When it comes to drafting in LoL, it’s important to consider the implications of each side in a neutral Meta. While these points may not be of huge importance compared to the current powerful strategies, they can be a useful framework to start from. These are general things to keep in mind rather than strict rules to follow.
Red Side
On Red side, it’s important to consider which lane will benefit the most from last-picking. This is usually the Mid lane, as it has an even laning phase and provides the most pressure on the map when ahead. It is generally suboptimal to need to take a Mid laner early as a power pick. Red side also has a preference for 2v1 lanes, as Blue side usually has the Top lane counterpick.
To maximize the advantage of last-picking Mid, your compositional strategy should ideally be ambiguous to the Mid lane. If you have a focused compositional strategy while still planning to last pick Mid, it should usually be created with the catalyst of a Top or ADC pick in mind. The general strategies that these two positions would be the catalyst for are Split Push, Teamfight/Neutral Objective Control, Mid game, Pick, Kiting, and Poke/Siege.
Given these factors, it’s important to choose a strategy that allows flexibility for Mid lane counterpicking. From worst to best in terms of counterpicking, the list would be: Poke comps, Siege compositions, Kiting/Hypercarry compositions, Teamfighting/Neutral Objective Control compositions, and Split Push compositions. The best Split Push strategy for maximizing Red side’s Mid lane counterpick ability is to draft for 1/4 Top Split with the option to flex into a 1/3/1 Top and Mid Split. This allows for maximum counterpicking potential for Mid lane.
Pick compositions rely heavily on CC and burst damage to catch opponents out and kill them quickly. They can be mixed with other compositional focuses and are quite flexible.
Blue Side
On Blue side, it’s ideal to draft your Mid-Top with your 4-5 pick. This allows Red side to be forced to take one of the lanes before you, giving you the opportunity to get the counterpick in at least one lane. Blue side generally wants to have standard lanes, as they should have an advantageous top matchup.
When considering which compositional focuses are favorable for Blue side, it’s important to consider how early you must reveal your strategy and how counterable it is by Red side’s last pick. The vulnerabilities of each compositional focus to being negated by the last pick Mid can be categorized as: Poke/Siege (countered by waveclear and hard engage), Kite/Hypercarry (countered by hard engage, hard CC, and AOE CC/damage), Teamfighting/Neutral Objective Control (no strict counters), Split push (countered by a counter splitter, globals, hard engage, and dive), and Pick (countered by early/mid game power, vision, and protective abilities).
Overall, the optimal strategy for Blue side in a neutral meta is to have standard lanes and a Split push composition, while leaving the Mid lane for Red side to pick first. For Red side, the optimal strategy is to have a lane swap, a Pick/Mid game composition, and to set up Blue side to first pick a Solo laner.