Should I Main Ekko?

First off, I know a lot of people hate going against Ekko because he is so safe. But I would like to know if you guys think he is fairly balanced (or at least not OP.) I believe he is balanced, as all you have to do is CC him and burst him down. He also doesn't have as much damage compared to other assassins like Kat, so that's another weakness.

I'm asking this because I'm thinking about maining him, since he is my favorite champion lore wise. I don't want to play a champion who would probably get nerfed very soon.

Also, some other questions about Ekko

1. Since Ekko is AP, does that make him good against champs with armor?

2. Is Ekko played a ton? I'm a dirty hipster and don't want to play a super popular champion. (I don't want him to be in the top ten champs played)

3. Why isn't Ekko seen in LCS anymore? I remember hearing that he used to get played, but why not anymore?

4. Is Ekko banned a lot? I don't want to main a champ I'll never be able to play,

5. Who are some great Ekko mains? I would like to see some of their matches.

Thanks for any feedback. I'm trying to decide between using Ekko, Taliyah, Vel'Koz (mid), Lissandra, or Aurelion Sol when I play mid.