What changed?

For supports this has been a amazing update. Sightstone has been taken out of the game and has been merged with support items. Fully upgraded support items, such as Talisman of Ascension, Face of the Mountain, and Frost Queen's Claim have all been removed from the game. The only way to get refillable wards now its to complete the quest for Ancient Coin, Relic Shield , or Spellthief's Edge; which is each set to upgrade when you reach 500 gold via the support item of your choosing.

Minions have also been tuned to Target enemy champions who us point and click damaging spells draw minion aggro. For example, A Nami targets a enemy ADC using Ebb and Flow. Before, the minions would not attack Nami, but now they will. This makes certain champions with point and click abilities, such as Nami and Lulu, worse at trading near minion waves.


How does bot lane look?

Bot lane has seen moving around the spectrum in the past few patches. We started out with aggressive/lethality based bot lane and just got off the AFK farm/late game meta. Now we find ourselves in the middle: a mid game, team fight valuing meta. With Relic Shield gutting most AFK farm bot lanes and Vayne and Ezreal falling off hard this meta, the effective ADCs left are those who scale late at least slightly better than the rest of the pack and can hit multiple targets in mid game team fights.

In addition, supports have found themselves with a lot more gold to spend in the early game. This means that roaming is much easier and those who excel in team fights and picking are especially valued.


Popular and Strong ADCS



50.3% Winrate
1.4% Ban Rate
Direct Changes: None


Varus is the ideal ADC for a mid game, team fight oriented meta. Chain of Corruption offers a solid engage or follow up in team fights and while he may be immobile he is able to poke more effectively with Piercing Arrow, with fewer items compared to his counterparts. After he obtains Runaan's Hurricane and Guinsoo's Rageblade, he deals quite a bit of damage, even to tanks, thanks to his Blighted Quiver. Overall he is a solid early game ADC, amazing mid game ADC, and above average in the late game. He is a safe pick that brings a lot of utility compared to other ADCS.




53.2% Winrate
6.9% Ban Rate
Direct Changes: None


With Vayne being gutted there are only two contenders for the best late game ADC; and I would argue that Kog'Maw is the king of the late game. His Caustic Spittle and [Living Artillery]] make even the most beefy of tanks look as weak as Steve Urkel, and while he may not have the best mid to early game, he does oddly fit well with most popular support match-ups. While I may have said that this is a mid game meta, that does not mean games are not going into the late game, and as everyone knows: a well protected and empowered late game Kog'Maw is pretty much a ace in the hole.



50.8% Winrate
8.3% Ban Rate
Direct Changes: None
The difference between Kog'Maw and Twitch is that Twitch has a better mid game than Kog'Maw does. Besides that they both have similar strengths: Spray and Pray and Deadly Venom make quick work of a enemies and allows Twitch to be very valuable after obtaining Runaan's Hurricane. It is also worth noting that Twitch is a crit based hyper carry, while Kog'Maw is a mixed damage, tank buster hyper carry. This means that Twitch is especially effective vs squishier teams, while Kog'Maw is more effective vs beefy teams.



Popular and Strong Supports



51.1% Winrate
5.6% Ban Rate
Direct Changes: None
Braum is strong not due to any recent champion buffs or power spikes, but rather who is popular in other lanes. Ornn, Zoe, and Sejuani are all highly sought after champions, but are all easily countered by Braum with his Unbreakable. Braum also brings a ton of CC with his Winter's Bite and Glacial Fissure, which can be used both defensively and offensively in team fights. Concussive Blows is also invaluable in team fights, but also serves as a repel against early game invades and a amazing asset in invading yourself.




48.7% Winrate
4.4% Ban Rate
Direct Changes: None
Thresh is a all around good support. He brings a ton of utility to the table and has never really fallen off in any meta. With Sightstone being removed, support players have found extra gold in their pockets and this greatly benefits roam based champions such as Thresh himself. As soon as he obtains Mobility Boots, he becomes a deadly threat to the enemy team and can secure early game vision fairly easily.




50.4% Winrate
30.6% Ban Rate
Direct Changes: None
Same reasons as Thresh, just easier to use. :)


Hidden gems



53.5% Winrate
0.28% Ban Rate
Direct Changes: None
Surprise, Surprise. Taric is played a fair bit in the LCS, but still can not find much love in solo que. Bravado brings nasty early game burst in combination with Dazzle. If Taric can not find a advantage in the early game, his Cosmic Radiance is a powerful asset in teamfighs in any stage of the game. Overall Taric is a safe, seldom targeted champion, who is very valuable in this meta.




50.8% Winrate
8.3% Ban Rate
Direct Changes: None


Bard has took a backseat for the past few patches, but has found a small resurgence in this one. Champions who can roam early game, but still provide utility in team fights are especially valuable; and Bard fits this bill. Traveler's Call can provide some RNG upgrades to your roams and Magical Journey allows for creative gank paths. If that fails, Cosmic Binding and Tempered Fate are great for not only picking enemies off, but also as hard CC in team fights.




49.1% Winrate
0.3% Ban Rate
Direct Changes: None


Sivir is a good answer against skilled shot based supports and is a good answer to late game scaling comps. Sivir's strengths lie in her ability to her minions under tower with Ricochet and Boomerang Blade; and deny enemy engage onto her with her Spell Shield. This helps slow down the power growth of late game carries such as Kog'Maw and Twitch by denying them CS and kill gold. While she may not have the strongest late game, she can rely on her On The Hunt for mid game engages and to fasten map rotations.



50.6% Winrate
5.9% Ban Rate
Changes: Base damage reduced, Attack damage growth up, Get Excited! no longer stacks but has no cap, Switcheroo! minigun attack speed increased.


Jinx has taken a backseat due to her nerfs a while back, but has finally rec vied buffs suited to make her viable. In short, Get Excited! and Switcheroo! allows Jinx to push lanes very hard and to pump out massive damage in the late game. She may not have the best early to mid game, but if you are looking for a crit-based late game hyper carry whose name is not Twitch, Jinx is your girl.


Conclusion
Bot lane has been on a roller coaster for the past few patches, but it has mostly been positive and has provided variety in the bot lane champion pool. In this meta, expect mid game team fights to determine who wins the game and take note of how early game roaming can help shape the mid to late game.

FINAL GRADE

ADC Health: A
Support Health: A+
Overall enjoyment: A
Final Grade: A+