League of Legends Worlds 2023: The 7 champions who could dominate the metagame

The League of Legends (LoL) World Championship is a few days away, and developer Riot Games has just locked down its pre-Worlds adjustments to champions and items in preparation for LoL's biggest event.

We'll probably see a couple of champions that have been strong in Summer and other champions that just keep making their appearance at Worlds no matter what. But we're also excited to see some experimental picks throughout the tournament.

Which of LoL's 165 champions will surely make an appearance at Worlds?

Here are the 7 champions we think would dominate the Worlds 2023 metagame.

Lee Sin

We all know that Lee Sin isn’t always the hottest jungler in town, but he remains a comfort pick among pro players. In the high-pressure environment of Worlds, comfort may trump outright strength.

In Worlds 2021, Lee Sin was present in 98.8% of games, whether it be in picks or bans. And while this was significantly lower in Worlds 2022, his presence remained substantial throughout the competition.

He’s become such a mainstay in pro play to the point where Riot themselves make sure to buff the Blind Monk around this time of the year in preparation for the biggest LoL tournament.

In 13.19, Lee is getting “an early duelling and sustain buff”, but Riot made sure not to make him too powerful that it’ll bring back Lee Sin Top lane nightmares of the past.

Lee Sin is a great champion for ganks, especially in the early game. This is especially important in pro play because most teams would want to get their teammates fed early on to dominate toward the end game.

On top of this, when timed and coordinated perfectly, his ultimate, can kick away a difficult opponent and make space for his tea or a low HP enemy toward the line of fire to secure a kill.

Renekton

With all the attention Renekton is getting lately, we think he’s also going to be a dominant pick at Worlds. Renekton has a special Worlds 2023 skin that players can get through the Worlds Unlocked bundles, and he’s currently ranked 9th as one of the most popular top laners in Solo Queue.

Renekton was also popular in the Summer Season of the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) and the LoL Korea Championship (LCK). According to Liquipedia, he was the 9th most picked champion in the LPL and the second most popular champion in the LCK.

Most recently, at the Playoffs of the 19th Asian Games' LoL medal event, Renekton was a priority pick of Team China and Chinese Taipei in their matches against South Korea.

Renekton is a great pick in the Top lane because he is generally stable in the laning phase, and he could be a champion-shredding monster in the late game. However, if he falls behind, it would be difficult for him to be as useful — so depending on the team composition and the skill level of the player, Renekton could either be a boon or dead weight.

Azir

Does anyone remember the most epic Azir plays that Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon pulled off in the last few months of the past year?

There’s just too many to count. In fact, Azir was the most-picked champion in the LCK last Summer.

Azir also makes a significant showing in the LoL European Championship (LEC) and the LoL Championship Series (LCS), with the mid lane champ being the most contested pick in the LEC playoffs and the thirteenth most picked champion in the LCS.

The Emperor of Shurima is a scaling champ that has a strong laning phase. His crowd control is also necessary for setting up ambushes and turning around team fights, on top of having a strong DPS output —almost everything that would be quite ideal for the mid lane.

K’sante

One of the newer champions to be part of the list is the Pride of Nazumah. K’sante has gained so much popularity in pro play since his release because of how ideal he is in the top lane.

While he’s part of the top 10 most popular champs in most of the regions, K’sante shone the best in the LPL, where he is the second most popular champion in Summer, with a 51.27% win rate.

His versatile kit is a treasure trove, brimming with a variety of powerful abilities, adept crowd control, and of course, windows of invincibility which have allowed for numerous impressive plays.

His substantial pool of health and sturdy armour make him a resilient tank, capable of withstanding both physical and magic damage.

Zeri

Zeri is starting to become one of the pro play champions that we love and hate at the same time.

When she made her debut in 2022, Riot had to continuously rein in her power to prevent her from taking over the Summoner’s Rift. Nevertheless, despite all the adjustments to her abilities, professional players always find a workaround to utilise her effectively.

Zeri shone the most in the LEC and the LCK, where she had a 51% win rate and was the 15th most popular champion in the Summer season.

Her kit and her damage output make her ideal in teamfights and for whittling down the health of enemy champions — things you want in a champion when you're playing in Worlds.

Xayah

It took a while for pro players to realize Xayah’s potential earlier this season, but her popularity rose in the Summer and in the Asian Games. Particularly in the Summer seasons of the LCK and the LCS, she had a 56% win rate and was almost always picked and banned in the Asian Games.

Xayah is great in the early laning phase with a reliable wave clear and a generally high sustain. She shines the most when she has teammates that have dependable crowd control and engage skills.

She particularly thrives against aggressive divers, melee opponents in general, and champions with a similar range to hers, leveraging their engage to her advantage.

On top of all these, Xayah is a great pick against Zeri because of her mobility and ability to disengage better than the Spark of Zaun.

Rell

Rell has been a sleeper for many years, but she rose to popularity since her rework in 13.11. She was the top priority pick in the LCS, with a 56% win rate, and she’s part of the top 10-15 champs in the LEC, LCK, and the LPL.

She also was a constant pick in the Asian Games Playoffs, mostly as a support. However, Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok was also effective in utilising the Iron Maiden in the jungle at the gold medal match against Taiwan.

What makes her popular in pro play these days is that she brings incredibly easy engage, has a ton of lockdown, and can even destroy enemy shields.

One of her skills also gives attack speed buffs to her and another ally, which may be useful in crucial team fights.

There are many other popular champions that we think would be popular but it just won't fit this list. Which champions do you expect to see a lot of at Worlds 2023?

The 2023 LoL World Championship will kick off with the Play-ins on 10 October 2023. For everything you need to know about Worlds 2023, click here.

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.