League of Legends hosts a plethora of interesting and interactive Champions to master and climb the ranked ladder with. But, especially during periods like the Preseason, there are some Champions that are significantly better and worse than everyone else. Today I’ll break down 10 picks, one for each lane, to avoid adding to your Champion repertoire if you’re looking for some serious LP gains.


1. Top Lane Worst Picks - Jayce, the Defender of Tomorrow & Aatrox, the Darkin Blade



The Defender of Tomorrow is our first worst victim. Sporting a 45% win rate in Plat+, Jayce suffers in Preseason meta simply due to the fact that he’s the worst of the ranged options available in Top right now. Heimerdinger, Ryze, and Cassiopeia all harass as hard as Jayce does early but also provide excellent scaling into the Mid-to-Late setting unlike Jayce. And not to add insult to injury, but Quinn, another early game-focused pick, does exactly what Jayce wants to do while also providing excellent roaming/gank potential thanks to Valor.

Sorry to all you Jayce mains out there, but Riot hasn’t been kind to your boy this past Season and his prospects going into Season 10 aren’t any better.


Aatrox, like Jayce, has been on the end of multiple nerfs throughout Season 9 which has left the Champion broken and beaten going into the Preseason/Season 10.

With the revive being removed from his ultimate, his passive sustain being gutted, and ranged Top laners like Ryze, Cassio, and Quinn rising to prominence in Solo-Queue, Aatrox has fallen down multiple tier lists and can typically be found kicking rocks in C/D-Tier. You’re better off avoiding this 46% win rate Champion and retiring him until further notice.


2. Jungle Worst Picks - Sejuani, Fury of the North & Qiyana, Empress of Elements


Sejuani, like most Champions you’ll find on this list, has been one of the victims of the Season 9 nerf bat. This once mighty boar-rider now scampers around D-tier on most lists and is one of those Champions that received her nerfs not because of what players did with her in Solo-Queue, but instead thanks to the consistent presence she was in professional play.

Rocking an abysmal 46% win rate, she’s just a weaker version of every other Tank Jungler out there. So, if you’re a favor of beefier Champions, try your hand at the likes of Nunu & Willump or Zac. Nunu provides the objective control that Sejuani lacks in this Dragon focused meta, and Zac’s ganking routes and ability to utilize the lane alcoves are things that Sejuani cannot replicate with her straightforward approach.


This pick hurts me because I adore this Champion from both a character design and gameplay standpoint. But, Qiqi’s definitely not a solid pick coming from the Jungle right now and rocks a horrid 40% win rate.

Qiyana’s first clear is super punishable and, with the current state of the Jungle, if you go down early, you’re not applying any pressure. Qiyana, like Sejuani, suffers in a meta where there are better options to fulfill the role that she wants to. Assassin Junglers like Kha’zix, Rengar, and Shaco all utilize similar item paths and routes as Qiyana and apply vastly more pressure than she can across the map.


3. Mid Lane Worst Picks - Sylas, the Unshackled & Corki, the Daring Bombardier


Carrying a near 100% pick/ban and being a dominating presence in professional play, repeated nerfs landed Sylas amongst the worst picks for solo queue alongside a 45% win rate. Sylas is one of those Champions that carries such outlandish and overpowered potential that it feels like Riot has acknowledged that he has to be tuned low on the numbers side so that he doesn’t take over the meta once again.

And even now, he carries great skirmish potential and against certain compositions with big-time ultimates he can still shine. But that doesn’t stop Sylas’ numbers from holding him back. If you’re looking for a mechanically creative duelist to take down Mid, you’re better off putting your hands on the likes of Irelia or Yasuo who possess higher carry potential without needing great ultimates from the enemy to help them overcome their own weaknesses.


Corki, like Sylas, was a hotly contested pick throughout early Season 9. But, with a base damage nerf dropped on him he fumbled and never recovered to form. Now sporting a 45% win rate, Corki doesn’t look like he’ll climb back with his toughest matchups like Fizz, Talon, and Zed all sporting healthy win rates and play rates across all levels of solo queue. Further, Corki doesn’t come online until he picks up Trinity Force. Without that item, he’s basically a dysfunctional Mid that must submit lane control to his opponents until that item is live. And by that time, you’ve probably lost a few Dragons and tilted to your Jungler off the map.

For now, if you’re looking to take advantage of a Marksman in Mid, the likes of Tristana and Lucian will better serve you.


4. Bot Laners - Ezreal, the Prodigal Explorer & Kalista, the Spear of Vengeance

Ezreal finds himself on the worst picks for solo queue not due to any inherent weaknesses in his kit, but more due to the fact that his best Keystone, Kleptomancy, was removed. Klepto helped and rewarded Ezreal through his laning phase by allowing him to reap gold and item benefits from hitting his abilities and not putting himself at the edge of risk.

But without the rune, Ezreal feels drastically weaker and must play within a more aggressive set utilizing the new Conqueror as his go-to Keystone. And though this rune isn’t terrible on Ezreal, he certainly doesn’t carry the same level of acceleration that Klepto once provided. This new aggressive pattern of play may also not be what most Ezreal players are used to when selecting a Champion that is typically noted to be a survival pick.

Thankfully, Riot has said they’ve got their eye on everyone’s favorite explorer throughout the Preseason for any drastic changes. But don’t expect much deviation from his current 46% win rate without a loving buff.

Kalista, the Spear of Vengeance


Kalista’s been F-Tier for literal years and has carried a sub 45% win rate all along the way. And though recent buffs may kick her up to D-tier on some lists, she’s certainly not going to be a menacing presence in solo queue any time soon. You’re better off playing any other Marksmen over Kalista right now, and that’s including Ezreal who I mentioned previously.

A common thread, if you haven’t noticed, is that Champions that find themselves abused by Pros often find themselves wrecked beyond imagining with nerfs. This leads them to near unplayability for us normies in solo queue. Kalista’s nerfs may have occurred way before our previous season started, but she’s still shown no signs of recovery. And sadly, the middling buffs that Riot offered her on Patch 9.22 have shown no signs of breathing new life into the Champion. So, if you see Kalista getting locked in during Champ select, consider taking the -3 LP and going to the next game.


5. Support Worst Picks - Yuumi, the Magical Cat & Tahm Kench, the River King


Yuumi has always rocked a poor win rate in solo queue due to the nature of her kit. But once again, professional play exposed a more degenerate side of Yuumi’s abilities and Riot quickly took notice and has been slapping the cat with nerfs every other patch.

Now carrying an atrocious 37% win rate, I expect that stat to only drop within the coming patches as Riot continue to nerf Yuumi’s evasiveness and damage output in 9.24. They may tell you that her intended function as an Enchanter Support is being buffed, but don’t believe these sweet nothings and instead put your focus onto real Enchanter picks like Janna, Nami, or Soraka.


Thanks to Riot’s indecision with Tahmy Boy, he suffers from one of the biggest cases of identity crisis in League of Legends. Riot can’t decide where they want Tahm to fit on the Rift. Is he an AP-Bully Top Laner? Is he a protective and tricky Warden Support? Is he a catfish or a frog? The questions about Tahm’s identity are endless.

But, if we’re focusing on his selection as a Warden Support, let’s just say you’re better off playing literally any other Support. Tahm rocks a wretched 44% win rate in solo queue and has minimal lane presence to be able to carry a lane. With Mages like Zyra and Swain thriving with the new Support starting items, the meta doesn’t show any inclination of getting any better for the River King.

But, if you’re wanting to play that defensive Warden Support that still provides lane pressure, look towards Taric who I believe is a deceptively OP pick for our Dragon-pit focused Preseason.


6. TL;DR - Don’t Play These Champions In Solo-Queue


Be it from their ability numbers, the meta around them, or Riot's ever-watchful eye, each of these Champions suffers and it doesn't look like any of them are improving anytime soon. Ditch these picks if they're in your pool now and dodge them when they're locked in at select so that your climb is better off.

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