FOTM Ranked Solo Queue Tier List (High Elo) ~ Patch 6.21 & 6.22 (November)

You may notice that this post is titled both the patch 6.21 AND the patch 6.22 tier list, and that's mainly because I'm getting around to this late in the cycle. When patch 6.22 hits (shortly), we'll likely see a big surge in popularity for assassins, but otherwise, most of the other picks should remain stable.

I'll do a quick update when that patch hits to roll this forward to patch 6.22 to make sure it's accurate. In this version, we also decided to scrap the champion movement portion, as it increases the time it takes to get this out considerably for not much benefit.

SEASON 6 - November - PATCH 6.21 & 6.22
FOTM RANKED META TIER LIST

"PLAY LIKE A PROFESSIONAL"

Preface Chatter

Double Patch List
You may notice that this post is titled both the patch 6.21 AND the patch 6.22 tier list, and that's mainly because I'm getting around to this late in the cycle. When patch 6.22 hits (shortly), we'll likely see a big surge in popularity for assassins, but otherwise, most of the other picks should remain stable.

I'll do a quick update when that patch hits to roll this forward to patch 6.22 to make sure it's accurate. In this version, we also decided to scrap the champion movement portion, as it increases the time it takes to get this out considerably (for a very low usage rate).

Maintenance and Streamlining
The bottom portions of the list are also cleaned out. Since this is the FOTM list, we're much less concerned with what potentially exists and more with what actually gets played. Everything else will naturally end up in the "wtf" category. For a full scope of champions and secret OPs, make sure to visit the standard list.

Check out the full list below and definitely feel free to comment if you disagree with some of the changes.

The purpose of the "Flavor of the Month" ("FOTM") list is to show which champions are popular in today's metagame in terms of pro picks and high Elo choices.

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 the Optimal Champion Bans by Division Listing!

Patch 6.21 Summary

Buffs: Ivern, Kog'Maw, Nasus, Ziggs

Nerfs: Nidalee, Graves, Nunu, 

Tweaks: Lee Sin, Master Yi, Yorick,

Toolkit and Options

Search for a champion:

Updates:

• Miss Fortune support added [Tier 2]
• 10/30: 
• Tryndamere Top moved down
• Wukong Top moved down
• Trundle Top moved up
• 10/31: Strongest Champions When Mastered updated!
• 11/5: Patch 6.22 Pre-release tier list now available!

The Tier List

God Tier [High Priority Picks]:
Mid-Lane Gods:  Syndra, Yasuo, Viktor, Orianna, Zed
Jungle Gods: Lee Sin, Zac, Hecarim
Marksman Gods: Jhin, Caitlyn, Vayne
Top Lane Gods: Jayce, Kennen, Yasuo, Riven
Support Gods: Zyra, Thresh, Blitzcrank

Tier 1 [Meta Picks]:
Mid-Lane: Ahri, Kennen, LeBlanc, Lux, Jayce, Twisted Fate, Annie, Cassiopeia, Malzahar, Brand, Katarina, Ryze, Fizz, Veigar, Vel'Koz, Vladimir
Jungle: Kha'Zix, Olaf, Nunu, Nidalee, Graves, Elise, Evelynn, Vi, Amumu, Rengar, Shaco, Master Yi, Sejuani, Skarner, Nocturne, Fizz, Xin Zhao
Marksman: Ezreal, Jinx, Lucian, Miss Fortune, Ashe, Draven
Top Lane:  Irelia, Darius, Poppy, Malphite, Gnar, Nasus, Renekton, Fiora, Olaf, Rumble, Ekko, Gangplank, Teemo, Jax, Illaoi, Pantheon, Vladimir, Trundle
Support: Janna, Soraka, Morgana, Brand, Braum, Alistar, Nami, Karma, Annie

Tier 2 [Crowd Favorites]:
Mid-Lane: Ekko, Anivia, Xerath, Morgana, Lissandra, Aurelion Sol, Karma, Kassadin, Ziggs, Diana, Gangplank, Talon, Akali, Varus, Swain
Jungle: Jax, Rek'Sai, Gragas, Kindred, Jarvan IV, Ekko, Wukong, Malphite, Volibear, Aurelion Sol, Ivern, Udyr, Shyvana, Fiddlesticks, Diana, Rammus
Marksman: Tristana, Sivir, Twitch, Varus, Corki
Top Lane: Tryndamere, Wukong, Garen, Graves, Kayle, Ryze, Shen, Yorick, Jarvan IV, Maokai, Dr. Mundo, Sion, Singed, Swain, Kled, Akali, Quinn, Cho'Gath, Rengar
Support: Miss Fortune, Leona, Bard, Sona, Tahm Kench, Ivern, Lulu, Vel'Koz

Tier 3 [Playable]:
Mid-Lane: Kayle, Zilean, Azir, Corki, Taliyah, Kog'Maw, Karthus, Cho'Gath
Jungle: Warwick, Pantheon, Rumble, Kayle, Dr. Mundo, Trundle, Twitch
Marksman: Kog'Maw, Quinn, Kalista
Top Lane: Lissandra, Nautilus, Xin Zhao, Tahm Kench, Volibear, Mordekaiser, Heimerdinger, Aatrox
Support: Zilean, Nautilus, Taric, Lux

Tier 4 [Rarely Seen]:
Mid-Lane: Galio, Heimerdinger, Mordekaiser
Jungle: Aatrox, Quinn, Cho'Gath, Mordekaiser
Marksman: 
Top Lane: Urgot, Galio, Rammus, Karthus
Support: Trundle, Sion

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

• Aurelion Sol [Tier 2 Mid] - Despite being consistently banned on the world stage and also creating massive impact when he is played, Aurelion Sol is one of those strange champions that is awkward to play, not and not entirely satisfying to execute. As a result, most solo queue players opt to avoid playing him as his impact is not quite as obvious as other champions.
• Evelynn [Tier 1 Jungle] - Evelynn rose quickly through the ranks, and is still terrorizing solo queue with her protobelt burst. She can snowball lanes extremely quickly, but does run into issues if she ends up playing poorly against Lee Sin, solo queue's most popular jungler.
• Ivern [Tier 2 Jungle] - Personally I am still not sold on Ivern jungle. He is getting picked up a decent amount, but is by no means a "meta" pick right now.
• Jayce [God Tier Top] - After watching Smeb dominate on Jayce only to find it banned for the rest of the tournament, everyone wants to play the new and improved all-in armor penetration style. Previously Jayce was simply an ARAM beast and very unfun to play against. However, now most of his damage lies in his oh-so-satisfying "To the Skies" (Q). It is actually a flashable spell, which makes counterplay quite fun. 
• Kalista [Tier 3 Marksman] - Kalista's glory days are long past, but she is still hanging on by a thread as "still a marksman". Meanwhile, ADC Kennen is long gone, and even poor Urgot does not make the cut.
• Lucian [Tier 1 Marksman] - Lucian definitely has not gone the way of Kalista by any means, but after a large collection of nerfs, he is no longer the crown jewel marksman he once was. Players that enjoy his mobility are now picking up Ezreal and Vayne instead.
• Miss Fortune [Tier 2 Support] - After successfully executing Miss Fortune on the world stage, ROX Tigers quickly set the scene for the horrors of solo queue known as Miss Fortune support. Make sure to check out the full article here!
• Ryze [Tier 1 Mid] - There was a brief lul in Ryze activity in North America and Europe, until the Koreans showed us how we've all been playing Ryze wrong this entire time. Apparently, in the right hands (Faker), Ryze is still an absolute monster. Personally I this he might still be on the weak side for us mere mortals.
• Vayne [God Tier Marksman] - As mentioned in the standard list, crit build Vayne is back on track as an extremely powerful burst champion. Because of this, she is enjoying the top of the cycle again.
• Zyra [God Tier Support] - After seeing how often she gets picked up on the world stage, players are absolutely FLOCKING to Zyra support. As a mid laner she's completely ignored, but as a support her damage and lane pushing abilities allow her to be God Tier. This does sound very different from the first few seasons where players were always mad when supports pushed lanes...the yellow trinket really changed the meta substantially.

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!