The Impact of Smite Janna Top on the League of Legends Season
The ongoing League of Legends season has been filled with controversies. In just one month since the season started, a wave of new champions has disrupted the top lane meta in an unconventional way, with one champion standing out as the primary issue.
The Dominance of Smite Janna Top in Patch 12.2
In Patch 12.2, Smite Janna top boasts an impressive 58.06% win rate in high Elo, which includes Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger tiers, according to U.GG. Janna has effectively utilized the “support Smite top” meta due to her high movement speed and recent adjustments to her kit, which have revitalized the power of her slows.
The Strategy Behind Support Smite Top
The concept of utilizing a support champion in the top lane with the Smite Summoner Spell revolves around maximizing the benefits of Objective Bounties, a new mechanic introduced in the latest preseason. By neglecting the top lane and constantly roaming and ganking other lanes, this strategy ensures that objective bounties stack for your team, even though you are technically a support. Having Smite also allows players to steal enemy camps, potentially putting a crucial part of the opposing team at a disadvantage.
Criticism and Potential Impact on the Game
In a recent interview with Dexerto, former LCS top laner Lourlo expressed concerns about the unhealthy nature of this strategy. He also acknowledged that the state of the top lane meta, following significant Teleport changes, has contributed to this inevitable shift in the meta. Other support champions like Lulu, Karma, and Zilean have also capitalized on this new meta, utilizing their own mobility and escape tools. Janna, in particular, has dominated solo queue in this new role, leading to an impressive win rate in high Elo.
While Smite enchanters in the top lane have not yet made an appearance in professional play, it is expected that they will face contestation or bans in the coming weeks before the strategy inevitably receives nerfs. The approach Riot Games will take to address this issue remains unclear, as targeting enchanters or objective bounties specifically may have unintended consequences for other aspects of the game.
League of Legends, Smite Janna top, top lane meta, support champion, support Smite top, high Elo, Janna, Objective Bounties, preseason, meta shift, Lourlo, enchanters, professional play, Riot Games.