New Patch Study
One exercise my coach had me do last set was to look at every 1 and 2 cost unit in the game and put them in tier lists, if you could only hold one unit b/c you didn't have enough gold, which one would you choose, etc. Doing that for this patch based on my experience so far should help with my early game strategy.
My 1 cost tier list. 1st row are S tier, then A tier, B tier, C tier, basically. Ionia (Irelia and Jhin) feels like the strongest opener. Bruisers (Renekton/Cho) provide great front line. Viego is just a very strong 1 cost item holder. Malzahar offers Void along with Cho which is another very strong opener. The third row has a couple decent item holders if I can't get Jhin/Viego/Malzahar.
This is highly subjective and more of a "solidify your playstyle so you have less tough decisions in actual games" exercise, than one of obejctive truth.
Two costs. In S tier Sett and Zed have the same Ionia trait as my top 1 cost units. Warwick shares traits with those Ionia units and is generically strong. Soraka just seems like a very strong 2 cost. On the second row are units that seem generically good, fill out other good traits, but aren't in my very favorite openers. Third row I don't really ever mind playing these guys, but they are always filling out something else. 4th row are units that many people consider quite solid but I have just had zero luck using them and their synergies in my own openers so I avoid them.
The next exercise is one I've done before for other patches, and that's to describe my strategy in detail. I should keep that strategy in mind games even as the items and units that I get deviate a little and might send me down little one offs that probably won't work out as well.
Current Strategy
I play the Ezreal legend. His augments give you extra items, his 2-1 augment is especially strong. On 2-1 I look to see if I have an incredible augment that I might take that isn't Ezreal and his items, but most games I take the items. I like playing aggressively early and playing for win streaks, so I slam items rather liberally.
I prefer to play around 4 cost carries, with Ionia (Yasuo/Kaisa), Azir/Lux, and Aphelios being the three comps that feel the most comfortable and viable to me. The first two of these are highly contested, sometimes I participate in the Kaisa lottery, or the Azir lottery even when contested, sometimes b/c my items are so perfect that I feel it's worth it, and sometimes because I just lack the creativity to see an alternative out.
That said, I also do like leaning in to some of the 3 cost rerolls that are usually less contested if I get the right spot for them. Noxus has two different rerolls, I like the Darius/Katarina one, and I really like 6 Invoker with Karma carry. Those really cannot be played if contested, so I need the right opener with the right items and to be able to scout and feel like I won't be contested.
So that describes 6 different comps, but in reality the first three are the ones I intend to play about 75% of the time.
Doing these exercises in my coaching session last set really helped me out a lot, so doing them every patch as the meta shifts I feel will remain very helpful.