Since access to professional player statistics in matchmaking (and even for those above 8500 MMR) was closed by Valve, tier-1 tournaments have become the primary window into the high-level meta. Let`s look at the statistics from the recently started FISSURE Universe: Episode 4 and focus on an interesting hero. Only a few teams are picking him. While this hero is at the bottom in matchmaking with a negative win rate, he has been showing almost 80% wins in competitive matches for the second event in a row. We are talking about Keeper of the Light.
Keeper of the Light is not very popular in the current meta, across all skill brackets. When he is picked, it’s usually with the Solar Bind aspect (often in the mid lane).
Few dared to experiment with the hero and reject Solar Bind for the teleportation aspect, as it significantly reduces his kill potential.
However, players who favored the Recall aspect did emerge, albeit not immediately. Just a month ago, Keeper of the Light was among the top ten most ignored heroes at DreamLeague, but the situation has started to change.
It`s important to note that in only one out of these 11 instances was the hero not picked as a position 4 support, and only twice was the Solar Bind aspect chosen.
Team Spirit and Gladiators have become the main fans of the hero. They showcased position 4 Keeper of the Light with Recall. Let`s try to understand the meaning and strength of this build below.
To begin, support Keeper of the Light is not picked randomly. His value is unlocked through a mid-lane hero who synergizes well with him.
In two tournaments, there was only one instance where the hero was picked outside of a synergy with a “Spirit” player. The combination with Ember Spirit is most popular for a reason: it`s one of the most effective ways to rapidly accelerate the game`s tempo, gaining a significant boost in early team fights. This happens because Keeper of the Light sometimes starts playing exclusively for his mid-laner even before the tenth minute, constantly using Chakra Magic on him. Ember Spirit, with almost infinite resources and constantly resetting ability cooldowns, can fight non-stop and control the map. It`s no coincidence that the skill build for such KotL looks like this:
The second reason for Keeper of the Light`s success is that the Recall aspect allows securing the initial advantage gained with Ember Spirit. The aspect opens up room for macro maneuverability. KotL can teleport to an ally or teleport an ally to himself, with Chakra Magic applied to both. This option clearly allows for quickly creating a numerical advantage in different areas of the map. There`s also the element of surprise. When you use smoke, the opponent sees enemies disappear from the map and starts playing more cautiously. But when an allied Ember Spirit is visible on the lane farming, and then suddenly appears on the other side of the map five seconds later, it`s much harder for the enemy to adapt. Crucially, the allied core hero doesn`t lose farm or time.
As a result, the already meta Ember Spirit reaches an ultimate form when paired with KotL.
By the way, Talon in their last match added Nature`s Prophet to this strategy. A global threat in the spirit of the old Spectre + Zeus combo, but with a more confident start.
The specific items KotL picks in this case are not as important and do not fundamentally change the concept.
This is how a hero with terrible matchmaking statistics is gradually turning into a professional scene powerhouse.
Finley Holt