The League of Legends is packed full of Champions that we cannot even name anymore. With nearly 160 on the roster, the Champion pool has grown exponentially throughout the years with no intention of stopping. However, not all Champions offer the same level of quality or enjoyment, nor do they all require the same amount of skill.
This list compiles the 7 best Champions when mastered. These Champions offer the best quality imaginable, but only to those willing enough to sink their time and effort into them. Though not all on this list are rocket-science difficult, unlocking their true potential is. It will take more than a few games just to learn how they function and tons more to genuinely understand their complexities and intricacies.
Most of the Champions on this list are, thankfully, approachable. This means that you’ll be able to pick them up and even play well almost immediately. But, after a while, you will hit a skill ceiling from whence you’ll have to invest much more to advance further.
So, with everything out of the way, let’s begin with our list!
Also read: Fastest Jungle Clear Champions
7. Fiora
Fiora is undoubtedly one of the most unbearable Champions to play against on the Top Lane. I’ve got bad news if you’re a Champion with high reliance on your CC. Fiora can directly deflect any of your attempts at subduing her and will return the favor. Her damage, speed, and sustain are just some of the aspects that make her utterly broken.
Recently, I’ve liked her and have been playing her sporadically. This has shown me just how far this Champion can go in dominance. She can use her passive to harass her opponent into submission constantly. If she gets low, the passive can heal her. If the enemy builds defense, it gives her true damage. There’s so much in such a simple spell, and Fiora uses it to the fullest.
She and Jax are at the top of the food chain when it comes to fighting. Which is better is a matter of debate, and even in the lore, the two are rivals. Sometimes I will say the former, sometimes the latter. But as a Jax main, I’ll have to side with him.
I recommend you give her a try and see for yourself what I mean. Fiora can scarcely be beaten by any Champion on the Top Lane, as she has some form of countermeasure for everyone.
6. Irelia
Irelia is one of the more difficult Champions in League of Legends. She isn’t precisely Riven, but she does come close at times. Mastering her is a chore and will take you hours to reach. But that doesn’t stop her from being broken and utterly insane. Even newer players with her can achieve greatness, which comes from her borderline overpowered kit.
CC, true damage, healing – everything and more is contained within her wretched abilities. She can bash people to death without even breaking a sweat. And good luck trying to catch her, as she can swiftly dash through the minions and Champions. Playing against Irelia is a game of cat and mouse. However, she has a knack for turning you into the mouse more often than not.
Her full potential is locked behind her difficulty, fortunately or unfortunately. Not many players in the game can do what she actually can do, and that’s why I wouldn’t exactly recommend her. She’s an incredible Champion with near-infinite potential, but that potential takes way too much effort for my liking.
If you want to give her a try, go for it, but I’d advise against that.
5. Riven
I don’t think there’s a single Champion in this game with as many bugs and glitches as Riven does. Her animation cancels, combinations, etc., are all critical parts of her kit, which takes more than a few games to learn.
I’ve watched countless videos of Riven players doing things that definitely weren’t intended to be done. This has garnered her a ton of infamy among the community and respect for her players.
Riven can turn this technicality into actual broken-level gameplay. If played by the right hands, she becomes one of the most potent Champions ever to set foot on the Rift. Hell, she can be so broken at times in every way possible that 1v5s are a joke for her.
However, I wouldn’t recommend her despite all the praise and infamy. She takes up so much time and effort to just learn, exponentially more to master, that it simply isn’t worth it. There are so many Champions out there that are way easier and can offer similar performance. So check those out instead.
Also read: Easiest ADCs in League of Legends
4. Yasuo
Yasuo, the samurai everyone loves to hate. I continuously repeat that he’s my most hated Champion, yet I cannot avoid praising him for the depth and strength he exerts. Yasuo is one of the best Champions that the League has ever seen in the right hands. Sometime following his release, he was considered OP and broken. Today, I see him as a grand Champion for the truly gifted players.
I also often note that Yasuo will snowball no matter what. His kit, primarily his passive, allows him to be consistently strong and viable throughout the game. If he builds his mythic, he should be good to go for a while. Even a severe disadvantage can easily be caught up if you know what you’re doing with him.
Having a good Yasuo player paired with a solid team with friendly communication is a formula built for success. Yasuo players rarely fail independently, except when they don’t know how to play him. It’s inevitable for Yasuo to reach a level of might that can see him one-shotting people with ease.
Though traditionally a Mid Laner, he’s become increasingly popular on the Top Lane. I can’t say I’ve had any issues with him, as I usually play his direct counters. However, there is a Yasuo player from time to time that wrecks me super hard no matter what I’m playing. That’s where his true scale and potential lie – the skill.
He scales in the game, and he indeed scales amazingly with the player’s overall skill level.
3. Yone
Yone is somewhat of a Yasuo clone, with a few alterations to his kit. But its gist is the same – you use the wind to your advantage, you have knock-ups, etc. His laning phase is excellent, as long as he doesn’t pick too many fights in a row before he hits around level 5. At level 5 he’ll have all three of his spells, allowing him to use his vicious combos that involve a lot of damage and a safe retreat.
Later on, throughout the game, Yone’s Ultimate will be a deciding factor in team fights. As a multi-targeted CC, it can have a massive impact on the outcome and deal substantial damage. He’s a good team-fighter, roamer, and laner, and I highly suggest you try him out if you want to play an Assassin. Keep in mind that he will falter when faced with some of the more OP picks these days.
2. Akali
Akali is a solid Champion to play as, though perhaps not so intuitive. Her kit is pretty straightforward, and you have the mobility to do the classic in-and-out tactic without breaking a sweat.
Her damage, like the rest on the list, is remarkable. She will often take the Conqueror rune, allowing her to heal for days and make your life miserable. You will often meet her on the Top Lane, and while she does excel against most classes, she can struggle against bruisers.
Picking a good tank that can outlast her in fights and trade blows with her is paramount to winning. Keep in mind that Akali does tend to pull out a few tricks from her sleeve and deal damage/heal unexpectedly. She can Lane and will scale enormously into the late game, so beware of her when she picks up an item or two.
Also read: How to Win Every Single Trade in League of Legends?
1. Katarina
This Champion fails to be anything but the best in her class. She’s simple, easy to pick up and play with, and doesn’t have too much about her that’s necessarily complex. Learning some of those wild combos and dashes that would give anyone motion sickness is not easy, but it isn’t exactly rocket science either.
Katarina has a good laning phase that can win against most opponents. However, some on this list can likely beat her in Lane but can never snowball as fast and easy as she does. Snowballing is a reoccurring theme with assassins. Their items are not too expensive, and getting kills is super easy, considering their kits were tailored around it.
Katarina is the queen of roams, and she will roam every part of the map you can think of. Most Katarina players focus on the bottom Lane, especially if it is losing. Strengthening the position of your other lanes while keeping the mid Lane secure and stable will help you limit and stop Katarina’s snowball.
Being this map-aware and present is excruciatingly difficult for a jungle player, especially a lower elo one, so give it your best to limit her as much as possible or accept a defeat and move on.
Conclusion
League of Legends has so many Champions that it’s becoming quite challenging to select the best in any category. We’ve had to take some subjectivity when selecting the best in the list above with so many complex and masterfully designed options. I wouldn’t recommend anything other than Fiora for newer players.
This is solely because the others take up too much time to genuinely learn and play. Take your time and learn how the game works first, and then move on to challenging and complex Champions. Trust me; you’ll have a much better time with the game by keeping things simple and easy on yourself.
I hope you’ve found this list informative and fun to read, and I wish you all the best on the Summoner’s Rift!
Check out our list of the best assassins in LoL!
