About the tier list: Umashi is a top lane player for Gold Gaming LA, a Challenger rated team in North America and one of the top teams in the non-LCS competitive circuit. This tier list was written with the help of ggLA members WAPPA CHANG and Easy as well as many other sources, including casters, Cloth5 writers, and more. With disagreements in placement, majority and/or average vote was used to rank champions.

The goal of the tier list was to create the most accurate tier list using knowledge of top-level competitive play in North America, as well as observations from LCS, OGN, GPL, and more. Champions are placed according to their ranking in their best role. If similar in ranking in multiple roles (I.E. Jungle and Top) then the champion is listed for both roles. If a champion is better in one role than another only the superior role is listed, however, in future updates that will be changed!

Explanation of Tiers

Tier S champions tend to either do so many things well that they could replace multiple alternate champions, or they do one thing so well that no other champion can match them.

ex. Caitlyn has utility and range making her able to fit into almost any team composition.

Tier 1 champions tend to almost always be good picks but a certain weakness will hold them back from being capable of tier S.

ex. Xerath has waveclear, range, and damage but no escapes.

Tier 2 champions tend to be similar to tier 1 champions, but tend to have one fatal flaw which when abused can destroy them.

ex. Diana has strong waveclear, burst, and initiation, but she can have a weak early-game and needs to get herself started.

Tier 3 champions tend to be used as counter picks once you already know some of what you are facing, or used to build a specific type of team composition.

ex. Urgot can destroy an ADC and is good against comps meant to shut down an ADC.

Tier 4 champions just tend to have other champions that do what they do better, and they already don’t do it well enough to make them a contested pick.

ex. Swain is highly mana reliant and requires a little snowballing to take off.

Tier 5 champions are hard to fit into competitive play without a specific strategy designed around them.

ex. Shaco has good map presence but lacks in any team related situation. Even if played solo, there are champions who can fulfill his role better.

The Tier List

Legend: T = Top, J = Jungle, M = Mid, C = AD Carry, S = Support

Tier S: Nunu (J), Twisted Fate, Elise (T/J), Thresh, Evelynn (J), Zac (J), Lee Sin (J), Karthus, Nasus (J), Sona, Zed (T/M), Caitlyn

Tier 1: Vayne, Varus, Janna (S), Jarvan IV (J), Nami, Kennen (T/M), Rumble (T), Lissandra (T/M), Xerath, Ahri, Shen (T), Ezreal, Orianna, Graves, Vladimir (T), Malphite (T), Nautilus, Lulu, Renekton, Ryze

Tier 2: Diana (T/M), Tristana, Zyra (S), Tryndamere (T), Ashe, Rengar (T), Master Yi (M), Kayle (M), Nocturne, Miss Fortune, Talon (M), Gragas (M), Draven, Riven (T), Jax (T), Cho’Gath (J), Jayce (T/M), Sejuani, Lux, Blitzcrank, Twitch

Tier 3: Aatrox (T), Irelia, Annie, Singed, Quinn, Urgot, Anivia, Wukong, Fizz, Trundle (J), Fiddlesticks (J/S), Volibear (J), Xin Zhao (J), Kha’Zix (T/M), Kassadin, Vi (J), Darius, Nidalee (M), Morgana, Syndra, Rammus, Maokai, Malzahar, Alistar (J/S), Hecarim, Leona, Udyr (T/J), Dr. Mundo

Tier 4: Swain, Ziggs, Soraka (S), Amumu, Zilean, Kog’Maw, Katarina, Akali, Cassiopeia, Corki, Pantheon, Yorick, Karma, Sivir, Skarner (J), Gangplank, Brand, Garen, Mordekaiser, Olaf

Tier 5: Viktor, Warwick (J), Veigar, Shaco, Galio, Shyvana (J), Taric, Sion, Fiora, Teemo, Poppy, Heimerdinger

Placement Analysis:

Nunu (Tier S): Nunu is currently the king of the jungle. While he may still have faults, the amount of map pressure that Nunu brings as well as his ability to easily secure buffs, dragon, and baron is simply too high to be left on the table. Nunu has has strong ganking power, good team fighting, and the attack speed buff on an ADC is just a huge bonus.

Evelynn (Tier S): Having the ability to sneak through wards and show up in weird places without being spotted makes Evelynn one of, if not the strongest, ganker in the game. Along with that she is given percent damage that provides a shield and she has godlike waveclear. All combined it makes her one of the best junglers in the game.

Karthus (Tier S): Karthus just has too much in his kit. His Q/E are some of the best farming skills in the game, as well as team-fight skills. His Q is amazing for poking. His ultimate is global and applies huge amounts of map pressure. He can deny ganks with with W, turn them around easily, and even make plays. He also has some of the best dragon/baron clear speed in the entire game.

Caitlyn (Tier S): While not being the highest damage AD Carry Caitlyn has insane range and utility which makes her insanely safe. Not requiring the protection of a team due to her simple positioning it allows her to fit into more team compositions than any other AD Carry in the game.

Kennen (Tier 1): Having poke, AoE, AoE CC, an escape, and more Kennen brings way too much to a team to just overlook. Kennen has trouble with certain champions like Janna because his weakness is that if he cannot land a good ultimate he is not quite as useful. That said, Kennen is still a lane bully who just about everyone hates to have to face.

Vayne (Tier 1): Vayne has the potential to deal more damage than any other AD Carry in the game. Her damage and utility are insanely high and she is impossible to run from. It’s not hard to get ahead on Vayne, either by farm or kills, and once you’re ahead it’s basically game over for the enemy team.

Tryndamere (Tier 2): Easily shut down in lane but after a bit of farming and an item or two Tryndamere becomes one of the most frightening champions in the game. Being able to towerdive 1v3 and get three kills and leave with his life is something that few champions can do, especially with as few kills as Tryndamere can do it with.

Draven (Tier 2): While still being the snowballing god he always has been, recent nerfs to his passive made him a bit weaker. Playing Draven is a gamble on winning lane and snowballing to victory, but other AD Carries are more reliable, not requiring as much snowball to really do what they do. While still strong, Draven has fallen.

Jayce (Tier 2) Jayce has always been one of the strongest champions competitively, however, recent nerfs to his E hit his poking power and utility quite hard. On top of that, tear got nerfed. Muramana was a core item in Jayce’s build and having the burst in power come later hits his damage as well. Jayce is strong, but no longer over-powered.

Singed (Tier 3): Although not weak Singed has a rough time getting up to speed. In the current early-game dominant team-fight capable meta-game Singed just isn’t the strongest picks because other picks out-class him with better early-game and better team-fighting, even if a fed Singed is frightening.

Wukong (Tier 3): Wukong has some of the highest damage/utility in any team fight, however, Wukong lacks a solid source of waveclear and certain champions just do insanely well against him. If he gets behind he isn’t nearly as useful as he could be.

Nidalee (Tier 3) – Although Nidalee has the highest damage poke in the game as well as one of the best escapes/travel mechanisms she has a major weakness in waveclear. She is forces to dive in face first to clear any wave out which can mean major risk. Nidalee also lacks in team fights, having only one damage spell that won’t get her killed instantly because the others require her to jump into the enemies face.

Malzahar (Tier 3): Malzahar has waveclear, AoE, poke, harass, percentage damage, and CC yet he isn’t one of the strongest champions in the game simply because his ultimate requires him to stun himself as well as the enemy. If you can pull your ultimate off without dying you’re insanely strong as Malzahar, but sadly that won’t happen very often.