Preface: The S15 season matches have officially begun, and most players have surely been paying attention to the recent battles. The World Championship is fiercely competitive. As the Swiss rounds progress, the first BO3 matches appeared, and the LPL region’s TES team experienced significant fluctuations in form. Both their draft strategy and player performance changed dramatically. Ultimately, after securing two favorable draws in a row, TES lost to KT and failed to advance to the quarterfinals early. After the match, many fans mocked coach Hongmi’s draft choices, questioning why he kept picking the meta trap champion Jarvan IV. Since the World Championship began, Jarvan has been picked nine times and lost all nine matches.

The biggest meta trap in the S15 World Championship

Most players are quite focused on this World Championship. From the overall competition so far, the LPL and LCK regions remain the strongest contenders for the title. Meanwhile, a dark horse has emerged: the all-Chinese CFO team. Surprisingly, they defeated T1 in a BO1 match and even exchanged fierce battles with LPL’s AL team, reminiscent of the old Flash Wolves. The most unfortunate team might be TES, who, despite drawing several favorable matchups, failed to capitalize and were defeated 2-0 by KT, dropping to a 2-1 group score.

In the first game, within just three minutes, Annie played by Xiaonaiyou traded well in lane and decisively flashed to secure first blood with Jarvan’s help. From then on, TES controlled the early game rhythm and secured more dragons. The most frustrating moment was the 18-minute team fight, which allowed the opponent’s plane to take off. It’s baffling why 369 used his ultimate to turn back and engage during a retreat. Things only got worse afterward, with Xiaonaiyou suddenly lagging and walking into the enemy’s vision near the Baron pit, gifting a kill. The second game was basically one-sided; after KT took first blood, they played steadily and defeated TES within 29 minutes.

After the match, netizens discussed why Jarvan was chosen as the jungler in the first game’s draft. It’s important to note that Jarvan has essentially become the meta trap champion of S15 Worlds. Since the tournament began, Jarvan has been picked nine times by players including T1’s Oner, VKS’s Disamis twice, KOI’s Elyoya, BLG’s Beichuan, FLY’s Inspired, HLE’s Peanut, TSW’s Hizton, and this time TES’s Kanavi. None of these picks resulted in a win. The main reason is that the double carry teams have too many mobility skills, making Jarvan look clumsy and easily controlled to death without being able to execute his plays.

In an interview, TES coach Hongmi responded to this issue, stating that Jarvan’s losing streak cannot be explained by bad luck alone. He felt that teams prioritized Jarvan too highly in drafts because other AD junglers were nerfed. They thought Jarvan could be picked early, but from current results, he’s not suitable as a first or second pick. Therefore, in future patches, Jarvan should only be picked with a supportive team composition. It’s clear that after this loss, Hongmi recognized flaws in his draft strategy. Although TES lost this match, winning just one of the next two would secure their advancement.

Farewell thoughts

Honestly, in previous World Championships, Jarvan had a very high priority and was often a must-ban or must-pick. However, in this World Championship, after experiments by many top junglers, this patch is not favorable for Jarvan. The double carries’ excessive mobility and speed make it impossible for Jarvan to perform effectively. It remains uncertain whether TES will continue this kind of draft strategy.

What do you, the viewers, think about this matter?