What to expect from the meta at Worlds 2025?

For once, Riot hasn’t decided to make any major shifts to the meta heading into Worlds. With the introduction of Fearless Draft for the first time this year, it’s clear the developer didn’t want to disrupt the level of play teams might deliver at the biggest and most prestigious tournament of the year. In other words, what we’ve seen in the major regions over the past few weeks should largely remain the same — though there might be a few exceptions. Here’s your guide to what Hotspawn expects the meta to look like at Worlds 2025.

Support/Top changes

It’s worth noting that the support and top lane roles are probably the least affected by the recent minor meta changes. This is especially true for supports, as the impact and power of the champions prioritized to assist ADCs in pro play have remained virtually unchanged for the past four patches. We’ll continue to see engage and mobility-based champions being prioritized, with a few exceptions among enchanters (like Karma and Lulu), lane bullies in very specific cases (such as Elise), and Bard — whose kit remains extremely valuable in the current meta.

As for the top lane, Malphite received a small buff that should make him a bit more viable in the later stages of fearless drafts, only against heavy AD compositions or when teams need a hard engage tool. Garen could also be considered as a niche counterpick to K’Santé, depending on player preferences. Jax received a fairly interesting buff, clearly signaling Riot’s intent to push him as a higher-priority pick heading into Worlds. Gwen, meanwhile, was nerfed a few patches ago and has been far less present ever since. Aside from these minor adjustments, the top lane meta should remain largely the same — still focused on mobile bruisers, with consistent early appearances from champions like Sion, Rumble, Yorick, and potentially other tanks later on, such as Ornn.

Mid/Jungle changes

The jungle is where things are shifting a bit more. Wukong has been nerfed, with most parts of his kit slightly toned down. Once again, nothing groundbreaking — it shouldn’t drastically affect his priority, though he’ll likely be banned a bit less often in early drafts compared to the ASI. Volibear, on the other hand, received two consecutive nerfs. He was already nearly absent from pro play, and this might just push him completely out of the competitive meta. Riot also seems to be trying to bring AP junglers back into relevance, with buffs to Brand, Diana, and Lillia in patch 20.19, aiming to give teams more flexibility during drafts. Still, I don’t expect them to make a major comeback given how important early-game pressure is and how slow these champions tend to scale.
Conversely, Pantheon and Poppy were nerfed — mainly in their clear speed — to tone down some of the overwhelming agency they had in the jungle.

In mid lane, Azir received an early-game nerf balanced by a late-game buff, once again in line with Riot’s intent to reduce the “do-it-all” nature of certain champions and make them more situational. That said, I’d be surprised to see Azir drop much in priority, since he was already a near-permanent pick or ban. The same goes for Orianna, who took a noticeable nerf to her laning phase — she might be slightly less prioritized, but she’ll remain a go-to option for consistent setup and laning control. LeBlanc, meanwhile, got an interesting buff to her key ability (W), which should make her appear much more often in early drafts. Veigar also received a buff that could make him a niche pick in specific matchups where lane bullies aren’t available. Finally, Lissandra should rise in priority, as she remains a solid counter to champions like Annie and LeBlanc.

ADCs/System changes

Finally, the ADC meta shouldn’t shift too much either, though there are a few notable exceptions. First, Corki and Sivir have both been nerfed and should see a slight drop in priority. However, much like Azir, they were so dominant in the meta that I’d be surprised to see their pick/ban rate fall dramatically. On the other hand, a champion like Jinx — who was somewhat in-between in terms of competitive relevance — should gain more presence thanks to her early-game buff, which addressed her biggest weakness. Draven is also getting a buff that could allow him to make a comeback in specific situations, especially with players like Hans Sama and Jackeylove participating in the tournament.

Beyond these nerfs and buffs, there have been no changes to objectives or items. As a result, the meta should remain focused on early objective control, particularly Grubs and Drakes. We’ll continue to see jungle, mid, and support champions who can roam effectively — or lock down their direct opponents, in the case of mid laners. And we might even see ADCs laning 1v1 against top laners as a way to bypass the anti–lane swap rule… much to our dismay.

Expectations on the most prioritized picks at Worlds:

Top: Sion, Rumble, Renekton, Ambessa, K’santé, Yorick, Jax, Jayce, Aatrox, Rek’Sai

Jungle: Xin Zhao, Wukong, Jarvan IV, Qiyana, Pantheon, Vi, Lee Sin, Trundle, Diana, Lilia, Brand, Zyra, Nocturne, Sejuani, Naafiri, Skarner, Maokai

Mid: Ryze, Azir, Taliyah, Leblanc, Orianna, Galio, Annie, Cassiopeia, Syndra, Ahri, Akali, Sylas, Viktor, Yone

ADC: Yunara, Kai’Sa, Corki, Xayah, Lucian, Ezreal, Caitlyn, Zeri, Sivir, Draven, Jhin, Smolder, Tristana

Support: Rell, Rakan, Alistar, Nautilus, Neeko, Bard, Leona, Karma, Lulu, Braum, Elise

Flex picks: Aurora, Poppy, Ziggs

Duo picks: Kalista/Renata