An In-Depth Look at the Resurgence of Statikk Shiv in League of Legends
One item that has been causing quite a stir in the League of Legends community is Statikk Shiv. While it was a popular choice during the last season, it’s making a comeback now for a different reason. This time, its appeal extends beyond its ability to quickly clear waves of minions.
ADC Players Experimenting with Statikk Shiv
ADC players are currently experimenting with using Statikk Shiv as a primary item for certain champions. Their goal is to increase the early-game power of marksmen in the post-Smolder meta. Despite not receiving any direct buffs or nerfs in recent patches, Statikk Shiv stands out due to the valuable stats it provides and its overall value as an investment.
Compared to other must-have first purchases for marksmen such as Kraken Slayer and Blade of the Ruined King, Statikk Shiv offers a more affordable option. It costs only 2,700 gold while providing stats that are comparable to these other items. Additionally, Statikk Shiv’s passive chain lightning makes farming minions easier, giving champions an advantage over their opponents during the laning phase.
Champions Benefiting from Statikk Shiv
Champions like Caitlyn, Zeri, and Lucian have seen significant benefits from prioritizing Statikk Shiv as their first item. They appreciate the increased damage potential it provides early on. However, it is Jinx who has thrived the most with this item optimization. Jinx now boasts a 53-percent win rate, 24-percent pick rate, and 12-percent ban rate, according to League stats sites like OP.GG, U.GG, and lolalytics.com.
Despite these successes, the strategy of rushing Statikk Shiv as an initial completed item is not yet widespread across most ADCs. It is typically reserved for marksmen who prioritize early-game damage over attack speed. For champions like Ashe and Kog’Maw, other items and synergies with their abilities outweigh the benefits of Statikk Shiv’s affordability.
A Meta Shake-Up in the Bot Lane
This recent shift in the bot lane meta comes after the decline of Smolder, the dominant ADC champion. Patch 14.6 included direct nerfs to Smolder’s Q stacks and reduced safety on both his W and E abilities, resulting in a significant decrease in his performance in solo queue. Now, players have the opportunity to explore new strategies with the resurgence of Statikk Shiv.
What’s Next?
The upcoming Patch 14.7 is expected to be teased tonight and fully revealed tomorrow evening. Players are eager to see the tentative changes that will be introduced on League’s PBE. While it remains unclear what adjustments the patch preview will bring, players have already expressed frustrations regarding the changes to ranked demotions.