A new mode called Arena was added to League of Legends with Patch 13.14 on July 20, bringing a much-needed breath of fresh air to the game. Players have been in awe of the new mode, but with 164 champions in the game, it’s easy to get lost and not know which are best.
In the game mode, players team up in a two-vs-two-vs-two-vs-two showdown. The maps regularly change, with the terrain being different on each one and players picking up new Augments out of the dozens available.
Arena is certainly one of the most entertaining modes added to League. It features a ranked ladder, allowing the best players to shine and climb. But with nearly 170 champions, it’s difficult to determine which are the best for Arena and which are not.
But don’t worry, we’ve already put a number of hours into the new mode and we’ve tried out countless duos. As a result, we’ve been able to put together this tier list of the best champions in League Arena.
S-tier champions in League Arena
These League champions are the very cream of the crop and we consider them the very best champions to play in Arena if you want to regularly win your gladiatorial battles in the new season 13 game mode:
- Taric
- Jax
- Annie
- Fiora
- Kayle
- Kennen
- Master Yi
- Vayne
- Heimerdinger
- Cassiopeia
- Kayn
- Swain
- Warwick
- Kai’Sa
- Sett
- Shaco
These champions are from different roles in the game’s Summoner’s Rift modes, but there is one thing most have in common: they each scale exceptionally well. On top of that, most require some mechanical skills, like Vayne, Jax, or Illaoi. But once they’re mastered, they can be valuable in your Arena duo.
Related: Riot is watching how many play League Arena before deciding its fate
Besides that, most of these champs have kits that allow them to shine in close-quarters brawls. Making proper use of their ultimates and other abilities will be pivotal to achieving success and climbing the ladder.
Why you should play each S-Tier pick
Taric
The perfect duo for any hyper carry in Arena, Taric has already become a must-ban champion in the dueling mode. Right now he carries a 57 percent ban rate, according to League stats site MetaSRC, and wins 64.8 percent of games (when he actually gets a chance to join the battle, that is). I would say, having played through a fair bit of Arena ranked—no, I’m not Gladiator just yet, thanks for asking—he’s the undisputed best pick right now.
Jax
The Grandmaster at Arms may not have a real weapon yet, but he’s certainly in his element in the Arena. Jax wins 60 percent of games in the eight-player mode. I always pick Lightning Strikes or Deft for that extra punch, and you should too.
Annie
Look, I think everyone knows why Annie is so good in a close-quarters League lobby. That brutal E, W, Flash, Q, R combo can sizzle even the best of the best in Arena.
Fiora
Any champion designed to one-vs-one enemies easily shines in Arena and Fiora is no exception. She wins 61.45 percent of games right now.
Kayle
The scaling monster of Summoner’s Rift wins nearly 59 percent of Arena games and draws a hefty 29.9 percent bans too.
Kennen
I’d ask you to look at the battlefield the Arena game mode is hosted on, and then I’d ask you to look at Kennen’s Slicing Maelstrom ultimate and its 550 radius. It’s no wonder the Heart of the Tempest is winning 64 percent of games.
Master Yi
The original League samurai put it best: “Doubt is the greatest enemy.” Don’t doubt Master Yi’s power—he’s got a 54.39 percent win rate (but only makes it into two in every three lobbies because of bans) and has the perfect ability to fight two enemies in Double Strike, at least flavor-wise. Add in his Meditate healing and its strong mid-combat sustain and he’s an Arena slam dunk.
Vayne
Silver Bolts, Condemn, and Final Hour. These three abilities are a beautiful mixture in regular League. In Arena, even in slow hands like mine, they’re near-perfect. Vayne ranks fourth highest in wins (62.32 percent) for a reason.
Heimerdinger
Heimerdinger almost feels unfair in Arena; you get an ally, your opponent gets an ally, but then you also get a stack of turrets to blow everyone away. I had a few games of him early in my ranked grind and I’ll admit I just couldn’t stop cackling.
Cassiopeia
Only Taric outstrips Cassiopedia when it comes to win rate right now and his positives are all defensive. Scoop up the Serpent’s Embrace—strangely, she’s only being banned 3.7 percent of the time—and grab some free, Petrifying Gaze-fuelled wins on your way to that lofty Gladiator ranking.
Kayn
Kayn is perhaps the strongest Brutalizer champion in the Arena, with all that added attack damage, ability haste, and lethality letting him dish out the pain with abandon. He may be a little higher than usual because of his Taric combo, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying his Daarkin powers.
Swain
This one’s easy—press R, activate your Demonic Ascension, and win 58.11 percent of matches. Oh, they’re running away? Lucky you have Nevermove.
Warwick
Perfect for when your blood’s up. Warwick may have turned into the strongest hunter on Summoner’s Rift, but don’t think for a second that means he’s any weaker in the closed-off Arena battlefield. Those claws are sharp, and games go his way a lot—60 percent of the time, in fact. Scoped Weapons is a fun way to add Burn to the chaos too.
Kai’Sa
The Daughter of the Void may be getting nerfs on the Rift soon, but in the Arena she is as deadly as ever. She wins 59.25 percent of games and is basically the perfect ADC for any support pick.
Sett
Come on, do we really have to sell you on playing League’s iconic pit brawler in the game’s new pit brawler game mode? Okay sure, surely winning more games than not strikes your fancy. And if that doesn’t sway you, then just imagine that perfect Show Stopper for the lobby-winning finish. Yeah, stop reading and get playing.
Shaco
Like Heimerdinger, Shaco brings extra toys into the Arena and it just feels unfair; lay those traps to perfection and your enemies won’t be able to move.
A-tier champions in League Arena
- Viktor
- Wukong
- Kalista
- Twitch
- Singed
- Yorick
- Volibear
- Kog’Maw
- Kindred
- Vi
- Illaoi
- Shyvana
- Jayce
- Veigar
- Vladimir
- Lillia
- Zyra
- Trundle
- Zac
- Brand
- Urgot
- Sona
- Riven
- Soraka
These champions are still incredible in teamfights and can greatly benefit from a number of Augments in Arena. Besides that, you’ll find tons of versatility among these champions, from squishy yet powerful AD carries, mages, and supports to beefy and tanky bruisers and tanks, which combined can create some powerful combos.
By picking one of these champs, you have a guaranteed head start in Arena, especially since they mostly don’t require much knowledge and mechanical ability. They’re just not as successful as our S-tier champs.
B-tier champions in LoL Arena
- Nasus
- Dr Mundo
- Trundle
- Ivern
- Malzahar
- Corki
- Anivia
- Varus
- Rakan
- Nilah
- Mordekaiser
- Maokai
- Veigar
- Samira
- Gwen
- Milio
- Xayah
- Vel’Koz
- Draven
- Lucian
- Aurelion Sol
- Lissandra
- Aatrox
Now we pivot to the unusual and tough-to-use choices. These champions often have kits that are quite strong in Arena if used right. Yet most of them lack enough steam to be powerful throughout the whole game and often just fall behind at one point in time.
Nevertheless, if one of these champions is your main and you can’t imagine climbing the ladder without them, we’re sure you’ll find ways to claim victories along your way. You just need to know your limits, find a proper duo partner for your Arena battles, and hope for some really nice Augments.
C-tier champions in League Arena
- Lulu
- Zed
- Leona
- Pantheon
- Bel’Veth
- Janna
- Udyr
- Graves
- Irelia
- Sivir
- Jarvan IV
- Alistar
- Renata Glasc
- Miss Fortune
- Karma
- Gangplank
- Nautilus
- Cho’Gath
- Kha’Zix
- Fizz
- Gnar
- Yasuo
- Morgana
- Elise
- Xin Zhao
- Ashe
- Rumble
The champions are often still formidable in many key aspects of Arena, like teamfighting, tanking damage, being the main damage source, or providing utility and crowd control. Yet, often they’re superb in only one or two of these aspects, and in most games, they’ll get outclassed by other champions unless you got lucky when choosing your Augments.
D-tier champions in League Arena
- Rell
- Nocturne
- Zeri
- Malphite
- Lux
- Naafiri
- Thresh
- Karthus
- Ekko
- Ahri
- Seraphine
- Sylas
- Kled
- Taliyah
- Camille
- Renekton
- Qiyana
- Shen
- Yone
- Darius
- Diana
- Hecarim
- Tahm Kench
- Jinx
- Ziggs
We’re off to the penultimate section of our tier list. Champions in this category might be fun to play, especially once you land a fun Augment or two, but they often fail to produce results. They are usually tough to use in most duos and don’t have enough tools to efficiently climb the ranks—at least, they didn’t help us.
E-tier champions in League Arena
- Pyke
- Caitlyn
- Jhin
- Azir
- Viego
- Rengar
- Aphelios
- Bard
- Rammus
- K’Sante
- Tryndamere
- Nami
- Lee Sin
- Nidalee
- Sion
- Quinn
- Nunu and Willump
- Zoe
- Rek’Sai
- Yuumi
- Ezreal
- Akali
- Akshan
- Sejuani
- Katarina
- Quinn
- Gragas
- Zilean
- Kassadin
- LeBlanc
- Evelynn
Every game mode in League has champions who aren’t fit for it, and the case is the same with Arena. These struggling champs are almost useless in the two-vs-two-vs-two-vs-two teamfighting marathon, and we doubt that will change anytime soon unless Riot gives them some love and affection. For the time being, we’d advise you to stay away from these champs in Arena.
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