Best League of Legends champions for every role: LoL tier list

AhriRiotgames

League of Legends currently has a staggering 169 champions to choose from across its five major roles. Despite regular patches, some are definitely better than others, so we’ve organized them into a handy tier list.

Comparing champions who do entirely different things is both difficult and not particularly helpful for the player. As such, we have organized the following tier list by position, and we’ll discuss exactly what makes the best three in each spot worth playing so you can choose one to suit your desired playstyle.

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From ranged spellcasters to up close melee bullies, here’s our complete breakdown of how each is performing heading into the start of 2025. And if you’re looking to get started with League why not consider using PC Game Pass to get into the game, you’ll get to play as all 169 champions, day one access to all the new champions as they’re added, and a 20% boost to XP (not a bad deal, ey?)

N.B. Some champions regularly feature in multiple roles and may appear in more than one of our below rankings. It’s also important to note that your ELO and overall experience may change this ranking, with some requiring high mechanical skill to get the most out of.

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Top Lane tier list

TIERCHAMPION NAME
SAmbessa, Darius, Jax, Aurora, Fiora, K’Sante, Gnar, Riven
ACamille, Aatrox, Dr. Mundo, Garen, Gragas, Gwen, Irelia, Kennen, Malphite, Renekton, Rumble, Trundle, Vladimir, Warwick, Yone
BAkali, Gangplank, Heimerdinger, Illaoi, Jayce, Kayle, Mordekaiser, Nasus, Olaf, Pantheon, Poppy, Rengar, Sett, Shen, Smolder, Teemo, Tryndamere, Urgot, Volibear, Wukong, Zac
CKled, Quinn, Singed, Skarner, Sion, Vayne, Yasuo, Yorick
DCho’Gath, Karma, Tahm Kench, Twisted Fate,

Our tiers explained

  • S: The best
  • A: Very good
  • B: There might be situations where these can perform well
  • C: Best to avoid unless you find yourself drawn to them
  • D: D stands for “Don’t even bother”

S-Tier Top Lane champions in League of Legends

Ambessa

Ambessa in ArcaneNetflix

Ambessa is the most recent champion to be added to League of Legends and, as is often the case when one debuts, she’s very strong in her dedicated position. On the face of it, Ambessa carries a lot of what made Riven so exciting when she launched all those years ago.

Dashing between foes and empowering attacks does make her a champion geared towards better players who are used to juggling several mechanics, but she has the potential to snowball and dominate any given match. With the character still very much in the early tuning phase post-release, the landscape could change greatly, but right now, she’s a great option in the Top Lane.

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Aurora

Aurora in League of LegendsRiot Games

The eternal debate about where Aurora feels most at home in the Rift rumbles on, but her prowess in the Top Lane is getting more and more difficult to ignore. Her Q draws in elements of Xayah’s and Kalista’s E and its pretty devastating for an ability that isn’t too difficult to hit with regularity.

Across the Veil is an absolute dream of an ability if you can master using it to get in and out of engagements to kill quickly, refreshing its cooldown. Building into raw AP quickly turns Aurora into a monster and adding a Medjai’s to the equation allows her to carry games without much of a second thought.

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Fiora

LoL Lunar Beast Prestige Fiora SkinRiot Games

An absolute stalwart of the Top Lane for many years, Fiora continues to bring a lot to the proverbial party. While she’s a little harder to get to grips with, if you do take the time to master her intricacies, you’ll rarely find yourself overwhelmed, even by harder counters.

The major issue in getting the most out of Fiora is that she’s highly dependent on you knowing about your opposing champion’s toolkit. This will allow you to take advantage of her movement during enemy cooldowns with remarkably quick attacks, before getting out before the enemy has time to do anything about it.

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Mid Lane tier list

TIERCHAMPION NAME
SAhri, LeBlanc, Orianna, Syndra, Yone
AAkali, Akshan, Aurora, Galio, Lissandra, Lux, Sylas, Yasuo, Zoe
BAnnie, Aurelion Sol, Azir, Cassiopeia, Corki, Fizz, Hwei, Jayce, Malzahar, Naafiri, Neeko, Swain, Talon, Twisted Fate, Viktor, Vladimir, Xerath, Ziggs
CAnivia, Brand, Diana, Irelia, Kassadin, Katarina, Pantheon, Qiyana, Smolder, Taliyah, Vel’Koz, Vex, Zed
DGragas, Karma, Ryze, Veigar

S-Tier Mid Lane champions in League of Legends

Ahri

Arcana Ahri League of LegendsRiot Games

Anyone who has watched Faker play Ahri will know exactly what this champ can do in the hands of the best, but she has a lot to offer players of any level. Her Charm remains the ultimate way to peel off individual enemies before teamfights and her burst damage is criminally high when built correctly.

That said Ahri is squishy and you’ll need to play carefully to keep her out of trouble because, depending on your team comp, she may become the number one target in teamfights. So, with that in mind, be sure to stick to the periphery and fire off spells, and you should be in a golden position to dominate in any ELO.

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LeBlanc

LeBlanc in League of LegendsRiot Games

LeBlanc is a Mid Lane champ that is devastating in the right hands, and still tough to take out when under the control of a beginner. Her matchups against melee Mid Lane champions are almost always favorable, and she’s strong against a lot of the game’s mages, so you’ll lock out a huge portion of the champ pool just by picking her.

For newer players, she’s remarkably forgiving considering how rewarding she is for players in very high ELOs. She plays in a very safe way and it’s easy to ping back towards turret if you accidentally over commit. She also has a lot of utility and is a solid option for staying in lane for the long haul, so you don’t miss out on precious farm.

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Yone

yone-inkshadow-splash-artRiot Games

Anybody who watched Worlds this year would have seen a lot of Yone, and with good reason. His ability to jump into and out of a fight makes him frustratingly difficult to get a handle on and kill, while his current state of tuning makes him one of the more devastating melee options in the game.

Yone is undeniably a champion that’s easy enough to pick up but spectacularly difficult to master. In the hands of a pro, there are few options more exciting than a masterfully controlled Yone. Though that level of play is a pipe dream for many, there is plenty to jump into and enjoy as the average player, with little in the way of hard counters to make life miserable.

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ADC tier list

TIERCHAMPION NAME
SAshe, Caitlyn, Jhin, Jinx, Kalista
ADraven, Kai’Sa, Lucian, Miss Fortune, Sivir, Tristana, Xayah, Zeri, Ziggs
BAphelios, Karthus, Kog’Maw, Seraphine, Smolder, Varus, Yasuo
CNilah, Samira, Twitch, Vayne
DSenna,

S-Tier ADC champions in League of Legends

Ashe

Ashe stands readyRiot Games

Ashe has been an ADC stalwart since the earliest days of League and she’s showing no signs of slowing down in the current meta. Her ability to clear minion waves and poke down the laning opposition is unparalleled and she’s a very simple champion to play, largely because you generally won’t be as focused on her abilities as you may be with other champs.

Get some early kills and Ashe becomes dominant, as her damage scales notably quickly following the player’s second Epic item purchase. She can be countered and is very squishy, so you’ll need to stay out of the way of major threats, but if you do, you can snipe enemies from afar without much trouble at all.

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Jhin

Jhin League of LegendsLeague of Legends

There’s a solid argument to say that Jhin is the coolest champion in all of League of Legends, from visual design to playability. He’s yet another champ on this list that’s quite easy to pick up and play but difficult to get the absolute most out of. Building correctly is an important part of that equation, but you’ll rarely regret taking him in the ADC slot.

His basic attacks aren’t quite on the same level as Ashe’s but his abilities pack more of a punch. It’s also a case of choosing whether you’d prefer the stun offered by her Ultimate, or the raw damage on condensed enemies offered by Jhin’s easy-to-execute R. In any case, both do an exceptional job in the Bottom Lane when selected.

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Kalista

Blood Moon Kalista Splash ArtRiot Games

Kalista is a more difficult and amorphous pick than the other two spotlighted champions, but her ceiling is arguably higher and there are more potential benefits to picking her. In particular, her objective control comes in super useful during the mid-late game, as teamfights so often coalesce around the Baron and Drakes.

So much of her success depends on Lethality as her passive leans directly into that concept, so much of her potential depends on how she’s built on the rune page and in-game. That said, if you can get a few items on the board early, there are very few champions who can stop her snowballing the game.

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Jungle tier list

TIERCHAMPION NAME
SGraves, Gwen, Teemo, Xin Zhao, Wukong
AAmumu, Dr. Mundo, Fiddlesticks, Hecarim, Jarvan IV, Karthus, Kayn, Master Yi, Nocturne, Shyvana, Udyr, Warwick, Zac
BDiana, Elise, Ivern, Lillia, Rammus, Rek’Sai, Sejuani, Shaco, Vi, Viego, Volibear
CBel’Veth, Ekko, Evelyn, Kha’Zix, Lee Sin, Nunu & Willump, Rengar, Skarner
DBrand, Gragas, Maokai, Nidalee, Pantheon, Poppy, Taliyah

S-Tier Jungle champions in League of Legends

Graves

Graves in the Sentinels of Light storyline.Riot Games

Everyone’s favorite shotgun-wielding maniac is a devastating choice in the Jungle, with very few match-ups that don’t suit his playstyle. His wave clear is excellent early and his very high mobility means you can often emerge into your first gank a level ahead of your opposite number in the enemy Jungle.

His early dueling allows you to invade at will and he scales extremely well, preventing him from becoming obsolete as the game goes on. He can also roll utility and counter options into his builds to make him more effective against enemy teams comps, with a wide variety of items that directly benefit how he plays. Whether you’re a beginner or a grizzled veteran, Graves offers plenty for everyone.

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Teemo

Teemo in League of LegendsRiot Games

Memes about Teemo players aside, the Jungle has fast become his strongest role and he’s outscaling even the best champs in the position right now. His early clear can be a little tough to navigate, but if you hang in there until the mid-late game, Teemo can solo carry entire games.

Overall, Teemo has several strengths that players in other lanes should appreciate (even if they never express it). The vision and lane control offered by his timed mushrooms are huge, and if you protect objectives with them, you’ll find the enemy team is often unable to contest once they have walked through.

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With poisons, slows and blindess, Teemo is a nightmare for enemies of all types. Just stay out of the enemy Junglers way initially and you should be in business.

Xin Zhao

League of Legends jungler Xin ZhaoRiot Games

One of the most impressive things about Xin Zhao in the current meta is his ability to hang in there, regardless of what stage of the game you’re in. Happily, he also rewards a style of play that beginners will find uniquely comfortable, while also offering more than enough to warrant a pick for higher level players.

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Farm camps efficiently, keep an eye on lanes and wait for the right opportunity and you should find success on Xin Zhao, and as a Jungler more generally. Ganks are easy to execute, and camp clear is a simple prospect, with few direct counters to the way the champion is meant to be played.

Support tier list

TIERCHAMPION NAME
SLeona, Lux, Poppy, Senna, Soraka, Taric
ABrand, Janna, Tahm Kench, Nami, Nautilus, Pyke, Rell, Shen, Sona, Zilean, Zyra
BAlistar, Amumu, Karma, Lulu, Maokai, Milio, Morgana, Neeko, Seraphine, Shaco, Thresh, Vel’Koz, Xerath, Zac
CBard, Blitzcrank, Braum, Hwei, Rakan, Renata Glasc, Teemo
DAnivia, Annie, Pantheon, Swain, Veigar, Yuumi

S-Tier Support champions in League of Legends

Lux

Soul Fighter Lux in League of LegendsRiot Games

Lux can hold her own in the Mid Lane very well, but she really comes into her own as a devastating Support. This has been the case for years, and her toolkit is perfectly setup to play the position, with a damage-dealing stun on her Q, an ally shield on her W, and a slow on her E (as well as a devastatingly powerful Ult).

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Her versatility is a real testament to her prowess and you might find yourself sharing a lot of kills if the enemy lane builds to counter the ADC. Her AP scaling is also some of the strongest in the game, and she can lock up a couple of members of the enemy team to dispatch them quickly in teamfights.

Leona

Leona Splash ArtRiot Games

As far as supports go, Leona is one who likes to be first through the door. Her Ultimate ability allows her to pick off an individual, often without the need for a full teamfight. This then allows your team to play for an objective or a split push without the risk of death, and it’s that which makes her so popular in competitive play.

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Equally, her work in the very early game is second to none. At Level 2 she becomes bizarrely stronger than everyone else for a short while, and if you and your ADC partner can get a few kills, then the lane is as good as won. With a relatively simple toolkit to master, Leona is one that players of all levels should consider in the Support role.

Soraka

Prestige Star Guardian Soraka skin in League of LegendsRiot Games

The ultimate in healing-focused companions, Soraka is a great foil for squishy ADCs who are looking to remain in lane against a pokey enemy. She can outheal most enemy damage for the first half of the game and, if enemies choose to directly counter her with their builds, it usually leaves the ADC free to snowball.

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Equally, antiheal is a pretty weak concept in the game right now and the lack of direct options for negating Soraka’s best features is obvious. Her silence is extremely powerful and her R is a global healing powerhouse, often turning otherwise losing teamfights when timed correctly.

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