FOTM: February's Flavors of the Month

Hey everybody, it's time for another Flavor of the Month update!

FOTM, otherwise known as Flavor of the Month, designates which heroes have been brought into favor with the gaming community and thus are getting increased play whether through new buffs or simply through high level play. On the flip-side of the spectrum, of course there are those poor saps that have fallen out of favor with the gaming community for no fault of their own.

New FOTM:
Warwick - Recent buffs have given him new life as more players are testing him out both in lane and in jungle. He still suffers from the same early game deficiencies in jungle, but his innate tankiness and lifesteal make him a strong contender in lane against popular melee champions.

Counters: Almost all Warwicks start at blue. If you ward your jungle entrance and counter-jungle his Red with your team, he legitimately has 0 chance of successfully ganking early. In lane, he's countered by Vladamir and Kennen with their high sustain and ranged poking/wave clearing abilities.

---

Shen - Recent buffs to this champion have made him outrageously strong and a must-ban in nearly every game. His new-found damage increase allows him to be a global threat and turn any non 5v5 battle into his team's favor.

Counters: To counter him, always make sure you have an escape path when you engage. Also, as a top solo make sure you choose someone with high sustain and wave pushing potential. Heroes like Cho'gath fit this role well, and although Shen is a stronger laner, by punishing the lane when Shen ults, you can turn the tides in your team's favor.

---

Ahri - Despite her nerf her mobility is still unmatched. Her chasing ability and burst damage in small skirmishes is unparalleled. Most heroes can also be killed 1v1 with only 2 charges on your ultimate, which leaves you another blink to escape. Her charm is also a powerful engagement tool.

Counters: Countering Ahri is extremely difficult. Ideally, don't get into long poke-fights with Ahri, especially when she has blue. Also, consider focusing her down first, maybe even before the AD carry since she is an extremely strong sustained caster in team-fights with WOTA and Rylais.

---

Miss Fortune - With Chaox spouting her heavily, she's got one of the highest win percentages in solo queue at the moment. By chaining her autoattack to her double-up (like sivir's ricochet combo) MF can trade blows and scamper away and also hamper the enemy target's healing in sustain lanes with her impure shot.

Counters: As an AD carry and/or support, be sure to hit her often to keep her passive movespeed to a minimum. Controling your positioning near each other and creeps is crucial to make sure she doesn't get her second hit of doubleshot off on you. (which hits like a truck)

---

Vladimir - A couple stat nerfs and a nerf on spellvamp couldn't keep this vampire down. Impossible to force out of lane, his kit is extremely broken if he manages to get ahead and can carry a team easily by himself through sheer tankiness and sustained damage. Combined with another AP with a WOTA, he's absolutely unstoppable in teamfights.

Counters: Be sure to ignite Vladamir in order to minimize his healing and spellvamp. Also, be sure to gank him early and gank him often. Most Vladamirs do not run flash, so you'll be looking to blow his Sanguine Pool. Once Vladamir gets to level 9 with a revolver, getting him out of lane will be near impossible. Ahri, Lux, or a laning Fiddlesticks can counter him in lane.

---

Falling Out of Favor:
Ryze: Still a strong carry that snowballs very hard, he's simply falling out of favor due to other sustained casters like Vladamir making it onto the scene. Ahri's mobility also makes her much more fun than Ryze and tends to overshadow him as well.