LCS, LEC, and LCK meta comparison: Most picked champions, win rates, and preferences in Split 1

As hype for First Stand 2026 continues to grow, it's time to quickly look back at the first split of the season across several regions to compare metas, champion diversity, and preferred styles before we head to the international stage.

For this analysis, we'll be taking a look at the LCS Lock-In 2026, LEC Versus 2026, and LCK Cup 2026 tournaments.

LCS, LEC, LCK: A Look Across the Board

Before we get into things, we need to draw attention to the fact that LEC teams spent the entirety of their Regular Season playing Bo1s (in fact, they were the only region to feature any Bo1s whatsoever for Split 1).

With Fearless Draft in full effect, this naturally affects champion diversity as there is no need for teams and players to stray too far from the safest meta picks in a Bo1.

Shutting the Door on Rumble and Varus

Up first, it appears clear no one was particularly keen on facing either Varus or Rumble. Both champions featured among the top 3 most banned champions across all three regions. 

Both champions have been quite strong in pro play for a long time, it's true, but a large part of their strength lies on their safety as blind picks. In fact, across all three regions, both Varus and Rumble were blind picked over 90% of the time. This is the kind of strength goes a long way in aliviating draft headaches, making picks like Varus and Rumble every coach's dream champion. 

Fun fact: When they did get picked, Varus and Rumble held respectable 50+% win rates in all three regions except for... the LCS, where Rumble saw an abysmal 27% win rate across 15 total picks during the Lock-In tournament.

Meta Differences: Supporting a Shift

One of the biggest difference between the three regions came in the Support role. Following last year's trend, the LEC and LCK continued to rely on hard-engage/tank Support picks in draft the most.

That's not to say they didn't pick enchanters or the like at all; they certainly did. Still, in both the LEC and the LCK, all of Alistar, Rakan, and Nautilus featured among the top 4 most picked Support champions. In the LCS, however, none of those champions featured in the top 4 at all. 

LYON Isles won the 2026 LCS Lock-In tournament without picking Alistar, Nautilus or Rakan once. Photo: Stefan Wisnoski/Riot Games

Instead, North America opted to lean a little more heavily on enchanter picks (Nami, Lulu, Karma) and other form of playmakers (Neeko, Bard) rather than rely on picks like Alistar or Nautilus to provide frontline and durability to their compositions.

The difference wasn't particularly massive, but the fact that Nami was the most picked Support champion in the LCS while being only 6th and 7th in the LEC and LCK, respectively, is a little telling.

Fun fact: LCK Supports were by far the most experimental with their picks, having the biggest champion diversity in the role with a total of 25 different picks, including off-meta choices like Shen, Lissandra, Sona, Yuumi, Soraka, and Tahm Kench.

The West Can't Play Gwen?

Despite almost never been picked blind (which means she's purposefully locked as a counter-pick), Western players have struggled to make Gwen work onstage. Between the LCS and LEC combined, players picked Gwen a total of 15 times, putting up a record of 3-12 (20% win rate).

Instead, over in the LCK Cup, players picked Gwen 22 times, finishing with a completely contrasting record of 16-6 (73% win rate) on the champion. Hands diff?

G2 BrokenBlade was the only Western player to have a positive win rate on Gwen (2-0). Photo: Hara Amoros/Riot Games

Fun fact: Despite the added kill pressure, Gwen only managed to pick up a single win when choosing a combat summoner (so, giving up either Flash or Teleport for something like Ignite or Ghost). The record was 1-3 across all regions in these instances, with Gwen posing a negative CSD@15 (CS differential at 15 minutes) in all four games.

The Fantastic Four: Azir, Orianna, Ryze, and Taliyah

Looking past the differences between regions, let's take a moment to look at one similarity that most immediately stands out. Across all three regions, the top 4 most picked Mid Laners were Azir, Orianna, Ryze, and Taliyah; no exceptions. 

Among these four, two stand out: Azir and Orianna. Both champions received considerably more bans than the other two on this list.

Perhaps that is precisely why Patch 26.05 is nerfing both champions ahead of First Stand (Taliyah is also receiving a nerf), where we might expect to see a little more variety in the Mid Lane (brace yourselves, Ahri is coming).

The Orianna vs. Azir matchup shows up anywhere you look. Photo: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games

Ryze, meanwhile, should prove to be a problem once teams head to Brazil. Over in the LCK, Ryze was the most picked champion in the Mid Lane while maintaining an amazing 66% win rate.

Not only does the champion have great playmaking/roam capabilities, but his synergy with the relatively new Actualizer item is out of this world. There is simply no better champion at three items in the game right now.

Fun fact: Chovy had a perfect win rate on all of Azir, Ryze, and Taliyah (8 combined picks) throughout the 2026 LCK Cup, yet never got to play Orianna.

Ready for First Stand?

While there are always differences between regions, the first split of the year demonstrated several champions continue to rest comfortably at the very top of the pecking order when it comes to pro play. Now, though, the official League of Legends patch of First Stand 2026 (Patch 26.05) is expected to shake things up a bit before teams take to the international stage.

But the question still remains: will teams fall back on the ol' familiar favorites, or will anyone be willing to push the limits of the new patch at First Stand 2026?

*All stats for this article were gathered using gol.gg

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Featured image credit: Stefan Wisnoski/Riot Games

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