The 2021 League of Legends World Championship meta has been invaded by assassin junglers as the likes of Talon, Qiyana and Zed took over Day 1 of Worlds. Qiyana has seen the rift many times before as a flex for jungle and mid lane, but Zed and Talon are part of new push by Riot Games to bring the champion archetype into the roaming role. Based off of these champions’ performance at Day 1 of Worlds, they may remain in the jungle for the rest of the tournament.
How assassin junglers have fared in Worlds 2021
All three champions went a combined 5-1 on the day, as the lone loss was Zed falling against a Qiyana in Game 3 of LNG Esports vs. PEACE. Only two games in Day 1 lacked jungle assassins. The most popular at the moment is Qiyana, with four games played and Talon with two. The rise in priority for these champions seems to come from their consistent buffs over the past few patches, and their current synergy with Goredrinker according to DetonatioN FocusMe’s jungler Mun “Steal” Geon-yeong when asked about the strength of Talon as a jungler.
“It’s not just about Talon in specific its about champions that build Goredrinker and among them I think Talon is indeed very strong,” Steal said in the Riot Games broadcast post-match interview.
These champions also have a lot of mobility in their kit and can move around the map at a fast pace. In combination with their quick jungle clear speeds, all three jungle champions have jumped to a decent presence at Worlds. But, much like mid laners who normally shy away from the flashy assassin champions in professional settings, Talon, Zed and Qiyana require a high level of execution to carry games at the pro level.
The game-winning team fight for @GSEsports! #Worlds2021 pic.twitter.com/7bZqB1Y0yT
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) October 5, 2021
“While I do think Talon and Zed are very strong picks right now but those two champions also require very high proficiency and to be honest I wasn’t feeling 100% confident in playing about playing this champion but I tried it,” Steal said in the post-match interview. “I think it all depends on the pilot to be honest,”
