LMHT: Will Statikk Shive be the 'Explosive Flavor 2.0' at this year's Worlds?

Despite being repeatedly beaten down by Riot 6 times in a row, Statikk Shive continues to exert a strong influence on the Mid Lane Mage meta ahead of the 2023 Worlds. This makes League of Legends fans worried it will recreate the Explosive Flavor meta of 2017.

Upon its return in patch 13.10, Statikk Shive wasn't highly regarded by many players, including professional gamers. In fact, Riot had to urgently buff this item in patch 13.11 to salvage player confidence. However, changes to the Mid Lane mechanics in the 2023 season made Mages struggle to push waves effectively. Consequently, players unanimously pivoted when Statikk Shive completely solved this issue with its 250% damage to minions effect.

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This has made the Mid Lane meta extremely 'toxic'. Just a slight lead and you're practically dominating the entire game with the support of Statikk Shive. Hence, this item has been nerfed by Riot six times in a row from patch 13.13 up to now. However, the Electric Mage playstyle still thrives in the hands of skilled players.

The versatility of Statikk Shive being picked by players in all positions is not uncommon. For example, the image below shows its presence in four different positions in a recent professional match. Especially, two Mid Lane champions with different playstyles, LeBlanc and Twisted Fate, both have this item despite it being nerfed 6 times by Riot.

Across all League of Legends social media platforms, you can easily find concerns that the 'Explosive Flavor 2017' disaster will repeat itself, rendering all banning strategies futile. S-Games hopes that the adjustments to Statikk Shive in patch 13.19 will prove effective in ensuring a healthy meta for the 2023 Worlds.