Over the past few years, Riot has consistently released new champions for LoL. Of course, some names have disappointed the gaming community, such as the cases of Briar or Naafiri. However, there are also champions that are simply too “overpowered,” becoming the subject of mockery or complaints from both players and professional esports athletes, exemplified by K’Sante with ShowMaker’s “immortal” line. Yet, there are champions on the path to becoming Riot’s new “200-year” versions, and in a recent case, it is Smolder.
Gamers are likely aware of the mechanics of this “super late” marksman. Smolder is not particularly strong in the early game, possessing low health and, notably, nearly no mobility skills. Additionally, in gameplay styles that favor skirmishes or often involve sudden bursts of action, Smolder also faces challenges in “scaling late.” However, once past the difficult phase or after securing several early kills, Smolder truly becomes a “nightmare.”
According to statistics from the specialized site Gol.gg, during the week of February 26 – March 3 (Vietnam time), Smolder is the champion who has achieved all pentakills in every tournament across all major and minor regions in the professional LoL scene. This is an extremely rare occurrence, even for champions once considered “overpowered” in the bot lane, like Zeri in the past. Notably, Zeri’s skill set had area damage and was very hard to avoid, while Smolder’s ultimate can be easily anticipated.
Furthermore, it is undeniable that Smolder is truly too strong in the late game. Take Deft’s case in the match against Gen.G, where he still dealt significant damage despite being “focused” by the opponents from start to finish.
Smolder is likely to further demonstrate his strength in the remainder of the Spring 2024 season, as Riot has not made any changes to this champion in the latest update. Players may continue to witness this champion on the path to reaching the “200-year” milestone in many more matches, as Smolder will surely be immediately picked unless banned.