Who are the best League of Legends champions?

Determining the “best champion” in League of Legends is tough because the meta constantly shifts. A champion might dominate in one patch, only to fall out of favor in the next. However, certain champions remain consistently strong and useful, even after nerfs. These are the ones that tend to stand the test of time. But how can you balance meta trends with your personal playstyle?

You will hear this various times in your League experience. The "meta" corresponds to a period when certain champions are stronger due to patch notes, item balancing, team compositions, or new game structure. For example, last year in pro-play, the laning swap was a very powerful meta until Riot Games nerfed it recently.

In patch 25.07, champions like Fiora, Garen, and Aatrox are benefiting from Gwen and Darius' nerfs. In the jungle, Naafiri keeps going as the strongest champion (and one of the most banned), alongside Jarvan IV and Yorick.

The last one received an adjustment this patch that made him very strong against jungle monsters and a viable option in this meta. In the mid-lane, Ahri keeps going as the strongest champion, alongside Anivia, after the Rod of Ages buff. Sylas and Yasuo are still strong options to win the mid-lane.

Moving on to the bot-lane, the best champions in League of Legends right now are Jhin, Jinx, Kai'Sa, and Tristana. Kai'Sa's recent buffs have been increasing her pick and win rate, especially in the high elo. On the support side, enchanters are still S-tier picks.

Lulu, even with her nerf this patch, is still one of the most solid and consistent supports in the game. Nami and Janna can also replace Lulu in case you don't want to take risks with her nerfs. Braum, Rell, and Tresh are also excellent supports for cases when you need a more aggressive lane.

If you're a new player, it's important to understand which champions are strong and useful, especially while you're still developing your skills. Even though there are easier champions to start with, you can try solid options where the champion itself has a high potential for solo carry regardless of the actual meta.

Master Yi is often known as the “noob killer.” He’s highly mobile, can heal himself, and deals massive damage. In low ELO, he’s one of the most frustrating champions to face because many players don’t yet know how to counter someone who can do so much. On top of that, he scales incredibly well into the late game, making it nearly impossible to come back if he gets fed early on.

Over the years, Katarina mains have built just about everything imaginable—tank, ability power, even attack damage. And somehow, it all works. She's consistently strong and chaotic, often diving into fights and cleaning up before you can react. Most of the time, there’s not much you can do about her — unless you pick Galio, who remains one of her hardest counters.

If you like to play in the bot lane, you'll hate every single second you play against a Vayne. They're highly mobile, she can be invisible, and duel nearly anyone in the late game. Not only that, but she will destroy all of your tank friends, making it impossible for you to be secure. Skilled Vayne players can carry any game.

Fiora was designed to fight. Her potential to carry a solo game is unbelievable. She is one of the best champions for 1v1 situations. She deals a lot of damage, she has an escape possibility, and she scales exceptionally well with items. When you notice it, you are already dead in the lane. If you don't take her down early in the game, you can say goodbye to your LP.

Riven has massive carry potential in League of Legends due to her high mobility, outplay potential, and scaling damage. She is one of those champions that was always been strong since she was added to the game in 2011. However, she is one of those champions that demand high-skill players, and that might be hard for the majority of the player base.

Rengar is also a great choice due to his high damage, mobility, and snowball potential. When a Rengar is fed up, it's very difficult to win the game against him. He excels at burning down high-priority targets; his ultimate makes him invisible and very strong when he attacks other champions, and with a few kills, his damage becomes unbearable. With one or two items, he will hunt you down everywhere.

As we mentioned before, some champions can be very impactful in-game, but some of them require high skill from the player. Since the majority of the player base (around 70-80%) is in the Bronze, Silver, and Gold ranks, some of them still lack in skill mechanics and general micro and macro gaming. But then, what are the champions with the highest skill ceiling and the lowest skill floor?

In League of Legends, "high skill ceiling" means that the champion is so complex that it is very difficult to extract the most potential out of it. These champions require a lot of mechanics, combinations, positioning, and practice/improvement from the players to be effective.

Sometimes, it's almost impossible to extract all that potential because there are always new combinations to learn. Even though these are difficult champions to master, that doesn't mean they are only played in high elo. Here are some high skill ceiling champions in League of Legends:

On the other side of the coin, there are some champions with fewer mechanics requirements or "low skill floor". They are relatively easy to pick up and play with basic knowledge of the game and its mechanics. They are usually called "beginner-friendly". Not only that, but they can be effective without a lot of effort.

However, it's important to clarify that not everyone wants or needs to be very highly mechanical to be good. There are a lot of people that reached high ranks playing with low skill floor champions.

Not only that, but "the best league champion" doesn't need to be the one with the higher pick and win rate. It needs to be the one you feel comfortable with and have fun playing. But moving on, are you curious about which champions are most picked and banned in high elo and competitive League of Legends? Let's see the list.

For the high elo, we are considering only statistics from Diamond+. You can also check other ranks' picks, bans, and win rate in op.gg. These data are relative to the most recent patch.

For this table, we are considering the date from the League of Legends Worlds Championship (LoL Worlds) 2024. You can check this data yourself in gol.gg.

Balancing your personal playstyle with the ever-changing meta can be challenging. However, the key to managing this balance is understanding exactly what you enjoy playing.

No matter how much the meta shifts, if you’re forced to play a champion that doesn’t suit your playstyle or one you’re not comfortable with, you won’t have fun or unlock its full potential. While it’s important to stay informed about the meta, read patch notes, and adapt accordingly, you shouldn’t completely abandon everything you've learned just to fit the current trends.

Having a diverse champion pool can be incredibly helpful for adapting to meta changes, as it gives you a set of champions you’re comfortable with, no matter how the meta evolves.

That said, if you main a champion, don’t feel pressured to let go of them just because the meta isn't in their favor. Sometimes, with the right knowledge and skill, any champion can still be effective, even in less favorable circumstances. Keep practicing your mechanics, game sense, macro and micro gaming, and overall game knowledge, and you'll be fine.

That's all for now. Stick around for more League of Legends news, guides, and updates on esports.gg.