Riot Games has announced that Locke, the upcoming League of Legends champion, is designed for the mid lane. The reveal adds another mid laner to a release pipeline that has heavily favored the position in recent years.
The announcement highlights a striking imbalance in champion role distribution. According to player tallies of recent releases, mid lane has received a disproportionate share of new champions while support has been largely overlooked.
Milio remains the most recent dedicated support release, having launched in March 2023. Before him was Renata Glasc in February 2022. For tank support players specifically, the wait has been even longer. Rell, released in December 2020, was the last champion designed as a front-line support.
Why mid gets more love
The pattern isn’t random. Mid lane champions are easier to market and design around. The role naturally accommodates flashy kits built on damage, mobility, and eye-catching plays that perform well in trailers and on streaming platforms.
Mid is also one of the most popular roles in both solo queue and professional play. From a business perspective, new mid laners generate more immediate player interest and skin sales than supports typically do.
The design challenges for supports are more complex. Creating fresh support kits beyond the standard healing, shielding, and engage mechanics is difficult. Champions need to feel impactful without becoming mandatory picks in professional play or feeling powerless in solo queue.
