Smolder

Smolder is an AD carry in the mid, and on patch 16.11 they grade out as an off-meta pick — a 46.2% win rate, 0.9% pick rate, 10,762 ranked games sampled. On the power curve, Smolder is a scaling champion: comparatively weak early, but one of the strongest picks on the map once core items come online — so the plan is to survive the laning phase and take the game over late.

How Smolder wins: grouped 5-v-5 teamfights, where Smolder tips the fight, and winning the wave and turning push priority into map control. The kit grades 7/10 teamfighting, 7/10 waveclear. Smolder grades low on roaming and disengage (2/10, 2/10), so don't take fights that turn on those dimensions.

The most-played core build is Essence Reaver, Black Cleaver, Spear of Shojin, which holds a 49.2% win rate across 956 games this patch. Item order and defensive swaps update against whichever enemy comp you select.

The matchup to respect is Irelia, where Smolder sits at just 36.8%, the lane swings the other way into Malzahar (52.3%), and on the team side, Smolder gains the most from a Rakan (+5.7% pair win rate).