These picks in pro play are crazy
Should You Play Azir, Caitlyn or Jhin Support in Solo Queue?
Caitlyn and Azir were both picked as support champion on January 26, 2023. Is this a sign that League of Legends support champions are just not up to par with the current meta in the bot lane or why would players choose such unconventional picks?
Make sure to press the ban button on some of the weird picks that have made their way to the bot lane in the pro meta. Not to stop the enemies from picking them, but to keep your support from doing so. But, are these picks really that dangerous?
League of Legends Bot Lane Meta: Jhin, Caitlyn and Azir Support Become Popular
Of course, high level players like T1's support Keria have the skill to be able to play things like Ashe and Caitlyn support. Honestly, Ashe support is nothing new, hell even Miss Fortune support is nothing new, but it seems that more and more of these types of off-meta picks are being chosen to counter specific team comps.
That's what you will have to watch out for. You shouldn't jut willy-nilly lock in Caitlyn support. This is a smart counter pick you can pull out of your pocket in very specific situations. It's also a pick that requires your own team to have enough Crowd Control (CC) and peel for you in the late game.
What about Support Heimerdinger?
The first match of the LCS 2023 season also featured a unique bot lane pick, with 100 Thieves rookie support choosing to play Azir support to counter Cloud9's Heimerdinger. While Azir does have some agency in the later stages with his ultimate, he also doesn't have much utility in later stages.
You need to look at your opponent's and your own team's comp and then choose whether you can pick some of these off-meta supports. Caitlyn is a great pick into short range compositions, since you can simply bully them in lane and make the enemy support-ADC duo useless.
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With Azir bot you can also push, especially when you choose Comet or Electrocute as runes to poke down enemies. Your sand soldiers can give you some extra vision in bushes and over walls as well which can help out in the early stages to know whether the enemy is coming for a gank.
Overall, these are champions that can work, but you will need to have the right team composition on your side to make them work, as well as good communication, which teams often lack, especially in mid and low elo. So while these picks look flashy and fun, it's best to keep them locked up for now, especially when some are still trying to play their placement matches.