The second week of Worlds 2015 had some unsurprising differences in champion selection. The top five champions remain dominant, although how powerful each one is has been brought into question by their varying appearances this week. There were some surprises in the lower group of champs as well, with some falling out of favour and others rising to the stage. Here’s the breakdown of how each champion fared in week two.
Last week Worlds saw five champions taking control of the stage. Gangplank, Elise, Mordekaiser, Lulu, and Darius all saw a pick-ban rate of over 85%, making them the most seen champions by a large margin. Two of them, Elise and Gangplank, were able to boast a 100% pick-ban rate, being seen in every single game in week one.
How have those five champions lasted into week two? Gangplank was able to maintain his 100% pick-ban rate, leaving him as the only champion to boast a 100% pick-ban for the entire tournament thus far. Elise fell a few notches, not being picked in two of the 25 games this week, leaving her with a 92% pick-ban for the week, falling from 100% last week, and an overall rate of 95.9%.
Mordekaiser stepped up this week. To be fair, it wasn’t a far step, since he was banned or picked in every game last week, but he made the slight step up and was picked or banned every game this week, tying Gangplank as the only two champions with a 100% pick-ban for week two. This leaves him with an overall rate of 98%, passing Elise and claiming the number two spot in the tournament thus far.
Lulu fell slightly, from being picked in all but one game last week to being not picked in three games this week. This left her with a rate of 88% for week two, and an overall pick-ban of 91.8%. This may have been due to her slightly poor performance last week, only having a 50% win rate despite having such high pick priority.
Darius also fell slightly, from 87.5% last week to 80% this week. Much like Lulu it may have been due to the fact that despite appearing in 14 games, he only had a win rate of 57%, eight wins and six losses. Still, he is clearly a strong pick, remaining the most seen top laner by a wide margin. He currently sits at an overall pick-ban of 83.7%.
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The three champions to watch from last week were Rek’Sai, Kalista, and Braum, each between a 66% and 80% pick-ban rate. All three of these champions have fallen between week one and week two. Kalista did not fall far, a mere 2% drop, leaving her at 68% pick-ban, now tied for the top marksman pick. Rek’Sai fell much further, going from nearly 80% last week down to 60% this week. While still a respectable rate, he has certainly fallen in the past week.
However, the biggest loser was Braum. Braum boasted a 66.7% pick-ban last week, being picked or banned in a full two thirds of all games played. His win ratio, however, did not reflect this, sitting at a very sub-par 42.9% win rate, with six wins and eight losses. While this was largely due to Braum being a favourite among teams with a tendency to lose (sorry Bangkok Titans), it certainly did him no favours for week two. He fell all the way from being picked in two thirds of games down to being picked in only 28% of games. Falling nearly 40%, Braum is easily the champion who has fallen out of favour between the weeks.
As for up-and-comers, there are two who have broken into the top group, one unsurprising, the other a bit of an upset. Azir comes as no surprise. He was only a bit under our cut last week, having a pick-ban of 62.5%. This week he has seen slightly more play and is able to lay claim to a top spot, seeing a 72% pick rate in week two.
The other newcomer came out of nowhere. Picked only four times last week, banned none, a pick-ban rate of 16.7%, nobody expected this champion to become anything big, but here she is. Jinx has risen all the way from her measly 16.7% all the way up to a staggering pick-ban of 68%, tying Kalista as the most popular marksman for week two. She only managed to pull a 50% win rate, going eight wins and eight losses for the week, but her popularity was consistent throughout all groups. She will certainly be worth watching over the next few weeks.
Clearly Gangplank remains the highest priority champion in worlds, being banned in 45 of the 49 games over the two weeks, and winning all four of the games he appeared in. Mordekaiser remains right behind him, however, being banned in 44 of the 49, and winning the four that he appeared in as well. These two champions have certainly proved their metal as the strongest champions thus far. Although Elise, Lulu, and Darius all boast high pick-ban rates, it is certainly worth noting that between all three of these champions, the highest ban rate was Lulu, being banned in 29 games. Although that is nothing to scoff at, it is certainly nowhere near the 44 and 45 times banned that Gangplank and Mordekaiser claim. These two champions together hold the spots as undisputed masters of Worlds so far, the only ones that teams simply refuse to play against, banning out immediately, or suffering at their 100% win rate hands.
