With patch 9.23, Riot introduced a wave of changes that rocked the game. Dragons have undergone an impressive overhaul, affecting the landscape of the map as the game has grown faster and more strategically highlighted around its objectives. while Junglers saw a significant alternation to their gameplay. The game is now faster than ever, drastically reducing average playtime, while team fights are evenly distributed across the map.
As a result, a new or old player can't help but feel overwhelmed by all of these changes. Therefore, it's probably more important than ever to stay on top of changes, but more importantly to assess your champion pool.
Characters who saw an incredible amount of play last season are no longer visible alongside recently released champions. While Champions who felt weak are the last strongest characters in the meta. It goes without saying that LoL is as choppy as a spectacular game as you would expect, and although it can be disappointing at times that you can't enjoy your favorite champions because it has no place in the game. current state of the game, it also seems to offer such a great variety in playstyles and strategies.
So, without further ado, let's jump into a mini guide that will help you assess, manage, and plan your champion pool for the current and future meta.
What is a champion pool?
Champion Pool refers to the number of Champions that a player is constantly using and optimizing to ensure the highest performance and win rate at all times, especially when it comes to Ranked matches. The number will most often vary from player to player depending on their individual skills, knowledge and experience, but the optimal number is between 3 and 5. This allows the player to prepare for a certain number of different scenarios, but above all to mitigate the threat of enemies by counter-selection. Keep in mind, however, that this number is by no means set in stone, as patch updates bring in game changes and other unpredictable changes that require players less than often to adapt strategically. .
Why should you have a champion pool?
The number of players struggling to climb the ranks is more important than you might think. These players usually resort to increasing the count and increasing the duo or even giving up, not to mention blaming their teammate and Riot for their poor performance, which usually results in the game shutting down. not most of the time, it's their lack of focus, progress and dedication. This is where the Champion Pool comes in, not only does it help you gain mastery faster compared to other players of the same level, but also allows you to enjoy the games more due to your high performance. , your ease of play and your in-depth knowledge. You slowly but steadily start to feel more like a pro, mastering your desired or favorite champion, which translates into better games, better performance, and a significant improvement in rankings.
But where to start? The following tips and tricks will help you get started
How to create your champion pool
Find your lead role
Whether you are a new player or a former player, you will need to adjust to the current state of the game, and it will surely take some time before you start playing with more confidence. This is your great opportunity to experience different roles as what might have worked for you in the past might not work now or you just might not like it anymore. As mentioned earlier, Riot less than often makes significant changes that rock and shape entire champion pools and playstyles. Therefore, it shouldn't come as a surprise that you can't or don't like to play as an ADC these days.
Keep an open mind, do your research, watch a few streams and tournaments and soon you will have your answer. But keep this in mind, avoid experimenting in ranked matches, as you will most likely fail against more experienced players. Normal matches can indeed be too slow and frequent with summoners fighting in the same position or even the same character, but they also allow you to experiment without consequences, not to mention the weird formats and squad rosters. If normal matches are your thing, you can always try out the training modes, which will certainly be faster but also less competitive.
Find your main choice
You've practiced and practiced, you've tried a bunch of different roles, and you've probably concluded in the position you want. This next step should therefore not surprise you as it is nothing more than finding your favorite champion. And no, your favorite champion isn't the one with the most skins or the best visuals, but rather the one you choose 9 out of 10 times and the one that lets you perform above average even against tough matches. and counter-choices.
This will provide you with the comfort you need to progress, deal with unpleasant circumstances, and experiment while shaping your unique playstyle.
On the rare occasion, you haven't yet thought that you are neither your favorite position nor your favorite champion, you shouldn't feel too bad about it, as players change and adjust their roles depending on the level of the player. competition. Just because you've managed to escape elo hell as a mid-laner doesn't mean you'll be able to outdo your opponents in gold. Therefore, it is wise that you focus, but also keep your mind open to new possibilities. For this reason, champions capable of filling more than one position or having more than one playstyle are highly desirable.
Have a backup
Your favorite champion will not always be available or at your disposal. He will more than often be banned, chosen by the opposing team or even chosen by another member of your team. Therefore, you will have to resort to another champion to play with. Ideally, you should have x number of champions who match the same role and playstyle, but if not, your best odds lie in the champion who, as your primary choice, allows you to play. to play competitively and with greater ease. .
Find a counter-choice
A large number of games are decided on the basis of matches, and above all on counter-choices. In fact, the decision-making process is so important that even tournament games are decided before they even start. Having a few counter-choices at your disposal will not only help you counter the first choice, but even counter another. Because it is not only for you but also for your team. Counter-selection helps you mitigate weaknesses and balance the game in a number of ways. From challenging goals to pushing, refusing the farm, and even transforming seemingly lost games.
Have a secondary role and a backup for that role
Since Riot introduced the second location, it has made things a lot easier for most players. Trying to coordinate using in-game chat can be harder than you think. The clock is ticking, decisions have to be made and your team composition is shaken by the prohibitions and choices of your opponents, not to mention the frustrating situations where you are assigned a third role.
Whatever the situation, you need to be prepared for both yourself and your team. Similar to the steps previously covered, you now need to find your preferred secondary role and choices, luckily this should be a lot easier than before, as Riot's efforts to create a more diverse game have come to fruition with most champions now. be able to fill more than one position and, in rare cases, be a full choice, regardless of role and position.
Have an auto-fill option
As already mentioned, there are those uncomfortable and annoying situations where you are randomly given autofill. No player really likes it, but one way or another has to be done. So keep that in mind as you might not have such a large pool that you can fill multiple positions. Your options are either to play a champion that you own and love in an unconventional way, or a few champions that better suit all of your needs.
On another note, depending on the region and level you play in certain roles it is easier to land, for example junglers and supports are less popular among players while Middle and Top are heavily occupied. It might also help you find your desired position depending on the circumstances.
Assess your pelvis and adjust
Finally, every once in a while you'll find that something doesn't work the way it used to. This could be attributed to a number of reasons such as champion nerves, meta changes, and poor performance. The last part can be tricky as players like a good ranking but don't realize how stagnant they have become or how unattractive their favorite champion and pool has become.
Fortunately, there are a number of things you can try until you get your balance back. For starters, you can go back and try old favorites that might have fallen out of the meta but are now back. Then you can refresh your champion pool with the addition of new and latest champions, or you can just change your stance and playstyle. In a dynamic environment, you need to be flexible and quick on your feet. If something doesn't work, try something else before it's too late, you might be surprised at what a difference such simple actions can make.
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