Keeping up with the metagame is almost a must if you’re looking to climb up in League of Legends’ ranked ladder. Each balance patch can shift champion power rankings, and some characters may fall behind the rest of the competition. While it’s still possible to master them and carry your team, you’ll spend far more effort to get to the top.

Knowing the worst-performing champions in League can be a double-edged sword. You’ll likely build a better champion pool by avoiding the underperformers, but it may also cause you to tilt when someone from your team picks them. These champions will usually be the weakest link in their lineups, meaning you’ll often have a clear target.

The worst champions don’t always stay at the bottom of the pack, however. A couple of balance patches can fix their shortcomings, and they may suddenly find themselves leading the win rate charts. You’ll need to pay close attention to the meta and the upcoming changes to ensure that you are up to date with the new standards. 

Here are some of the worst champions in League of Legends.

Gangplank

A champion doesn’t only get weaker exclusively by direct nerfs. In the case of Gangplank, he’s been pretty much the same for a while now. The champion could be considered mediocre before season 11, but it seems mediocre hasn’t been cutting it.

Though Gangplank didn’t receive any major nerfs, the metagame around him changed drastically. The matches’ pace fastened, giving less time for Gangplank to get more power. This also put Gangplank’s item build in a weird position. When itemized to survive the early game, Gangplank turns into a pile of meat that doesn’t do anything significant in mid-game teamfights.

Gangplank can still work, but he needs the utmost care of his junglers. If he gets focused on during the earlier stages of the game, he’ll basically have no chances of making it back into the match, turning him into one of the worst top laners to have in your team.

Ryze

Ryze has always been one of the more challenging champions to play correctly. While playing Ryze, you’ll need to focus on dodging enemy steps more than you’d need to with other champions since you’ll need to outplay your opponents to perform Ryze’s combo steadily.

Ryze’s kit hasn’t changed much with season 11. He even received a minor buff to his Q, but he’s still struggling to find his place on the map, mainly because other champions play the same role more efficiently. The lack of extra mana in the new item shop also hurt Ryze dearly, causing the champion to have mana problems that he could quickly fix before.

It’s also relatively hard to use Ryze’s ultimate to its full potential. Overall, the reason why Ryze is currently one of the worst champions comes down to two factors. He’s too slow for the meta, and the champions who outscale Ryze are also relatively easier to play compared to him, making him a suboptimal choice in most cases.

Nidalee

Nidalee mains may swear they won’t miss a single spear during their next match, but that scenario rarely ever comes true. Nidalee has been slacking behind the competition for a while, and at this point, it feels like Nidalee’s kit is a bit too old, bringing the idea that she isn’t a reliable champion.

The past years have been favoring champions that can initiate fights with no room for error. Characters like Rammus, Skarner, and Udyr have been in the spotlight during season 11 because they can play their role without running the risk of missing their abilities, offering them a tremendous advantage when compared to champions with skillshots like Nidalee.

Nidalee easily gets outclassed by any jungler that can clear their camps faster than her, and if she also combines that with missing spears, then she’s practically a super minion after the 20-minute mark.

Akali

Akali has been targeted by the nerf hammer for one too many times now. Each patch slowly chipped away at her kit’s damage, cooldowns, or energy costs. One of the most dominant champions in the mid lane is now one of the worst champions in the game.

What made Akali great in the first place was her ability to withstand pressure from the enemy laners while making it impossible for them to get close to the minions. The natural minion score lead she built throughout the early game usually turned into a gigantic lead toward the game’s later stages. Though her playstyle didn’t change much, she isn’t powerful enough to be her old self anymore. She can get bullied out of the lane without much effort, and an Akali that plays from behind just can’t catch up.

Akali can get out of this tough spot, but it’ll either take some significant buffs or the player base to find a new way to play her more effectively.

Azir

Azir is one of the hardest champions to master in League. An Azir player playing with their full potential almost resembles a master piano player. Your movement and skills will need to be in harmony to dish out enough damage with Azir. Fights will be over before you can even contribute if you can’t position yourself correctly with the champion.

The return of time investment to master Azir has been decent through the last seasons, but the champion also started receiving nerfs around patch 10.19. Though Riot Games threw a little bone at Azir in patch 11.2, it just wasn’t enough to bring him back into the meta.

While you can still see Azir players dismantling enemy times and winning fights by themselves, the chances of them happening have noticeably reduced. More often than not, Azir will struggle against early game pressure by the enemy junglers, causing him never truly to scale in a match.

Gragas

Gragas is one of the oldest champions in the game, and he has always found himself a place in previous metas. Whether through jungling or dominating the early game, having a Gragas around meant that your team would be one step ahead in team fights.

Gragas isn’t necessarily underpowered, but there are just way too many champions that do his job better. He quickly gets outfarmed by meta champions, and he can end up being too slow during rotations.

The fact most of his spells are skillshots makes him rely on accuracy. If you start missing, it’ll just add more salt to the wound, and Gragas will turn into a meatshield instead of dealing damage and stunning enemies.

Twisted Fate

Dominating a game with Twisted Fate is the dream of almost all mid laners. The champion’s voice acting and overall vibe make playing him a blast, but he’s been on the back foot for quite a while.

Though Twisted Fate can be pretty active around the map thanks to his ultimate, his spells can end up being too slow while trying to burst down enemies. He takes longer to dish out damage than other mages in the mid lane, making it hard for him to stand his ground.

PlatoAi. Web3 Reimagined. Data Intelligence Amplified.
Click here to access.

Source: https://dotesports.com/league-of-legends/news/worst-champions-in-league-of-legends