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The game now has more than 150 Champions, all of whom have a designated role and skill set, but when the game first launched, there were only 17. Many of the original Champions have received updates or reworks in order to make them more viable, and some have managed to remain exactly the same. These Champions may be more than a decade old, but they are all viable to some degree.
17 Master Yi: The Wuju Bladesman
Master Yi has been a problematic Champion since the beginning, but in LoL’s early days, players could build him AP. This build allowed him to unleash a massive amount of damage, to the point that he could beat almost any enemy in two hits, and he could heal a lot more.
Yi changed in 2013 when Riot decided to rework him, and his kit hasn’t really changed since. He can still wipe out most of a team with ease, except this time he needs to build lethality and attack speed in order to do it. He can’t be targeted when he uses his Q, and when he builds a Duskblade, he can turn invisible after getting a kill, which explains why he has a high win rate.
16 Jax: Grandmaster At Arms
Jax is a Skirmisher, and he hasn’t really changed much since LoL launched. He’s had a few minor tweaks, but Riot is not fond of completely reworking characters who have relatively high win rates. His model has been updated, but for the most part, his appearance hasn’t changed much either, and he still uses a lamp as his weapon.
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In lower ranks, Jax can literally carry a team because of his damage output and attack speed, and he can leap onto enemies and stun them with his E. His Ult grants him bonus attack speed, but it also boosts his armor and magic resist for seven seconds.
15 Fiddlesticks: The Ancient Fear
Fiddlesticks is the demonic embodiment of fear, which means that he is one of the game’s most evil characters. His abilities have always revolved around fear, and prior to his 2020 rework, he was extremely annoying to play against because he could fear and silence enemies by just clicking on them.
With the exception of his W, all of Fiddle’s current abilities are now skillshots, and his Ult is pretty much the same. His fear-Inducing abilities are still aggravating to deal with, and his new passive allows him to place an effigy of himself in the Jungle. At Level 6, these effigies offer vision, and they can reveal and disable enemy wards and hidden traps.
14 Teemo: The Swift Scout
Teemo may look adorable, but he is actually one of the game’s most hated Champions. One of the most infuriating things about Teemo is his blind, which has always been affixed to his Q, and his Ult is just as annoying because it lets him place poisonous mushrooms on the ground. These mushrooms turn invisible, and they will poison and slow anyone who steps on them.
Thanks to certain items, Teemo can now deal massive damage by basic attacking and blinding enemies in rapid succession. He can also turn invisible if he stands in a bush, and he can stay invisible in the bush even if he moves around.
13 Annie: The Dark Child
Annie has always been a child, and Tibbers has always been her secret weapon. Since the beginning, she has had the ability to stun enemies after casting four spells, and this works especially well when she summons Tibbers, which explains why it is one of the game’s best burst mage Ultimates.
Annie does a lot more damage than she used to, but that is mainly thanks to items. The biggest change to her kit is her E, which casts a shield around her. She can now place the shield on an ally, which means that she is more viable as a Support.
12 Kayle: The Righteous
Kayle has always looked like an armored angel, but it wasn’t until her 2019 rework that she truly ascended. Her Ult was virtually unchanged, as she is still capable of saving herself or an ally by making them invulnerable for a few seconds. Her W still heals and grants bonus movement speed, but it no longer gives extra Ability Power.
Her E still makes her ranged for a short time, and it still works with her Passive. The Passive really changes things, as it causes her to ascend four times, and each ascended form grants her extra stats, whether it be attack range or bonus damage. With the right attack speed items, she can shred through a team.
11 Sivir: The Battle Mistress
Other than a visual update and a few minor stat changes, Sivir has not changed since LoL launched, and that is because her kit is still viable. Her E is arguably her most useful ability since it gives her a spell shield that negates enemy attacks.
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Her Q still shoots her crossblade like a boomerang, and her E still allows her basic attacks to hit multiple targets. Her Ult is great for initiating fights since she gains bonus attack speed and movement speed for several seconds, and she produces an aura that gives movement speed to nearby allies.
10 Sion: The Undead Juggernaught
In 2014, Sion received a full gameplay and visual rework, and to this day, it is regarded as one of League of Legends’ best character transformations. Sion’s old Ult gave him 100% attack speed and lifesteal, but his current Ult essentially turns him into an unstoppable battering ram. His old Passive gave him a chance to reduce incoming damage, but now he briefly comes back to life as an enraged zombie.
In terms of versatility, Sion can build full tank and become very hard to kill, or he can build lethality and obliterate squishy Champions with his empowered Q and shield.
9 Nunu & Willump: The Boy & His Yeti
Nunu became Nunu & Willump in 2018 when they received a rework, and it turned out to be a very beneficial change. His Q still allows him to regain health after biting an enemy unit, and his Ultimate still creates a circle that slows enemies while dealing massive magic damage.
Their E is no longer a point and click ability, instead it releases a volley of snowballs that slow enemies. Their old W gave them or an alley a damage buff, but their current ability creates a snowball which enlarges as Willump rolls it. They can be played AP or tank, and he is now a far better Jungler.
8 Twisted Fate: The Card Master
There are a handful of skins that actually give Champions an advantage, and Twisted Fate possesses two of them. Like Sivir, Twisted Fate has had minor changes and a visual update, but other than that, Riot hasn’t changed him.
Twisted Fate is quite versatile, which explains why he is picked in professional play. He can fire three cards with his Q, and his W allows him to throw a card that can either deal extra damage, stun an enemy, or regain mana. His Ult is his best attribute though, as it reveals the location of every enemy Champion, and he can then teleport to a different location after a recast. This Ult makes Twisted Fate a great ganker.
7 Morgana: The Fallen
Morgana is Kayle’s sister, and she received an update in 2019 as well, but the only things that changed were her appearance and spell effects. Morgana shields herself or an alley with her E, and her Q is a skillshot that produces a lengthy stun. Her W creates a pool on the ground which damages anything that steps on it.
Morgana is a very good Support, and she can deal a decent amount of damage, which means that she’s a viable mid laner as well. Her Ult can damage and root enemy champions, and it’s a valuable ability to have in a team fight.
6 Warwick: The Uncaged Wrath Of Zaun
Warwick will likely be one of the Champions who will appear in Arcane’s second season, and he has spent most of his time as a Jungler. He got a full rework in 2017, and the result was very impressive. Instead of slashing enemies with his old Q, he can now lunge and bite them, and he heals after each bite. This makes Warwick great at clearing Jungle mobs.
Warwick’s E gives him damage reduction, and when he recasts it, he fears and slows all nearby enemies. His Ult is now a skillshot, and its range increases as the game goes on. It is much better than the point and click Ult Warwick originally had.
5 Alistar: The Minotaur
Alistar is a very popular Support, and Riot has given him a bunch of minor changes. He is the definition of a true tank, as his Ultimate reduces the amount of damage he sustains for seven seconds, and it removes any applied crowd-controlling effects.
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Alistar can use his Q to knock up one or more enemies, and his W allows him to knock one of them into his team. His W’s knockback can also be used to save teammates from enemy Champions. Alistar’s E can damage multiple targets, and it can stun, while his passive is capable of healing his entire team.
4 Ryze: The Rune Mage
Ryze has received more reworks than any other Champion, and Riot keeps doing this because he is constantly overpowered. His Ult is very useful in team fights because it allows him to teleport himself and his teammates a short distance. This permits teams to set up coordinated attacks or escapes.
Ryze is meant to be played in Mid, and if he manages to root an enemy, he can easily take off more than half of that Champion’s health with a single hit from his Q.
3 Tristana: The Yordle Gunner
Tristana is capable of dishing out a large amount of damage, and she can easily wipe out an enemy team in the later stages of a game if she gets an early lead. She received a rework in 2015, and the only thing that changed was her E.
The E allows Tristana to place a bomb on an enemy champion, minion, monster, or tower, and each subsequent basic attack increases the bomb’s damage. Trist can leap away from enemy attacks, but she mainly uses the ability to jump towards enemies to finish them off, and it refreshes if she eliminates the target.
2 Soraka: The Starchild
Soraka may be a healing Support, but according to the lore, she is actually one of the game’s strongest Champions. She received her rework in 2015, and in doing so, Riot turned Soraka into a health dispenser who can now silence and potentially root enemies.
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Soraka can heal her allies with her W at the cost of her own health, but she can regain health if she hits an enemy Champion with her Q. Her Ult allows her to heal herself and her entire team, and if anyone is below 40% health, they will be healed an extra 50%. If she builds a Warmogs, she can heal teammates without needing to land a Q because the item regenerates health.
1 Ashe: The Frost Archer
Ashe is the game’s most recognizable ADC, and she is arguably the best Champion for beginners to use. Ashe received a rework in 2015, and it completely changed her Passive, Q, and E. Her Q used to apply frost and slowing effects, but that is now her Passive. Her new Q allows her to unleash a barrage of frost shots after several basic attacks.
Ashe’s E now shoots a hawk spirit that can reveal enemy Champions on the map. Her W shoots a volley of arrows that can slow, and her Ult fires a massive arrow that can stun an enemy for up to three seconds. Ashe is one of the only Champions who is widely used in every rank and in professional play.
League of Legends can be played on PC.
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