SEASON 3 - PATCH 3.13 SOLO QUEUE TIER LIST
Preface Chatter
Also known as the omg-what-have-they-done-to-Sivir patch...
Patch Summary:
Buffs:Heimerdinger. Master Yi, Morgana, Olaf, Sivir, Syndra, Thresh, Ziggs
Nerfs:Aatrox, Ahri, Corki, Fizz, Jarvan, Jinx, Kassadin, Rengar, Shen, Tryndamere, Zed, Zyra
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Since this list was made shortly after the patch note release, not all balance changes were integrated. Rather than releasing a whole new list, I'll make small tweaks here and there as it becomes more apparent the effect of changes on various champion strengths. Mid lane was hit especially hard by a slew of balance changes, so it'll take a little bit of time before things pan out and the water clears.
11/6 Updates:
- Moved up: Morgana, Nidalee, Riven, Shyvana (Top), Swain, Syndra, Ziggs
- Moved down: Aatrox, Shen, Zed, Zyra
God Tier [Very Strong]:
Mid-Lane Gods: Kassadin, Nidalee, Annie, Fizz, Orianna
Jungle Gods: Rammus, Amumu, Jarvan IV, Nocturne, Sejuani, Fiddlesticks, Vi
AD Gods: Sivir, Jinx, Caitlyn, Twitch,
Top Lane Gods: Jax, Tryndamere, Singed, Wukong, Renekton
Support Gods: Sona, Janna, Zyra, Annie, Fiddlesticks
Tier 1 [Really Strong]:
Mid-Lane: Swain, Lux, Zed, Malzahar, Kayle, Ahri, Ziggs, Syndra, Morgana, Kennen, Diana, Twisted Fate, Wukong, Brand, Gragas, Lissandra, Zyra, Kha'Zix, Corki
Jungle: Elise, Zac, Aatrox, Nasus, Evelynn, Hecarim, Cho'Gath, Nautilus, Lee Sin, Volibear, Maokai,
AD Carry: Draven, Corki, Vayne, Varus, Tristana, Ezreal, Graves
Top Lane: Darius, Riven, Nasus, Aatrox, Yorick, Shyvana, Kennen, Jarvan IV, Elise, Kayle, Irelia, Zac, Lee Sin, Udyr, Nidalee,
Support: Thresh, Nami, Leona, Blitzcrank
Tier 2 [Balanced]:
Mid-Lane: Heimerdinger, Mordekaiser, Cho'Gath, Anivia, Viktor, Cassiopeia, Vladimir, Xerath, Katarina, Jayce, Elise, Pantheon, Akali, Talon, Galio,
Jungle: Shyvana, Udyr, Shaco, Nunu, Kha'Zix, Master Yi, Warwick, Malphite, Wukong, Leona, Trundle, Xin Zhao, Rengar, Skarner, Diana, Zed
AD Carry: Ashe, Lucian, Miss Fortune, Kog'Maw, Quinn
Top Lane: Rumble, Teemo, Fiora, Shen, Jayce, Rengar, Akali, Quinn, Vi, Swain, Kha'Zix, Pantheon, Vladimir, Gangplank, Cho'gath, Volibear, Garen, Zed, Malphite, Master Yi
Support: Lulu, Taric, Alistar, Soraka,
Tier 3 [Needs Higher Skill/Knowledge Than Usual]:
Mid-Lane: Ryze, Karthus, Veigar, Sion, Leblanc, Evelynn, Karma, Fiddlesticks
Jungle: Olaf, Fiora, Riven, Pantheon, Dr. Mundo, Jax, Kayle, Darius,
AD Carry:
Top Lane: Olaf, Mordekaiser, Warwick, Karma, Xin Zhao, Ryze, Nunu, Galio, Talon, Trundle, Dr. Mundo, Poppy
Support: Morgana, Nunu, Lux, Nautilus, Shen, Nidalee
Tier 4 [Difficult to Win]:
Mid-Lane: Lulu, Kog'maw, Zilean, Soraka, Tristana, Janna, Ezreal,
Jungle: Tryndamere, Gangplank, Blitzcrank, Alistar
AD Carry: Urgot
Top Lane: Urgot
Support: Kayle, Malphite, Gangplank, Elise, Maokai, Yorick, Lissandra, Karma, Ashe, Zilean, Leblanc, Caitlyn
- Champions in BOLD I will talk about shortly
- Champions UNDERLINED may be over/undervalued, but aren't/haven't played enough for me to make a better judgement.
- Within each tier the champions are strongest from left to right, but within a tier each champion's strength is relatively close. This is especially true for Tiers 2 and 3 where these champions are ALL highly playable and player dependent on how strong they are in-game.
Champion Explanations
- AD Carries - Starting to be a more clear distinction between Tier 1 and Tier 2 AD Carries as a result of synergy with more popular supports, split them back up.
- Annie - Annie's extremely strong right now as both mid and support, and especially more so than before as support since they'ver nerfed Zyra, making her the perfect counter to kill lanes since well...she has more killing potential than even Blitz or Leona.
- Corki - The nerfs hit him pretty hard, and while he's still very competitive, he's no longer as big a snowball threat as he was before, so he's dropped out of the faceroll tier.
- Fiddlesticks - While his laning phase isn't always faceroll depending on the adc you're paired against, his late game utility is ridiculous due to his strong CC potential. Although you'll want to avoid picking him into certain kill lanes like Blitzcrank, he dismantles popular squishy supports with ease.
- Heimerdinger - The buffs made him considerably stronger, but nobody really remembers how to play him, so he's still a bit medoicre at best.
- Jayce - Manamune nerfs have sent him spiraling down in win rate
- Jinx - On release she was almost definitely the strongest AD carries on the field. However, with her nerfs and Sivir's buffs, she'll have to relinqish that position. Even with the nerfs she's still very strong and her lvl 1 invasion potential is insane with her passive and long range slow.
- Kassadin - Kassadin's nerfs didn't hurt him all that much, and while it's tough to say he's the all-encompassing best mid in the game, mid lane's generally fairly balanced at the moment and it's hard to say any one mid laner is that much better than another.
- Nidalee - Nidalee's one of those champs that lower Elo players tend to underestimate because she's very skill based and needs strong match-up knowledge. She's also one of those champions that has to be the star of the show, and the team has to adapt to her playstyle. However, at the same time, like Season 1 Teemo, it's one of the most frustrating playstyles to go up against. With an Athene's and blue buff, as long as the rest of your team has enough CC and burst, simply grouping for 5v5s mid will result in victory, since each of her spears can potentiall send almost anyone back to base for healing after 1 shot on a squishy or around 3 on the tank.
- Nocturne - With nerfs on a lot of popular junglers coming out left and right, Nocturne's seen a fast rise in popularity as he's starting to outduel more and more junglers now. His ult, AOE, and CC makes him a perfect counterganker, and if you elect to build trinity force on him his burst is pretty slick as well.
- Pantheon - Doesn't fall off as hard with t-force and hydra anymore, with other assassins nerfed he's start to be a solid pick.
- Ryze - Ryze's tweaks were definitely a nerf, and it's very difficult to land his snare now without putting himself directly in harm's way.
- Shen - Nerfs on top laners have made him more dominant in game, and of course with his team fight changing ultimate he always had the utility to be a top competitor. However, in solo queue, it was simply a matter of stats.
- Sivir - The Sivir changes made have created a monster...luckily they nerfed her during her initial testing phase, I shudder to think what she was like before.
- Zac - With consistent nerfs he's dropped off since his damage isn't enough to make him a consistent threat unless he's able to get his sunfire at a reasonable speed.
- Zyra - Nerfs to Zyra have made her slightly weaker as a support, but she's still extremely powerful in lane and later on chiefly through her utility.
- The purpose of this list is for discussion and to provide a starting point for hero selection.
Agree? Disagree? Comment below!