Most Popular Meta Ranked Champions FOTM Tier List ~ Pre-Patch 6.18 (September)

Hi everyone, and welcome to the latest update for the FOTM tier list. I know the new patch 6.18 is coming up soon, and wanted to make sure I got this updated before it falls too far behind. I know the strongest champions when mastered still needs to get a revamp, and that's next on the to-do list.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of meta shifts in place, but high mobility and late-game based champions are still topping the charts. Thresh finally reclaimed his throne on top after a brief era of domination by heal and shield based supports.

SEASON 6 - September - Pre-PATCH 6.18 FOTM RANKED META TIER LIST

"THE POPULAR KIDS"

Preface Chatter

Hi everyone, and welcome to the latest update for the FOTM tier list. I know the new patch 6.18 is coming up soon, and wanted to make sure I got this updated before it falls too far behind. I know the strongest champions when mastered still needs to get a revamp, and that's next on the to-do list.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of meta shifts in place, but high mobility and late-game based champions are still topping the charts. Thresh finally reclaimed his throne on top after a brief era of domination by heal and shield based supports.

Check out the full list below!

The purpose of the "Flavor of the Month" ("FOTM") list is to show which champions are popular in today's metagame, so you can learn how to beat them!

If you're looking for the division climber solo queue tier list, be sure to check it out via this link!

For a list of champions with the highest *potential* in the game without regard to difficulty or team synergies, check out the list of strongest potential champions in each position!

Be sure to check out our new Optimal Champion Bans by Division Listing!

Patch 6.17 Summary

Buffs: Corki, Diana, Draven, Evelynn, Ezreal, Jayce, Jinx, Kennen, Malphite, Morgana, Orianna, Poppy, Riven, Ryze, Thresh, Trundle, Vayne, Veigar, Vi
Nerfs: Annie, Ashe, Gangplank, Gragas, Jhin, Rek'Sai, Sivir

Toolkit and Options

Click to toggle champion movement history

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Updates:

• Added Kled jungle
• 9/17: Strongest champions when mastered list updated!
• 9/18: Ban list updated!

The Tier List

God Tier [Pee Your Pants - BAN]:
Mid-Lane Gods: Zed, Yasuo, Ahri, Leblanc, Vladimir
Jungle Gods: Hecarim, Lee Sin, Zac
Marksman Gods: Jhin, Vayne, Lucian
Top Lane Gods: Yasuo, Irelia, Riven, Darius
Support Gods: Soraka, Thresh, Blitzcrank

God Tier Rising: Ahri (Mid), Blitzcrank (Support), Riven (Top), Thresh (Support), Vladimir (Mid), Zac (Jungle)
God Tier Falling:

Tier 1 [Expected Powerhouses]:
Mid-Lane: Gangplank, Fizz, Katarina, Lux, Annie, Ekko, Viktor, Orianna, Syndra, Malzahar, Twisted Fate, Anivia, Taliyah, Veigar, Cassiopeia, Lissandra,
Jungle: Kha'Zix, Vi, Graves, Kled, Nidalee, Gragas, Rengar, Amumu, Elise, Ekko, Master Yi, Rek'Sai, Shaco, Fizz, Evelynn, Kog'Maw, Skarner, Jax, Sejuani
Marksman: Ezreal, Kog'Maw, Ashe, Jinx, Caitlyn, Tristana, Sivir
Top Lane: Gangplank, Gnar, Ekko, Vladimir, Kled, Illaoi, Fiora, Malphite, Jax, Renekton, Shen, Jayce, Teemo, Kennen, Tryndamere, Pantheon, Garen, Nasus, Trundle, Fizz, Olaf,
Support: Janna, Braum, Morgana, Leona, Sona, Bard, Nami, Karma, Annie,

Tier 1 Rising: Bard (Support), Cassiopeia (Mid), Ekko (Jungle), Gangplank (Mid), Jayce (Top), Kennen (Top), Kog'Maw (Marksman), Lissandra (Mid), Skarner (Jungle), Tristana (Marksman), Tryndamere (Top),
Tier 1 Falling: Leona (Support), Kha'Zix (Jungle), Sona (Support), Teemo (Top), Viktor (Mid)

Tier 2 [Crowd Favorites]:
Mid-Lane: Brand, Vel'Koz, Kassadin, Diana, Morgana, Xerath, Karma, Ryze, Azir, Kennen, Akali, Aurelion Sol, Swain, Ziggs, Jayce, Talon, Varus
Jungle: Fiddlesticks, Xin Zhao, Diana, Volibear, Nocturne, Jarvan IV, Wukong, Malphite, Shyvana, Olaf, Rammus, Warwick, Udyr, Kindred, Trundle, Pantheon, Malzahar,
Marksman: Twitch, Draven, Miss Fortune, Varus, Kalista, Corki
Top Lane: Swain, Ryze, Wukong. Maokai, Volibear, Hecarim, Sion, Rumble, Tahm Kench, Cho'gath, Rengar, Jarvan IV, Kayle, Dr. Mundo, Graves, Poppy, Akali, Lissandra, Singed, Nautilus, Malzahar, Zac, Quinn,
Support: Brand, Alistar, Lulu, Tahm Kench, Taric, Zyra, Zilean, Nautilus

Tier 2 Rising: Aurelion Sol (Mid), Jayce (Mid)
Tier 2 Falling: Brand (Mid), Draven (Marksman), Kindred (Jungle), Miss Fortune (Marksman), Nocturne (Jungle), Ryze (Mid/Top), Swain (Top), Volibear (Jungle), Zyra (Support)

Tier 3 [Playable]:
Mid-Lane: Zilean, Kayle, Karthus, Lulu, Zyra, Cho'Gath, Pantheon, Corki, Jhin, Quinn, Heimerdinger, Galio, Ezreal, Kog'maw (AP), Nidalee (AP), Gragas, Mordekaiser, Urgot,
Jungle: Maokai, Twitch, Rumble, Nunu, Quinn, Poppy, Kayle, Aurelion Sol, Dr. Mundo, Cho'Gath, Taric, Tryndamere, Tahm Kench, Nautilus, Sion, Aatrox, Taliyah, Nasus, Shen, Darius
Marksman: Quinn, Graves, Urgot, Kindred, Kennen
Top Lane: Taliyah, Rammus, Gragas, Cassiopeia, Lulu, Xin Zhao, Heimerdinger, Aatrox, Aurelion Sol, Yorick, Diana, Nidalee, Lee Sin, Rek'Sai, Zed, Shyvana, Kassadin, Mordekaiser, Warwick, Udyr, Kha'Zix, Karma, Vi, Master Yi, Viktor, Talon, Azir, Urgot
Support: Trundle, Vel'Koz, Poppy, Malphite, Veigar, Shen, Lux, Sion, Kennen, Nunu, Gragas

Tier 3 Rising:
Tier 3 Falling: 

Tier 4 [Not Amused]:
Mid-Lane: Jarvan IV, Kha'Zix, Wukong, Malphite, Teemo, Riven, Tahm Kench, Tristana (AP), Elise, Fiddlesticks, Sona, Evelynn, Leona, Soraka, Janna
Jungle: Leona, Zed, Fiora, Riven, Gangplank, Blitzcrank, Alistar
Marksman: Twisted Fate, Mordekaiser
Top Lane: Vayne, Elise, Galio, Braum, Alistar, Nunu, Soraka
Support: Taliyah, Galio, Fiddlesticks, Xerath, Teemo, Volibear, Kayle, Maokai, Anivia, Gangplank, Nidalee, Orianna, Yorick, Elise, Lissandra, Ashe, Leblanc

Tier 4 Rising:
Tier 4 Falling:

Instructions and Caveats:

• This tier list details which champions are most popular in today's current metagame, for better or for worse. Selecting a high popularity champion and doing mediocre is always favorable to selecting a low tier champion and doing mediocre for team morale.

Click Here for a description of the tiers

God Tier: These champions are common bans and are likely perceived as being "overall extremely strong/broken". They have very obvious and/or flashy skills that make them appear stronger than other champions. You'll likely see these champions picked early on if they're not banned.

Tier 1: These champions are the ones you'll see in the majority of your games and are good to familiarize yourself with as you'l be battling against them a lot.

Tier 2: These champions are relatively strong and have historically been picked more often than other champions. They may have been nerfed at one point at another, but are still perceived as strong in their current states.

Tier 3: These champions aren't quite as popular as the rest of the champions in the first 3 tiers, but picking them one at a time isn't going to cause much of a concern on your team. However, if you have a team of 5 of them your teammates are likely to feel a bit uneasy about your chances of winning in solo queue.

Tier 4: Selecting these champions will likely cause a rift between you and your teammates, who will proceed to flame you if you fail your lane. Exercise caution when selecting these champions, as team morale often plays a big part in victory or defeat.

Champion Explanations

• Ahri [God Tier Mid] - After a few months of being looked down on by Azir and Viktor players, Ahri is back in the hearts of mid-laners everywhere, currently holding the  #1 spot of the most played mid-laner in the game. Her high mobility gives her a large margin for error, and her built-in true damage allows her to stay relevant throughout the game. 
• Azir [Tier 2 Mid] - The former emperor has lost his groove, and is no longer considered a powerhouse by any means. Long-time fanboys still continue to play him, but the fact is he deals damage too slowly to stay alive before getting taken down. In good hands he can still be strong, but many other mid-laners outclass him now.
• Brand [Tier 2 Mid] - The top lane meta is quickly evolving into a high damage, high mobility type rather than a tank meta. Because of this, Brand's effectiveness via his percentage HP damage is greatly reduced. When you combine this with the difficulty he has against champions like Ahri, he quickly falls by the wayside. 
• Ekko [Tier 1 Mid] - Building Hextech Protobelt-01 and Lichbane on Ekko grants him an insane amount of burst damage and mobility, resulting in the the potential "one-shot". As a result, he is continuously rising in popularity as players continue trying for that fabled moment.
• Gnar [Tier 1 Top] - One of the most hotly contested professional picks right now, Gnar is an excellent champion for setting up big plays late game, and also has one of the safest laning phases in the game. When you combined him with Frozen Mallet, Black Cleaver, and an assortment of tank items, he quickly becomes an inescapable pest that can both split-push and teamfight to great effect.
• Kog'Maw [Tier 1 Jungle] - Somehow Kog'Maw Jungle is not only still "a thing", but it's actually more popular than ever before. Check out a full guide on it here!
• Thresh [God Tier Support]  Although he fell by the wayside after the buffs on shield and heal supports via Ardent Censer, many players still yearned for the day when they could pick him back up again without feeling gimped. However, now that most of the other supports were nerfed, Thresh is back on top as the most popular support on the rift.
• Vi [Tier 1 Jungle] - Vi's latest buffs brought her up greatly in terms of jungle dominance. A champion that causes great remorse to marksmen, Vi specializes in dealing massive single-target burst damage via Trinity Force and her ultimate. Because of how easily she can delete dangerous threats from teamfights, Vi is extremely valuable in this current meta and is by far my favorite jungler in the current meta right now as a result of her extremely low ban rate and ease of play.

Disclaimer:

• The purpose of this list is for discussion and to provide a starting point for hero selection.

Agree? Disagree? Comment below!

Looking for older versions of the FOTM Tier List?

Check out prior versions via this link!