Karma
A surprising appearance in the new season is Karma, as this champion has returned to Summoner’s Rift and become a real hot pick. With the current meta favoring supports that can buff and heal, essentially serving 100% to the ADC, it makes sense that a champion with strong abilities like Karma would be prominent.
As of now in LCK Spring 2022, Karma boasts an 81.1% appearance rate in matches. Specifically, this champion has been banned 21 times (12 from Blue side and 9 from Red side). Karma has also been used 9 times (6 from Blue and 3 from Red). Karma’s win rate stands at 61.1% (6 wins – 3 losses). However, unlike previous times, Karma is currently only being used in the Support position, with no unusual roles like mid lane or top lane.
Caitlyn
The ADC champion Caitlyn has been strong since the end of the 2021 season, especially being widely used in tournaments like VCS Winter 2021, Demacia Cup 2021… With a wide range, trap setting, burst damage to finish off key targets in fights, and being easy to use…, Caitlyn has plenty of reasons to be a hot ADC right now.
Additionally, another strength of Caitlyn compared to ADCs like Aphelios or Jinx is that this champion only needs about 2 items to excel in fights. Her skillset isn’t as reliant on luck as Jinx’s. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Caitlyn has an appearance rate of 89.2%. Specifically, Caitlyn has been banned 28 times (20 from Blue side and 8 from Red side). Caitlyn has had the chance to play only 5 times and has a win rate of 40%.
Yuumi
Another support name with buff and healing tendencies on the list is Yuumi. Although rated as the champion with the “easiest” playstyle in League of Legends history, Yuumi is currently very popular, with an appearance rate in LCK matches reaching 91.9%. Notably, there is almost no discrepancy in Yuumi’s ban rate between the Blue and Red sides (11 Blue – 13 Red). Additionally, Yuumi has played 10 times (5 Blue – 5 Red).
With one of the best healing abilities among League of Legends champions, it’s no surprise that Yuumi is favored in the current playstyle of maximum protection for ADCs. Additionally, Yuumi has excellent initiation capabilities with Final Chapter, as well as a strong poke ability with Prowling Projectile. It can be said that if Yuumi is not banned, she will definitely be picked immediately in the current meta.
Twisted Fate
With the recent adjustments to Teleport, champions with abilities that can be used across the map like Twisted Fate becoming a hot pick is not surprising. In two-side team compositions, Twisted Fate can help push lanes faster and easily participate in fights without relying on whether Teleport is available.
Moreover, Twisted Fate can participate in pick-offs and is a good source of crowd control in fights (though sometimes it can be a bit random). Currently, in LCK Spring 2022, this champion, highly favored by Faker alongside Ryze, boasts a 97.3% appearance rate in matches. Twisted Fate has been banned 32 times (16 from Blue/16 from Red) and has been used only 4 times (2 Blue/2 Red).
Renekton
Unlike the four names mentioned above, Renekton is not a champion that can buff or heal teammates, nor does he have abilities that can shut down opponents instantly like Caitlyn. However, Renekton is extremely strong thanks to his cooldown reduction on stun, and he is a very powerful champion in both the laning phase and team fights. In fact, Renekton can “fend for himself” without needing help from other lanes – a feat that is currently very difficult to achieve due to the changes to the Teleport summoner spell.
But despite being that strong, Renekton is currently the “neglected child” of LCK. This champion has appeared in 100% of LCK Spring 2022 matches but has yet to see the battlefield. Renekton has been banned 100%. Specifically, he has been banned 32 times on the Red side and 5 times on the Blue side. Perhaps, Renekton will have to wait a while longer to make an appearance in the highest-level League of Legends tournament in Korea.
