Most Banned Champions in Worlds Finals

Last week, we examined the top 10 most frequently picked champions in the history of League of Legends Worlds. In response to popular request, we will now explore the most banned champions of all time.

Disclaimer: This is not intended to be an 'OP' tier list. If there were one for a Worlds meta, it would mainly feature the majority, if not all, champions from the Juggernaut rework in season 5.

Renekton, 9 Games

Renekton has been a staple in the top-lane meta in pro-play since his release. The crocodile is often chosen early in the draft because the champion is a reliable blind pick against most opponents. This enables other teams to concentrate on selecting other key champions during the draft without concerning themselves with the top lane. His popularity peaked as he was banned 3 times in season 3 and 4 times in season 5, despite having only a 1.4% ban rate prior to season 5 finals.

SKT T1's Marin was subject to Renekton target bans in Season 5. Source: Lolesports.com

Jarvan, 9 Games

Jarvan is a champion that has been in and around the meta since he was first released back in season 1. However, most of his bans in Worlds finals were not received during the early seasons as anticipated. Instead, 7 out of his 9 bans occurred between seasons 11 and 12, with 4 bans in 11 and 3 bans in 12.

EDG Jungler JieJie had 100% kill participation in game 1 of season 11 Worlds on Jarvan, before receiving 4 target bans on the champion. Source: Lolesports.com

Akali, 9 Games

Post-rework Akali burst onto the professional scene back in season 8 and, depending on the meta, has more-or-less been played ever since. Akali's rise to popularity in the meta was partly due to the overhaul of the rune system. By utilizing fleet footwork, Doran's Shield, and second wind, Akali's laning phase, known to be her weakest aspect, was significantly improved. This setup provided Akali with a safer early game, enabling her to withstand poke damage from mages.

T1 consistently banned Zeka's Akali in the first round of bans during season 12 worlds. Source: Lolesports.com

Yuumi, 10 Games

Following her release, Yuumi has sparked controversy among players because of her kit. Numerous Reddit posts, interviews with professional players, and overall player discontent have contributed to the dislike surrounding this champion. Yuumi paired with an assassin jungler like Talon or Qiyana became a common strategy in high-level solo queue, allowing them to dominate games and create a challenging experience for the opposing team. The playstyle slowly trickled into competitive play, which saw both Talon, Qiyana, and Yuumi banned for a majority of the season 11 finals.

Yuumi had a 100% win rate and a 95% presence at the 2022 Worlds main event. Source: lol.fandom.com

Nidalee, 10 Games

Now seen as a snowballing jungler with a high skill cap, Nidalee was once a prominent lane bully in the early seasons of League. During season 1, Nidalee found her home in the top-lane, popularised by HotshotGG. The champion later migrated to the mid-lane between seasons 2 and 3 and was banned twice during the season 2 World Championship match between Azubu Frost and Tapai Assassins.

Nidalee had a 100% presence at the season 6 world finals. Source: Lol.fandom.com

In the season 6 Worlds finals between Samsung Galaxy and SK Telecom T1, Nidalee was banned 100% of the time. Before her adjustments, Nidalee's ability to clear the jungle quickly outpaced other junglers because of the auto-attack resets from her abilities and shapeshifting. This made her a priority ban.

Top 5

Ashe, 12 Games

Ashe is the oldest champion to make the list. However, the champion did not face any final bans until season 6, following a rework towards the end of season 5, and a year of buffs and bug fixes. Primarily an AD carry, she has also seen great success in the support role which has contributed to her inflated ban rate over the years. In the last 2 years of finals, Ashe has been banned for 6 out of a possible 8 games and picked in 1 of the 2 games available.

Gumayusi's Ashe could be the reason why the champion may take up the 1st spot on this list after this tournament. Source: Lolesports.com

Due to her performance at this year's Worlds, it would not be a surprise to see this champion lead the list by the end of the tournament.

Syndra, 12 Games

When Syndra was first released, she needed a lot less time to ramp up damage, she was primarily utilized as an early-game assassin, not so different from LeBlanc. Over the years, Syndra's identity has shifted into that of a scaling mage assassin who needs time to one-shot squishy targets.

The last time Syndra was picked in a final was in 2020. Source: Lolesports.com

Since her release, she has always excelled into control mages such as Orianna.

Jayce, 13 Games

Jayce has seen scattered bans in finals, during the early years of League, Jayce became both a high-priority pick and ban. Similar to the current Jayce, he faced mana issues in the early game. However, because Tear could stack on manaless abilities like his transformation, increasing his mana pool and becoming an even stronger lane bully than he is now was much simpler.

BLG knight has found success on Jayce in the mid-lane at this season's Worlds. Source: Lolesports.com

Over the years, Jayce has been used as a flex-pick between top and mid which has contributed to his high ban rate.

Lee Sin, 13 Games

Lee Sin is not only the most-played champion in Worlds history but also the second most banned. Throughout the years, League of Legends has witnessed top-tier players showcasing their expertise with this champion. From Insec to Ambition, who even switched roles from mid, to newer talents such as Oner and Canyon, this champion has consistently held a powerful position in the meta and is frequently chosen by players due to comfort and effectiveness throughout many metas.

Insec was not allowed to play his signature champion in the season 4 world finals. Source: lolesports.com

Lucian, 14 Games

It may come as a surprise, but Lucian is the most frequently banned champion. With 4 bans in season 4, while playing as an AD carry, Lucian's role has consistently shifted between mid and bot-lane. Lucian is highly effective as an aggressive laner in the early game and requires a lead to make an impact in matches. While not prominently featured in this year's Worlds, he has consistently been a popular choice in two lanes. Although Lucian may not have been selected or banned in the final this year, the fact that he was banned in 5 out of 13 finals indicates that it is just a matter of time before this champion reemerges as a meta pick.

In 2022, DRX prohibited Gumayusi from using his Lucian champion five times. It was his second most frequently played champion during that year's competition. Source: gol.gg

Random Facts

• Syndra is the only champion to be banned in 5 finals in a row (season 6-10).

• Yuumi is the only champion to receive a 100% ban rate in finals for 2 years in a row.

• Despite receiving 9 bans, Renekton has yet to play a game in a Worlds finals.

• Vi has not been banned in a final for over 10 years.

• Ashe has only ever received 3 bans in a series (seasons 6,10,12,13).

• Zeus is responsible for 100% of Yone's bans in finals (4).

Sources

lolesports.com

lol.fandom.com

gol.gg