Summary
League of Legendsis a game that has remained at the top for well over a decade, in part thanks to how replayable it is. With over 160 champions, dozens of items, and a constantly shifting meta, the game never gets boring. This is particularly true as players are not forced to play intraditional roles, with innovation usually being encouraged.
Off-meta picks inLoLare one of the most fun things about the game, as players can surprise enemies with drastically different builds or by playing champions in unexpected roles. Sometimes it is this surprise factor that lends these unconventional picks strength, while at other times, the new way of playing a champ is secretly strong. In time, many of thebest off-meta picks inLoLbecome the norm.
5Zoe Support
Great Poke & Put Squishy ADCs To Sleep For Easy Kills
The Support position is arguably the most fun for off-meta picks, and over the years almost every type of champion has been played Support, either for their engage, damage, lane control, orweird interactions with a Bot Lane partner. In terms of funoff-meta Supports who are currently strong, Zoe support is a great option.
She has good poke damage to whittle down the enemy ADC, and unlike in her traditional Mid Lane, there are big walls in the Bot Lane, which are perfect to send her bubble through. If she puts the ADC or a squishy Support to sleep with her bubble, Zoe and her lane partner can blow them up. With twice the amount ofSummoner Spellsused in Bot Lane, she has more access to these with Spell Thief.
4Ashe Top
Keep Melee Tops At A Distance With Perma Slows & Shred With BotRK
Marksmen in the Top Lane aren’t exactly new, but in the right matchups, they can be devastating. Ashe Top is one such example, and she can be picked against melee Tops with no dashes. These cumbersome champions, such as Darius, Mordekaiser, and Yorick, have no way to get onto Ashe without expending their Flash, and with a slow on every auto, she will keep them at arms reach while whittling down their health bars.
Of course, Ashe will need to be wary of gankswithout a Supportto protect her, but with a range advantage, she should be able to control the wave. It can be incredibly fun to deny the enemy Top farm, constantly poke them with her Volley and the Comet Rune, and hopefully get fed too. Even if Ashe falls behind, her ult will always be useful, as well as the vision granted by her E. Blade of the Ruined King is also a great item for dealing with beefy champions, thanks to damage based on the target’s HP.
3Nasus Mid
Get More Involved As A Champion Who Often Gets Left Alone
Nasus is one of a handful ofLeaguechampions who can stack infinitely, and he was one of the originals with this feature. He enables the power fantasy of becoming a true raid boss, but only if he can stack. Thankfully, with the current Mid meta, he can do this fairly reliably from Mid Lane, while also solving one of Nasus' other problems.
The thing is, without any mobility and a preference for stacking, traditional Top Lane Nasus often feels highly isolated, and some players may find this a bit boring. By playing Nasus Mid, however, they can get much more involved with the game from a central position.
2Nautilus Jungle
Great Ganks & Much More Tankiness Than As A Support
Playing Jungle inLeagueis not easy for beginners, but picking simple and tanky champions can make the experience much easier. Nautilus Jungle is a great example of this, and if any players are coming over from Support, they will already know how to play him. With his hook and other CC, he has fantastic ganks and catch potential.
With his shield and AOE damage from his E, Nautilus has a safe clear, and should never get too low. One of the most fun things about Nautilus Jungle, however, is that compared with Support, he has much more resources, and so will become incredibly tanky. Being hard to kill on a champion who is memed for dying a lot is great fun, and the enemy will make poor decisions based on their perception of Nautilus. The funny thing is that Nautilus was originally played Jungle back in the day and Support Nautilus was considered off-meta at the time.
1Neeko Support
Poke, Engage, & Confusion
Neeko Support is not only a fun off-meta pick inLeague, but a strong one too, as she successfully combines the playstyles of mage and engage Supports. In lane, she will typically play more like a traditional mage Support such as Zyra; poking, controlling space, and occasionally landing CC for extended trades.
However, thanks to her ultimate, which is capable of knocking up and stunning an entire team, she can also act as an engage Support. Flash and Hextech Rocketbelt help massively with her engages. The other aspect of Support Neeko is her trickery, which should not be overlooked. By turning into other champions, minions, or random blast cones, she can surprise enemies,while also annoying themor confusing them with her Shapesplitter.
