As we know, Riot announced a list of 5 champions up for a rework vote, including Nocturne, Shyvana, Tryndamere, Kog’Maw, and Skarner. Essentially, according to Riot Games and the League of Legends community, these champions have skill sets and play styles that have become outdated and are not suitable for the current game. Therefore, the best solution for these characters is a complete rework of their abilities.
Despite being labeled as outdated, Tryndamere has proven to be extremely dominant after just 3 days of the LCK Spring 2022. Specifically, this champion has been picked 5 times with 4 victories, 2 bans, and an appearance rate of 50%. In fact, compared to other top lane champions, Tryndamere’s stats are significantly more impressive. So how can a character deemed outdated thrive in a strategically intense tournament like the LCK? Let’s explore.
The first factor we need to mention is the change to the Teleport spell, which no longer allows for use on minions or wards before the 14-minute mark. This has led to the summoner spell being more commonly used to get to lanes faster, aiming to control the wave state early in the game. As a result, champions with strong lane presence have become much more favored in the current meta over those who can intervene early in other lanes.
Tryndamere is a champion that greatly benefits from this change, as he has a strong ability to hold his lane and trade damage effectively. Furthermore, Tryndamere’s damage trading is extremely “toxic” as he often builds a large amount of Fury, charges in to attack opponents, and creates bursts of damage with critical hits. If he feels threatened, Tryndamere can use his E to escape fights and activate his Q for healing.
Not stopping there, Tryndamere’s dominance in the lane increases when he utilizes the Conqueror rune. With a high attack speed combined with critical hit chance, his ability to engage early in the Rift Herald area becomes even more potent. Even when facing a tough matchup like Graves, Tryndamere still boasts 3 wins in the LCK Spring 2022.
Additionally, another factor to consider is that many teams in the LCK region have adopted a playstyle centered around AD carries in the 2022 season. The fact that the AD carry position does not face much Teleport pressure and has more time to farm has made this playstyle much more popular. As a result, Tryndamere emerges as a counter to AD carries, as he possesses significant damage, good chasing capabilities, and the ability to reduce opponents’ damage with his W ability.
In conclusion, with the meta favoring top lane and the emergence of the Conqueror rune, Tryndamere has become an incredibly powerful top lane champion in the LCK tournament. If the meta does not change, it will not be surprising to see Tryndamere maintain his dominance position until the end of this spring tournament.