If you’ve been playing League of Legends for any amount of time, then you’ve probably come across the term “meta” in guides and in game. This word might be thrown around a lot in the LoL community, but what exactly does it mean?
If you have no idea what it means then don’t worry we’ll answer that in a second, but more importantly, why should you care?
You might not know it, but meta is an important part of League of Legends and is used in almost every game. It constantly changes the gameplay in your games, and if you don’t keep up to date with it, you can be left in the dust. So what exactly does it mean?
Meta is actually an acronym that stands for “the most effective tactic available” and is used in several strategy games including other MOBAs. Meta refers to a certain strategy, build or technique that is deemed the most effective for the game at that current time.
For example, in patch 7.5 Ziggs who is usually played in the mid lane was actually best played in the bottom lane as an ADC. At that moment in time, you could refer to that being the “meta” of the game.
If you haven’t guessed by now, this means metas can change over time depending on how the game changes. With Riot releasing new champions, reworks and changes every couple of weeks the metagame can change accordingly. A champion that used to be very overpowered but ended up getting nerfed can cause a change in the meta. The same can also happen with items and runes, although the last 2 don't really get reworked as often as champions.
Now you know exactly what the meta is, how can you use it to help you in game? There are several ways how knowing the meta can make you a better player. The first is that it helps you with champion picks and bans.
Like the example we covered earlier, if you know the meta revolves around players playing Ziggs in the bottom lane then, you can use this to your advantage. There’s a good chance that your opponents will attempt to pick Ziggs during the champion select, depending on which side picks first. Using this information you could ban Ziggs to stop them from doing that. Of course, that also means you can’t play him, but if you don’t own him or aren’t the best at playing him then it’s not really a big deal.
The second way in which knowing the meta can help you win more of your games is by knowing what other players are going to pick, you can counter them. Like in the same example above, if you’re pretty confident your opponent is going to pick Ziggs for the bot lane, then you can counter pick. You’re probably going to pick a long ranged champion that can deal more damage like Caitlyn or Varus as opposed to someone like Graves or Quinn who will struggle to do damage.
The final way in which knowing the meta can help you out is by understanding your opponent's likely build. Items get modified and tweaked all the time. Sometimes it goes horribly wrong and you end up with an overpowered weapon for a patch or 2. If you understand the meta, then the chances are you’ll know which items are OP and which ones to get. At the same time, you’ll also know what items your opponents are likely to go for and you can create a new build to counter theirs.
By knowing the meta, you open yourself up to a whole new world of possibilities you would have never had before. As they say, knowledge is power!
When it comes to keeping up to date with the meta in game, there are several ways you can do this.
The first way is to check the latest patch notes to see which items and champions have been nerfed or buffed. Although this might be the easiest way, it can also be fairly hard to interpret depending on how experienced you are at the game.
An easier way to learn the current meta is to let someone more experienced explain it to you.
To find the LoL meta for your lane then be sure to check out this useful website Nerfplz.com. Ran by a group of LoL addicts, these guys keep you up to date with the latest champion changes. This means you don’t have to spend hours reading several pages of patch notes when all you really want to know is, who’s been nerfed and who’s been buffed.
As you can see, they even have their own “current meta” page at the top of the website which is exactly what you are looking for. In this section, they post updates about the latest meta and how new patch changes are affecting the game and gameplay. Be sure to head over there and give it a read!
Know you know what LoL meta means, be sure to use it to your advantage in game. You’d be surprised how easy it is to counter your opponent when you know exactly what champion they are going to pick.
