Champions in League of Legends can be divided into many categories. When it comes to mid-lane, a name that you will often hear is Skirmishers.
One of the best duelists in the game, these champions are used majorly in mid-lane to shred through the enemies that approach them. Skirmishers are high mobility, high damage, high mechanics, and high-skill cap melee champions.
However, they don’t do well in team fighting. Due to these traits, players have a love-hate relationship with Skirmishers. Nevertheless, if used correctly, they can easily turn the tide of the battle. In today’s article, we will be looking at some of the best skirmishers in League of Legends.
In a nutshell, some of the best skirmishers in League of Legends are Fiora, Jax, Kled, Riven, Tryndamere, Master Yi, and Yasuo.
Yasuo
One of the most powerful swordsmen out there, Yasuo, suffers the past of a tragic hero. When accused of killing his master, Yasuo is forced to enter a duel against his brother, Yone. In self-defense, he had to kill his brother. Unable to forgive himself for his actions, he now wanders in agony with his blade.
Yasuo is a popular melee player with exceptional sword fighting skills. He can dash toward his enemies using his E skill. Similarly, using his Q skill, he can deliver multiple attacks to his opponents while thrusting forwards. This deals significant damage to enemies standing in a line.
His passive is called Way Of The Wanderer, due to which his critical strike chance is increased. It also allows him to build a shield when he is moving, thus serving as an extra defense when taking damage from a champion or a monster. Yasuo’s other abilities are Last Breadth, Steel Tempest, Sweeping Blade, and Wind Wall.
Overall, Yasuo is an amazing Skirmisher. He is not the best nor the worst in any one area but he is perhaps the best as a well-rounded champion. Yasuo has high mobility, good crowd control, and impressive survivability, making him a valuable asset, to say the least. However, this also makes the unforgiven swordsman a difficult champion to master.
Master YI
Although a calm and peaceful person mostly, the Wuju Bladesman possesses a lot to boast about. He has sharpened his mind so that his thoughts and actions execute almost together. Master Yi won’t be the first to pick up the blade, but if pushed, he will deliver justice just as quickly.
Essentially, he works best as a jungler and is known to wreck teams and clean up team fights. Master Yi is extremely susceptible to crowd control, but he makes up for it by his primary outplay mechanic, Q. If used correctly, it allows Yi to become nearly untargetable and thus avoid crowd control.
His passive is known as Double Strike, which allows him to deliver a double attack after every few basic attacks in a series. Master Yi’s abilities also include Alpha Strike, Highlander, Meditate, and Wuju Style.
Due to his reset mechanics, he can stack up several kills against enemies with low health, making him extremely useful in the late game. In the early game, he is quite weak, but with the right items, you can incentivize him in the early game as well. To top it all off, if you are fighting low elo players, then Master Yi is your best bet to go with.
Tryndamere
At number five place, we have the king of the barbarians. Tryndamere is a fearless fighter, with unmatched rage at his disposal. He is known for the countless victories which he has acquired over the years, with odds that seemed impossible.
Tryndamere is a warrior you will wish to have on your side. He is immune from death while having unrivaled chase potential and destructive damage. He is extremely useful when trying to clear waves and take towers quickly. Moreover, his escape potential allows him to swiftly escape duels when the entire enemy team attacks him.
His passive is called Battle Fury, due to which his critical strike chance will increase every time he lands an attack, critical strike, or killing blow to his enemy. His abilities include Bloodlust, Mocking Shout, Spinning Slash, and Undying Rage.
Tryndamere’s main problem is fighting team battles where enemies can crowd control him. If he fails to get on top of his target or falls behind then, he will be worthless. However, his early game is where he stands the strongest. Once he has reached level 6 and has access to his ultimate, the fate of the battle will quickly be decided.
Riven
Joining our list at the number four position is the once legendary swordmaster. Riven was a soldier in the war hosts of Noxus and climbed the ranks due to her sheer will and awe skill. This was what earned her the legendary runic blade along with her very own Warband. However, after her convictions were broken for her homeland, she cut ties with her empire. Riven now wanders to find her purpose in the shattered remains of what once was her reality.
Riven is an extremely well-rounded champion, specializing in top-lane. Due to her agility, her early game is also quite strong. Once you have reached level 6, Riven will have access to Blade of the Exile, which significantly increases her attack damage. She also has two forms of hard crowd control, making her a rare Skirmisher.
Her passive, called Runic Blade, charges her blade. This makes her basic attacks expend charges, thus dealing even more damage. Riven’s abilities include Blade of the Exile, Ki Burst, and Broken Wings.
Riven makes for an exceptional Skirmisher due to her mobility. However, it also means that her brute strength damage is quite low. To make up for this, most players will incentivize animation canceling. Overall, she is one of the most difficult Skirmishers to play with a high-skill cap.
Kled
When it comes to aggression, Kled is the boss. He is known to have acquired every military title in existence, never backing down from a single fight. Overall, he is one hell of a Yordle.
Kled is quite versatile, having top-tier chasing potential and the capacity to turn even lost fights in your favor despite not having enough items on him. However, he cannot clear waves very efficiently, due to which he will not do well as an effective split pusher.
Due to his passive, Skaarl will take damage for him. Once he is weak, Kled will dismount and fight on foot, with each kill restoring Skaarl’s courage. When his courage is maximum again, Kled will remount on him.
Kled’s abilities include Violent Tendencies, Jousting, Bear Trap on a Rope, and Chaaaaaaaarge!!! Fancy names, huh?
If you want to incentivize Kled, it is suggested to use him to kill one of the enemy champions early on, as it will turn the match into a 4v5 with opponents having nowhere to run, thus giving your team a definite edge.
Unlike most other Skirmishers, due to his tankiness, Kled will prove to be perhaps the best skirmisher in team fights.
Jax
Jax is one of the original Skirmishers, but up to this day, he remains one of the best in the game. One of the last known weapon masters from Icathia, Jax, looks for competent warriors who can help him protect what little remains of his once mighty homeland.
Jax scales extremely well, becoming a literal behemoth by late game, with the potential to split push on his own. The community considers him and Tryndamere to be the two strongest split pushers in the entire game. He can take towers extremely fast, making him a fan favorite. He is also the only Skirmisher who can deal hybrid damage.
When it comes to the cons of using Jax, the primary one is team fights as he will struggle against crowd control and a focus fired.
His passive is called Relentless Assault, due to which his Attack speed will increase by a margin. Jax’s abilities include Leap Strike, Empower, Counter-Strike, and Grandmaster’s Might.
Overall, Jax is one of the best skirmishers out there. He has been known to turn the entire strategic gameplay of the LoL upside down due to his past updates, making him no less than a celebrity in the community.
Fiora
Joining in at first position is none other than the grand duelist. Fiora was born in the house of Laurent in the kingdom of Demacia. When a scandal nearly ruined the fate of the family, Fiora took charge of the house from her father and dedicated her life to restoring the lost reputation of her family heritage. She is a fearful duelist wielding a sword, ready to carve through anything that crosses her path.
Fiora has percent health and true damage, which essentially means that she can shred through tanks. She majorly relies on auto attack resets from her E to strike damage to the enemy. Like most Skirmishers, Fiora will struggle with team battles. This is specifically true when there are a lot of enemy champions with crowd control. However, if she can heal off on her ultimate, you have nothing to worry about, as she will single-handedly win the entire match for you.
Her passive is known as Duelist’s Dance, where she will challenge the enemy to dodge her by letting them know where she will attack from. If she manages to land a hit, Fiora receives a small bonus and will repeat the attack. Her other abilities include Bladework, Grand Challenge, Lunge, and Riposte.
Overall, she is one of the best Skirmishers out there with only a handful of champions that can even stand a chance against her in a 1v1. Due to her agility, she is quite difficult to control. However, the time spent learning how to play her will be well worth it.
Conclusion
Skirmishers have been a crucial part of LoL and mid-game. However, they come with their downsides. Most Skirmishers will struggle in team fights but will do exceptionally well in 1v1 or 1v2 duels. All skirmishers are melee fighters with beastly stats but are susceptible to crowd control.
Every Skimisher champion has his or her strong points. If you are looking for a well-rounded skirmisher with overall decent stats but not specializing in one area, then Yasuo would be perfect for you. However, if you are looking for a split pusher, then we suggest you go with Tryndamere or Jax.
On the other hand, if you want mobility, then Riven would be quite literally the best in town for the job, but due to her agility, the damage delivered would be less.
Fiora is arguably the best skirmisher out there, but you will have to spend a lot of time mastering her. However, we assure you that the work will be worth it. That brings us to the end of the article. Thank you!
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