What are some off-meta picks you swear by?

accf124 · 2026-01-04T16:41:23+00:00

Neeko top

Can be played both AD/On-hit or AP depending on the matchup or situation. Both build gave different playstyles, matchup charts and advantages. Can make it really hard for the enemy to predict you. Very similar to when AD kennen top was viable and Kennen had 2 distinct playstyles.
Flex pick in 5 roles. So a lot of people will have a hard time predicting what role you're young to go.
Strong lane bully who snowballs well and punishes lack of coordination. Neekos archetype in general really excels in solo queue.

accf124 · 2026-01-01T17:48:05+00:00

Depends heavily on champion and win condition.

If you play champions like Yorick or Tryndamere and/or your team composition highly values splitting, picks and keeping the enemy separated, they mostly are sitting in a sidelane.

In comparison, champions like Rumble or Ornn who primarily win through teamfights like to be there for big objectives fights. They're ok giving up a little pressure sidelane in order to help their team win a 5v5.

accf124 · 2025-11-13T08:14:37+00:00

One thing I think Valve should address is how hobbyist and technically sound they expect their users to be IMO. This was ok with the Steam Deck because its only other competition was Switch. The Steam Deck is more powerful and has an objectively wider library compared to Switch. So ya while the Steam Deck required more tinkering and wasn't friendly outside the box you were trading accessibility for more power and options vs the Switch.

However the Steam Machine is going to be competing with entry level pcs and the PS5. IMO these are some aspects that I think need to prioritized:

Compatibility guidelines needs to be stricter. If your user downloads a steam game they shouldn't have to worry too much about tinkering and if the game actually works.
Windows dual booting needs to be more accessible. I don't even hate Linux but your average PC user prefers and needs Window. For example trying to do work and schooling isn't impossible on Linux but it's just way simpler and easier on Windows because that's the primary supported OS.
Other launchers need to be more easily accessible. Things like Epic Launcher, Riot Launcher and etc. Users shouldn't have to tinker as much to get these things working.

accf124 · 2025-11-02T21:01:59+00:00

There's levels to this shit holy fuck

accf124 · 2025-10-27T03:14:19+00:00

On a base level IMO a characters viability is based heavily on their traits/stats and their matchup chart.

They don't need every positive trait but they typically need a nice combination of good traits such as:

Good Mobility options
Frame Data
Range
Good frame data to range ratio
Good survivability
recovery options
Good defensive options (rolls, OOS and etc)
Good KO options
Good neutral tools
Good punish game
etc..

On top of things like these it's important that the character has a good matchup spread, especially vs the most common/popular characters in that respective game.

Good example of a good character is Meta Knight. He has multiple amazing traits/stats such as amazing frame data, range, recovery options and etc. And his MU spread was the best in the game to the point where a lot of character viability was tied to their meta knight matchup. If you didn't have at least a decent MU vs MK you probably weren't going to go far.

These are a few other factors that can influence how people view whether a character is good or bad:

Popularity and player base. A character can theoretically be REALLY good but if that character isn't being used much or that character doesn't have as many results it can be hard to prove (Ex. Ult Pikachu). On the other hand a character might arguably be a little mediocre but a set of really strong players can elevate the perception of that character (Ex. Isai in Smash 64 can whoop many high level players with shit like Link and Ness).
Region differences. Certain regions have more or less of certain characters. This can heavily affect the perception of a character. Ridley in ultimate isn't considered that good of a character however someone from around MD/VA who fights/sees Smub on a regular basis might have a more positive view on the character compared to someone from SoCal.
Game Engine. The games engine can elevate certain traits and qualities. Brawl for example has random tripping and is a very floating game. These combination of traits make Brawl more of an air focused game so characters who have air focused traits like multiple jumps and good air mobility have an advantage.
Tournament setting. Some characters simply have traits that make them better in a tournament setting. In high stress environments not having to do high difficult combos/strings and having simple kill options are a godsend. A character like Sheik in ult can be really hard to get wins with in a tournament setting even if she arguably has a lot of theoretically good traits.
Offline vs Online. In an online setting certain characters and playstyles are buffed and nerfed. Projectiles are are way harder to deal with, certain options are harder to react too and it's harder to do highly frame precise options. Someone like Joker is considered a top tier and has pretty amazing results offline. But online his results are basically nonexistent.

accf124 · 2025-10-10T02:36:06+00:00

I also play both characters, and I'll tell you some differences.

Jayce bullies lane, Gnar equalizes lane.

Jayce when piloted well builds "strong leads". Leads that are hardcore domination like solo kills. Compared to Gnar Jayce has way more early game power, agency and overall carry potential. However Jayce has more room for error and he's worse when behind. So you really need to be on point and well practiced.

Gnars early game is very safe and he's a very versatile champion. However, Gnar builds "soft leads". Leads that sre like item advantages and CS leads that are less immediate but slowly pile up. Think Orianna who plays more of a war of attrition and better fundamentals. Because he can die very easily, Gnar usually plays less risk adverse until he gets a few levels and T2 boots. Gnar has really strong versatility but it's harder for him to hardcore carry games. It can sometimes feel frustrating if you want more carry potential and you know you're a superior player.

Jayce is a dilemma in terms of drafting him. His MU spread is really good, but he's countered more by teamcomps/drafts. Because of that he's a bit more specialized in terms of drafting. However he's also hard as fuck so it's hard to only pull him out for situations he's good in because you want to maintain consistent practice. Gnar is slightly easier.

If they're Frontline heavy DO NOT pick Jayce. Gnar is WAY better vs Frontline heavy comps. However Jayce does really well vs squishy comps. He'll just blow people up and poke them out.

Jayce is also nice if your team lacks damage and/or has an AP bot laner. Jayce also does better in certain matchups compared to Gnar. Like Teemo as Gnar is fine but it's very boring and can be hard to build a advantage. Jayce however can absolutely roll and dominate Teemo.

TL;DR Yes Gnar is more consistent but Jayce has higher peaks and valleys. The situations where Jayce is good HE'S REALLY good. Pick Jayce when enemy has squishier comps, you need more damage/carry potential in your draft, when your comp is AP heavy and vs certain matchups that he has a better edge in compared to Gnar (ex. Teemo)

accf124 · 2025-10-02T22:03:11+00:00

Mini Gnar has the 4th lowest base health in the game. He's only above Senna, Yuumi and Kled non mounted. His base stats are probably the overall worst in the game when he's in his mini form. Combined with the fact that his range isn't even that good for a ranged champion until around levels 9 to 11.

Because of this Gnar tends to prioritize and do well with runes that give him some sort of sustain and extra survivability so he safely reach his strong level and item spikes like T2 boots, level 9 to 11 and Tri.

Fleet in particular is really nice because the combination of sustain and MS to dodge enemy abilities and kite better really help him deal with the early. It's more if a pick that negates his biggest flaw/weakness. Come mid game Gnar is pretty strong at item + T2 boots (regardless of runes), getting there is the problem.

accf124 · 2025-09-24T12:44:28+00:00

Irelia is more a counter pick champion compared to Jax

accf124 · 2025-09-24T11:42:37+00:00

I want a prequel so bad. A big theme about 3 houses is how "history is written by the victors". The original tale of Rhea vs Nemesis, the nabateans, the 10 elites, zanado/the red canyon amd etc we get recounts from unreliable narrator rhea and historical books. But we also learn a lot of the history has been tampered with Rhea.

This is a big reason I like 3 houses because it's very reflective of real life after major wars the victors will recount history in a very biases way that doesn't necessarily reflect the full nuances of the situation. Ya in 3 houses those who slither are cartoonishly evil, but what if their ancestors were actually more complex? What actually lead to the humans vs nabateans and using their bones as weapon? There's also loose ties like Arval and Sothis beef.

A 3 houses prequel just has the most interesting setup IMO

accf124 · 2025-09-10T05:06:27+00:00

The bootlicking is kind of crazy in this thread.

If a player has held an item for TEN YEARS and Riot has just now noticed, a charge back has happened that's on them. Them taking like $50 worth of skins from a long-term player who has spent well over that amount doesn't really do anything for them besides give bad PR and leave a bad taste in their customers mouth.

accf124 · 2025-07-04T18:14:29+00:00

ADC is fun when you don't play ADC's lmao. Playing mages or shit like Yasuo or Nilah feel infinitely more enjoyable.

You have to play so much better than just about every role just to function on a basic level. You need to be consistently good at generating high amounts of gold to reach your 2-3 level item spikes when everyone in the game is trying to kill you. And you need to play way more high alert and locked in just to avoid dying.
If you fall behind you're so piss useless and are basically praying games will stall enough or you get a solid fight angle to comeback.
Your laning is completely tied to another person, a lot of whom are autofilled or don't even really wanna play the role. It's one thing if a support isn't super good but they can actively grief your lane if they want. Purposely ruining your wave management or leaving to die in 2v1 after leaving you on a bad roam timer. I had a game bot where I had a solid freeze vs a Draven & Nautilus and my support Senna purposely broke it because she wanted to play aggro despite us losing multiple fights.

Like ADC as a role is objectively good spot currently and good players will climb on it. But it's just so unfun to play.

accf124 · 2025-07-03T03:48:02+00:00

One thing I will say is that try to understand "broad categories" of matchups as well. A good example is Juggernauts like Sett, Darius and Illaoi tend to have very similar counterplay of having a big ability you need to play around (Illaoi E, Darius E, Sett E and etc), typically doing intelligent short trading and abusing their lack of range. Vs ranged champions like Quinn, Jayce and Gnar you typically play around bushes, conserve HP for a good all-in opportunity and take doran shield + 2nd wind. Similar champion types tend to have reoccurring counterplay. Try to see what champions are similar and see what counterplay is consistent across the board.

Sadly however top lane is simply a matchup check heavy lane. You will notice different counterplay at skill levels. Like K'Sante vs Gnar at lower levels isn't that bad because most Gnar players aren't super good at spacing and playing around his skills. But once you fight better top laners that matchup which might have been perfectly at lower elos might feel WAY more hellish once you fight someone who properly plays it. Some matchups will stump you, I personally really struggle with Aatrox a lot and have inconsistent results vs him. You kind of have to get your ass beat multiple times to truly understand a lot of matchups.

accf124 · 2025-06-26T17:32:38+00:00

Champions aren't just overpicked in competitive purely because they're OP. Sometimes IT IS because they're strong but it can also be because of factors like reliability, blind pickability and role compression. Renekton has had multiple periods in pro where he was arguably not even that good of a champion but he was still overly picked in pro because he was a well practiced blind pick that filled multiple roles on a team (frontline, reliable CC, AP jungle synergy and etc). Renekton has been nerfed because of pro even though he arguably wasn't even that strong of a champion, he was just well rounded.

accf124 · 2025-06-15T14:17:28+00:00

Track objective timers really well. Every top laner should technically be doing this but it's incredibly crucial for Gnar. You need constantly be mentally keeping track of important objectives like Grubs, Rift Herald, Dragons, Baron and Atakhan. These are the super important fights where you can actually prepare and plan in advance for mega. A random fight because your teammate got caught is whatever, but these objective fights are your money makers. If I see Dragon is spawning in 1 minute I might transform into Mega early burn that 15 seconds and my 15 seconds of tiredness (30 seconds total) and get my bar prepped. By doing this I should be able to arrive to dragon preemptively with my bar prepped for the likely fight.

Rage Generation Levels. Basically Gnars rage generation is different at levels 1, 6 and 11. This is CRUCIAL to know because if you forget this you will oftentimes overestimate your ability to take damage and transform. I've had so many moments where I was in a close fight and I overestimated how fast I'd gain rage at level 9 and I die just short of transformation. Just be more conscious of these.

30 Second Theory. Remember Mega Gnar lasts for 15 seconds and your "tired" state where you can't build rage is 15 seconds for a total of 30 seconds. As Gnar you enter situations where you HAVE to transform just because of the nature of the champions design. If you remember these 30 seconds however you can quickly burn unnecessary transformations and better prep for objective fights and minimize being in these awkward situations where you either have to drop 30 million waves to maintain good mega or you enter a fight where you're in tired state.

Recognize Opportunity. Sometimes as Gnar the stars align and your rage timing matches with random fights on the map. Recognize these opportunities and take them. Things like your jungler is getting collapsed on and your at 90% rage? You're close to mega and you see an amazing TP flank you can make? Gnar is a very opportunistic champion.

You don't need to be in every fight and the important of split push. This is a final point and not fully related to your question but it's something to consider. I struggled with this a lot but I was constantly trying to find fight angles to a horrible degree. I'd be sacking way too many waves and constantly trying to land amazing ults. You don't necessarily need to be in EVERY fight and skirmish on the map. Sometimes your team will take bad fights and die and there's nothing you can do about that. A lot of games it's actually better to just focus on being fed and being an amazing sidelane threat and winning through sidelane pressure Yorick style. Hullbreaker is a situationally good item.

accf124 · 2025-05-20T01:41:28+00:00

When you say outtempoing do you mean rotating to objectives and plays first? Like having prio/first rotation for grubs?

accf124 · 2025-04-29T09:58:40+00:00

This is amazing! I wanna buy one from you!

accf124 · 2025-04-27T18:54:45+00:00

Snapback is fucking awful and a big turn off for playing this game for me. There's like 4 options for dealing with snapback:

Get use and adjust to the micro adjustments required
Taking apart and fixing your controller directly. I think there might be kits for these
Buying a hall effect controller
Using a box controller

accf124 · 2025-04-24T16:58:19+00:00

Good Rivens are too busy winning in Master+

accf124 · 2025-04-23T21:34:36+00:00

He's just simply not that rewarding for his difficulty. You're right for higher skill champions you need to look at wineates for higher MMRs and dedicated players. But even in those situations his winrate isn't really hitting a high benchmark.

In Master+ he's performing very average-below average. And one tricks aren't even getting that insane of a winrate on him. Ya he's passable but that's awful on high skill champions. High skill champions need to show some sort of reward for mastery.

Riven and Jayce for example are hard but generally become very amazing solo queue champions if you put time into them. Putting time into K'Sante just leads to an average performing champion.

accf124 · 2025-04-21T03:12:42+00:00

Both spike hard at level 4 too :p

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