The top lane meta in Season 10 of League of Legends is not very clear on champions, as there are many strong names but none that stand out and dominate all. However, the items tell a different story; we have the meta of the Fire Cloak and the Sword of the Unknown dominating this area, with only two types of champions using these items surviving.
The reason is quite clear; the Fire Cloak has been buffed with additional damage capabilities when crowd controlling, perfectly suited for tank champions. Meanwhile, the Sword of the Unknown receives extra percentage-based damage to directly counter these tank champions, leading to the situation where those who traditionally did not use this item are forced to adapt to the meta and build this overwhelmingly strong item.
Despite the significant changes in the meta, Riot Games has made very few adjustments to these two items. In fact, according to sources who frequently communicate with the League of Legends development team, they believe that the Sword of the Unknown is quite “balanced” at the moment. Perhaps the only issue is the power disparity between melee and ranged champions using the same item, so Riot Games will likely make adjustments in this direction soon.
Essentially, the Sword of the Unknown is an item that increases damage over time and counters opponents with high health, which is why Fighters are the first to build this item since they are the ones directly facing these champions. For Marksmen, the story becomes more complex; the first champions likely to build the Sword of the Unknown are those with attack effect (Varus, Kalista, Kog’Maw, Vayne…) or solo laners (Lucian, Tristana, Quinn).
Due to the limitation in terms of Marksman champion types, even if there is indeed a buff for the Sword of the Unknown, it will be difficult for it to become a comprehensive meta item as it has for Fighters. Nevertheless, this is a good sign that Riot is paying more attention to Marksmen. Just a few days ago, Riot shared that they will indirectly buff this class of champions through changes in the system, and it’s very possible that the update for the Sword of the Unknown will be among those changes.