League of Legends Worlds 2022 welcomes rare Zilean top appearance The Loadout The Loadout League of Legends Worlds 2022 welcomes rare Zilean top appearance Isurus League of Legends star ADD brought out a dark technology in the form of Zilean top lane during the Worlds 2022 Play-Ins Stage tie against Saigon Buffalo Aaron Down Updated: Sep 30, 2022 22:43 ET League of LegendsLeague of Legends World Championship The League of Legends Worlds Play-Ins stage is a magical time. As some of the top teams from the world over struggle to assert themselves on the Rift, and secure their spot in the tournament's Group Stage, the Worlds meta begins to form. Among the picks which come to define the meta are certain, individual specialties – such as Isurus toplaner Kang 'ADD' Geon-mo's Zilean top, which the Korean brought to the fore in the day two matchup against Saigon Buffalo. While the Zilean pick – which is typically played as a midlaner or support – didn't quite do enough to secure Isurus the win, it has certainly drawn the attention of other pros – such as Golden Guardians toplaner Eric 'Licorice' Ritchie – and commentators on social media alike. Speaking to The Loadout as part of an upcoming interview, The Chiefs midlaner James 'Tally' Shute commends the pick: "I think Zilean top is really cool because it works really well with Hecarim and shuts Aatrox down in lane – it's a very smart pick." Zilean top is a remarkably rare pick – this is only the second time The Chronokeeper has featured in this position on the Worlds stage. In fact, you will have to turn the clock all the way back to LoL Worlds 2013 to find his first solo side lane appearance, when Mineski toplaner Elijah 'Snoy' Guerrero piloted him against Fnatic. Just as ADD faced defeat today, so too did Snoy back then. ADD himself has played Zilean top only once before in pro play, while competing with Bilibili Gaming in the LPL back in 2020. In the 2020 LPL Summer Split tie against Suning, the toplaner had a far happier ending to the game as Bilibili brought home the win. Between Zac mid and Zilean top, Worlds 2022 has already thrown out some incredibly spicy picks. As we move into the final days of the Play-Ins Stage, we can't wait to see if anything even more unorthodox appears in the draft. More from The Loadout Hylissang says playing the Fnatic way is key to Worlds 2022 success EG Inspired is "not scared" of G2 Esports Worlds 2022 rematch The LoL Worlds 2022 final is headed to a cinema near you Worlds 2022 Pick’Em Crystal Ball: Maokai spreads his roots in Play-Ins October Prime Gaming rewards turn Nasus into a meme for LoL Worlds League of Legends Worlds 2022 dates and seeding confirmed by Riot Aaron Down Aaron was an adventurer like you, until he took a footballing injury to the knee. Having retired from his glittering Sunday League career, he now writes about everything from Genshin Impact, to League of Legends, to Valorant (He/Him) Popular now Orianna has been disabled for League of Legends Worlds 2022 The FIFA 23 meta has quickly become all about Lengthy players Blizzard assures Overwatch 2 players their OW1 skins aren’t lost Network N Media earns commission from qualifying purchases via Amazon Associates and other programs. We include affiliate links in articles. View terms. Prices correct at time of publication. More stories Odoamne says Rogue is taking LoL Worlds 2022 “one game at a time” Best Warzone Loadout of the Week – battle with Modern Warfare’s best The LoL Worlds 2022 final is headed to a cinema near you More from The Loadout Follow us for daily videogame news on Facebook, Twitter, Steam, and Google News. LoL ranks: League of Legends ranking system explained League of Legends champions we’d love to see get crossovers The best MOBA games Free shooting games Best PS5 games Best Xbox games