MPL ID S17 showed that draft creativity still has room to disrupt even when meta heroes remain dominant. Several teams went beyond the expected picks and used unusual heroes to change the pace of matches, force different responses, and, in some cases, secure important wins.
One of the clearest examples came from ONIC’s Sanz in the second leg of the Regular Season against RRQ Hoshi. Nana only appeared at the very end of the draft in game two, even though the hero had been almost absent from the competitive scene.
That choice became the first and only Nana picked in the MPL ID S17 Regular Season. ONIC turned the decision into a strong result by winning 2-0 over RRQ, and Sanz was also selected as Player of The Match.
The pattern continued with other rare picks that challenged the usual jungle and mid-lane comfort zones. RRQ SuperKenn chose Gusion against TLID in the first leg of the Regular Season, despite the assassin being far from a common choice while meta junglers still dominated team preferences.
The result did not go RRQ’s way, as they lost 0-2. Even so, SuperKenn’s line of 4 kills and 8 assists kept the pick in the conversation because it showed impact beyond the final score.
Alter Ego made a similar statement through Kagura when it met EVOS in the first leg. Hijumee used the hero in game one, giving the team an unexpected draft angle even though the move did not produce an ideal opening result.
Hijumee finished that game with 4 assists and no kills. Alter Ego later recovered and won the series 2-1 after moving away from Kagura in the following games.
Kadita and the answer to Fanny
Big reactions also came from Bigetron’s use of Kadita in the first leg against TLID. Morenoo picked Kadita with Petrify in game three, a setup that appeared aimed at stopping TLID’s Kevinnn and his Fanny.
The choice worked extremely well. Morenoo ended the match with 6 kills and 10 assists, then earned Player of The Game as Bigetron completed a reverse sweep and won 2-1.
Another notable surprise arrived in week seven, when NAVI faced Bigetron. After taking a 1-0 lead, NAVI brought out Minsitthar in game two, making it the first Minsitthar picked in MPL ID S17.
Kars played the hero in the EXP lane. Bigetron managed to equalize at 1-1, but NAVI responded in game three and closed the series 2-1.
Taken together, these picks showed that MPL ID S17 was not shaped only by the safest meta options. Teams that dared to step outside the standard draft path were able to create new pressure points, and in several cases those decisions directly influenced the final outcome.
Source: www.idntimes.com