Elise: The Most-Banned Champion in Korean Solo Queue
In Patch 13.1, one champion stands out as consistently banned in high-elo matches on the Korean solo queue ladder. According to U.GG, Elise not only garners the highest ban rate among junglers, but she is also the most-banned champion overall in Korea at Master elo and above. With an incredible ban rate of 63.9 percent, Korean players are desperate to avoid facing her. This is supported by her current win rate, which exceeds 55 percent.
Why is Elise so Strong Right Now?
Elise has only received a minor change to the cast range of her Neurotoxin (Q) in recent patches. Apart from that, she remains untouched. So, why does she enjoy such high success and ban rates? There are two primary reasons.
Firstly, Elise is one of the few powerful AP junglers in the current meta. While there are other magic damage junglers such as Maokai and Zac, none of them can match Elise’s burst damage. Having a magic-damage-dealing champion in the jungle allows for better damage distribution within a team, making it harder for opponents to itemize against.
Secondly, the current meta heavily favors aggressive junglers who prioritize ganking. Elise possesses one of the best gank setups with her cocoon (E) and excels at diving with her spider form’s Rappel (E). In a snowball-oriented meta, Elise becomes a perfect champion to exploit in solo queue. That’s why she remains a prime target on the Korean ladder.
However, Elise doesn’t receive the same treatment in other regions, particularly in the west.
For instance, Kassadin has been banned in 51.4 percent of Master or higher games across regions, making him the only champion to surpass the 50 percent ban mark, according to U.GG. Additionally, Kassadin boasts an impressive win rate of 52.32 percent and is considered one of the best mid lane picks in the meta. On the other hand, Elise has a win rate of 52.26 percent in Master or above on the EUW server but is banned in only 13.7 percent of games (statistics taken from U.GG). Likewise, Elise has a ban rate of 13.8 percent in North America but boasts an even higher win rate of 54.29 percent, according to U.GG.
While it’s challenging to pinpoint the exact reason for this discrepancy, one key factor could be the players’ aggressiveness. Elise is a champion that thrives on early-game planning and aggression, qualities that are abundant in the Korean solo queue ladder. At the highest elo, Korean players consistently unlock Elise’s full potential, turning her into a nightmare to play against. Although Elise’s value diminishes as the game progresses, Korean players can delay her weaker scaling by dominating the first few minutes of the match.
This is further substantiated by Elise’s presence in professional play. While she hasn’t been picked in the LEC thus far, the LCK has already featured five Elise games, with four victories recorded, according to Games of Legends. Considering her dominance in solo queue, it’s highly likely that she will be prioritized in upcoming matches.
Related Elise, Korean solo queue, high-elo matches, ban rate, jungler, Master elo, burst damage, gank setups, meta, Kassadin, win rate, aggression, professional play, LCK