As with any MOBA, much of the appeal of the League of Legends comes from its roster of Champions. These are player-controlled characters, all of which have a class and an appropriate role on the battlefield. Let’s go over the specifics of some of these heroes so that you can get started in Riot Games’ beloved battler.
Viktor
Known as the Machine Herald, Viktor is a Champion that seeks to improve the lives of humanity by advancing the cause of machines and technology. With a pick rate of 6.32%, Viktor is definitely not one of the most-played characters in the game but a win percentage of 51% means that he’s still up there with the best heroes in League of Legends.
Unfortunately, for newcomers who are learning how to play lol, Viktor is not an easy character to master. His skills focus on debuffs and magic damage. However, his primary role is battlefield control, which means that the player needs to have an awareness of both enemy and ally positioning, as well as a competent enough set of teammates to avoid getting overwhelmed. Viktor is best in the Mid Lane.
Plenty of veterans recommend avoiding this character until they reach Gold. As a good 38% of LoL’s player base is still contesting the Silver rank, this marks him out as quite an exclusive Champion. As far as runes are concerned, a choice of either First Strike or Summon Aery is recommended to maximise damage and improve his shielding capabilities, respectively.
Name | Role | Difficulty | Abilities |
Viktor | Mage |
|
Vi
Hailing from Zaun, Vi is a maverick member of the Wardens of Piltover. Her nickname, The Piltover Enforcer, says everything about her personality that you need to know – she’s possessed of a fiery temperament and armed with a pair of huge metal fists, the hextech gauntlets. Perhaps inevitably, Vi falls into the Fighter class. She fits squarely into the Jungler role, which is the fourth possible starting position.
Vi’s main advantage is her adaptability, allowing for the use of lots of different runes. For instance, high-damage builds are better served with Electrocute, while Aftershock allows for more tanky positions in open battles. Vi, like Viktor, is in the early sixties in terms of her popularity ranking. This is likely due to the fact that her usability during longer fights isn’t something to get excited about.
Another potential problem with Vi is that her Vault Breaker skill can be a liability due to its charge time and the fact that she’ll be left exposed if it misses. Still, her mid-game abilities can make up for this shortfall. Vi hasn’t changed much since her release in 2012 so her flagging popularity does make quite a bit of sense. There are definitely better Junglers out there that aren’t quite so narrow in gameplay terms.
Name | Role | Difficulty | Abilities |
Vi | Fighter |
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Jayce
The Defender of Tomorrow, Jayce is superficially similar to Vi, largely because he’s a Fighter who utilises hextech weaponry, in this case, a hammer. However, unlike the competitively easy-to-play Champion Vi, Jayce can be a difficult nut for players to crack. His skills offer a disappointing interaction between usage and mana depletion, so it’s possible to end up without much left to do.
Jayce does excel in both early and mid-game, due to his reliable poke damage and potential for some heavy hits after level 9. Unfortunately, he’s one of the least-used Champions of all, at 140 of a total of 159. On the plus side, his abilities offer a combination of self-buffs, debuffs, team-buffs, and damage. He can also restore his own mana, which is a boon considering the issue mentioned previously.
Compared to other Champions, Jayce is a bit of a contradiction, as he requires the player to know what they’re doing before they can get started. A discussion about whether Jayce should run the Phase Rush rune or Conqueror does make for some interesting reading online, though, giving some direction for newcomers on how to play this enigmatic champion.
Name | Role | Difficulty | Abilities |
Jayce | Fighter |
|
Caitlyn
Considered a bit of an antithesis to Vi, at least in terms of her personality, Caitlyn is The Sheriff of Piltover, and our third hextech wielding character. This Champion is by far the most popular hero on our list, coming in at 18 with an 11.68% pick rate. As a point of reference, the most-played champion, Jhin, has a pick ratio of 20.64%. Caitlyn occupies the Marksman role, offering moderate play difficulty.
Caitlyn’s strength is in the early game. Overall, though, she should be used exclusively from range. Effective use of traps, including cheeky tricks like hiding them in the scenery, is one of the key aspects of playing Caitlyn. In mid-game, you’ll probably spend most of your time kiting, avoiding melee. Her traps can also inflict slow and empower her own skills, e.g. Yordle Snap Trap allows for an empowered Headshot.
Her low health can prove a problem for inexperienced players, as she’ll be all but eliminated just by trying to play aggressively. If you should find yourself in danger, using her Ultimate or dropping 90 Caliber Net on yourself should give Caitlyn the opportunity to escape to safety. As a Marksman, her rune choice is Precision. Think of her as a bit of a glass cannon and you shouldn’t have too many problems playing this Champion.
Name | Role | Difficulty | Abilities |
Caitlyn | Marksman |
|
Jinx
It’s not difficult to see where Jinx’s popularity comes from in League of Legends. Jinx is a blue-haired, pink-eyed criminal who delights in chaos and carnage. The eleventh most-played Champion, Jinx is a Marksman who uses the heavy weapons Pow-Pow and Fishbones, otherwise known as a minigun and rocket launcher. She’s a darling of cosplayers around the world.
Referred to as The Loose Cannon, Jinx can be a straightforward character to play as long as she’s set up correctly. The Conqueror rune is always a good starting point. Jinx is skilled at dealing with enemy Tanks and can be one of the most effective Bottom Lane winners in League of Legends. Focus on getting Switcheroo! to max level as soon as possible as it provides a useful self-buff.
The major downside to Jinx is that she’s only a mid-range Marksman, meaning that opposing long-range Champions like Caitlyn can cause problems for her. Switcheroo! does provide some reprieve from this issue, hence the recommendation. As for melee combat, the Flame Chompers! skill prevents the enemy from moving, allowing Jinx to either escape or finish advancing players off from afar.
Name | Role | Difficulty | Abilities |
Jinx | Marksman |
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Full List of Champions
Note that several of these characters exist in more than one class category. These are Karma, Lux, Neeko, Seraphine, Jhin, Senna, Varus, Diana, Pyke, Rengar, Sylas, Yone, and Taric.
| Class | Sub-Class | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Controller | Catcher | Bard |
| Blitzcrank | ||
| Ivern | ||
| Jhin | ||
| Morgana | ||
| Neeko | ||
| Pyke | ||
| Rakan | ||
| Thresh | ||
| Zyra | ||
| Enchanter | Janna | |
| Karma | ||
| Lulu | ||
| Nami | ||
| Renata Glasc | ||
| Senna | ||
| Seraphine | ||
| Sona | ||
| Soraka | ||
| Taric | ||
| Yuumi | ||
| Fighter | Diver | Camille |
| Diana | ||
| Elise | ||
| Hecarim | ||
| Irelia | ||
| Jarvan IV | ||
| Lee Sin | ||
| Olaf | ||
| Pantheon | ||
| Rek’Sai | ||
| Renekton | ||
| Rengar | ||
| Skarner | ||
| Vi | ||
| Warwick | ||
| Wukong | ||
| Xin Zhao | ||
| Juggernaut | Aatrox | |
| Darius | ||
| Dr. Mundo | ||
| Garen | ||
| Illaoi | ||
| Mordekaiser | ||
| Nasus | ||
| Sett | ||
| Shyvana | ||
| Trundle | ||
| Udyr | ||
| Urgot | ||
| Volibear | ||
| Yorick | ||
| Mage | Artillery | Jayce |
| Lux | ||
| Varus | ||
| Vel’Koz | ||
| Xerath | ||
| Ziggs | ||
| Battlemage | Anivia | |
| Aurelion Sol | ||
| Cassiopeia | ||
| Karthus | ||
| Malzahar | ||
| Rumble | ||
| Ryze | ||
| Swain | ||
| Taliyah | ||
| Viktor | ||
| Vladimir | ||
| Burst | Ahri | |
| Annie | ||
| Brand | ||
| LeBlanc | ||
| Lissandra | ||
| Orianna | ||
| Sylas | ||
| Syndra | ||
| Twisted Fate | ||
| Veigar | ||
| Vex | ||
| Zoe | ||
| Marksman | Akshan | |
| Aphelios | ||
| Ashe | ||
| Caitlyn | ||
| Corki | ||
| Draven | ||
| Ezreal | ||
| Jinx | ||
| Kai’Sa | ||
| Kalista | ||
| Kindred | ||
| Kog’Maw | ||
| Lucian | ||
| Miss Fortune | ||
| Samira | ||
| Sivir | ||
| Tristana | ||
| Twitch | ||
| Vayne | ||
| Xayah | ||
| Zeri | ||
| Slayer | Assassin | Akali |
| Akshan | ||
| Ekko | ||
| Evelynn | ||
| Fizz | ||
| Kassadin | ||
| Katarina | ||
| Kha’Zix | ||
| Nocturne | ||
| Qiyana | ||
| Shaco | ||
| Talon | ||
| Yone | ||
| Zed | ||
| Skirmishers | Fiora | |
| Gwen | ||
| Jax | ||
| Kayn | ||
| Kled | ||
| Lillia | ||
| Master Yi | ||
| Riven | ||
| Tryndamere | ||
| Viego | ||
| Yasuo | ||
| Tank | Vanguard | Alistar |
| Amumu | ||
| Gragas | ||
| Leona | ||
| Malphite | ||
| Maokai | ||
| Nautilus | ||
| Nunu | ||
| Ornn | ||
| Rammus | ||
| Rell | ||
| Sejuani | ||
| Sion | ||
| Zac | ||
| Warden | Braum | |
| Galio | ||
| Poppy | ||
| Shen | ||
| Tahm Kench | ||
| Specialist | Azir | |
| Cho’Gath | ||
| Fiddlesticks | ||
| Gangplank | ||
| Gnar | ||
| Graves | ||
| Heimerdinger | ||
| Kayle | ||
| Kennen | ||
| Nidalee | ||
| Quinn | ||
| Singed | ||
| Teemo | ||
| Zilean |
Who is the best League of Legends Champion?
By player pick rate, it’s Jhin. By win rate, it’s Swain. By kills/deaths/assists, it’s Yuumi.
Which Champion do League of Legends pros use?
Due to the number of Lanes, League of Legends pros use a variety of different Champions. However, Ornn is popular with Top Laners, Lee Sin with Junglers, and Syndra with Mid Lane players.
What are the different types of League of Legends Champion?
There are seven Champion classes in League of Legends. These are Controller, Fighter, Mage, Marksman, Slayer, Tank, and Specialist. These are further divided into several subclasses, namely, Enchanter, Catcher (Controller), Juggernaut, Diver (Tank), Burst, Battlemage, Artillery (Mage), Assassin, Skirmisher (Slayer), Vanguard, Warden (Tank). There are no sub-classes for Specialist or Marksman.
