Samira, Kai’Sa, and several other champions, prior to patch 11.4, were among the hottest picks in the ban/pick phase. Notably, only in the VCS, Kai’Sa holds the record for the most Pentakills (2 times) by two players, Bigkoro (Burst the Sky) and Celebrity (SBTC Esports).
In the newly released patch 11.4, Samira and Kai’Sa have been heavily nerfed. So in this context, which champions could become the optimal alternatives for the bot lane?
Tristana
It has been a long time since Tristana appeared in the bot lane, especially in professional matches. Clearly, the Yordle champion was not a good choice when more mobile and stronger champions like Kai’Sa and Samira were still available. Even “darling” Ezreal has been nearly sidelined, making it hard to blame Tristana for seemingly disappearing.
However, in recent days, especially after patch 11.4, Tristana could be seeing more play again. After all, when more mobile champions like Kai’Sa and Ezreal are appearing less, Tristana, with her ability to engage in fights and safely retreat, will be a reasonable choice.
Miss Fortune
Once a popular pick in season 10, Miss Fortune has seen less play since the Pre-Season and into the start of season 11. One understandable reason is that her range with the Bounty Hunter is quite short, and she lacks the necessary mobility, relying only on her E – Make It Rain to poke.
Nevertheless, Miss Fortune has the advantage of being relatively easy to play and can still farm even in difficult matchups, albeit slower. Moreover, her R – Bullet Time is a strong ultimate if combined properly with Galio and Malphite – champions with area-of-effect abilities. One point to note is that players need to position themselves to use Bullet Time most effectively.
Vayne
Vayne is making a comeback in the current patches thanks to buffs to Guinsoo’s Rageblade, which now provides more attack speed with an additional 45% attack speed bonus. And attack speed is exactly what Vayne needs, as she can easily deal damage to the enemy team with just one more damage item (like Infinity Edge).
Furthermore, Vayne can build the Kraken Slayer. With this item’s passive that deals additional damage (increasing attack speed by 10%), combined with Rageblade and the passive from W – Silver Bolts, Vayne will truly be a new damage machine in League of Legends after patch 11.4.
Jhin
Once a very popular champion in LoL season 10, the Virtuoso has maintained his performance as season 11 began. However, in professional matches, Jhin has been picked less frequently as champions like Kai’Sa or Samira have proven to be too strong while Xayah and Tristana are showing signs of a comeback. Without support, Jhin cannot finish off these champions within four shots.
However, when champions that excel at closing in or need to do so to deal the most damage are nerfed, that’s when Jhin makes his return. With the Pirate’s Gun and familiar critical strike items (Infinity Edge, Rapid Firecannon), Jhin will once again turn the Summoner’s Rift into his stage.
Senna
Senna is a pick that has never gone out of style in the bot lane. In the past, the meta was to use Senna as a champion that didn’t need to farm much, while the support champion did the wave clearing. However, with the emergence of Mythic items and various adjustments, Senna can now farm and even farm quite effectively.
Senna’s slow attack speed weakness will be improved thanks to the significant bonus attack speed from Guinsoo’s Rageblade. Her damage will be complemented with the Kraken Slayer and Rapid Firecannon. Moreover, the souls Senna collects increases her range and critical strike chance, making Senna a highly dangerous late-game threat.