One of the most frustrating aspects of League of Legends is the growing access to mobility that champions have gained over time, with only so many ways to counter it. Luckily, this most recent patch has provided an ample amount of buffs to a certain pessimistic champion that thrives on stopping opponents in their tracks—and she’s now more present than ever.
As part of Patch 13.17, Riot Games handed Vex, the Gloomist, small yet impactful buffs to her early-game damage and cooldowns that have not only resulted in an increase to her win rate across nearly all levels of play, but also her pick and ban rates, which were previously fairly low.
According to data accumulated from OP.GG, U.GG, and champion.gg, Vex now sits around a 52-percent win rate, six-percent pick rate, and five-percent ban rate, the highest all of these statistics have been in a number of patches. She currently boasts a higher win rate than most of the mid laners that have become staple picks over the last several patches, including Neeko and Ahri.
While Vex has never been in too bad of a place since her release at the end of 2021, the champion serves a distinct niche of hard-countering mobile champions with her passive damage and access to fears. She is also a great initiator thanks to her ultimate. But due to her innate immobility, she almost always requires complete team synergy to continue dashing into her foes.
Fortunately, Vex’s rise back to the top of the meta comes at a favorable time for the champion as mobility has become one of the most crucial pieces of determining what mid laners are strong and which aren’t. Popular and strong champions like Sylas, Tryndamere, Naafiri, Ahri, and Akali can all be stopped fairly easily by a press of a button from Vex, then bursted down with her newly-buffed Q damage.
The core build of the mage remains relatively unchanged, with a focus on full-damage starting with a Luden’s Tempest and Shadowflame. But depending on the team surrounding Vex, players can also opt for Everfrost as their go-to Mythic item to optimize on the Gloomist’s utility, particularly in situations where the enemy team has access to an abundance of mobility options.
Vex is not currently slated for any nerfs in Patch 13.18, which is expected to release on Sept. 13, though she may appear in the patch preview that should be teased or revealed in full later today.
