Ready to elevate your Legends of Runterra game to the next level? Honestly, same,
Just kidding. Look no further, because I've compiled a list of the top ten champions that are sure to give you the winning edge.
From fearsome frontliners to nimble assassins to… pop stars? These champions have proven themselves in the heat of battle time and time again. So grab your deck and get ready to dominate, because these are the top ten champions that will help you climb to the top..
10. Sejuani
Sejuani, the Fury of the North, is a champion that strikes fear into the hearts of her enemies. With her formidable combat skills and her powerful abilities, her enemies freeze in fear once she gets on the board. Both metaphorically AND literally!
If you like big stats, Overwhelm and getting rid of the opponent’s win condition, this champion might become your new favorite.
Champion Analysis: Sejuani is a 6-mana 5/6 with Overwhelm that gives Frostbite and Vulnerable to an enemy of her choice for a round. *insert scorpion’s ‘Get over here!’ catchphrase*
Sejuani is usually played in Plunder decks along with Gangplank due to her level-up condition. To level her up you will need to damage the enemy nexus in five different rounds. It doesn’t matter if it’s your attack turn or your enemy’s, all that matters is going face!
Leveling her up usually means complete and utter devastation for your opponent as from that point on, she frostbites THE ENTIRE BOARD the first time you strike the enemy nexus each round.
But that hasn’t stopped Sejuani from trying her luck with other decks too, one of her best ones being the Hallowed Overwhelm deck, where along with Gwen, they wreak havoc with Battlefury and Atrocity as top-end win conditions.
Her big stats, combined with her Frostbites, make Sejuani a great champion whether you are a fan of Overwhelm or Control decks. Or just ice. Ice is cool too.
Tips & Tricks:
You usually want to use Sejuani in your attacking turn so you can pull and kill your opponent’s strongest unit for free. Not many enemies can withstand her big attack stat
Sometimes, Sejuani is better used in your defensive turn. She can help you stall the game by Frostbiting the strongest enemy and basically nullifying your opponent’s attack
Combine her with attack buffs for surprise lethals.
I have won countless games by pulling a low-health unit with Sejuani, slapping a Fury of the North on her, and suddenly kill my opponent from 10HP. It’s super satisfying and your opponent can easily get baited into it if they are not careful.
Sejuani Strong Points:
Great at Controlling the Game and the Board
The Frostbite and Vulnerable she applies when she comes down are great tools to stall the game until you stabilize or push it even further in your favor. Just wait until she levels up. If she manages to level up in the right deck, the game is basically over.
Strong finisher
Big attack, Overwhelm, and Vulnerable are basically best friends. It’s the perfect recipe to finish off your opponent with one massive blow.
Easy level-up
If you build your deck correctly, it’s not hard to summon Sejuani already leveled. And if you do that, the win is almost guaranteed at turn 6/7.
9. Gwen
Gwen, the Hallowed Seamstress, is a champion that may seem unassuming at first glance, but don't let her cute appearance fool you.
Leave her just a tiny opening and she will snip snip snip your nexus to oblivion! Needle-less to say, she is one of the most powerful champions there is!
Champion Analysis: Gwen, a 4-mana 3/4 Hallowed, Quick Attack unit does not seem too scary. Initially.
That is until her oddly loyal Hallowed followers start dropping like very-well-dressed flies, giving Gwen massive attack stats every time she attacks. This, combined with her Quick Attack, makes it almost impossible to trade with her.
Gwen’s ability is called ‘Snip Snip’ and is the nightmare of every Aggro deck. What it does is Drain 2HP from the enemy nexus every time Gwen attacks.
To level Gwen, you need to deal 10+ damage with her. At that point, ‘Snip Snip’ transforms to ‘Snip Snip Snip’ and you are very likely to make your opponent say ‘bye bye bye’ to their LP.
Instead of draining 2HP, ‘Snip Snip Snip’ drains 1HP for every 2 points of attack Gwen has when she attacks.
This means that if she attacks as a 12/5 (which is not hard to do with all these Hallowed buffs) she will drain a whopping 6HP from the enemy nexus! She busts out the world’s biggest straw and sucks the life right out of you!
This makes Gwen perfect for decks that allow her to attack a lot so she can drain her opponents to death. These decks currently are Red Gwen and Gwen/Irelia with Black Flame.
Tips & Tricks:
Attack Often
Utilize Rallies and Free Attacks from cards like Katarina and Ruined Reckoner to maximize Gwen’s value
Use Overwhelm for Sneaky Lethals
One of Gwen’s weaknesses is that she can be Chump Blocked and stopped from pushing much damage. This makes people block her with low-hp units.
You can take that to your advantage and push TONS of damage with Noxus cards that give your Gwen Overwhelm at Burst Speed
Gwen + Black Flame = Match Made in Heaven
Gwen is great at attacking. But she is not so great at blocking. She basically never blocks because you often can’t afford to get her removed due to a combat trick.
That’s where Black Flame comes to play. Trapping her inside the Landmark makes her practically impossible to remove while she is still there every single time you attack.
Gwen Strong Points:
Great Sustain
Her constant draining allows you to keep your nexus nice and healthy. Begone, Aggro pests!
Wins Almost Every Trade
Quick Attack and high attack stats always were a recipe for success and Gwen takes full advantage of that with her Hallowed stacks
Provides Value Even When Removed
Because Gwen is a Hallowed unit, even if the enemy manages to remove her somehow, she still provides value to you by upping the Hallowed stacks by 1, making ALL your attacks stronger from that point forward.
8. Twisted Fate
Twisted Fate, the Card Master, is a champion that always has a trick up his sleeve.
With his ability to manipulate fate itself, Twisted Fate is a formidable opponent in the Fields of Justice.
Whether he's using his Destiny Card ability to stun his enemies or stacks the deck in his favor to draw powerful cards, Twisted Fate is a champion that can turn the tide of battle in an instant.
So if you want to twist your way to victory in Legends of Runterra, make sure to add Twisted Fate to your lineup. And if you want to win in any card game (including poker), don’t play against him.
Champion Analysis: Twisted Fate is strong. Always has been and always will be. This is thanks to his crazy amount of utility. Almost as much as his ‘luck’.
While you rarely ever build a deck around Twisted Fate, he is the cherry on top that makes everything just work.
When Twisted Fate comes into the field, you get to play a Destiny card. This Destiny Card can transform into one of the three following options: Red Card, Blue Card, or Gold Card.
Blue Card Attunes you and draws you a card. This is great for when you are low on resources and need to refill your hand and options sooner than you need your microwave noodles ready.
Red Card deals 1 damage to all enemies and the enemy nexus. This works great against the smork-y Aggro decks of Noxus and Bandle City. It’s not too rare to clear the ENTIRE enemy board with just a Red Card. It works especially well with Gangplank and his Kegs in Pirate decks.
Gold Card deals two damage to the strongest enemy and Stuns them. This is most often used as a defensive tool to keep your opponent from attacking this round, but it can often be used in your attacking turn to remove a blocker and prepare for a huge attack.
Twisted Fate is one of the hardest champions to level up but also one of the most rewarding ones. To level him up you need to draw 9+ cards while he’s on the field. Without cheating.
When Twisted Fate is leveled, the first 3 times you play a card each round, you also play a Destiny Card on top of it, in the order of Blue, Red, Gold.
This gives you so much value while doing so much damage and disruption to the enemy board that it is almost impossible to lose a game with a leveled Twisted Fate.
Tips & Tricks:
Bait smork-y decks to develop as much as possible.
When playing against decks that fill the board with low-cost units, keep passing as much as you can until they vomit their hand on the board.
You can then clear everything with just a Red Card and see them instantly surrender.
Set up blowout attacks
Prepare a big attack turn by putting a lot of strong units on the board early on. Then, on your attack turn, play Twisted Fate with a Gold Card to gain an extra attacker while they lose a blocker.
This is often enough to turn the whole game on its head and lead you to an easy victory
Keep the Pressure High
Once you play Twisted Fate, try to keep pressuring the enemy with the rest of your board. They will be too busy dealing with it and you may sneak a level-up in and steal a win.
Twisted Fate Strong Points:
Very Versatile
With his 3 different Destiny Cards, you are always happy to play Twisted Fate, no matter the board state
Tons of Value
Twisted Fate’s Destiny Card costs 0 mana, and yet its effect is so powerful that you can often win games just because you played the right Destiny Card at the right time.
Priority Target
Once you play Twisted Fate, your opponent has two options. If they ignore him, they get blown out by his level-up. If they focus on him, they leave the rest of your board to reign free and wreak havoc.
7. Ezreal
Ezreal, the Prodigal Explorer, is a champion that loves nothing more than a good adventure. Except maybe cheese?
With his signature Mystic Shot, Ezreal is a formidable opponent on the Fields of Justice. Whether he's darting across the battlefield, taking out enemies with precision shots, or mercilessly gunning down the enemy nexus, Ezreal is a champion that always has a trick up his sleeve.
So if you want to join Ezreal on his next adventure and emerge victorious in Legends of Runterra, make sure to add him to your lineup.
Champion Analysis: Ezreal, a 3-mana 1/3 is not the scariest unit in terms of stats. Even with his Elusive keyword, which allows him to keep attacking, he can’t do more than just a bit of chip damage by himself.
But don’t let this fool you. Once leveled, Ezreal is a threat that could get the enemy nexus from 20HP to 0 in a single round. That is due to his passive ability, where every time you cast a spell, Ezreal deals 1-2 damage to the enemy nexus, depending on if you targeted a unit or not.
But, because he has such a strong level-up, his level-up condition had to be hard so that he’s not completely busted. You need to target enemies 8+ times.
Since it is such a demanding level-up condition, Ezreal is usually played in decks that are mostly built around him, like Machine Gun Kenny & Seraphine/Ezreal
Tips & Tricks:
Use the Free Mystic Shots
If you are running out of spells to level your Ezreal, Strike the enemy nexus with his Elusive keyword and use the generated Mystic Shot to progress it.
Fast & Burst Speed are Your Friends
Make sure to add to your deck a lot of Fast & Burst speed spells so that you can unleash them all at once and burn your opponent down once Ezreal is leveled
Keep Ezreal Safe
Ezreal is your win condition. Don’t put him at unnecessary risk. Ideally, you want to wait until he is leveled up and you have enough mana and spells in hand to protect him once he comes down.
Ezreal Strong Points:
Elusive Chip
If your opponent does not have much interaction, you can put Ezreal down and start chipping away at the enemy nexus, thanks to his Elusive keyword
Great at Burst Lethals
With his leveled ability, Ezreal has no problem bursting the opponent down by spamming spells ‘till the end of time
Can Turn Games on Their Head
I have won so many games where the opponent was going to finish me off with an open attack but, just because I had Ezreal down, I was able to burn their nexus instead and steal their LP.
6. Jinx
Jinx stands for jinx… duh. She is a champion that loves nothing more than causing chaos on and off the battlefield. With her powerful weapons and explosive abilities, Jinx is a force to be reckoned with in Legends of Runterra.
Whether she's getting excited destroying her enemies or using her Super Mega Death Rocket to deal massive damage to the enemy nexus, Jinx is a champion that always leaves a lasting impression.
So if you want to blow your opponents out of the water, make sure to add Jinx to your lineup.
Champion Analysis: Any way you see it, Jinx is an offensive menace. As a low-cost unit with premium stats AND Quick Attack, Jinx is really hard to block and will decimate the enemy board before long.
She is usually used in smork-y decks so that the enemy has to either block her and take A TON of damage from the rest of your units, or block the other units and get slapped by Jinx in the face.
To level Jinx, you need to get rid of your entire hand. 0 cards. Nada.
Once you do that, you get a Super Mega Death Rocket to deal massive damage to the enemy nexus. And you get another, new one, the first time you get rid of your entire hand every round.
Tips & Tricks:
Use Top Notch Discard Fodder
To empty your hand asap without losing any value, inject your deck with cards that give you benefits when you discard them
Make Your Opponent Overcommit
The Super Mega Death Rocket deals 4 damage to the nexus and 1 damage to all enemy units. Bait your opponent to develop as many units as possible to get maximum value!
Use Augmented Experimenter to Refuel
Experimenter's ability is great to level up Jinx FAST and refill your hand with a bunch of useful cards so you never run out of steam
Jinx Strong Points:
Great Early Game
With her stats and cost, no board can easily deal with Jinx if you play her on curve.
Smork Your Way to Victory
Jinx benefits the most from decks that allow her to wreak havoc on the enemy board. The best way to do that is with a deck that has a bunch of allies attacking with her
Strong Finisher
If the game is going towards the later rounds, Jinx can still help you finish your opponent off by generating Super Mega Death Rockets over and over, destroying the enemy nexus
5. Aphelios
Aphelios, the Weapon of the Faithful, is a champion that wields a staggering arsenal of weapons with deadly precision.
With his ability to switch between an array of different weapons on the fly, Aphelios is a versatile and formidable opponent on the Fields of Justice.
Whether he's stunning the enemy board, summoning allies, or gaining lifesteal, Aphelios is a champion that can adapt to any situation.
So if you want to decimate your opponents and emerge victorious in Legends of Runterra, make sure to add Aphelios to your lineup.
Champion Analysis: Aphelios, aka the moon boy, is one of the hardest champions to play for the same reason he is one of the strongest ones. He can just do a bit lot of everything!
Being a back-line champion, Aphelios needs to be kept safe from danger while you cast spell after spell to cycle through his weapons and take advantage of the absurd amounts of value he offers.
Once leveled, not only do the weapons cycle faster and cost less, but Aphelios himself also turns into a win condition as he gains Quick Attack and you can start trading down the enemy board.
Even in tough situations, Aphelios is great at turning the game around and making your opponent ragequit.
Tips & Tricks:
Think a Few Turns Ahead
You can’t cycle into any weapon you want, so you need to think about what the board state will look like when the weapon is generated and choose accordingly
Keep Protection in Hand
You should never play Aphelios without protection. Pale Cascade, Guiding Touch, and other similar spells are A MUST if you want your Aphelios to stick on the board as he is sure to be targeted.
Use Big Units as His Supporting Cast
Aphelios usually ends games with one strong swing by a big unit. This is usually Viktor, Winding Light, or Catastrophe nowadays, which all can do massive amounts of damage and shatter the enemy nexus.
Aphelios Strong Points:
Versatile
No matter the state of the game, Aphelios has a weapon that is perfect for the circumstances
Great Scaling
Once Aphelios levels up, you drown your opponent in value and all they can do is watch as their LP fly away
Can End Games by Himself
If you let him do his thing long enough, Aphelios is sure to steamroll you and run away with the game out of nowhere
4. Akshan
Akshan, the Eye of Twilight, is a champion who commands the battlefield with his unbreakable will.
Whether he's Predicting the exact card he needs or reviving the strongest dead ally, Akshan is a champion that always has a trick up his sleeve.
So if you want a champion who can turn the tide of battle in an instant, make sure to add Akshan to your Legends of Runterra lineup. With him on your side, victory is within your grasp!
Champion Analysis: Akshan is a tricky lad. Not only because of his grappling hook but also because he is one of the few champions that separates the value he provides from his actual card.
When he is summoned, Akshan summons the Warlord’s Palace with him. A landmark with Countdown 9 that, upon completion, gives you a Relic of Power. This allows you to Predict and Draw 1, summon a Sandstone Charger, or grant all allies +1/+0.
While the Predict is used more often, the other two options are great for more niche circumstances.
Once the landmark has counted down, Akshan levels up and creates the Warlord’s Hoard. Another landmark with Countdown 9 and an even bigger payoff.
Upon completion, this landmark gives you the Sentinel’s Hoard, a spell with 3 options.
Give all enemies vulnerable and create in hand a 0-cost copy of the strongest dead ally
Draw 2 and reduce the cost of every card by 1 this round
Grant your champions Everywhere Spellshield and +2/+2
You usually choose to draw 2 and reduce the cost of your cards by 1 because this is a treasure-like amount of value you get there. But all of them can be game-ending options in the right circumstances.
Akshan provides so much value to your deck in so many ways that he can seamlessly fit in almost any mid-range deck
Tips & Tricks:
Predict When Missing Your WinCon
Relic of Power’s Predict option can often fix even the most bricked hands and turn the game on its head
Use Sandstone Chargers For Big Blowout Turns
If your opponent made the mistake of just leaving 1 unit on the board against your 2-3, punish them hard by summoning an extra Charger at Burst Speed and getting a sneaky lethal
Keep Combat Tricks in Hand
Akshan reduces the landmark’s countdown every time he strikes and whenever you target an ally. Keep a lot of combat tricks in hand to keep your Akshan safe and allow him to get in for lots of attacks
Akshan Strong Points:
Value is Separated From Body
Akshan gets his value through his landmarks, so, even when removed, you are still going to get the landmark’s spell
Versatile
With each landmark giving you 3 different spells to choose from, you can find the right spell for any game state
Can Be a Threat If Left Alive
If you ignore Akshan and let him live, he can countdown the landmarks that much faster and end the game way earlier.
3. Vayne
Vayne, the Night Hunter, is a champion that strikes fear into the hearts of her enemies.
With her stealthy movements and deadly precision, Vayne is a master of the hunt, taking down her prey with ease. Whether she's finishing the job herself or helping her allies Tumble their way to victory, Vayne is a champion that always gets the job done.
So if you want to add some extra strikes and finesse to your Legends of Runterra lineup, make sure to bring Vayne along for the ride.
Champion Analysis: Vayne’s statline is premium for a 3-cost unit. Being from Demacia, this was to be expected. What wasn’t expected was that Vayne would be a backline value generator.
While she can and often will attack by herself, her power lies in her Tumble that she generates. It costs 4-mana initially and its cost is reduced by 1 every turn that it’s not used while Vayne is on the board.
What Tumble does is let you start a Free Attack with one of your units and optionally Equip it with a Weapon for free. This allows your deck to attack over and over and gain tons of Tempo with the free equipment.
Just like Quinn and Miss Fortune, Vayne needs to see you attack 4 times in order to level up. And when she does, the Tumbles that she generates cost a whopping 0 mana.
So, once she does level up, you will be attacking so much that you won’t even remember whose attacking turn it actually is.
Tip & Tricks:
Tumble Your Scouts
Using Tumble on one of your Scout units allows you to Rally for free even during your opponent’s attacking turn. That means You will get a Free Attack from the Tumble AND you’ll get another one from the Scout
Keep a Well-Statted Board
While Vayne is amazingly strong, she needs a supporting cast to function properly. Due to her lack of Quick Attack or Elusive, she can’t freely attack the enemy nexus herself and needs to rely on other strong units
Be Creative With Your Weapons
Find unexpected ways to use your weapons, like using Tumble and Equipping your Overwhelm Weapon to a strong unit to suddenly push the last bit of damage
Vayne Strong Points:
Very Oppressive
If Vayne gets going with her Tumbles, your opponent’s board has no chance of surviving and this can quickly snowball into a victory
Can Rally Almost Every Turn
All you need is a Scout and Vayne’s Tumble. And if you are missing any of those, don’t worry, you can add 1-2 Rally cards in your deck just to be extra certain
Can Defend Almost As Good As She Can Attack
Because you run so many big-stat units with Vayne, you are able to hold off enemy boards that may try to smork you. Aggro has no hope when they have to give 3 units to take down 1 of yours
2. Aatrox
Aatrox, the Darkin Blade, is a champion that strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies.
With his formidable combat skills and his ability to cheat death itself by non-stop healing both himself and your nexus, Aatrox is a force to be reckoned with in the Fields of Justice.
Whether he's slicing through his foes with his deadly sword or assimilating the rest of the Darkin, Aatrox is a champion you don’t want to see on the opposing side of the board.
So if you want to dominate your opponents and emerge victorious, make sure to add Aatrox to your Legends of Runterra lineup.
Champion Analysis: Aatrox, when Equipped with the Darkin Blade, is a 6-mana 6/6 with Regeneration. He may not be the biggest unit (yet) but he is a well-statted one and his Regen allows him to be more aggressive with his trades.
It doesn’t take long for Aatrox to provide value as he heals your nexus by 2HP when he comes down and an extra 2HP every time he strikes.
But the true Win Condition is the World Ender. Initially 16 mana and reduced by 1 every time an equipped ally strikes, World Ender is a card with a scary effect.
Once played, every unit on your board that is Equipped with a Darkin Weapon turns into the corresponding Darkin, making your board massive out of nowhere.
Aatrox also levels when you play World Ender. He turns into a 9/9 with Overwhelm and a passive that reduces the cost of every Darkin by 5 mana! They are almost free!
If you reach such a board state, losing the game is almost impossible
Tips & Tricks:
Double Your Aatrox
Equip the Darkin Blade to another unit so that when you cast World Ender, it Assimilates into a second Aatrox
Set Your Board Up Early
Start creating a wide board and Equipping the Darkin Weapons so that you can then quickly play World Ender and end the world… I mean the game.
Use Aatrox for Sustain
Sometimes, before winning, you need to make sure you don’t lose. Summon Aatrox and strike as much as possible to heal your nexus back up
Aatrox Strong Points:
One of The Best Finishers
Aatrox is called the World Ender for good reason. If you reach the point of casting the spell, your chances of winning skyrocket
Great Blocker
Although he looks more like an attacker, Aatrox is one of the best blockers, being able to both Regenerate his own health back and heal your nexus by 2HP
Permanent Pressure
Even if you manage to kill Aatrox, his Darkin Blade stays back and you can easily Assimilate him again when casting World Ender. The enemy is never safe.
1. Seraphine
Seraphine, the Starry-Eyed Songstress, is a champion whose sweet melodies and powerful magic have made her a fan favorite in Legends of Runterra. #Karma2.0 #RipKarma
Whether she's enchanting her enemies with generated spells or unleashing devastating value with her spell duplication, Seraphine is a versatile and formidable opponent on the Fields of Justice.
So if you want to sing your way to victory, make sure to add Seraphine to your lineup and let her melodic magic work its wonders.
Champion Analysis: Seraphine is one of the weakest units and yet the strongest champion. The power of music counterbalanced everything.
She is a 2-mana 1/4 that when summoned, creates a New 2-cost spell in hand. A card is New when you have not yet played it this game. And until she levels up, that that’s the only thing she does.
It’s not a lot. But, when she levels, she becomes a scary champion.
Once Seraphine is leveled up, whenever you play a New spell that costs 2 or less, she casts it twice, just like the leveled-up Karma.
Pair it with cost-reduction cards and spells like the Backalley Bar and there are tons of spells you can suddenly double-cast.
Once this happens, you can easily drown your opponent in value until they give up and hand you their LP
Tips & Tricks:
Run Cost Reduction
The more cards you can have that cost 2 mana or less, the bigger Seraphine’s impact will be. So cards like Backalley Bar and Moonsilver are your friend
Pair her with another WinCon
Seraphine is strong, but she is even better when paired with someone who can actually finish the game. Someone like Victor or Ezreal who can both take advantage of her level-up
Keep Her Safe
Playing Seraphine early on to get the new spell is enticing, but don’t get her out of your hand unless she is leveled or you have to. You rely on her level-up and if she gets removed you will have trouble winning the game.
Seraphine Strong Points:
The Value is Insane
Because Seraphine doubles the New spells, you practically have almost double the mana of your opponent. How could they win when they can play 3 cards and you can play 12?
Insane Highrolls
Both because of her own ability and because of the decks she is played in, you have at least a few randomly generated cards in your deck every game. Some of these cards could be exactly what you need to get out of a tough situation
Can’t Lose if Leveled
Seraphine’s level-up is so strong that if you manage to get it in the right deck, the game is practically over.
