Blue Dominance: LoL Worlds 2023 Sees Unprecedented Advantage for the Blue Side
Bogdan LashchenkoLoL Worlds 2023 has kicked off with its inaugural Swiss Stage, and an interesting trend is becoming evident – a notable imbalance between the blue and red sides. Historically, the blue side has had a slight advantage in win rates, but this World Championship is showcasing a substantial disparity in favor of the blue side. What could be the reason behind this peculiar pattern?
In the realm of League of Legends, teams are divided into two sides: the blue side and the red side, determined by where they begin on the map and when they make their champion selections during the pick and ban phase. While win rate variations between the sides have been observed over the years, the 2023 League of Legends World Championship has magnified the significance of the blue side, particularly in professional play.
LoL Worlds 2023: Blue Side Dominates Over Red Side
This year's League of Legends World Championship introduces the Swiss Stage, offering fans a greater variety of matchups compared to previous years. However, the tournament also highlights the overwhelming strength of the blue side over the red side, and there's no indication this trend will shift as the competition progresses.
As of now, data from gol.gg indicates that the blue side boasts an astonishing win rate of nearly 80%, while the red side struggles to maintain a 20% win rate. In prior years, while the blue side held an advantage, the margin was never as significant. In 2022, the blue side had a 52% win rate, and in 2021, it stood at 51%. Even in solo queue statistics, the blue side maintains a 51% win rate over the red side.
However, we must remember that we're discussing the League of Legends World Championship here, not our regular bronze solo queue matches. So, what explains the substantial difference between the sides on which teams play?
The key lies within the drafting phase of the game. The drafting process follows a specific structure, with the blue team enjoying the first pick, while the red side often has more opportunities for counterpicks – or at least one guaranteed. In scenarios where several champions are considered overpowered and must be banned, the red side is compelled to focus on those bans rather than targeting the opposing team, as the blue side secures the first pick in each game.
This year, there are numerous formidable picks, such as Xayah and Kai'Sa in the bot lane, along with other powerful choices like Maokai, Orianna, and Rumble. Consequently, red side teams are likely to prioritize banning some of these overpowered champions, sidelining any targeted bans against their opponents. While the red side enjoys the final counterpick, in the current meta, securing one of the top-tier champions holds greater significance than having the last pick.
This shift in the meta has tilted the scales in favor of the blue side at LoL Worlds 2023.
Bogdan Lashchenko – content manager at EgamersWorld.Bogdan has been working at EGamersWorld since 2023. Joining the company, he began fillin the site with information, news and events.