Nasus Spellbook
Although unaltered, Nasus has inadvertently become the biggest beneficiary in the top lane. Supports are being pushed out of the top lane, and champions that could “counter” Nasus have been nerfed (Garen, Darius), while the remaining champions are generally scaling better into the late game, allowing our dog god to safely farm Q in the top lane without being heavily pressured.
However, that is the general situation; in high-level matches like Challenger in Korea, players are now favoring Nasus with the completely new rune Spellbook. The problem with this champion is the lack of many things, from target engagement to movement speed to chase enemies. Therefore, the Spellbook rune is extremely suitable for Nasus, and to increase movement speed, you should use the Nimbus Cloak rune to chase and stick to enemies.
Irelia without Trinity Force
From the moment it was released until its rework, Trinity Force has been closely associated with Irelia as it fits her champion identity and skill set perfectly. However, with the previous patch significantly buffing the Blade of the Ruined King, Irelia has been saying goodbye to Trinity Force and fully transitioning to using a combo of Blade of the Ruined King + Black Cleaver, which has proven to be extremely effective.
Essentially, Irelia has a very strong sustained combat identity, interacting well with the two items mentioned above as they both deal damage based on the opponent’s health and continuously shred armor. Furthermore, these two items have a lot of smaller components that provide immediate value, such as Sheen, Bramble Vest, or Cutlass, helping Irelia engage well in fights while ensuring her power threshold.
Kindred ADC
Buffed heavily in patch 10.6, Kindred is not only returning to the jungle role but is also being experimented with in the ADC position by top players. The biggest strength that Kindred possesses compared to other ADCs is the high safety with the W – Wolf’s Frenzy skill allowing for good lane sustain, along with an “immortal” ultimate in the truest sense.
The only weakness of Kindred ADC is that they cannot farm the Mark of the Kindred from jungle creeps, so you have to find ways to acquire it through skirmishes or team fights instead. Therefore, early power items like Galeforce and Statikk Shiv are the most suitable for Kindred, instead of the usual Infinity Edge farming.
Cho’Gath Support
With a meta that emphasizes fighting in the bot lane, a support with strong combat capabilities and crowd control is extremely necessary. However, you can’t always use the strongest champions like Nautilus or Leona, so some players have found ways to use Cho’Gath in this position, and the result is that the wide area silence of W – Rupture is incredibly powerful.
Imagine you’re charging in and preparing a devastating combo on your opponent, only to suddenly be silenced, not just you but also your teammates; that team fight would change direction immediately. Therefore, Cho’Gath has quickly become an extremely strong support in the current Korean rank, and along with the annoyance of the rune point and the Iceborne Gauntlet item line, this monster can hold down and set up dream combats for your team.
