This weekend was a field day for fans of champion diversity. Across both the European and North American LCS, upwards of 45 unique heroes were picked in professional games. For context, the entirety of the Season 6 World Championships had only 55 unique champions played - and that was over the course of a month and a half.
Part of this is simply because the meta has shifted. Riot's balance work in the offseason has had some drastic effects on how the game is played, and the pros simply haven't had the time to feel everything out before the season started. However, another part of this is because of the new pick/ban format. Ten bans means that more champions are removed from the table - and when that happens, there are any number of B-tier picks that can come out.
So, despite Rengar, LeBlanc, and Camille being nearly one hundred percent banned in the first week of the LCS, teams have still been able to reduce their opponent's options in champ select. Teams have been using their second two bans to pinch out the support or ADC pool, forcing their opposing number to choose champions that aren't usually considered to be meta. This led to surprise Twitch and Caitlyn picks in the weekend's games, and showcase how the new format can contribute to increasing diversity.
This doesn't mean that the current state of balance is perfect. Camille, Rengar and LeBlanc are currently permaban status in the LCS, and two of the three haven't lost a game yet. On top of that, it's still the beginning of the season - the pros are still figuring out what's good and what isn't, and champ diversity will likely fall off throughout the weeks.
Even still, professional champion diversity is at an all-time high right now, and it's anyone's guess as to what will get played next.
