Source: Riot Games
Trying to find the “best” character in league of legends can be a difficult task for anyone new to MOBAS. One has to look at how they want to play and the role they want to fill for their team during the match. League of Legends also has a constantly evolving “meta” in which characters are slightly changed in various ways to keep the game from becoming stagnant. With new items, characters and even map changes constantly being added to the game along with stat changes every patch it’s hard to really find who is the best. That being said, there are certain champions that, despite numerous changes, have remained staples of their roles due to their kits and ability to always affect the game no matter the changes made to them.
Best Top Lane Champs
Ornn is one of the best tanks in League of Legends for the simple reason that he has the ability to engage as well as survive massive amounts of damage being thrown at him. While this makes him an incredible tool for engagement, the thing that separates him from the rest is his passive ability. Ornn has the ability to upgrade his companions' items into special versions that give unique buffs that cannot be bought. The idea is that after level 13 Ornn not only gets stronger but is able to make his entire team stronger and eventually lead to them outscaling the enemy team.Garen is another top laner that fits a more aggressive playstyle for those who aren’t looking to engage for the team as much as simply kill their opponent and become a carry, a position intended to deal damage and kill the enemy team, themselves. Garen is a champion known for his simple kit who is able to deal lots of damage and finish off enemies with an ultimate that deals true damage. True damage is damage that, no matter what the enemy builds, will be dealt to them. With an ultimate move that is able to deal a huge amount of damage that usually executes the enemy laner.
Best Jungle Champs
Lee Sin is a playmaker jungler who can carry from the jungle role with a flashy kit that allows him to turn the tide of a fight and get “picks”, kills on important team members when they are out of position, during important moments. Lee is a playmaking and deadly jungler that is more about getting kills and creating plays instead of tanking and absorbing damage for his carries.
Warwick on the other hand is for those who want to isolate a target while also becoming a tank later in the game. Warwick’s strengths is his ability to find a target who doesn’t expect them and stun them with his ultimate ability, dealing large amounts of damage early in the game, and setting up his enemies to be killed. Later in the game Warwick is able to keep himself alive using life steal and tank-like stats. While he doesn’t have a flashy kit like Lee his abilities are simple and are new player friendly which makes him great for players who are learning jungle and want to make an impact in the early game.
Best Mid-Lane Champs
Viktor is a control mage whose main focus is to deal tons of damage in the middle of massive team fights. While starting off somewhat weak in the early game Viktor is a type of mage that scales over time. By the time the mid game or late game reaches its peak Viktor should be powerful enough to begin to rip through the enemy team with AOE, abilities that do damage to anyone in an area rather then one specific person, damaging spells Viktor can create separation, cause huge bursts of damage and pick off carries that might turn the tide of a fight. While he might not be able to move around the fight he is able to control the pace of a battle and is a great mid laner to pick up.
Source: Riot Games
Best Bottom Lane Champs
Ezreal is a highly mobile ADC (attack damage carry). Mobility is so important to Ezreal that it isn't quite like any other ADC in the game. With the ability to “jump” and builds that allow him to go both AD (Physical Damage) and AP (Magic Damage) he’s a bit of a hybrid. Ezreal is hard to master and at times can be considered “weak” compared to other carrying champs but is always relevant in the conversation at the very least. His playstyle allows the carry to jump around the battle and always create space, using spells to make sure the enemy can’t jump on the carries, so that it’s much harder for the enemy to pin him down while he is dishing out damage. While he can take a little time to learn, Ezreal is a character that is a useful tool with the right team and a solid ADC to master.
Best Support Champs
Leona is a tank support whose job is to stun the enemy carryin lane and the damage dealers in later fights so that her team can jump on them. With an ultimate that is a stun that can lock up multiple enemies and a kit that allows her to jump on and stun single targets at will, Leona can be considered one of the best in the game. Not only that, but with an ability that allows her to gain more armor and magic resistance, she is a terrifying force to go up against. Having a rather simple kit, she is one of the first supports anyone should consider picking up.
League of Legends is a complex game that is constantly changing and has over a hundred fifty characters. Each one brings a new kit that affects the game in a different way and choosing which one is the “best” isn’t really possible. That said, finding a champion that fits your playstyle is the most important part of the game. Finding a character that clicks and feels fun to play is the best way to not only get better at League but also the best way to have fun in the game.If you are looking for more information about League of Legends, head over to our League of Legends webpage where we dive into more specifics.
Josh Charest is a 26 year old Boston native who has loved video games from a very young age. An avid reader, cosplayer and rabid esports fan who loves to be in the stands screaming for his favorite team to take home the gold.