League of Legends guide for a beginner: what is a champion?

League of Legends. Photo Courtesy of Riot Games.
League of Legends. Photo Courtesy of Riot Games. /
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Riot Games.
Shaco. League of Legends. /

Champions will be classified into several major categories and many more subcategories. Each of these classes has its own benefits, stats that they care more about, and roles to play among the team. For instance, an enchanter mage isn’t meant to be fighting, but shielding those allies who are brawling like marksmen and bruisers.

The major types of champions are casters, fighters, mages, marksmen, tanks, fighters, and slayers, but each may have their own subcategory that is each different from another. We’ll break down all those subcategories below.

  • Fighter-Juggernaut: strong and durable champions who must march down at their opposition attack their foes. They are almost always melee champions and excel at both dealing and taking significant amounts of damage. Their true weakness is closing in on targets due to their low range and extremely limited mobility.
    • Juggernaut champions: Nasus, Darius, Garen
    • Juggernauts in popular culture: The Hound, Donkey Kong, Drax the Destroyer
  • Fighter-Diver: a more mobile class than Juggernauts, Divers excel at singling and attacking one target, usually a more squishy and immobile enemy. Divers are not as durable as Juggernauts, but Divers can take their fair share of punishment while bringing enough damage to be a real kill threat if left unchecked.
    • Diver champions: Camille, Vi, Kled
    • Divers in popular culture: Iron Man, Sonic, Bronn
  • Slayer-Assassins: Mostly melee, Assassins must put them themselves into dangerous positions in order to execute their targets. Luckily, they often have a ton of mobility and/or defensive that, if used cleverly, allow them to effectively avoid incoming damage. Their primary goal in fights is to get in, kill one target, and get out alive.
    • Assassin champions: Talon, Zed, Leblanc
    • Assassins in popular culture: Nightcrawler, Arya Stark/Waif, Jason Bourne
  • Slayer-Duelists

    : Duelists lack high-end burst damage ways to isolate and lock down high-priority targets. They are instead armed with situationally powerful defensive tools to survive in the fray, along with extreme sustained damage to cut down even the most durable targets. They excel in prolonged fights, where they are able to continue damaging their enemies.

    • Duelist champions: Fiora, Jax, Master Yi
    • Duelists in popular culture: Inigo Montoya, Deadpool, Oberyn Martell