Table of Contents
The first of two Regional Qualifier tournaments to close Spiritforged is in the books, and the metagame looks both quite similar, and vastly different.
The similarities are clear on a macro level. Irelia, Draven and Kai'Sa remain the top three legends in terms of popularity, while Viktor, Master Yi, Rek'sai, Fiora or Ezreal trailing them is pretty close to the pre-ban play rates as well.
If we look at conversion rates into day 2, Viktor and Fiora struggle among popular legends, a typical occurrence for one known to struggle on the big stage, and a Grand Duelist who never really made in the western metagame. On the other side of the spectrum, Draven and Irelia took first and second in that category, just like we saw it happen in every tournament in the first part of Spiritforged.
To notice big differences, we have to look at the tournament's top 8. First, we have 5 different legends ranging across 5 different domains, with only Mind being left out. In terms of diversity, only Bologna did it better, with 5 legends and all domains represented. Keep in mind that tournament was extremely close to the western release, and the place where Miracle builds emerged for the first time. Vegas the following week was a completely different story.
Then, with all three Irelia players losing in the quarterfinals, four different legends battled it out for the title. Among these four, only Draven was on most people's radar as a possible winner. Indeed, Azir was still considered weaker than Viktor, with a significant part of the community calling its 2nd place in a Chinese regional tournament a fluke. Annie failed to post any significant results since winning that finals against Azir back in China. Last, Master Yi posted solid, but far from regional winner material type of results.
I'm certain Atlanta won't be as diverse as Lille was, just like Vegas took notes from Bologna and focused on those strategies. However, I don't think this weekend's tournament showed something that needs to be either played or targeted.
As such, we might close Spiritforged with a great event to watch. Expect Irelia and Draven to once again be the most popular picks, and probably again look dominant from afar. After all, both remain very strong proactive legends, meaning they are perfectly suited for events with over a thousand competitors.
However, as the tournament progresses, and only the best players are left, expect to once again be surprised by the legends still alive. Indeed, just like it happened in Lille with Azir or Master YI, maybe a tiny lack of brute power might be a positive, as you won't have to worry about the field targeting you with their battlefields or side decks.
Metagame
Day 2
Day 1
Top 8 Legends
Azir
- Top Ranked Player: Winner with 14-0-2 record.
- Total Picks: 3% - 49 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 22% - 11 Decks
Master Yi
- Top Ranked Player: Finalist with 13-2-1 record.
- Total Picks: 5% - 95 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 22% - 21 Decks
Draven
- Top Ranked Player: Sami-Finalist with 12-2-1 record.
- Total Picks: 13% - 220 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 29% - 63 Decks
Annie
- Top Ranked Player: Semi-Finalist with 12-2-1 record.
- Total Picks: 2% - 43 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 26% - 11 Decks
Irelia
- Top Ranked Player: Top 8 with 11-2-1 record.
- Total Picks: 15% - 253 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 28% - 70 Decks
Other Legends
Fiora
- Top Ranked Player: 11th with 11-2 record.
- Total Picks: 4% - 71 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 11% - 8 Decks
Yasuo
- Top Ranked Player: 18th with 11-2 record.
- Total Picks: 2% - 40 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 8% - 3 Decks
Kai'sa
- Top Ranked Player: 22nd with 10-2-1 record.
- Total Picks: 11% - 187 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 22% - 42 Decks
Ezreal
- Top Ranked Player: 25th with 10-2-1 record.
- Total Picks: 4% - 67 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 18% - 12 Decks
Rek'Sai
- Top Ranked Player: 34th with 10-3 record.
- Total Picks: 4% - 79 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 16% - 13 Decks
Viktor
- Top Ranked Player: 41st with 10-3 record.
- Total Picks: 7% - 121 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 14% - 17 Decks
Darius
- Top Ranked Player: 53rd with 10-3 record.
- Total Picks: 2% - 29 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 24% - 7 Decks
Lux
- Top Ranked Player: 65th with 10-3 record.
- Total Picks: 2% - 39 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 10% - 4 Decks
Lee Sin
- Top Ranked Player: 78th with 10-3 record.
- Total Picks: 2% - 27 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 15% - 4 Decks
Lucian
- Top Ranked Player: 79th with 10-3 record.
- Total Picks: 3% - 49 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 16% - 8 Decks
Ahri
- Top Ranked Player: 82nd with 10-3 record.
- Total Picks: 2% - 41 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 5% - 2 Decks
Sett
- Top Ranked Player: 121st with 9-4 record.
- Total Picks: 3% - 44 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 19% - 8 Decks
Jax
- Top Ranked Player: 136th with 9-4 record.
- Total Picks: 2% - 25 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 8% - 2 Decks
Sivir
- Top Ranked Player: 156th with 9-4 record.
- Total Picks: 1% - 16 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 13% - 2 Decks
Jinx
- Top Ranked Player: 181st with 8-4-1 record.
- Total Picks: 2% - 34 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 15% - 5 Decks
Garen
- Top Ranked Player: 217th with 8-5 record.
- Total Picks: 1% - 20 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 5% - 1 Deck
Miss Fortune
- Top Ranked Player: 220th with 8-5 record.
- Total Picks: 2% - 25 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 8% - 2 Decks
Leona
- Top Ranked Player: 238th with 7-5-1 record.
- Total Picks: 1% - 22 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 9% - 2 Decks
Volibear
- Top Ranked Player: 286th with 6-2-1 record.
- Total Picks: 2% - 26 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 4% - 1 Decks
Rumble
- Top Ranked Player: 319th with 6-2 record.
- Total Picks: 2% - 33 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : 3% - 1 Decks
Teemo
- Top Ranked Player: 337th with 5-2-1 record.
- Total Picks: 2% - 25 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : None
Renata Glasc
- Top Ranked Player: 361st with 5-3 record.
- Total Picks: 1% - 20 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : None
Ornn
- Top Ranked Player: 478th with 5-3 record.
- Total Picks: 2% - 36 Decks
- Conversion Rate into Day 2 : None
