When it's okay to be off-meta in Ranked:

The Ecdysiast··1 votes·560 views
  1. When you're a team of friends and you really don't give a hoot.
  2. When the champion you're picking synergizes extremely well with the rest of the team. (So that would mean you're last pick or in a Team.)
  3. When the champion you're picking counters your lane opponent extremely well. (Assuming you aren't first-pick)

EDIT: 4. When the champion you're picking is so stupidly overpowered that they can't lose lane, and didn't get banned.

When it's not okay to be off-meta in ranked:

  1. When you're first pick. You have no excuse to be doing that, since you're not counter-picking. It forces the rest of your team to pick around you, or lose because your pick forced the team into lacking something it needed.

Granted, there is an exception if your team knows exactly what you're doing and can play champions to pick around you. That requires either very fast typing to communicate, or that you're a ranked Team. It's also only going to be good if it forces your opponent into a counter-pick that the rest of your team will stomp on.

  1. When it doesn't synergize with the rest of your team.

  2. When you saw it work in LCS. You are not in the LCS. You are not fighting the same opponents with the same champions as in that one match. Just because one of the very best players in the world can go Teemo jungle with the right teammates, the right ally champions, and the highest amount of communication possible doesn't mean you can do it well in Bronze III SoloQueue.

EDIT: 5000000000000000000000 (However many 0's are in his name) noted that it's also true you shouldn't be doing a META pick if it doesn't fit your team.

However, picking Fiora top is perfectly fine as first pick, because, while it does give your team less in terms of their picks, she can fight well against almost any top-lane pick. Meanwhile, Karthus top as first pick (who should instead just call mid) takes a lot more away from the team.

9 Comments

50000000000000003 votes

What you're saying also applies equally to meta picks. You don't want a squishy top laner if your whole team is squishy, even if assassin Fiora is a top tier meta pick. Leona top would be a much better pick in that case, even though she's not a meta top laner.

The Ecdysiast1 votes

I upvoted you for that, since I do agree.

My main point with this was the non-meta first pick. Someone in another thread was blaming his team for a loss because he happened to get most damage as a high-damage AOE mage (But a squishy one) top-lane even though the fact he picked Karthus top screwed over the rest of his team's picks.

If it's any other order in the pick, you're completely right.

Lao Fu the Tiger2 votes

I actually feel like picking an "off meta" pick as a first pick is a much, MUCH stronger strategy than most would think, because it adds a sense of confusion to the enemy team.

For instance: A player that locks in Riven mid as a first pick may get "counterpicked" in top lane, while a mid lane matchup for the Riven may be incredibly easy. Now, you have the ability to both have a safe mid lane AND counterpick their top lane.

I've done this with Garen mid before. Garen mid is not very good.

Unless, of course, this means they autolock Teemo top, then Yasuo mid. Which means we can pick a Teemo counter top lane and STILL have a relatively easy mid lane matchup.

All of the sudden, mid lane doesn't look so bad. Is Garen a good mid laner? No. Will he rek Yasuo? Yes.

The Ecdysiast1 votes

Right. And then they just lane-swap.

I ADDRESSED your scenario when I said that it requires a lot of communication. If you pick Garen mid, there's no saying your ally will realize to pick someone who counters Teemo top.

Just as well, picking an overpowered off-meta champion is perfectly fine.

Lao Fu the Tiger1 votes

Or they don't. At the very least, their summoner spells could be really messed up. This can add huge early game advantages. Lane swapping would lose them some farm, and having ignite vs. teleport can be a massive early advantage.

The Ecdysiast1 votes

They get time to see that your top-laner counters Teemo and can adjust their SS's to fit that.

Maximum Morde1 votes

I pick off meta the second someone picks a trash pick like Twisted Feed. If they are allowed to do it, so am I.

COWmanLord1 votes

Well, Karthus top DOES have the 4th highest win rate of any other top laner, as well as the top damage and 2nd highest gold earned. It doesn't really take much away from your team unless you were last picking when your team was lacking any kind of tank as it brings a lot of damage and a very strong teamfight to your team. You may want to pick a different example for an off meta pick that screws a team over. Many of them can be surprisingly strong #threshadcforthewin

The Ecdysiast1 votes

Again, having top damage as a champ with high-damage AOE abilities isn't saying much.

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