In the League of Legends Worlds 2019, there is exactly one champion who was banned in every single game. This is Pantheon, who recently received a major rework.
How is Pantheon doing? The champion Pantheon is currently doing well, perhaps even too well. Since his rework in August 2019, where his appearance and abilities were updated, he is considered a strong champ.
This strength has led to him being banned in every game of the LoL Worlds 2019 right in the first phase. Only in the preliminary round did he make an appearance and helped Team Mega Esports to victory. He effectively has a 100% win rate when not banned.
But what exactly makes the champion so strong? And will we perhaps see him in later games?
Flexibility and Good Matchups
In which positions is Pantheon played? Pantheon is actually a classic top laner and is often played there:
- Due to the damage of his ability Comet Spear (Q) and the invulnerability from Aegis (E), he can hold his own against almost any opponent on lane.
- However, the rework and the associated power curve also make him a good jungler.
- There are also streamers and players who have used Pantheon as a support on the bot lane.
This flexibility makes him a good choice, especially in tournaments like the Worlds, where you want to specifically counter your opponents. While he does not scale perfectly into the late game, this can be balanced out by a corresponding team comp.
Will we see Pantheon again in the Worlds? With the end of the group stage, the best of 1 matches are over. This allows teams to experiment a bit more and take more risks.
As demonstrated by Fnatic against SKT1. They left Faker with his beloved Akali and then countered her. A similar tactic might also be applied with Pantheon.
In recent years, there have always been surprises in the later stages of the tournament. In 2016, GorillA from Team ROX Tigers impressed everyone with his Miss Fortune, which became a must-ban even though nobody played her before.
Only 5 Champions Have a Ban Rate Over 50%
Which champions are still commonly banned in the Worlds? Pantheon is by far the most banned champion with a 100% rate, but there are 4 others who are banned in almost every game, as summarized by Gol.gg:
- Qiyana – banned in 68% of games.
- Renekton – banned in 58% of games.
- Kayle – banned in 52% of games.
- Syndra – banned in 50% of games.
How have the Worlds 2019 gone so far? Currently, there is a short break between the group and knockout phases. No American team has made it to the next round.
There have already been very emotional moments, such as when Royal Never Give Up with superstar Uzi exited the tournament or when a caster from Taiwan mourned for his favorite team.
It continues on October 26 with the duels between Invictus Gaming and Team Griffin and the clash between Fnatic and FunPlus Phoenix.
In 2020, LoL will also be released on mobile. The champions at the release of the new version are now confirmed:
