FOTM Ranked Solo Queue Tier List (High Elo) ~ Patch 9.2 - January

FOTM Tier List For Patch 8.21 -
Looking for a tier list that gives you a better idea of what champions other players think are powerful in the current meta? This list takes out the unorthodox selections from the standard tier list and uses a data-driven approach to pick out what players are most afraid of and think are strongest. In this patch, the God Tier mid laners include [LeBlanc, Yasuo, Zed, Akali, Irelia]; Jungle [Lee Sin, Graves, Xin Zhao]; Bot Lane [Lucian, Kai'Sa, Ezreal]; Top [Viktor, Urgot, Darius, Irelia]

SEASON 8 - November - PATCH 9.2
FOTM RANKED META LEAGUE TIER LIST

"PLAY LIKE A PROFESSIONAL"

FOTM League Tier List

Looking for a tier list that gives you a better idea of what champions other players think are powerful in the current meta? This list takes out the unorthodox selections from the standard tier list and uses a data-driven approach to pick out what players are most afraid of and think are strongest.

As the season ramps up to full gear, we're looking at mostly assassins picked up in the mid-lane, kill supports, and of course, highly mobile marksmen. Meanwhile, high damage poke mages are climbing up Tier 1 as natural rivals of assassins early game, and if they can gain an edge early they can quickly rip apart would-be assassins.

Check out the full tier list below!

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 9.2 Summary

Buffs: Aurelion Sol, Jarvan IV, Kayn, Neeko, Ornn, Shyvana, Volibear, Yorick, Evelynn 

Nerfs: Aatrox, Brand, Cassiopeia, Galio, Irelia, Jax, Kassadin, Rakan, Tahm Kench, Urgot, Zyra, 

Tweaks: Kled

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The Tier List

God Tier [High Priority Picks]:
Mid: Yasuo, Zed, Akali, Ahri, LeBlanc
Jungle: Lee Sin, Kha'Zix, Xin Zhao
Bot Carry: Lucian, Ezreal, Vayne
Top: Riven, Darius, Jax, Yasuo
Support: Thresh, Pyke, Morgana

Tier 1 [Meta Picks]:
Mid: Lissandra, Zoe, Vladimir, Kassadin, Lux, Katarina, Orianna, Cassiopeia, Galio, Karthus, Aatrox, Irelia, Fizz, Sylas, Malzahar
Jungle: Kayn, Jax, Karthus, Camille, Sylas, Master Yi, Nasus, Sejuani, Evelynn, Graves, Rengar, Jarvan IV, Shaco, Rammus, Elise, Nocturne
Bot Carry: Kai'Sa, Draven, Caitlyn, Jhin, Jinx, Sivir, Tristana, Miss Fortune
Top: Akali, Urgot, Nasus, Vladimir, Aatrox, Sion, Fiora, Renekton, Irelia, Garen, Camille, Teemo, Jayce, Yorick, Illaoi, Malphite
Support: Nami, Brand, Zyra, Lulu, Soraka, Alistar, Leona, Blitzcrank, Janna, Braum, Galio, Lux, Karma

Tier 2 [Crowd Favorites]:
Mid: Ekko, Veigar, Xerath, Talon, Neeko, Vel'Koz, Syndra, Twisted Fate, Anivia, Diana, Viktor, Ryze, Annie, Aurelion Sol
Jungle: Nidalee, Udyr, Gragas, Pantheon, Vi, Shyvana, Kindred, Warwick, Zac, Nunu & Willump, Twitch, Hecarim, Amumu, Fiddlesticks, Tryndamere
Bot Carry: Cassiopeia, Xayah, Ashe, Twitch, Varus, Kalista, Kog'Maw
Top: Kled, Tryndamere, Sylas, Ornn, Poppy, Gangplank, Kennen, Viktor, Pantheon, Shen, Rengar, Rumble, Gnar, Cho'Gath, Dr. Mundo, Mordekaiser, Singed
Support: Sona, Fiddlesticks, Zilean, Rakan, Neeko, Vel'Koz, Bard, Xerath, Nautilus, Veigar, Tahm Kench, Teemo

Tier 3 [Playable]:
Mid: Ziggs, Azir, Corki, Jayce, Zilean, Swain, Heimerdinger
Jungle: Wukong, Volibear, Ivern, Olaf, Poppy, Rek'Sai, Diana
Bot Carry: Heimerdinger, Corki, Ziggs
Top: Maokai, Quinn, Volibear, Swain, Ryze, Wukong, Olaf
Support: Taric, Poppy, Ornn, Malphite, Gragas, Shen

Tier 4 [Rarely Seen]:
Mid: Mordekaiser, Taliyah, Kayle
Jungle: Taliyah, Skarner, Trundle, Singed, Maokai
Bot Carry:
Top: Heimerdinger, Kayle, Tahm Kench, Trundle
Support: Annie, Maokai, Kayle

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

• Alistar [Tier 1 Support] - Most melee supports are less favored than their ranged counterparts in the current meta, with Alistar being the exception. While professional play still sees Braum as a counterpick to certain teams, Alistar remains the only staple melee in support player repertoires in solo queue. His high durability and initiation power is greatly valued.
• Cassiopeia [Tier 1 Mid] - In this meta with nerfed assassins, Cassiopeia is able to abuse mid-laners with ease. Her high DPS and kiting abilities make her a favored pick when it comes to mid lane carry champions.
• Cassiopeia [Tier 2 Bot Carry] - Where she finds success mid-lane, Cassiopeia has been a favorite of bot lane players looking for magic damage to supplement their pool. She covers a lot of the same roles as marksmen when it comes to sustained damage and ranged kiting power, and thus fills a certain niche. See more on that here.
• Karthus [Tier 1 Jungle] - Karthus in high divisions is at a pick/ban status. His incredibly high damage means that unless he's completely squashed in jungle with weak supporting lanes, he can stack up Dark Harvest and end up an absolutely unstoppable force. His early game damage is also quite good with isolated Q's, so would-be invaders may find themselves unable to contest.
• Morgana [God Tier Support] - Now that solo queue has ramped up to full speed, Morgana is back in everyone's hearts as a simple, yet highly effective support. Her Black Shield keeps marksmen safe from the various high crowd-control kill lanes, and her bind synergizes perfectly with champions like Caitlyn and Jhin.
• Nasus [Tier 1 Top] - The buffs to Nasus were quite good, and he rose rapidly through the ranks for top lane. Players in solo queue are abusing him heavily to gain LP in a safe manner. He has relatively few poor match-ups, and as long as he can survive for a few levels almost every lane ends up being a powerfarming lane.
• Sylas [Tier 1 Jungle] - Sylas is still trying to find a niche on the map, but most players are opting to bring him to the jungle as a result of his low range and difficult gap-closer. In the jungle, he can pick his angles and maximize his return. 
• Zoe [Tier 1 Mid] - When it comes to poke champions, Zoe is tough to beat. In the current meta she's often found alongside Ezreal on the same team. This results in a highly oppressive poke pattern that whittles down enemies with ease.
• Zyra [Tier 1 Support] - The nerfs on her mana are definitely apparently. However, that hasn't stopped her mid to late game from being continuously oppressive. While her popularity has weaned a bit, she's still just as beloved as before for her insane damage output.

Disclaimer:

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

Agree? Disagree? Comment below!

Looking for older versions of the FOTM Tier List?

Check out prior versions via this link!