This far into the 2026 competitive season, the League of Legends Pro Scene regional pick rate has diversified across each of the game’s different circuits. Partly based on the implementation of the Fearless Draft system, teams have been forced to innovate in their picks and bans which has given us some interesting statistics to study. Here at Thunderpick we’ll go over a few stand out picks and provide the context behind them so that you’re in the know for the next time you’re watching the Draft Phase.
Rumble in the LCK
Starting with a fan favourite and by far the most contested and represented champion in the LCK we have Rumble. Rumble’s LCK regional pick rate and ban rate sits just over a combined 83% for the 2026 season so far, even peaking at a 100% presence on patch 16.6. Rumble has an almost 40% ban rate globally across the whole year, but in the LCK the figure is over 70%. A huge part of this discrepancy in draft presence is the choice to deny the Top Laners any chance to play the champion. Of note is Gen.G Kiin, who is unbeaten in LCK matches on the pick and has an eye-watering 11.4 KDA on Rumble. When the peak in this role is so high within the region, statistical discrepancies like this are to be expected.
Varus Regional Pick Rate is in flux
Across the LEC this year, Varus has been both the top dog and the bottom rung of the ladder. While the pick has remained popular over the year as a whole across all of the most competitive regions, LEC teams placed higher stock in the pick earlier and have had a mixed bag of results from it in the time since its peak in patch 16.2 where it had presence in every single match played in the region. Part of what makes Varus’ regional pick rate noteworthy is that the champion is being built in a variety of different ways, much more distinctly than a pick like Rumble in the LCK.
The overwhelming majority of these games were played with a focus on physical damage and lethality, complimented by the arcane comet keystone rune to facilitate a poke-heavy playstyle. Since LEC Spring began however, there was a slight shift towards a more attack speed and on-hit central build with lethal tempo or press the attack keystone runes. These shifting builds have led to questions about the best way to build the champion, especially within the context of fearless drafts.
Varus has the flexibility to opt into a poke build or a DPS build when the rest of the draft’s direction becomes more clear, and so it will remain a highly contended pick. However, the elephant in the room is that Varus has been picked 4 times this year not as a Bot Lane carry, but instead in the Top Lane. The LEC’s Top Lane Varus representation is almost all KC Canna, who uses it as a pick into Ambessa with a 2-1 record. This strategy doesn’t look to have taken up widespread adoption but with KC out in front of the LEC Spring rankings, we may well have the opportunity to see it expanded out to other stages of play, even an upcoming MSI international stage.
As the year continues on and the Spring competitive splits draw closer to a close, the differentiation between LoL Esports’ different regional pick rates will continue to branch out. If you find yourself curious how the meta game may change come the playoffs and later summer international events, this statistical marker is something you’ll want to keep on top of in the coming weeks.
