League of Legends’ jungle meta is constantly changing to reflect both adjustments to gameplay and overall game tempo, continuing to reward a pesky bug that has no problem jumping in and out of combat with ease.
Kha’Zix has been the recipient of an ample amount of changes within the last few patches, many of which have been buffs due to outcry from the fan base regarding Riot’s treatment of the Voidreaver. Now, only a week into Patch 13.9, Kha’Zix sits atop the jungle meta in nearly every skill division of solo queue, sporting a 27.92 percent ban rate, 15.55 percent pick rate, and 51.53 percent win rate—with all of these stats being the highest they’ve been in nearly a year, according to OP.GG.
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The newfound attention from the League community toward Kha’Zix began when Riot released the patch preview for Patch 13.7 at the end of March, where Kha’Zix was listed as receiving “adjustments” that appeared to hinder a handful of his tools. Though these changes did little to impact Kha’Zix’s spot in the meta, they were followed up with a buff to his Q—his primary damage source—in Patch 13.8, where players began to see the benefits of all of these changes combined.
These buffs have made Kha’Zix the essential early-gank jungler, where picking up kills within the first few minutes of the game can allow the champion to snowball into early ability evolutions and ultimately take over the remainder of the game. When combined with the First Strike keystone, Kha’Zix can funnel an ample amount of gold for himself by simply catching any prey that dares walk through the jungle alone with or without vision.
Kha’Zix even made an appearance in the first week of this year’s MSI, proving vital for G2 Esports in the hands of their jungler Yike, affording them a major victory against PSG Talon that allowed them to advance to the last-chance qualifier.
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Since Riot has not yet revealed any plans to nerf the Voidreaver, it’s more than likely that players will continue to see Kha’Zix in their solo queue draft phases—whether he’s being picked or banned.
