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TL;DR: We’ve seen 24 games played on patch 5.18 so far, featuring lots of focus on objectives with less bloodshed. The result is shorter average game times.
Heavy use of Teleport in the Mid lane is contributing to these trends.
Read on to see the data.
Fast Objectives; Slow Kills
The games at Worlds have been very fast-paced, not in terms of bloodshed but rather in how fast the games actually play out to a conclusion.
Even excluding the games with the Wildcard teams, Bangkok Titans and paiN Gaming, games have averaged 36.2 minutes, a full minute shorter than any of the previous patches.
Objectives Are Falling Earlier
Towers, Barons, and Inhibitors are dying much sooner. The charts below all include games with paiN Gaming and Bangkok Titans, but even with those games removed, these trends remain.
Note: Patch 5.15 includes only LCK games, which are notoriously slow paced.
Note: Patch 5.15 includes only LCK games, which are notoriously slow paced.
Kills Are Slower
But only if you exclude the International Wildcards
Combined Kills at 15 minutes and Combined Kills Per Minute (CKPM) are both up when the Wildcard teams are included, but when those stomps are taken out, we see the kills actually slowing down.
Note: paiN Gaming and Bangkok Titans excluded. Patch 5.15 includes only LCK games, which are notoriously slow paced.
Note: paiN Gaming and Bangkok Titans excluded. Patch 5.15 includes only LCK games, which are notoriously slow paced.
Mid Lane Teleport
Use of Teleport in the Mid lane is way up. This is related to the increased game pace, because Mid TP is an inherently snowball-oriented spell: it helps teams close out leads, but makes it difficult to stall games and/or produce comebacks.
Will Week 2 bring more of the same?
Follow Tim “Mag1c” Sevenhuysen on Twitter: @Mag1cLoL.