LoL Arena champion tier list: The best champs for the mode

Arena made its much-anticipated return to League of Legends in Patch 14.9. With 167 champions, it can be difficult to know which are worth your time in the 2v2v2v2 mode.

These champions have different roles in Summoner’s Rift but have one thing in common: They each scale well. Once mastered, they’re a great addition to your Arena duo.

Why you should play each S-tier champion in LoL Arena

Brand, the Burning Vengeance

• Best duo: Trundle, Darius, Vi
• Core items: Void Staff, Rabadon’s Deathcap, Shadowflame
• Strongest Augments: Magic Missile, Witchful Thinking, Infernal Conduit

With his unmatched power, Brand is undoubtedly one of the best picks in Arena. He’s always been powerful in one-vs-one and two-vs-two scenarios. But with the right Augments, he excels in the 2v2v2v2 mode.

Kayn, the Shadow Reaper

• Best duo: Galio, Brand, Swain
• Core items: Duskblade of Draktharr, Serylda’s Grudge, Guardian Angel
• Strongest Augments: The Brutalizer, Outlaw’s Grit, Thread the Needle

Kayn has a lot of damage, sustain, and mobility in his kit. All these aspects are heavily favored in Arena. With a few core items under his belt, Kayn is virtually unstoppable.

Veigar, the Tiny Master of Evil

• Best duo: Trundle, Illaoi, Darius
• Core items: Rabadon’s Deathcap, Zhonya’s Hourglass, Luden’s Tempest
• Strongest Augments: Big Brain, Witchful Thinking, Eureka

I don’t know about you, but in Arena, I often like to go for AP-based picks that create chaos on the battlefield. Veigar is a prime example of this. With a proper setup with your duo partner, Veigar can burst down squishy targets in seconds.

Vladimir, the Crimson Reaper

• Best duo: Zed, Pyke, Illaoi
• Core items: Rabadon’s Deathcap, Night Harvester, Cosmic Drive
• Strongest Augments: Witchful Thinking, Rabble Rousing, Eureka

Similarly to Veigar, Vladimir is a perilous champion in Arena. His kit doesn’t involve as many crowd-control tools, but his damage is still one of the highest with the right build and Augments. He also has high sustain, allowing him to stay alive in fights.

Darius, the Hand of Noxus

• Best duo: Brand, Sona, Lillia
• Core items: Guardian Angel, Force of Nature, Sterak’s Gage
• Strongest Augments: The Brutalizer, Goliath, Rabble Rousing

Fighters are immensely powerful in this latest version of Arena, with Darius leading the charge. His mix of tankiness and damage makes him one of the best champions, especially if he’s allowed to get some kills early.

Vi, the Piltover Enforcer

• Best duo: Brand, Nilah, Xin Zhao
• Core items: Guardian Angel, Black Cleaver, Death’s Dance
• Strongest Augments: The Brutalizer, Outlaw’s Grit, Thread the Needle

Similarly to Darius, Vi is flawless in one-vs-one scenarios if given the time and space. With her targeted ultimate and squishy AD and AP carries being popular in the Arena, she’s a perfect counter.

Zed, the Master of Shadows

• Best duo: Vladimir, Galio, Brand
• Core items: Serylda’s Grudge, Infinity Edge, Lord Dominik’s Regards
• Strongest Augments: The Brutalizer, It’s Killing Time, Thread the Needle

If you’re gifted mechanically and want to show your prowess, there’s hardly a better pick than Zed. Once he gets his core items and picks up his favored Augments, he can outplay almost every champion in Arena.

Yorick, the Shepherd of Souls

• Best duo: Ziggs, Zyra, Taliyah
• Core items: The Collector, Death’s Dance, Guardian Angel
• Strongest Augments: Goliath, Minionmancer, The Brutalizer

Yorick is stronger than ever in Arena. With the right Augments, items, and duo partner, he can become an immensely strong front line, making I’m amost impossible to crack.

Trundle, the Troll King

• Best duo: Brand, Sona, Veigar
• Core items: Spirit Visage, Guardian Angel, Black Cleaver
• Strongest Augments: Lighting Strikes, Scopier Weapons, Symphony of War

Trundle ruled the previous iteration of Arena and the Troll King is back on top this time around. It’s easy to out-sustain enemy fighters with his Q and R, block squishy targets with his E, and deal tons of damage.

Swain, the Noxian Grand General

• Best duo: Illaoi, Galio, Poppy
• Core items: Spirit Visage, Zhonya’s Hourglass, Rabadon’s Deathcap
• Strongest Augments: Magic Missile, Rabble Rousing, Infernal Conduit

Similar to other mages on this list, Swain is a fantastic pick if you’re feeling confident with your mechanical skills. Cock-sure players will find it easy to surprise enemies and quickly advance to the top places in Arena.

Lillia, the Bashful Bloom

• Best duo: Illaoi, Poppy, Galio
• Core items: Void Staff, Rabadon’s Deathcap, Shadowflame
• Strongest Augments: Magic Missile, Infernal Conduit, Witchful Thinking

Thanks to her crowd-control tools and mobility, Lillia has a lot of outplay potential. Look for aggressive Augments, build AP-based items, and try hitting as many skillshots as possible.

Galio, the Colossus

• Best duo: Illaoi, Lillia, Swain
• Core items: Rabadon’s Deathcap, Thornmail, Hearsteel
• Strongest Augments: Guilty Pleasure, Courage of the Colossus, Impassable

We mentioned the most dominant tanks in the mode are those who can hurt enemies while also being beefy, and Galio fits that description perfectly. With his aggressive kit, it’s best to pick another fighter alongside him.

Nami, the Tidecaller

• Best duo: Shen, Graves, Yone
• Core items: Rabadon’s Deathcap, Morellonomicon, Chemtech Purifier
• Strongest Augments: Sonic Boom, First-Aid Kit, All for You

Sometimes, all you need in Arena is a proper support, and with Nami’s abilities, you couldn’t find a better one. With two great crowd control tools and a heal, she’s a terrific pick in the mode.

Gragas, the Rabble Rouser

• Best duo: Zed, Trundle, Jayce
• Core items: Void Staff, Spirit Visage, Shadowflame
• Strongest Augments: Witchful Thinking, Eureka, Bread and Cheese

Gragas is another great choice for Arena due to his ability to control his opponents with crowd control. On his own, he’s not strong enough to win fights, but when matched with a Fighter like Zed or Trundle, he can provide a perfect frontline and damage to come out victorious.

Illaoi, the Kraken Priestess

• Best duo: Galio, Swain, Singed
• Core items: Guardian Angel, Sterak’s Gage, Death’s Dance
• Strongest Augments: Perseverance, Goliath, Rabble Rousing

Last but not least, we have Illaoi. She’s similar to other fighters on the list, but she deals a lot of damage while also turning the battlefield into a living hell. When paired with a tank, enemies will find her hard to counter, especially if she lands her ultimate just right.

A-tier champions in LoL Arena

• Morgana
• Briar
• Zyra
• Singed
• Udyr
• Pyke
• Lux
• Kennen
• Poppy
• Shyvana
• Kog’Maw
• Garen
• Hwei
• Jayce
• Jhin
• Tryndamere
• Aatrox
• Sylas
• Anivia
• Xerath
• Nunu & Willump
• Evelynn
• Xin Zhao
• Naafiri
• Shen
• Taliyah
• Twisted Fate
• Senna
• Sona
• Mordekaiser
• Olaf

These champions are still incredible in teamfights and can greatly benefit from plenty 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

• Malzahar
• Zac
• Ryze
• Lee Sin
• Kha’Zix
• Wukong
• Nasus
• Lucian
• Hecarim
• Jarvan IV
• Riven
• Pantheon
• Ahri
• Ashe
• Fiora
• Vayne
• Renekton
• Volibear
• Yasuo
• Rammus
• Cassiopeia
• Gwen
• Master Yi
• Samira
• Amumu
• Fiddlesticks
• Bard
• Rell
• Rumble
• Graves
• Karma
• Ezreal
• Zeri
• Yone
• Nilah
• Azir
• Cho’Gath
• Sett
• Kayle
• Alistar

Most of these champions have powerful kits Arena. But they often just fall behind in the end. 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 win them. You just need to know your limits, find a proper duo partner, and hope for some beneficial Augments.

C-tier champions in LoL Arena

• Lulu
• Viego
• Tristana
• Sion
• Caitlyn
• Lissandra
• K’Sante
• Maokai
• Leona
• Dr. Mundo
• Camille
• Teemo
• Katarina
• Jinx
• Malphite
• Draven
• Annie
• Gangplank
• Talon
• Qiyana
• Warwick
• Urgot
• Akali
• Rengar
• Irelia
• Bel’Veth
• Taric

These 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. But they’ll get outclassed by other champions unless you got lucky when choosing your Augments.

D-tier champions in LoL Arena

• Jax
• Sejuani
• Kai’Sa
• Skarner
• Ornn
• Twitch
• Soraka
• Shaco
• Heimerdinger
• Miss Fortune
• LeBlanc
• Nautilus
• Diana
• Smolder

We’re off to the penultimate section of our tier list. Champions in this category might be fun to play, especially once you land an Augment or two, but they often fail to produce results. They’re usually tough to use in most duos and don’t have enough tools to climb the ranks efficiently.

E-tier champions in LoL Arena

• Aurelion Sol
• Yuumi
• Tahm Kench
• Ekko
• Fizz
• Neeko
• Braum
• Blitzcrank
• Thresh

Last but not least, we have the list of champions who are barely playable in the Arena. They require a lot of game knowledge and proper combination with your duo to come out on top while playing them.

All images via Riot Games.