Sylas is now the worst champion in League after 2021 preseason

The 2021 League of Legends preseason introduced sweeping item system changes that dramatically reshaped champion viability across all roles.

Players have witnessed unprecedented balance fluctuations on patch 10.23, where select tank junglers achieved staggering 60% victory rates by leveraging overpowered new equipment. Conversely, numerous champions found themselves severely disadvantaged against these durable opponents, creating clear winners and losers in the new meta landscape.

This analysis examines the most impacted champions during the initial preseason phase and provides strategic insights for navigating these challenging conditions.

Sylas

Sylas represents one of the most severely affected champions on patch 10.23, particularly within the jungle role where his performance has plummeted to concerning levels.

This versatile skirmisher traditionally maintains viability across multiple positions, but current conditions have exposed significant weaknesses in his kit against the prevailing tank meta.

His jungle win rate of 37.55% stands as the lowest among all champions, primarily due to the overwhelming dominance of tank junglers who can effectively utilize the Sunfire Aegis Mythic item’s power.

The fundamental issue stems from Sylas’s inability to compete with tanks during early jungle clears and objective contests. His damage profile fails to penetrate their substantial defensive stats while his own survivability proves insufficient against their sustained damage output.

While Sylas remains technically playable in mid or top lanes, he represents a suboptimal choice for players seeking to advance their ranked positions during this preseason period.

Strategic recommendation: Avoid jungle Sylas entirely and consider mid-lane alternatives with better wave clear and roaming potential against tank compositions.

Rengar

Rengar faces similar challenges within the new tank-dominated jungle environment, struggling significantly against champions like Amumu and Rammus who thrive in the current meta.

The mobile assassin encounters substantial difficulties when confronting opponents equipped with Sunfire Aegis, despite benefiting from potent new assassin items including Duskblade of Draktharr and Youmuu’s Ghostblade.

His current 42.63% win rate reflects the champion’s inability to effectively eliminate tank targets before they can retaliate with devastating crowd control and sustained damage.

Critical mistake: Attempting to engage tanks without proper team coordination or item advantage. Rengar requires specific team compositions featuring multiple squishy targets to maximize his assassination potential and snowball capabilities.

Optimal deployment strategy: Reserve Rengar picks for enemy teams with at least three low-durability champions where his burst damage can create meaningful advantages.

Advanced optimization: Focus on target selection prioritization during team fights, avoiding tank engagements unless absolutely necessary for objective control.

Tryndamere

The Barbarian King experiences significant difficulties in the top lane following critical strike item adjustments introduced during the preseason overhaul.

Despite maintaining reasonable popularity among top lane selections, Tryndamere’s performance metrics show concerning results with only 43.80% of games resulting in victory.

His core issue involves inadequate damage output against tanky opponents, as current crit items fail to deliver the necessary DPS for effective split pushing strategies.

Common strategic error: Attempting split push maneuvers without proper vision control or when facing multiple tank champions capable of neutralizing his pressure.

Upcoming patch 10.24 improvements include enhanced attack damage on his Bloodlust passive (Q) and improved healing activation, which should bolster his sustainability against durable lane opponents.

Proactive adaptation: Adjust build paths to incorporate more sustain and armor penetration items earlier in the game progression to counter tank matchups effectively.

Ryze

Ryze fails to establish meaningful presence in the evolving meta as mobile assassins regain prominence and dominance.

Champions like Fizz currently dominate mid lane priority lists, leaving immobile mages like Ryze struggling to find their footing.

His current 43.28% win rate positions him as the least successful mid laner statistically on patch 10.23.

The fundamental challenge involves Ryze’s vulnerability to assassin all-in combinations and his inability to effectively disengage from unfavorable engagements.

Critical awareness: Ryze faces competition not only from assassins but also from alternative mage options including Annie, Malzahar, Viktor, and Brand who offer similar utility with superior survivability or burst potential.

Strategic alternative: Consider transitioning to control mages with better self-peel capabilities or higher range to safely navigate the current assassin-heavy environment.

Without immediate developer intervention through direct buffs, Ryze players must rely on itemization adjustments and playstyle modifications to remain competitive.

Who are the least played champions in LoL?

Current statistics reveal Ziggs, Anivia, and Pyke as the least frequently selected champions across all game modes.

Contrary to common assumptions, champion selection frequency doesn’t directly correlate with performance metrics, creating interesting dynamics in the champion popularity landscape.

Ziggs maintains the distinction of least played champion with only 7,600 selections on patch 10.23, despite maintaining a balanced 50.10% win rate that suggests reasonable effectiveness when deployed.

Anivia follows closely with fewer than 8,000 games played, struggling against the prevailing mid lane assassin meta that currently dominates competitive play.

Strategic insight: Low play rate champions often excel in specific matchups or team compositions, making them situational but potentially powerful choices when conditions align properly.

Pyke demonstrates similar selection patterns, achieving identical 50.10% win rate but requiring very specific conditions to maximize his unique kit advantages and playmaking potential.

Successfully navigating the preseason meta requires understanding champion strengths and weaknesses within the current item system framework and adjusting selection priorities accordingly.

Proactive counter-picking against tank compositions becomes essential, with champions featuring true damage, percentage health damage, or armor penetration capabilities gaining significant value.

Essential adaptation: Monitor patch notes and developer communications for balance changes affecting both champions and items to anticipate meta shifts before they occur.

Advanced players should focus on mastering 2-3 meta-resistant champions across different roles to maintain flexibility regardless of balance fluctuations.

For comprehensive guidance on champion selection and meta analysis, consult our Complete Guide to developing effective counter strategies.

Remember that preseason periods represent temporary balance states, and champion viability often shifts dramatically once developers implement additional balancing passes.

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