League of Legends: Patch 9.1 tier list compilation

Support

S tier: Thresh

A tier: Zyra, Nami, Pyke, Sona, Morgana, Soraka, Brand, Zilean, Leona, Vel’Koz, Blitzcrank, Bard, Janna, Fiddlesticks, Lux, Xerath

B tier: Alistar, Taric, Gragas, Rakan, Lulu, Braum, Nautilus

C tier: Veigar, Karma, Tahm Kench, Maokai, Teemo, Shen

D tier: Neeko, Miss Fortune, Poppy, Malphite, Annie

Most buffed champion: Teemo. Honorable mentions, Veigar, Gragas, Xerath.

Most nerfed champion: Neeko. Honorable mentions, Thresh, Alistar.

Despite all the big changes coming in the other positions, the support rankings have really not changed at all. In fact, only three champions – Alistar, Neeko, and Taric – dropped tiers in these rankings. The only significant two of those champions are Alistar and Taric, who fell from A tier to B tier; however, they were near the bottom of the A tier in the last patch.

This makes plenty of sense, considering Patch 9.1 and even Patch 8.24(b) didn’t really have any big changes to the support roster. If you’ve been playing one of the top meta champions in the support role, you have nothing to fear.

Underpowered (not at least B tier in one role)

Karma, Tahm Kench, Shen, Neeko, Tristana, Kalista, Heimerdinger, Xayah, Corki, Varus, Swain, Ryze, Syndra, Aurelion Sol, Azir, Kayle, Hecarim, Shyvana, Skarner, Olaf, Volibear, Trundle, Yorick, Ornn, Singed, Cho’Gath, Dr. Mundo, Gnar

Fewer champions in this batch as compared to the 8.24(b) tier list, with only 25 champions classified as “underpowered” as opposed to the 35 we had in the last patch. That’s generally good for the game, as it indicates that the balancing team is doing a good job to make sure that most champions that are weak aren’t weak for too long.

However, if we look at the champions that have been considered “underpowered” in the three patches that we have been tracking the stat, we see that – of the original 13 champions considered “underpowered” – only two have been buffed enough to escape the depths of “meh” prison. Those two champions would be Nautilus and Sejuani.

Of those two champions, only Sejuani has received buffs in the intervening patches. Meanwhile, champions like Corki and Kalista all received buffs, but remain underpowered.

Overpowered (at least A tier in multiple/all roles)

Vel’Koz, Lux, Xerath, Irelia, Vladimir, Jax, Camille, Pantheon, Rengar

A few new champions hop into this “OP” category – namely Irelia, Xerath, Pantheon, and Rengar. However, it is worth noting that in every single one of these tier lists, Jax, Camille, and Lux have all been considered OP. While there are other champions like Yasuo and Aatrox that perform well in multiple roles, the fact that they also struggle in one role (like Yasuo at ADC and Aatrox in the jungle) indicates that the two still have some counterplay.

Best champion in the game

Galio (mid)

Thankfully for all of us, Lucian is no longer the clear-cut must-ban champion in the game. Yes, he’s still the best ADC in the game by a country mile, but he is at least not dominating other positions. Instead, it’s Galio who has been proving most effective in the mid lane.

The key difference is, unlike Lucian in the last few patches, Galio does have some contemporaries in his lane that can go toe-to-toe with him. Although he’s not massively much better than other top-tier mids like Cassio and Kassadin, he’s still the best champion in the entire game.

Worst champion in the game

Trundle (top/jungle)

It’s been a bit of a battle between the Troll King and Corki for the “honor” of being worst in the game. Now that the Patch 8.24(b) buffs have given Corki new life, the bottom spot is squarely in Trundle’s lap. Unfortunately, being D list in two roles indicates that he is still very deserving of some love from Riot.

Strongest Role

Mid

Once again, mid proves to be the best role for players who want to climb as it has the most diversity of top tier picks (three S tier picks is the most of any role) and best overall efficiency. There are so many styles that can be played mid, with the top five champions in the role being two mages, one assassin, one juggernaut, and one tank. There’s also a healthy mix of AD and AP champions in the top tier of the mid lane rankings.

Another key point to make is that mid has the most champions in the S and A tiers at 23, meaning there are over 20 champions that are viable/strong picks to climb. The next highest role? Top with 20, but with a much lower average strength of role.

Weakest role

Bot

Leave it to me the patch after I rag on ADCs for not being so bad, the stats show me up. AD Carries are in a tough spot right now, despite a lot of the roster getting buffed in recent patches.

It is the only role that has more champions considered underpowered (C/D tiers) than overpowered (S/A tiers). Yes, it has a limited champion pool. However, given that there are so many bad picks (five champions have a -0.8 standardized rating) and so few good picks (only Lucian has above a 0.8 rating) we can’t deny that the coming changes to crit items are needed.

Which champion do you think is too strong or too weak in the current meta? What changes are you hoping to see in the next patch, and which OP champs will you be using to climb? Let us know in the comments!