Metas change, LoL tier lists fluctuate, and your favourite champion might not be in a great place right now. While you can absolutely win games and climb the ranked ladder with nearly anyone in the lower ELOs, the changes that come via champion and item balancing can tip the scales enough that some picks are almost mandatory.
We’ve put together a few picks for each lane that have become especially overpowered in the 13.1 patch for League of Legends. Whether it’s due to a buff, kit change, or item change, these are safe picks if you’re looking to climb the ranks in the free PC game. If you do want to play something else, keep every one of these champions in our LoL tier list in mind for your ban, as they all have the potential to go on and dominate Summoner’s Rift in one of the best MOBAs you can play right now.
Best LoL champions for top lane Top lane can be quite a lonely place at times; a lot of the action during the laning phase is generally located in the bottom half of the Rift, mainly thanks to drakes and the duo nature of the bottom lane. This means that you need a champion with sustainability, mobility, and consistent damage. Top is also a very long lane, so having a pick with CC included in their kit will make punishing an enemy for overstepping very easy. Here are the best top laners in LoL:
Jax Jax has seen a substantial uptick in playtime since the 13.1 patch. He received a mid-scope update to his kit which added AP scalings as well as altering his ultimate ability; a 100% AP scaling and stacking of magic resistance and armour on Jax’s R makes this an excellent all-in tool or the perfect way to escape a gank.
Jax has constantly high damage and can easily stay safe in lane. With both a leap and a defensive stun in his kit, there isn’t much opportunity for the enemy team to catch you out as long as you play smart and don’t push without knowing the whereabouts of the enemy jungler.
Core item build: Divine Sunderer > Blade of the Ruined King > Spear of Shojin.
Darius The perennial top lane menace. Darius has hovered around the top of the top lane meta for a long time, and it’s easy to see why.His kit revolves around running down foes, stacking bleeds from his autos and abilities, and finishing opponents off with a satisfying dunk.
Darius not only has a pull and a slow in his kit, but he heals from the amount his enemy bleeds, so being aggressive in lane can pay off big if you’re clever with your skirmishes. Taking ghost lets you chase down an overextended lane opponent or escape a gank, and if you opt for Trinity Force as your first item, the mobility on this bruiser can rival almost anyone.
Core item build: Trinity Force > Death’s Dance > Dead Man’s Plate/Force of Nature (depending on lane opponent)
Other S-tier top lane champions: Gangplank, Kled, Olaf.
Best LoL champions for jungle The jungle role is perhaps the most influential in League of Legends. A good jungler will be able to set the pace of the game in your team’s favour, ganking your lane to get you ahead, locking down objectives, and keeping up with their own farm so they are as powerful as they can be. If this sounds like a lot, it’s because it is. Jungling has become slightly more beginner-friendly with emotional support pets, but can be brutal if you fall behind. Here are the best jungle champions in LoL:
Maokai Maokai saw a meteoric rise in pick rate with patch 13.1 and now has the highest pick-rate of all jungle champions in League of Legends. The living tree has innate tankiness, as well as surprising damage once he has an item under his belt. Maokai can throw saplings in bushes to damage and slow enemies, making counter-jungling a dream, and his ultimate ability, especially after the re-work, is the perfect ganking tool as it can root several enemies at once. Until the next patch, Maokai is pick-or-ban during the champion select phase.
Core item build: Demonic Embrace > Liandry’s Anguish > Shadowflame
Udyr Since his re-work, Udyr has been near the top jungle pecking order due to his incredible survivability, and his surprising damage. Strong out of the gate, aggressive jungle players can use Udyr’s lack of ultimate ability to gank lanes at level four, with what is essentially his entire kit available. Building damage first, and tank items after will ensure that you stay relevant in team fights initially, and eventually become nigh-unkillable.
Core item build: Demonic Embrace > Jak’Sho > Sunfire Aegis
Other S-tier jungle champions: Amumu, Zac, Elise.
Best LoL champions for mid lane Mid lane champions are often the damage carry for their team, and as long as they play their lane correctly, they can be the menace that the opposition fears when entering the late game. The mid lane can consist of anything from artillery mage, to burst assassin, and with it being the shortest lane on Summer’s Rift, it can be quite a volatile affair. Damage is generally considered to be the most important attribute when choosing a mid lane champion, with CC a close second – you won’t be able to run your opponent down with this lane being so short, so locking them down or killing them where they stand is vital.
Kassadin Left out in the cold for so long, Kassadin has found new footing in the mid lane with the re-introduction of the Rod of Ages item. Kassadin’s power lies in his ultimate ability, with this generally being underpowered until he hits level 16 and the cooldown is short enough that he can spam it in fights. With Rod of Ages, you can hit that power spike earlier, and dominate the late game. Kassadin is perhaps the only current pick-or-ban mid lane champion in League of Legends.
Core item build: Rod of Ages > Seraph’s Embrace > Zhonya’s Hourglass
Anivia Similarly to Kassadin, Anivia’s power, especially in team fights, is centred around her ultimate ability. Glacial Storm is a huge AOE ability that both damages and slows anyone caught in it, and can be cast indefinitely as long as you have enough mana. It’s because of this, that Anivia is most useful when she has leveled, and when she has items under her wing. Rod of Ages is another must here, getting to 16 and unlocking that final ultimate upgrade is vital to dominate team fights.
Core item build: Rod of Ages > Seraph’s Embrace > Zhonya’s Hourglass
Other S-tier mid lane champions: Vex, Lux, Ryze.
Best LoL champions for bottom lane The bottom lane has been in a state of disrepute for a few patches now, with a lot of Riot’s focus going on top lane, and jungle, and because of that, the ADC and support role aren’t as important as they once were. Although they still carry the potential to scale up and 1v5, it is tougher to carry a game as an ADC than it was previously. Patch 13.2 looks to make some changes to crit items, so the bot lane may see a resurgence.
Jhin One of the few ADC champions that must rely on burst over consistent damage, Jhin, once he has Galeforce, has the mobility and lethality to eliminate all but the tankiest of opposition. Last-hitting minions during the laning phase is relatively simple, with your Dancing Grenade doing a lot of the heavy lifting. With the speed boost you gain on critical hits, mobility boots, and the active ability you gain from Galeforce, zooming around the Rift and executing people is the name of the game with Jhin.
Core item build: Galeforce > The Collector > Rapid Firecannon.
Nami It used to be that a combination of Nami and Lucian was almost unstoppable in the bot lane, with their kit synergising almost too well. The overpowered duo has since been nerfed, but Nami still finds herself at the top of the pile if you’re after an enchanter support. With healing, movement buffs, and plenty of CC, you can’t go far wrong with the fishy.
Core item build: Imperial Mandate > Chemtech Putrifier > Staff of Flowing Water
Other S-tier bot lane champions: Samira, Lux, Amumu, Heimerdinger.
Now you have the LoL tier list and know the most overpowered champions in the current patch, it’s time to get out there and start raking in the LP. It’s worth checking out our beginners guide on playing League of Legends if you’re only just getting started, and if you’re a stalwart of Summoner’s Rift, it’s probably time to find out how much you’ve spent so far – hopefully, you won’t be too shocked.
Metas change, LoL tier lists fluctuate, and your favourite champion might not be in a great place right now. While you can absolutely win games and climb the ranked ladder with nearly anyone in the lower ELOs, the changes that come via champion and item balancing can tip the scales enough that some picks are almost mandatory.
We’ve put together a few picks for each lane that have become especially overpowered in the 13.1 patch for League of Legends. Whether it’s due to a buff, kit change, or item change, these are safe picks if you’re looking to climb the ranks in the free PC game. If you do want to play something else, keep every one of these champions in our LoL tier list in mind for your ban, as they all have the potential to go on and dominate Summoner’s Rift in one of the best MOBAs you can play right now.
Best LoL champions for top lane
Top lane can be quite a lonely place at times; a lot of the action during the laning phase is generally located in the bottom half of the Rift, mainly thanks to drakes and the duo nature of the bottom lane. This means that you need a champion with sustainability, mobility, and consistent damage. Top is also a very long lane, so having a pick with CC included in their kit will make punishing an enemy for overstepping very easy. Here are the best top laners in LoL:
Jax has seen a substantial uptick in playtime since the 13.1 patch. He received a mid-scope update to his kit which added AP scalings as well as altering his ultimate ability; a 100% AP scaling and stacking of magic resistance and armour on Jax’s R makes this an excellent all-in tool or the perfect way to escape a gank.
The perennial top lane menace. Darius has hovered around the top of the top lane meta for a long time, and it’s easy to see why.His kit revolves around running down foes, stacking bleeds from his autos and abilities, and finishing opponents off with a satisfying dunk.
The jungle role is perhaps the most influential in League of Legends. A good jungler will be able to set the pace of the game in your team’s favour, ganking your lane to get you ahead, locking down objectives, and keeping up with their own farm so they are as powerful as they can be. If this sounds like a lot, it’s because it is. Jungling has become slightly more beginner-friendly with emotional support pets, but can be brutal if you fall behind. Here are the best jungle champions in LoL:
Maokai saw a meteoric rise in pick rate with patch 13.1 and now has the highest pick-rate of all jungle champions in League of Legends. The living tree has innate tankiness, as well as surprising damage once he has an item under his belt. Maokai can throw saplings in bushes to damage and slow enemies, making counter-jungling a dream, and his ultimate ability, especially after the re-work, is the perfect ganking tool as it can root several enemies at once. Until the next patch, Maokai is pick-or-ban during the champion select phase.
Since his re-work, Udyr has been near the top jungle pecking order due to his incredible survivability, and his surprising damage. Strong out of the gate, aggressive jungle players can use Udyr’s lack of ultimate ability to gank lanes at level four, with what is essentially his entire kit available. Building damage first, and tank items after will ensure that you stay relevant in team fights initially, and eventually become nigh-unkillable.
Mid lane champions are often the damage carry for their team, and as long as they play their lane correctly, they can be the menace that the opposition fears when entering the late game. The mid lane can consist of anything from artillery mage, to burst assassin, and with it being the shortest lane on Summer’s Rift, it can be quite a volatile affair. Damage is generally considered to be the most important attribute when choosing a mid lane champion, with CC a close second – you won’t be able to run your opponent down with this lane being so short, so locking them down or killing them where they stand is vital.
Left out in the cold for so long, Kassadin has found new footing in the mid lane with the re-introduction of the Rod of Ages item. Kassadin’s power lies in his ultimate ability, with this generally being underpowered until he hits level 16 and the cooldown is short enough that he can spam it in fights. With Rod of Ages, you can hit that power spike earlier, and dominate the late game. Kassadin is perhaps the only current pick-or-ban mid lane champion in League of Legends.
Similarly to Kassadin, Anivia’s power, especially in team fights, is centred around her ultimate ability. Glacial Storm is a huge AOE ability that both damages and slows anyone caught in it, and can be cast indefinitely as long as you have enough mana. It’s because of this, that Anivia is most useful when she has leveled, and when she has items under her wing. Rod of Ages is another must here, getting to 16 and unlocking that final ultimate upgrade is vital to dominate team fights.
The bottom lane has been in a state of disrepute for a few patches now, with a lot of Riot’s focus going on top lane, and jungle, and because of that, the ADC and support role aren’t as important as they once were. Although they still carry the potential to scale up and 1v5, it is tougher to carry a game as an ADC than it was previously. Patch 13.2 looks to make some changes to crit items, so the bot lane may see a resurgence.
One of the few ADC champions that must rely on burst over consistent damage, Jhin, once he has Galeforce, has the mobility and lethality to eliminate all but the tankiest of opposition. Last-hitting minions during the laning phase is relatively simple, with your Dancing Grenade doing a lot of the heavy lifting. With the speed boost you gain on critical hits, mobility boots, and the active ability you gain from Galeforce, zooming around the Rift and executing people is the name of the game with Jhin.
It used to be that a combination of Nami and Lucian was almost unstoppable in the bot lane, with their kit synergising almost too well. The overpowered duo has since been nerfed, but Nami still finds herself at the top of the pile if you’re after an enchanter support. With healing, movement buffs, and plenty of CC, you can’t go far wrong with the fishy.
