In the heat for Worlds 2024, the focus is right on the mid lane, where strategic picks and clever counterpicks can make or break a team’s chances of getting to that top spot. The roster for this year’s tournament has a nice diverse pool of champions, bringing unique strengths and playstyles to the battlefield. It’s not at all a matter of personal skillset, as in the mid-lane, there lies calculated strategy: the understanding of interactions with champions may give an edge that can be that difference-maker within the match. For this reason, every choice made in champion selection has a ripple effect throughout the tournament, and it’s ever-important for both players and fans alike to stay up to date on what’s changing in the meta.
1. Yone
Cementing his place as the most popular mid-lane chosen champion of Worlds 2024, Yone brings survivability coupled with extremely high damage to the table, making him an interesting choice for players looking to take control of the lanes. Boasting a win percentage of mostly around 61% and getting picked 28 times, Yone’s presence in games is pretty well undeniable.
Counterpicks:
- None: Usually, skill shot reliant champions or those that rely heavily on positioning have a tough time against Yone because he has really high mobility and can afford to engage or disengage when he feels like it. His strong dueling capabilities and additional damage output also overwhelm the opponent, especially from opponents without the tools that would allow him to mitigate his burst potential. Also, Yone’s unique passive allows him to deal very significant damage while achieving a form of survivability that proves impossible for many champions to get kills without enormous risk.
2. Ahri
Ahri has been a staple for some time in the mid-lane meta largely due to her Charm ability and mobility, but at Worlds 2024 she was seen to struggle with it a bit. A win rate of 42% from 26 picks while having 8 bans suggests that while she remains a good pick against less mobile champions, her struggles at an aggressive pick show she indeed has her weaknesses in this meta.
Counterpicks:
- Sylas: Ahri surely has a very challenging match-up against Sylas. It’s possible that Ahri will be able to stun Sylas and maybe also press down in her combo, but in case Sylas dodges her charm, a turn will come where he can steal her ultimate and use it against her. It is a pretty high-stakes affair where both champions need to play with extreme caution.
3. Sylas
The simple fact that you would see Sylas as one of the top mid-lane picks at Worlds 2024 speaks for itself, as he can instantly turn the fights around with stolen ultimates, and a win rate of 63% from 19 picks and only 12 bans has proven him against a majority of the champions in the current meta.
Counterpicks:
- None: Many players struggle to counter Sylas effectively since he has an ultimate ability that can turn the tide of battle. Through it, he can steal and use the powerful abilities of opponents. This makes him quite versatile since he can change his type of play according to the opponent’s composition, which may be hard for the opponent to anticipate. To add, his mobility and sustain in fights make him counter strong against champions with overreliance on burst damage or crowd control.
4. Orianna
Orianna has always been one of the most consistently stronger mid laners throughout League of Legends history, and Worlds 2024 is no exception. She offers useful utility to any team, not only in wave clearing but also in the potential for team fights, with 19 picks carrying a rough 42% win rate and an outright whopping 24 bans. Her ultimate, Command Shockwave, can easily turn the tables on a fight when used effectively; yet, overall, she may be performing rather poorly against more aggressive champions.
Counterpicks:
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- Yone: While highly mobile and a champion with high burst potential, Yone far outshines Orianna in direct comparison. With his ultimate ability, he can place himself perfectly in the blink of an eye, thus making it difficult for Orianna to deal damage via her R (Command: Shockwave). Regardless of trade, Yone can outplay Orianna, especially in early game, since he has his Q (Mortal Steel) to stack critical damage on Orianna’s lack of mobility.
- Sylas: Sylas has the obvious edge in a matchup against Orianna. Due to his mobility, he can dodge Orianna’s skill shots while punishing her on overextends. His capacity to engage with his E (Abscond/Abduct) makes him a constant trouble for Orianna mainly during the mid-game by taking advantage of her cooldowns.
Honorable Mention
Aurora
Perhaps this is why, since her debut a few months ago, Aurora has managed to become one of the most popular mid lane champions in League of Legends. Her unique high mobility coupled with stealth means that she is almost elusive for opponents while providing immense potential for burst damage. With a 75% win rate from only 8 picks at Worlds, there is no other way to say that Aurora has been a game-changer, having taken the game by storm, as she stands tall despite 65 bans on her.
Conclusion
The art of picks and counterpicks in mid-lane will be critical to teams who want to make it out on top at Worlds 2024. This encompasses not only the impact on individual matchups but also champions like Yone, Ahri, Sylas, and Orianna who can completely define team compositions and strategies leading up through the tournament. Accordingly, it is the traversal of such champion dynamics that will determine which teams will dominate and which will fail in reaching the latter stages of this tournament.
