Full Strike meta is a strategy first popularized in Indonesia, although it's concepts was first seen during M2 World Championship.
Background[]
During the M2 Grand Finals, Bren was on the verge of collapse after being defeated by Burmese Ghouls thrice in the Bo7 series. With stakes at high, Bren decided to draft a heavy-chase composition of Brody, Benedetta and Chou. They later managed to win the game and the whole series as a whole after that.
Description[]
When using this strategy, the team composition usually consists of heroes with burst capabilities and high mobility, relying on full damage output and extended clashes to win the game.
With tanks becoming obsolete, teams are now opting for a “bait role” instead — a hero that’s responsible for luring and distracting enemies. Examples of heroes who fit the bait role include Jawhead, Silvanna, and Benedetta. Apart from being able to withstand damage, these heroes are agile and can pack a punch in the early game, which allows teams to pick fights early.
Since MPL teams have no real tanks in this Full Strike meta, they also end up drafting a mid-support duo to provide the much needed crowd control.
The mid-support duo strategy is diverse when it comes to which heroes you can use. Physical heroes like Benedetta, Lapu-Lapu, and Brody are now viable options in the support role and, in turn, mages can enter the side lane to offset the physical damage.
If a team goes with two support mages in mid, they will usually slot in a marksman or fighter side laner, and a tough offlaner like Uranus, Baxia, or Esmeralda to tank the enemy firepower.
Looking at the bigger picture, the traditional 1-3-1 formation is still seen in the new playstyle, but the placement of roles is very flexible. Roaming heroes now prefer assisting their sidelaner, creating the new 1-1-1-2 formation.
Due to the advent of this meta, it brings the game into a more skirmish-heavy setting. All roles have the chance to initiate, creating more engagements that last longer than a single clash.
Examples[]
One prime example of Full Strike is EVOS Legends’ third week in MPL ID Season 7. Jungler Ferxiic’s gameplay was so crucial that many consider it a key factor in EVOS’ sweeping victories against ONIC Esports and RRQ Hoshi.
Downsides and counters[]
Of course, the Full Strike meta still has some flaws. The most effective way to contest such an all-out composition is with some solid crowd control. Seeing as how Full Strike heroes frequently initiate, opposing teams can actually lock them down using CC-heavy heroes like Kagura, Tigreal, and Atlas.