Double Smite Meta seems to be returning to League of Legends, as Preseason 2023 has caused it to resurface.
League of Legends has had a fluid meta for many years. Some of the past meta has been well received, while others have been unpopular, to say the least. Ardent Censer meta comes to mind when you talk about the later case.
The meta in Worlds 2022 was among the best ones to date. It offered a lot of champion viability, and it was constantly changing based on what stage of the tournament the teams were on. That is the kind of ideal meta Riot envisions to be the mainstream.
On the flip side, it’s apparent what type of meta Riot does not want in the game. One of those examples is the funnel meta in years past. There was also the Double Smite Meta that plagued League of Legends in 2015. In both cases, Riot put a stop to that.
However, Double Smite Meta is making a comeback in Preseason 2023 as it’s become quite the conversation. This is what we know so far and what Riot will do about it.
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What is Double Smite Meta
The Double Smite Meta is one of the most infamous times of League of Legends. The meta consists of multiple players (a jungler and a solo laner) to take smite. The solo laner would generally be a supportive laner that would funnel (to feed) resources to the jungler as the jungler will be ahead and can carry the game. This version of the Double Smite Meta was taken down by Riot and essentially eliminated from the game.
The newest version of Double Smite Meta is a little different. The idea is the same with smites on the jungler and mid-laner. In brief, the jungler will buy the jungle item and farm camps. A little while later, the mid-laner will buy a jungle item and swap it with the jungler. The essence of the strategy is to stack up treats and cash them in by two player cycling through the jungle.
Moreover, in some instances, due to some bugs/glitches, solo laners taking the smite would also manage to get the Jungle Pets, the newest addition to the game that helps junglers.
It is a potent strategy that requires a good amount of coordination and is very much doable.
Riot’s Response to the Double Smite Meta
With this strategy being the topic on Reddit, Riot was bound to respond. According to Riot RayYonggi, the dev team knew about the issue, and they have several mitigation strategies in mind to tackle the situation. Riot RayYonggi also laid out their approach when it comes to these strategies.
It is not feasible for the team to preemptively deal with it and instead observe these strategies and address them properly. Preemptively dealing with these strategies is way too hard, so dealing with them after they get a grasp of the specific strategies is better for the team in the long run.
Riot RayYonggi also mentioned that the fix could be regarding not giving treats to players if they do not have a jungle item. Their agenda will be to nerf the strategy to a point that it becomes niche completely.
When is the fix going to be live?
The fix is expected to go live in Patch 12.23, which will be released on December 7th, 2022. So, expect Riot to come out with a firm answer to address the issue that has popped up once more in League of Legends.
