The start of League of Legends’ 13th season has brought a slew of significant changes to the meta, and Jhin is no exception
With the traditional tanky, engage supports falling out of favor in the support meta, there was potential for a new utility champion to emerge in the bottom lane. This idea has already gained traction in League, with Heimerdinger and Swain on board. However, one ADC, Jhin, has recently joined the roster.
While Jhin is widely regarded as one of the best-balanced marksmen in League, using him as a support is a horrible idea. Nonetheless, Hanwha Life Esports’ support Life was the first to use him in a supporting manner and won in an LCK match.
The same exact choice was used to start the 2023 LEC Winter Split by Excel’s Raphael “Targamas” Crabbé in a defeat to G2 last Saturday. Since all major regions began their 2023 seasons, there has been no bigger surprise than Jhin support throughout the world.
Jhin is best used to build crit items that take a large amount of gold to get started. However, there have been meta-builds when the strongest was a lethality style, maximizing his abilities’ damage. While that build path and rune selection went out of favor with the AD carry, it fits great with Jhin as a support.
Jhin, among the numerous marksmen in League, also carries more crowd control than others. His W is a snare onto any champion marked, his traps can cause AoE slow on the ground, and his ultimate Curtain Call can slow with any of the four shots.
It’s impossible to say how long Jhin and utility support will endure. Patch 13.2 may alter the game even more, with significant changes to AD carriers and their items. Regardless, it’s encouraging to see such a wide range of playstyles for the support role so early in Season 13.