Initially, Corki was seen as a hard counter to Viktor, a champion experiencing a resurgence after benefiting from recent updates. However, gradually, the mobility and superior strength of this champion have truly convinced players. Among the players frequently using Corki, Chovy stands out with his Long Sword Corki meta.
As of now, Chovy boasts a 100% win rate every time he plays Corki in LCK Spring 2022. Notably, in all four of these victories, Chovy employed a rather “quirky” build that few professional players use. He starts with a “Long Sword” along with a “Health Potion” or “Rejuvenation Bead” instead of the usual “Corrupting Potion” or “Tear of the Goddess,” paired with the summoner spell “Cannon Minion” instead of “Biscuits.”
Strengths
When discussing the strengths of this playstyle, the first thing to mention is the incredible lane-pushing capability that Corki can create from the early game. This has caused difficulties for Viktor, a champion that typically can only start pushing waves effectively after upgrading his Death Ray.
Furthermore, by replacing Biscuits with Cannon Minion, Corki can easily wipe out minion waves while also receiving the passive damage boost from this rune setup. Continuously forcing mages to farm under their turret provides Corki with an exceptional opportunity to assist other lanes or avoid being solo-killed.
The third strength of this build allows you to quickly complete Corki’s core items. From Manamune, Malmortius’ Spike, to Serpent’s Fang,… all start with a piece of Long Sword. With this itemization, Corki players must fully utilize the large early-game auto-attack damage combined with the appropriate abilities to poke enemies after clearing a minion wave.
Weaknesses
As mentioned above, to have the ability to push lanes quickly and strongly from the early game, Corki must sacrifice his healing capability. For this reason, players using the “Long Sword” build must carefully consider trading abilities with opponents to avoid losing too much health.
Additionally, you must manage your mana well. Use abilities in conjunction with auto-attacks to clear a minion wave, then recall. This explains why, after the first recall, Chovy always prioritizes buying Tear of the Goddess to compensate for the lost mana and quickly stack the passive from Manamune.
In the match against DK, despite using the same build, Chovy made too many mistakes. Coupled with ShowMaker on the opposing team, Chovy seemed unable to maintain his best state, leading to his Corki disappearing in the early game. However, by the late game, Corki’s power became incredibly terrifying after completing essential items.
Therefore, in the future, if there are not many changes in updates, Corki will continue to shine not only in LCK Spring 2022 but also potentially in other regions. If he maintains his performance and minimizes personal mistakes, Chovy could continue to dominate the LCK with this Corki champion.