The 2022 Spring Split across all major League of Legends esports regions is well under way, and teams are starting to find their groove this new year.
Even though the meta in the 2022 preseason did not change much, the most picked champions in each region still differ significantly.
With 17 teams competing, the LPL kick started the Spring Split earlier than others. Riding on the 2021 offseason Demacia Cup, it’s clear that LPL teams have their own way of interpreting the meta due to their preferred skirmishing playstyle.
Comparing all the major regions across the board, here are the most picked champions in the LCS, LEC, LCK, and LPL 2022 Spring Split so far.
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Most picked champions in LCS Spring Split 2022
Mid lane – Corki
There’s no doubt that Corki is the flavor of Spring Split 2022.
Even though the champion itself was not adjusted in recent patches, he started to rise in solo queue popularity late last year after the emergence of a new broken build comprising AP Mythic item Luden’s Tempest, Manamune, and Void Staff.
This build makes his ultimate, Missile Barrage, hurt a lot in the late game. A long-ranged hybrid marksman, there’s simply no counter play to his burst damage after he’s scaled up.
Curiously, among the most picked champions in the mid lane, LCS teams not only favor him, they also hold the highest win rate on this champion among major regions at 75%.
TSM’s Omran “V1per” Shoura even used Corki in the top lane in their LCS 2022 Lock In game versus FlyQuest, where he laned against Colin “Kumo” Zhao’s Gragas. In that 50 minute match, he accumulated 454 CS over Kumo’s 304, and scaled to victory.
Bot lane – Jinx
Buffed in League of Legends patch 11.21 (and also because of, let’s just admit it, Arcane), Jinx received improvements to Get Excited’s passive attack speed, slightly more range on Flame Champers, and reduced cooldown on her ultimate, Super Mega Death Rocket.
Since then, her popularity as a bot lane marksman has surged, alongside Caitlyn who was also buffed. In a scaling AD carry meta after Caitlyn is banned, Jinx versus Aphelios is the most common matchup at bot.
Picked a total of 23 times in 29 games in the LCS 2022 Lock In tournament, Jinx holds a positive 69.6% win rate in the league. Evil Geniuses’ Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki has played her four times, and hasn’t lost on this champion.
Most picked champions in LEC Spring Split 2022
Mid lane – LeBlanc
When there’s a player like Rasmus “caPs” Borregaard Winther in your league, LeBlanc will surely be picked no matter the meta.
Among the most picked champions in the mid lane in the LEC Spring Split 2022, LeBlanc and Viktor are currently tied in first place. Picked a total of seven times, only LEC teams have shown this disparity between running an AP assassin mid or wave clear scaler, as other regions prefer to match late game mage with late game mage.
Even though LeBlanc was not recently buffed, she’s risen in response to the scaling mid lane mage meta. Corki, Viktor, and occasionally Orianna and Ryze, all require at least two to three items to come online. LeBlanc, when paired with an AD bruiser with crowd control, has high potential to punish these immobile mages in mid.
Among LEC mid laners, Rogue’s Emil “Larssen” Larsson holds the highest KDA on LeBlanc at 12.0, with a 2/1/10 score line.
Most picked champions in LCK Spring Split 2022
Bot lane – Aphelios
Unlike the LCS, LEC, and LPL regions that favor Jinx as their most picked AD carry, LCK teams prefer Aphelios.
Picked a total of 32 times out of 51 games, he has a strong 78.8% presence in the LCK meta. This comes after teams deemed Caitlyn the most threatening AD carry, banning her a total of 38 times, with a very high 92.3% presence.
Aphelios maintaining a 56.3% win rate in the LCK Spring Split 2022 is solid, but what’s more impressive is that three LCK bot laners, KT Rolster’s Kim “Aiming” Ha-ram, Gen.G’s Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk, and T1’s Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong hold a 100% win rate on this champion with at least three games played.
Support – Thresh and Yuumi
Out of 51 games, the most banned support in the LCK is Karma at 32 times, and Yuumi at 29.
Unlike the LPL, LCK teams deem these two enchanters a lot more of a problem to deal with compared to all-rounder, Thresh. Since LCK teams possess a more disciplined playstyle, where they’re able to hold out till the late game, scaling enchanter supports become that much more powerful.
And so since he’s not banned, Thresh has become the most picked support champion (15 times) with a solid 53.3% win rate.
Shockingly, even when Yuumi is picked by LCK teams (14 times), her win rate is much lower at 35.7%. Even Gen.G’s support Son “Lehends” Si-woo, a master of Yuumi, only has a 50% win rate on this champion so far.
Most picked champions in LPL Spring Split 2022
Top lane – Gwen
China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL) loves this AP bruiser in the top lane. Out of 100 games, she’s been picked 42 times and banned 38 times.
Gwen doesn’t get easily countered, and can farm relatively well into most lane matchups due to her unique kit. Plus, LPL teams love to skirmish, and this champion fits right into their playstyle.
Even though the attack speed nerf in League of Legends patch 11.15 did put her out of the meta for a while, her base health generation, base health, and health growth were buffed in 11.19 and 11.24, making her relevant again.
Despite Gwen’s popularity in the LPL, not all teams have been finding success on her, as her win rate sits below 50% at 47.6%.
Support – Leona, Nautilus
Unlike other regions where the support meta comprises both initiators and enchanters, the LPL still prefers hard hitting bullies like Leona and Nautilus.
Picked 43 and 42 times respectively, the highest among all supports, LPL teams tend to fall back on them because Thresh is usually banned.
They prefer support champions with crowd control because they’re able to roam and gank mid and top lane in the early levels to get their solo laners ahead while the bot laner farms. LPL teams also rely heavily on their support players to engage to find picks, or begin a fight around an objective.
So while some LCK teams prefer running Yuumi and other enchanters as a continuation of the Worlds 2021 meta, don’t expect this trend to take over the LPL.
Most picked champion in the 2022 Spring Split across all major regions — Xin Zhao
Overall, even though the most picked champions in each region differ, there is one glaring similarity between the LCS, LEC, LCK, and LPL — their most picked jungler is Xin Zhao.
Another continuation of the League of Legends Worlds 2021 meta, Xin Zhao, Lee Sin, Jarvan, and Viego continue to be popular.
Even though Riot Games buffed a handful of assassins and mages to be viable in the jungle, reliability is what pro teams look for. These AD bruisers still reign supreme in pro play because assassin junglers, the only other real alternative, are high risk, high reward, and not as reliable in team fights.
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