Elise Gains Attention from Professional Junglers in 2023 League of Legends Season
Elise, who spent the past two seasons on the bench, has finally caught the eye of professional junglers as the 2023 League of Legends season kicks off. In the LCS, she has been picked twice in as many days, surpassing her total picks from the previous two seasons.
Yesterday, TSM jungler Bugi chose Elise, and today, EG’s Inspired took the champion for a spin. Elise has seen more picks from LCS players in the past two days than she did throughout the entire 2021 and 2022 seasons. While Bugi won with Elise, Inspired and EG unfortunately suffered a loss after a grueling game.
According to League stats site Games of Legends, Elise has a presence rate of 27 percent and a record of 8-3 across major regions (LCS, LEC, LCK, LPL) this year.
Elise’s Rise to Relevance in Competitive Play
Between 2021 and 2022, Elise was only chosen four times in major regions worldwide. Broxah, playing for CLG, was the only LCS player to use Elise, winning a game during the 2021 Summer Split. In contrast, Elise has already been picked 11 times this season. Since 2020, when Elise was a staple in professional drafts, she hasn’t been truly relevant in the meta. However, if Elise maintains her current pick/ban rate, she could have her most impactful season in three years.
Despite Elise’s strong AP damage, the current meta favors beefier, tankier junglers. The top three jungle picks this season, based on pick/ban rate, are Maokai, Vi, and Sejuani, according to Games of Legends.
In most of the games where Elise has been chosen, teams have compensated by placing a tank in a solo lane. For example, T1 put Faker on Sett in the mid lane when they drafted Elise and emerged victorious against Kwangdong Freecs.
Elise’s resurgence in the competitive scene is certainly worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses. With more professional players showing interest in her, Elise may become a prominent pick in the jungle meta once again.
-Known keywords: Elise, League of Legends, LCS, junglers, pick/ban rate, professional play, tanky junglers, meta