Stage 1 sees Chamber playrate% highest since 2022.
See Chamber playrate% at its highest*
Chamber has been making a gradual return every year
2022 was the obvious peak of Chamber. At nearly 80%, Chamber was inarguably the strongest he has ever been.
From 2023-2025, his use rates went as low as 0% in some regionals, but never exceeded 10% (Americas Stage 2, mostly as a comfort pick for G2's then sub player, Babybay, and EG's Yay, but never as a truly meta pick).
Even Champions 2025, regarded as the pinnacle of a healthy meta, only saw a paltry 3% use, due to Vyse's oversized influence on the meta.
However, 2026 Stage 1 has seen Chamber actually enter the meta as a viable off-meta pick. This is in spite of the ongoing Neon meta, which I believe is actually suppressing his use rate and creating a hostile environment for Chamber to thrive, meaning; Chamber's place in the meta is actually much more substantial than is being led on.
If or when Neon gets nerfed, his pick rate might explode into the stratosphere.
Veto, who was initially proposed as an alternative/competitor to Chamber saw a few enthusiastic followers at the start of kickoff and stage 1, but has fallen off significantly in usage as the meta developed.
My prediction is that all these factors might leave Chamber as the true successor to a potential post-Neon meta.