There are champions in League of Legends that are rarely seen in the professional league, as they are more suited for solo play with their kit. The jungler River is currently playing a champion that hasn’t been seen in the American LCS for 7 years.
Shaco is a hated champion in the LoL community. His Q ability makes him incredibly annoying, which is why he is often banned. A German YouTuber even became known as a toxic player solely for using Shaco. However, he is hardly present in the professional scene.
Though he was released in 2009, Shaco has only been played 45 times according to Games of Legends. Last year, he was played a total of 6 times across all leagues, of which he lost 4 times.
In the LCS, the American professional league, he was last played 2 times by player Moon in 2017. He lost both matches. On March 10, the teams NRG Esports and 100 Thieves faced each other. River, the jungler of 100 Thieves, surprised in this match with a Shaco pick.
River initiated an important team fight
In the pick-and-ban phase, River picked Shaco after the opposing team had already selected all their champions. The jungler from NRG Esports was Ivern. Watching the YouTube video of the match, the commentators also reacted in shock at the pick.
Despite the unusual pick of Shaco, 100 Thieves won against NRG Esports. Although Shaco had a KDA of 1/2/8 and did not have an obvious impact in the game, River initiated a beautiful team fight in the enemy jungle at 21:50.
He invaded the Ivern and, along with Veigar, lured the opposing team into the jungle. The 100 Thieves team then followed the enemy team, allowing individual kills to happen. In this fight, Nautilus, Corki, and Ivern from NRG Esports died, and the 100 Thieves team was able to easily go to the Baron, where the top laner Sniper was able to take down the opposing Renekton with his Olaf.
Although the Baron was not done right after, 100 Thieves had a gold lead of 4000 after this fight. Shortly thereafter, they secured the Baron, effectively sealing the game.
Despite the victory, it is very unlikely that Shaco will be seen more often in professional matches. In 2024, this is only the 2nd Shaco pick. Due to his kit, he simply is not made for coordinated matches in the professional scene, but he is still an interesting pick. Besides Shaco, there are many other hated champions in League of Legends that some players wish were deleted. This includes Yuumi, but one player believes that this champion should definitely not disappear.
