RED Canids take the stage at 1am CT.
League of Legends, Mid-Season Invitational, bottom lane, champion picks, AD carries, AP carry, Ziggs, Saigon Buffalo, Shogun, Ezreal, Jhin, traditional bottom lane champions, Twitch, Sivir, Kog’Maw, Ashe, Kalista, Jinx, Caitlyn, Games of Legends, pick/ban rate, nerf, Patch 12.8, MSI group stage, PSG Talon, RED Canids.