The meta in League of Legends is always shifting with the addition—and removal—of key features, often requiring players to adjust their strategies every few weeks. While most extensive changes are reserved for the annual preseason, large enough adjustments can shake up a patch and cause unexpected trends to arise.
Though Patch 13.15 didn’t implement major changes that directly impacted the ADC role, many players have been opting to bring mages back into the bot lane as a means of stopping the snowballs of some of the most oppressive marksmen in the game. This follows the increasing prevalence of AD-centric champions like Tristana, Zed, and Naafiri appearing in the mid lane, thus opening possibilities for AP-centric champions to appear elsewhere.
Seraphine and Swain both currently sit at above a 55 percent win rate in high Elo bot lanes, according to stats site OP.GG, though they’re not as popular as more meta picks like Ashe, Kai’Sa, and Ezreal—leading to below two-percent pick rates. Trailing close behind them are Karthus and Ziggs with 54 and 53 percent win rates, respectively.
Not only do these champions have access to strong wave clear even with only a few items at their disposal, but when paired with the proper engage or tank support, they can deal efficient burst damage from afar. And since many of these mages struggle primarily with mobility and close-range fights, these supports can also ensure their safety and allow them to reach the large power spike that simply a Mythic item can bring.
Each of these four mages sitting atop the ADC standings also has access to additional crowd control, something that most ADCs don’t have. Whether it’s Swain’s E dragging opponents back, Seraphine’s ultimate charming a row of foes, or Ziggs melting towers with his W, these particular champions have access to tools that marksmen often can’t provide in their individual scaling endeavors.
Riot Games hasn’t tackled mages in the ADC position too harshly in the past, so it’s likely that they will continue to thrive among the portion of players who are comfortable wielding them outside of the mid lane. But should these champions or others prove to be unhealthy to the state of the bot lane, adjustments may be implemented at some point in the future.
