Aphelios
The first champion to mention is Riot’s “200 years of game experience” – Aphelios. This is one of those names that has been incredibly difficult to nerf out of the League of Legends meta since his first appearance in patch 9.24.
Remember, in Summer 2020, at the highest level of the VCS region, this champion had a ban/pick rate of up to 84.9% – second only to Syndra (93.2%).
In this season, in the same category, Aphelios’ appearance rate dropped to 14.3% in the VCS. In other regions, only the LPL had Riot’s “200 years of experience” with a slightly better fate, boasting a 23.5% appearance rate. The most miserable was in the European region where this champion had only a 3.6% presence in the ban/pick phase.
Twisted Fate
Twisted Fate has always been one of the mid-lane champions with an extremely high potential for surprise plays with his R – Destiny. It was Twisted Fate (along with Ryze and Galio) that were the champions who excelled in surprising skirmishes or ganks. In the LCK Summer 2020, the Card Master had a ban rate of 58.6% and a pick rate of 34.5%.
Although still used in some matches in Spring 2021, it must be said that Twisted Fate is no longer as hot as before. In the VCS, he only had a very modest ban/pick rate of 28.6%, even lower in the LCK with only 16.7%. However, Twisted Fate is still very popular in the LPL and Europe with ban/pick rates of 55.7% and 67.9%, respectively.
Karma
Following the global meta, Karma was also a hot ban/pick in the VCS Summer 2020. This champion may seem fragile but has the ability to lane safely, as well as provide excellent support in fights. Notably, Karma can be used variably in the mid-lane, support, or even top lane. In the VCS region alone, Karma was picked 26 times and banned 20 times, appearing in 63% of matches.
It was thought that the Pre-Season updates would make Karma “overpowered” but on the contrary, this champion almost disappeared and was only used again frequently in the late season, focusing mainly in the European region with a ban/pick rate of 46.4%, the lowest in the LCK where this champion didn’t even get a chance to appear.
Ezreal
One of the “national champions” of League of Legends – Ezreal once had a ban rate of 38% and a pick rate of 58.6% in the LCK Summer 2020. At that time, with just the God Sword Muramana and Iceborn Gauntlet, this champion could comfortably deal damage in fights. However, Summer 2020 was also the season of Aphelios, so Ezreal had a rather low win rate in the LCK (only 23.5%).
By Spring 2021, Ezreal had almost disappeared from major tournaments, and in fact, only in the LCK did this champion have a ban/pick rate of over 10% (50% of matches in the LCK). In other regions, the rates were dismal for what was once Riot’s “darling” (8.8% in the LPL, 7.1% in the LEC…) and Ezreal has not appeared in any matches in the VCS as of now.
Trundle
If we had to mention which jungle champion has almost disappeared from this season, it would be Trundle. Remember, Summer 2020 was the time when Trundle shone brightly. Not only in the VCS (appearing in 31 games) and having an impressive win rate (61.3%), Trundle was also a hot pick in many other regions worldwide, notably the LCK (with a ban rate of 31% and a pick rate of 65.5%).
Moving to Spring 2021, it is clear that Trundle has completely vanished from all metas since the Pre-Season phase began. The only region still using the Troll King is Europe, with a mere 3.6% of matches.
Ashe
After many versions of disappearance and making way for other heavy-hitting Marksmen, “Frost Bow” Ashe made a comeback, especially in the VCS Summer 2020. This champion appeared in 28 games and was banned 6 times, boasting an impressive win rate of 57.1% at that time.
However, by Spring 2021, with the emergence of Marksmen that dealt good damage and were also mobile like Kai’Sa and Samira, Ashe’s era came to an end. This is also understandable as Ashe’s greatest strength is her Enchanted Crystal Arrow and no matter how she builds items, with an equivalent or lesser item count, those champions can deal significantly more damage than Ashe. The two regions still using this champion are Europe and North America with rates of 17.9% and 11.5%, respectively.
Varus
In the LCK Summer 2020, Varus was the most hated face with a 100% ban rate in matches. The simple reason: at that time, he was too strong, and being too strong was a crime. Not only did he have poke abilities, but Varus also had his ultimate R – Chain of Corruption, which could break apart the enemy’s formation very well.
Moving to this season, for various reasons, Varus is no longer as favored as before, having vanished from the VCS in Spring 2021 up to now. In other regions, Varus also has an extremely low appearance rate compared to his previous self: 26.5% in the LPL, 27.8% in the LCK, 3.6% in Europe, and 7.7% in the LCS.