So as Season 4 winds into its close, a lot of you are still grinding out for that last bit of ranked, while others of you have either achieved or accepted your fate and are looking for some new champions to play.
Running out of ideas? Check out some of these champs below!
Top Lane
Galio - Despite currently being in Tier 3 for solo queue, Galio represents a niche pick worth learning. Top lane is currently shifting heavily towards AP-based champions such as Rumble, Ryze, and Swain. While Galio can still hold his own against AD champions, he also does exceedingly well as a CC bot while poking down these low mobility champions. This combined with his passive AP increase through magic resist stacking and in-lane sustain/free stats from his shield make him extremely strong.
Malphite - As a champion with low out-play potential but high aggression, Malphite tends to be one of those "low-elo" pub stompers that actually does exceedingly well late game in high Elos too. As long as you understand champion skills and what can be used to juke your ultimate, his ultimate is an absolute game changer, and his built-in shield gives him high sustaining power even in a losing lane.
Mid Lane
Malzahar - Malzahar's damage ratios are absolutely insane, clocking in at 80% AP ratios on his Q and E, and 130% on his ultimate. This combined with the fact that he gets innate percentage based damage through his W means that not only can he annihilate any squishy he pleases, but even tanks fall quickly to his damage potential. His laning phase is extremely simple, and can be played aggressively trying to land Qs or simply waveclear and roam.Jungle
Nautilus - I think most of the "popular" junglers are actually some of the stronger ones in the game. However, Nautilus has one of the lowest play rates at the moment and is extremely powerful with his undodgable AOE CCs, chase, and lockdown abilities. His damage also scales with health, which keeps him relevant throughout the entire game simply by building some common core giant belt items.Support
Vel'koz - Vel'koz is gaining popularity, but is still extremely underplayed as a support champion. Several pros have been picking him up, but as he doesn't fit into a normal "support" meta, many people have trouble ascertaining his worth. However, his base damage is absolutely incredible, and building a few simple magic penetration items can net him and/or his AD carry kills from exceedingly long range via his ultimate.
BZZZZZZZZZ
Zyra - With melee supports falling out of favor and the rise of Janna + Sona, these burst type AP mages are starting to do much better. While they can still lose lane, champions like Zyra have the ability to snowball with very few items, often leading their team in damage done to enemy champions simply through her obnoxiously strong plant generation. Zyra also fulfills the role of a utility mage; although her cooldowns are higher than Vel'koz, her margin of error is much wider as she has two longer range CC tools.
AD Carry
Ashe - With all of Riot's nerfs to "mobility" champions as of late, Ashe is actually very strong right now. Her range is second only to Caitlyn at level one, she's the only marksman with a reliable AOE poke, and her ultimate (as it's always been), is a serious game-changer. I think that this combined with the recent nerfs on Tristana and Lucian will quickly escalate her up, especially since as an auto-attack heavy champion the attack speed changes from a few patches ago are exceedingly beneficial, if unnoticed on her.
Got more sleeper OP champions? Had success with the above? Comment below!
Got more sleeper OP champions? Had success with the above? Comment below!
Loving the articles... A fresh, new, interesting article right here. Such a good read, and true.
ReplyDeleteSleeper OP? Hmm... how about Lux? She has a snare that can hit through a minion (if used properly), free vision with E, a shield that can hit multiple teammates, and of course her lazor ultimate thats on ridiculously low cd with max cdr build.
ReplyDeleteLux does have "bad" matchups but really you can pretty much win any matchup with Lux if you just adjust your playstyle enough. I think you could maybe call her "sleeper" op because at least in my elo I don't see her often and she usually isn't given enough credity (in my personal experience).
I haven't seen much Orianna around as well, and she's actually another one of those champs thats pretty strong. I mean, she has her ultimate, vision with ball, a kill combo that also does aoe, etc etc..
Well actually man Orianna IS popular right now =) I've seen plenty of Orianna and she is known to be strong right now. She is AWESOME! =)
ReplyDeleteLux i have seen a couple times too, but little less than Ori. Lux is decent but I dont think she is Sleeper OP. I dont think she is strong enough to be called OP. Sure, she is a good asset to a team, but not OP in my book.
Nautilus it is
ReplyDeleteI still think Corki > all other ADC's right now. his escape/engage is just as strong as ever, and his burst is so high. If you rush triforce I've found that even a couple kills down, you are still stronger in any 1v1/2v2 or full group situation than any other ADC.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you do this to me? You nearly caused me a heart attack putting swain god tier, luckily you failed to make him popular. Now you are trying to show people Nautilus? I thought you were cool man.
ReplyDeleteI still think about Viktor as a perfect example of sleeper Op...
ReplyDeleteHMM, it has potential. I feel like many champs do, right now. Might be....
ReplyDeleteIt s aoe dmg is pretty unique. With his new passive he reaches absurd ap values with few items
ReplyDeleteyea. I always liked Viktor...
ReplyDeleteI really like Malphite, but I prefer him in jungle. Just build full tank with and make awesome ganks.
ReplyDeleteAshe has unbearably slow move speed and no way to escape, and her AoE poke will stop you from freezing lane, ironically.
ReplyDeleteThis means any gank = flash or die. So yeah, sleeper OP if the enemy jungler is actually sleeping and letting you farm.
I love Ashe but she's a ridiculously risky pick in this world of Zeds and K6 and Leonas and Rammuses.
I have a question, Irelia top would be considered Sleeper OP o just OP, I mean she is brutal in lvl 7-9, and I don't remember last time i was beaten in line with her, you just need a little of practice and she becomes unstoppable, even those champions who "counter" her, can be beaten if you play your lane
ReplyDeleteintelligently (darius, renek, panth). I think that she only have one true counter and its volibear, but even if you cant kill him in lane your late game is better than him.
I read your articles for several months.
ReplyDeletebut this... deserves my: good job, man.
keep doing great texts!
greetings from brazil.
Agree, as a talon main, everytime I see her or varus, I just think "lol easy prey"
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteNOPE NOPE NOPE MALZAHAR IS BAD FOLLOW THE META PLEASE NOTHING TO SEE HERE
ReplyDeleteYeppie. True guys. For example; Lucky Luke (Lucian) has that E with Low Mana requirement.
ReplyDeleteI'm just talking from the top of my head as I am not THAT experienced with Ireliuahh. But I think VoliBear has a better late game than Irelia has :P It's a very good late game. Tank voli. Irelia is not so much OP in my opinion and she isn't that unknown eitha, she has been played at Worlds a little and elsewhere too.
ReplyDeleteBut she aint so OP, thats the point. Plenty of champions can be good and can work great, and are underplayed/less played, but that doesnt mean they are OP. But these in this article, have REALLY OP potential currently.
As an AD main, seeing your thoughts on Ashe as an up-and-coming meta pick is interesting. She's been out of the meta for so long that I guess it's time to put some games in on her :) Great work SSJ!
ReplyDeleteI think the point was that this world of Zeds and Kha'Zix's and stuff has been nerfed and that's why she's stronger. Maybe you're right that they haven't been nerfed enough though.
ReplyDeleteWhat's your opinion on MF adc? She's definitely not a meta pick, and I rarely see her used, but you rank her very high on your solo q tier list.
ReplyDeleteMalzahar not only has one of the best ap scalings on the game, just look at his base dmgs. 300 on q (with a 3 sec silence rito pls), 320 on e and 550 on ult at max levels. That's insane, building him full magic pen is the way to go, your q takes half life of squishy champs and has a good range to poke in tf.
ReplyDeleteVelkoz support is amazing, he destroys everyone. You only need to watch out for a Malphite with a Negatron Cloak.
ReplyDeletethoughts
ReplyDeleteGalio - seems legit, he's an amazing champ why no 1 plays him idk
Malphite - annoying as hell, which is a good thing
Malzahar - had better never become meta I need the freelo (rito plz no more huge nerfs)
Nautilus - he is undoubtedly strong, not an OP sleeper tho imo
Vel'koz - the only people who I have seen do this buy a dorans ring and take my cs, no ty, maybe if done right is OP
Zyra - right behind sona for my favorite supports, so much cc, so much damage, rito why would you do this
Ashe - 450 champs OP
very true, this is why I like playing ashe with sona, janna or zil support
ReplyDeleteWhat about Fiora? She is OP, but maybe not here because she's not sleeper, just underplayed?
ReplyDeleteAlso, Kha mid is strong imo with essence reaver.
Ashe OP in aram lol
ReplyDeleteBeen hittin Nautilus since Preseason, he is the definition of sleeper OP as Tristana and Lucian cant escape your ult, your team can easily assassinate them with it. If your ADC is gettin clusterfked, no need to worry as you can snare them, slow them, and pull them too u if they actually catch up to the ADC.
ReplyDeleteI honestly think that Vladimir should be on this list. If you get farmed to the point where you have your Will of the ancients, sorc shoes and zhonyas. You'd be doing a heck ton amount of damage. Vlad is able to farm safe with his q and e. He also has a skill that enables him to block all incoming damage. His ult is reliable in team fights so finish of the ones that left the fight. so yeah he's actually pretty strong
ReplyDeleteLiking the definition, should be in the dictionary.
ReplyDeleteJungle poppy, think about it! Her passive makes her survive longer in the jungle and her Q rips jungle minions. Her ganks are good with Ghost, and she does good against invades. Other day I had an Udyr invade me and I forced him to run away with low health. Jungle Poppy is sleeper OP.
ReplyDeleteBut good lord it is awful early on. And by early I mean the first 30 minutes she escalates from awful to mediocre. Only past 30 minutes does she become a good pick....one of the reasons is that her early game mana is atrocious.
ReplyDeleteOh Darn!
ReplyDeleteIVE BEEN SAYING THIS ALL ALONG, but actually her q, e potential even early! wrapped up with her passive is amazing early.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget shaco!
ReplyDeleteHere let me format my own sleepers
ReplyDeleteTop: Definitely Lissandra/Yorick with the league of hypercarries, and lissandra being the role renekton was but AP.
Jungle: Rammus, and Nautilus for sure!, but my own pick is shaco who is definitely in the shadows.
MId: I'd say Lux, Possibly Viktor?, and Malz/Brand.
ADC: I think Draven, MF, and Ashe are all just 1 tier below all the OP's right now IMO
Support: I'd say Xerath and Zyra.
guys, we're forgetting the most OP champ of all time who fills any role
ReplyDeletetop lane: urgot, has range over melee
mid: can harass against a lot of mages, esp melees
adc: spam baby spam
support: his ult puts the enemy adc in a bad spot
jungle: same as support, puts them in a bad position
urgot ftw! urgot for president of LoL!
What about brand? he has a very high winrate. easy time laning and massive aoe dmg. why isnt he so good atm?
ReplyDeleteif he is behind brand does like no damage tho
ReplyDeletepoppy after a few items is GOD!!! you can go AD or AP i prefer AD personally and in teamfights her ult is great if you put it on the tank
ReplyDeleteerhm brand never falls out of the game because of his passive + liandreis + ryaleis which doesent scale with ad but enemy health. there is a reason brand always has the highest dmg in games
ReplyDeletei'm Silver I, so please, don't talk about Galio and Malzahar, its kinda off a secret here in Brasil.
ReplyDeleteGalio can junst destroy a game with his ult, plus the base damage in his "Q" is very high, it gives a slow and is AOE. Just an Atheene unholy Grail and a visage can make him so tanky
What about sivir? I think she is going to rise as well again.
ReplyDeleteI am a Galio main and I endorse this article 142%.
ReplyDeleteI think Veigar is simply incredible, yeah he has low mobility and yeah if you miss your E, it'll be hard to get away or go in for kills, but his snowballing is insane! Mid game, will be your bitch. It's hard to use him effectively, especially in team fights, but if you can, you will be amazed.
ReplyDeletei main Galio a bit too. Shhhhh it is good he is a sleeper because next thing you know an LCS player uses him, everybody freaks out and starts playing him, riot realises how strong he is and then nerfs the hell out of him. It ALWAYS happens to me when i find a good sleeper champ
ReplyDeleteI mean if you have a bad start. But saying that i haven't played him much so im not that sure
ReplyDeleteI agree. Vlad is actually very strong when played right. He can farm safely, harass the enemy while healing at the same time, and can out sustain most anyone due to that. His ult can also be a game changer in team fights due to the % increase damage.
ReplyDeleteThey did play him.. Well, not LCS, better. But he didn't work out that well (Samsung Blue vs Samsung White game 2 of semis).
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree. Just played him and damn he needs skill. He is also a terrible basic attack last hitta' (hitter). But he has great Damage and good Silence and stuff and DOT dmg. but not so gbest
ReplyDeletegood point, I am glad he didn't do that well still. If you are good at him he is amazing but the LCS players have probably not practised him so not as good
ReplyDeleteBoth so wrong.. Falls off late game? He has an AOE silence! All of his attacks except his ultimate can effect multiple targets. He can nuke any single target except obviously a very strong tank. He can be the main source of damage or be great peel for late game carries like Tristana or Vayne because of his ultimate. And as far as last hitting goes, he is one of the best because of how you can work his E. You can literally farm a lane from a distance because of his E. His only drawback is he doesn't have an escape other then flash.
ReplyDeleteE doesnt always farm for you man.... And his last hitting is hard, and you will deplete mana if you cant basic attack farm... That's the hard truth... Let it sink in.
ReplyDeleteYou just said, "Just played him". I have over 200 games in ranked this season with him. You're not supposed to let E farm for you, it brings the minion down and then you just last hit. Makes it 10x easier then last hitting on an ADC. Not sure what's so hard for you about that. But, whatever you say.
ReplyDeleteLOL it still is not so easy and you cnat know when the HP is right depleted from a minion, and you will deplete of Mana fast with that technique, also cooldown of the skill. Also you should be able to just farm with basic attacks... I am just saying the hard truth about the champion and FACTS. I am not saying he is a bad champion!!!! But his farming is hard. dats for sure. AT LEAST with basic attacks only.
ReplyDeleteHeheheheehh I am dying to laughter.... He's a pain in the 4ss. It's kind of a matter of an opinion but its kinda not, Sir. See, champions have different basic attacking animations and attack speed's and base Attack Damage's. Simple as that. And malza has no single target immediate dmg spell so its fcking hard to last hit even with abilities and you will deplete mana with that technique and you wont have your abilities ready to use. You have been #REKT in this argument, Sir.
ReplyDeleteI've been #REKT? Lol. You said your opinion was fact two posts ago. And he has an ability which makes last hitting INCREDIBLY easy. You just don't know how to play him, that's a fact.
ReplyDeleteYou just don't know how to play him. Malz is very easy to farm with. You just have no clue what you are doing.
ReplyDeleteMeh baby girl Ashe :)))
ReplyDeleteShe is my main for a month now. But i always fuck up in the lategame, she is a strong early and mid champ. Maybe iam doing something wrong.
ReplyDeleteI lile to stomp some nornals every now and again with shen jungle. I build madreads but don't go ff till 29 stacks. His ganks are decently powerful and early game sustain is very easy.
ReplyDeleteAlso Nunu top. The funniest thing I ever played. Got 1 kill took over the game
I think singed top should be added as well :), and possibly yorick.
ReplyDeleteYeah, about that... Malz is possibly the easiest champion to farm with at low levels (i think yas is easy too, you just have to avoid the harass and qqqqq alldey). Mana problems? Every time his e swtiches targets then he get some more mana. It ends up being gains while using it. Plus, his voidlings come at the targets. It does enough DoT that its basically just sit back and harrass the whole game. I would say #rekt, but i'm not twelve....
ReplyDeleteso you just got #REKD
Yes! Acknowledgement for Nautilus! "Oh we all get carried by the brown submarine..."
ReplyDeleteNo, plz, don't even say her name... Don't remind anyone that she exists...
ReplyDeleteYorick is...special. Problem is that you will only face him in about 2% of all of your games, so most people don't know his abilities or the damage (read havoc) he causes, thus underestimating this champ.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with Singed , but only if used in a split push comp. Just run around and let the enemy team chase you xD
Yorick is one of my favorite champions but I wouldn't be surprised if he has a less than 2% pick rate... then again I main weird champions like Nunu and Heimer lol
ReplyDeleteNunu top is one of my favorite picks but is more of a counter to champions like Nasus or Jax
ReplyDeleteI find that Malzahar is easy to farm with and is hard to counter unless they go someone like Syndra or a wierd pick like Xin. The biggest thing that Malz has going for him is that he is an extremely safe pick who has great siege and counter siege capabilities. Even as first pick I feel safe picking Malzahar because he is so hard to counter properly.
ReplyDeleteSecret op!
ReplyDeleteAs a former Urgot main I agree!! Still waiting for those Urgot buffs so the casuals and haters can enjoy this beautiful champion as well
ReplyDeleteDonger for the win :D
ReplyDeleteHAIL MALZAHAR
ReplyDeleteYes, her movespeed is low, but she has a perma slow. Try catching an Ashe who knows how to orb walk and let me know how that works out for you. Plus she can scout with her hawkshot. Add in the fact that most supports have some way to slow you or CC you and it still takes more than just showing up to gank an Ashe succesfully.
ReplyDeleteAnd about olaf? I played him earlier and man he can dish out some nasty damage wihile being tanky
ReplyDeleteSituational. Who were you facing? He is really good if there is someone who can help you engage. cuz all he can do is run at you.
ReplyDeletelol yeah, dont tell anyone
ReplyDeleteheimer is pretty good in solo q
ReplyDeletealso karma and voli
rito should balance poppy out on her ult ppl should be able to qss that
ReplyDelete