For some, ARAM is a place to have fun and take a break from Summoner’s Rift. For others, it’s as serious as solo queue. We’ve ranked every champion in ARAM so you can dominate your opponents on the action-packed Howling Abyss.
Despite efforts in recent years to make ARAM-specific balance changes, the second-most popular game mode in League of Legends is highly unbalanced. Certain strategies, items, and champions are simply better than others. In this article we will rank each champion’s strength in ARAM on a tier scale going from S+ to F. Each champion is categorized into one of six broad classes based on how they are best played in ARAM. The champions without a defined class will have their own misfit category. Much of the rankings will be determined based on high ELO win rate and pick rate data from LoLalytics, a website that tracks League of Legends data. There aren’t many websites that pull data for ARAM, and those that do often lack enough games to create meaningful statistics. LoLalytics is the best of these sites due to its high game count and diverse statistics.
To finalize the rankings, I will use my personal experience combined with opinions from high ELO ARAM players. I have played over two thousand games of ARAM and, though I am by no means the best ARAM player in the world, I have a good idea of the meta and what the best strategies are. Without further ado, let’s get into the rankings! We will start with Marksmen, the strongest class in ARAM, and continue through every class in order of strength until we reach the champions that don’t quite fit into a standard class. Champions within tiers are placed in no particular order. At the end, we will consolidate the rankings into one massive tier list. All tier graphics were created using Vivian Hernandez’s tier template on TierMaker.
Marksmen are by far the best class in the game, especially at higher ELOs. Due to the enclosed space, Marksmen can usually deal damage from safer positions than on Summoner’s Rift. Marksmen deal the most consistent damage throughout fights and are also the most effective class at dealing damage to towers.
Ashe: Possibly the most hated champion in ARAM at the moment, Ashe dominates the game mode with her unique ARAM-specific poke build. Ashe builds Imperial Mandate, Manamune, and Axiom’s Arc to create a Volley and Ultimate spam bot that is insufferable to play against. With this build, Ashe is certainly in contention for best champion in the mode. Her traditional crit build is weaker yet playable if your team comp lacks damage.
Jinx: Jinx’s high damage coupled with her range makes her incredibly safe, and her ultimate becomes much easier to hit due to the narrow width of Howling Abyss. It is quite easy to get resets for her passive, which just ups her damage even further.
Samira: Samira’s ultimate and healing abilities make her an excellent champion in ARAM. Samira can get ultimate resets easily whilst being hard to kill with her insane healing.
Senna: Senna gives you everything you need from an ARAM champion. She brings healing, crowd control, and consistent damage to your team. Senna’s soul collection is also ramped up in the game mode, letting players stack up massive amounts of bonuses on the champion.
Sivir: Sivir has been great in ARAM ever since the prevalence of her lethality build. This build allows her Boomerang Blade to pump out insane damage all whilst keeping her incredible wave clear ability with Ricochet. Her spell shield and ultimate also give her great utility throughout teamfights.
Vayne: Vayne gets to scale for free in ARAM, allowing her to bypass the early/mid-game weakness that she typically has on Summoner’s Rift. A scaled Vayne is a powerful Vayne, and this means that she is immensely powerful on Howling Abyss.
Zeri: S+ tier prior to the 12.5 B patch, Zeri’s Summoner’s Rift nerf has taken her slightly lower than she had been previously. Still, Zeri’s mobility makes her a nuisance to pin down in fights while her skillshot-based auto attack is hard to miss in the congested game mode.
Caitlyn: Range is often king in ARAM, and Caitlyn has that in spades. She isn’t necessarily as scary in teamfights as the rest of the marksmen, but her ability to zone the enemy, damage towers, and kite make her extremely useful. You’ll have a good time with her as long as you don’t build lethality.
Kog'Maw: Kog’Maw functions as a slightly weaker Jinx with the ability to build AP if needed in the team composition. Solid, flexible pick.
Jhin: A long-range damage dealer with crowd control and massive amounts of burst damage. There aren’t many better carries than full-build Jhin in ARAM.
Kai'Sa: Kai’Sa has always had a unique ARAM build that is only now being used on Summoner’s Rift due to its strength. Kai’Sa will build AP and spam W poke over and over until the enemy team can’t take it anymore. With the narrowness of Howling Abyss, her W projectile is relatively easy to land. Her traditional AD build is also strong if needed, though her short range hinders it slightly in ARAM.
Ezreal: One of the most picked champions in the game, Ezreal flounders at low ranks in unfamiliar hands yet shines with those who can hit his skillshots. An oppressive poke machine, Ezreal can dish out consistent damage and scale well throughout the game.
Varus: Varus is a weaker yet still oppressive Sivir. His long-range Piercing Arrow packs a punch and can be hard to track during teamfights.
Graves: Graves is a hard carry who can out-sustain nearly any threat in the game. He requires precision to be effective, yet he can carry as hard as any other Marksman when given the opportunity.
Xayah: Xayah can function either in the traditional crit role or as a lethality user with Eclipse and Manamune. Both are viable strategies, and both provide great damage potential. Her flexibility makes her a consistently strong pick on Howling Abyss.
Twitch: Alone in A-tier, Twitch is just slightly too inconsistent to be truly S-tier. While he still packs a punch, smart teams will be wary of his invisibility and try to pummel him with crowd control before he can unload too much damage. Still, his devastating ultimate gives him true hypercarry potential.
Aphelios: On Summoner’s Rift, Aphelios has time to carefully cycle his weapons to get the perfect combination ready for the next big fight. ARAM does not give Aphelios such a luxury. Aphelios can serve as a decent hypercarry if surrounded by the right cast of supporting champions, but his kit makes him an inconsistent pick.
Miss Fortune: Prior to her ARAM nerfs in 12.4, Miss Fortune would have been an S or even S+ tier champion. The 2% extra damage taken and 2% less damage dealt dropped her win rate about 3%, leaving her out of contention for the top tiers. She is still able to pump out lots of damage with her ultimate and Q, yet she is no longer the ARAM god she once was. Her AP build is not nearly as strong as her lethality build, but it is still viable if your team needs mixed damage.
Akshan: Akshan is only up this high due to his revive mechanic. Akshan’s skirmishing-focused low range kit doesn’t translate well to Howling Abyss.
Kindred: The Lamb and her Wolf are not built for the game mode. They can deal decent damage and bring some level of utility with their ultimate, but they don't do enough damage to be a true carry like many of her Marksmen peers.
Draven: Without the opportunity to stack gold like he does on Summoner’s Rift, Draven often doesn’t acquire the resources needed to output enough damage in ARAM.
Kalista and Lucian: These marksmen don’t have the range needed to safely deal damage in ARAM. Kalista also may not have an appropriate target to ult.
Tristana: Even with a +5% damage modifier, Tristana struggles in ARAM. Tristana loves to jump on the enemy team to get resets on Summoner’s Rift, but this is a death wish in ARAM.
As long as your team has some sort of damage threat, you can’t go wrong with picking a Support. The class lacks an F-tier champion entirely because they can all perform without many resources.
Renata Glasc: League’s newest champion gives you everything you need in ARAM. She has poke, crowd control, the ability to buff and revive her teammates, and an incredible AoE ultimate that becomes trivial to hit on Howling Abyss. This champion will undoubtedly be nerfed in the future, so abuse her while you can!
Janna: The change to Glacial Augment has made Janna infuriating to play against. She not only offers the healing and shielding Janna is known for, but she now offers AoE crowd control with her tornado’s glacial slow. She is powerful in her own right, but her ability to buff the strongest class in the game - marksmen - makes her incredibly strong in ARAM.
Soraka: With access to Warmog’s and Tear, Soraka can heal her allies infinitely. Her prowess used to be hindered by Grievous Wounds, but that counter is much less potent since Riot gave her the ability to cleanse the debuff with her ultimate.
Nami: Best used when paired with Marksmen, Nami offers consistent healing alongside crowd control and hypercarry buffs. She is relatively safe in ARAM compared to Summoner’s Rift, allowing her the ability to buff the rest of her team without much risk.
Ivern: Ivern’s spam-able shield and crowd control make him a great Support champion. Ivern doesn’t have to worry about his jungle clearing problems in ARAM and can instead focus on his Support duties.
Seraphine: Seraphine received a huge nerf in 12.4, gutting her healing and shielding by an additional 20%. Her win rate fell a massive 5%, but she was so strong in the first place that it didn’t bring her too far down on the tier list. Sona received the same exact nerf as Seraphine, but the pop star is much less reliant on healing/shielding compared to Sona. Seraphine can provide considerable damage for her team, and her ultimate is one of the best in the entire game mode.
Morgana: Played more like a Mage in ARAM compared to Summoner’s Rift, Morgana offers fantastic crowd control and consistent chip damage. She gets out-scaled rather quickly, but for most of the game she is a menace to deal with.
Taric: Taric’s melee range hurts him slightly as an enchanter, but his scaling is nearly unparalleled in the game mode. With the new tank item Fimbulwinter, Taric is granted access to a Tear item that can also make him tanky. Taric’s unlimited heals and shields combined with both his crowd control and invulnerability make him a Supreme support if he has enough time to scale into the game.
Lulu: Lulu’s role in ARAM is identical to Summoner’s Rift. She shields, peels, and buffs her team. Lulu struggles to be as effective when the enemy team lacks Assassins or when she isn’t paired with a Marksman, but in most cases Lulu is able to do Lulu things.
Karma: Because it is more fun to play, most players build Karma as a damage-focused Mage. This is viable and relatively strong, but she is better played as a supportive Moonstone user. Her AoE shields, slows, and crowd control make her a solid Support.
Blitzcrank: The robot’s hook can define the early game, but he doesn’t offer much once midgame hits. He is valuable for his ability to snowball his team, yet he loses relevance due to his low combat contribution as the game progresses.
Braum and Rell: These two melee supports are great at teamfighting by providing massive amounts of AoE crowd control. They can struggle with being kited in a meta so Marksman-dominated, but when piloted well these two can do their jobs very effectively.
Sona: For most of ARAM’s existence, Sona was by far the best champion in the game. Her ability to provide her team with constant, unlimited sustain was nearly impossible to break through. Sona spent much of her ARAM existence sitting at a 70%+ win rate. Since ARAM balance changes have been implemented, the champion’s supremacy has slowly deteriorated. Her recent 12.4 nerfs have hit her the hardest, however. Her healing and shielding modifiers were absolutely gutted from -20% to -40%. Her win rate spiraled downward nearly 9 whole percentage points with the nerf. The fact that she is still C-tier is just a testament to how strong the champion is in the mode. She still gives some sustain and support for her team, but she is nowhere near as strong as she once was.
Yuumi: The not-so-loved cat’s mana pool restrictions and single-target healing make her relatively ineffective in the early game compared to other enchanter supports. If allowed to scale into the game, Yuumi’s immense healing, crowd control, and ally buffing make her one of the best late game supports. ARAM games don’t often go that long though, and so she often feels lackluster.
Thresh and Rakan: Neither of these pseudo-ranged supports offer enough tankiness to properly frontline in ARAM. Their somewhat telegraphed crowd control is also too unreliable to be effective. They find themselves in an awkward position, not quite performing well enough in any role to be especially useful. If you see an AD Thresh on your team, prepare yourself for the loss.
Zilean: Zilean offers little beyond his revive, which isn’t even as potent in ARAM given how dying isn’t as punishing as on Summoner’s Rift.
Mages are a strong, popular class in ARAM. Range is priceless, and Mages often have it in spades. Mages typically have more range than marksmen and can usually out-poke them, but they often lack the sustained DPS that makes marksmen so good. The class lacks a true S+ champion because of the many nerfs to historically dominant Mages.
Viktor: An unconventional champion who requires expertise to be effective, Viktor can hard carry a team with his sustained damage and zoning potential. Viktor is strong throughout the game and can deal consistent damage unlike many of those in his class.
Ziggs: If Sona was once the Queen of ARAM, Ziggs was once the King. Like Sona, Ziggs often sported a 70%+ win rate in the game mode due to his unrelenting long-range poke damage and his unrivaled turret-taking ability. Ziggs takes 20% more and deals 20% less damage in ARAM, up from 18% prior to patch 12.4. Yet despite these nerfs, Ziggs still performs quite well in the game mode. Ziggs really excels at lower ELOs, but his consistent poke still makes him a viable damage-dealer at high ELOs.
Xerath: Xerath functions almost identically to Ziggs, outputting slightly more long-range poke damage without the insane turret taking ability.
Ahri: After her mini-rework, Ahri became a solid sub-carry mage able to output decent amounts of damage. Her consistent built-in sustain also leaves her less vulnerable than many other mages.
Brand and Cassiopeia: These feast-or-famine champions have the consistent damage many mages lack, yet their short range and frailty make them extremely vulnerable. Regardless, these two can output massive amounts of DoT and completely carry games in the right situations.
Orianna: The quintessential teamfight Mage, Orianna is well-built for Howling Abyss. She lacks much relevance outside her devastating Shockwave, yet its potency coupled with her shielding utility make her highly effective.
Veigar: Veigar’s cage is quite possibly the best non-ultimate ability in ARAM. It covers basically half of the entire map, effectively forcing the enemy team to keep their distance lest they get trapped. Veigar’s unlimited stacking makes him a reasonable damage threat, yet his single-target ultimate and telegraphed abilities mean he lacks some carry potential.
Karthus: All Karthus does is use snowball, sit on the enemy team, die, and use his ultimate. He is a pure stat stick of damage, but his 10% damage nerf and the existence of Zhonya’s means he does not output the damage necessary to make him top tier.
Lux: Previously a suffocating threat akin to the likes of Sona and Ziggs, Lux has been brought down from her previous heights due to massive nerfs in the game mode. In ARAM, Lux takes 10% more and deals 15% less damage. Additionally, Lux has her shielding cut by 20%. These nerfs leave Lux much weaker than before, and she really needs to snowball early to avoid being out-scaled later into the game.
Annie: Annie functions as a slightly worse Orianna, relying on one-shotting enemy squishies with her ultimate. She offers little else for her team if she can’t find good ultimate opportunities.
Heimerdinger: Oppressive in the lower ELOs of ARAM, Heimerdinger’s potency falls off the higher up the ladder you travel. Equipped with consistent poke and devastating burst damage, Heimer can still function well in most teams. His -6% damage dealt and taken nerfs limit his ceiling, however.
Zyra: Zyra functions as a weaker Morgana with less utility. She is constantly annoying and can create great zone control, yet she will never be supremely threatening.
Swain: ARAM gives Swain unlimited opportunity to gain passive stacks and pull crowd-controlled enemies towards him. His consistent healing, damage, and crowd control make him a useful supportive mage with damage potential.
Malzahar: Consistent if not boring, Malzahar does Malzahar things in Howling Abyss. He brings consistent wave push with his Void Swarm, DoT with Malefic Visions, and hard crowd control with his ultimate. You can’t go too wrong or too right with Malzahar on your team.
Vex: Vex can be an effective pseudo-Assassin with her ultimate and can provide reasonable crowd control with her fears. Still, her kit’s inherent proneness to danger makes her rather inconsistent.
Vel’Koz: Vel’Koz is another long-range poke mage that functions as a budget Xerath/Ziggs. Their poke is nowhere near as potent or consistent as the aforementioned duo and their ultimate one-shots are inconsistent to hit. Still, they fill the poke Mage role decently well.
Azir: Azir’s turret-summoning ability helps bring him up to C-tier. Along with his game-changing ultimate, Azir can be very effective when played correctly. Due to Azir’s high skill cap, it is hard to gauge his true potential in the hands of an expert. Some data suggests high ELO players can make the champion more effective than his C-tier rating, but there is simply not enough data to make a true conclusion on the matter.
Anivia: Anivia’s best trait in ARAM is her instant wave clear ability. This alone brings her up to C-tier, but she doesn’t truly offer the damage or have the safety needed to be a consistent threat.
Ryze: Like Azir, Ryze has the potential to be highly effective when piloted correctly. He does need time to scale into the game yet Howling Abyss doesn’t often grant you that luxury.
Syndra: Syndra’s utility is more effective than her damage in ARAM, and good Syndras will focus on getting multi-man stuns to set up for her team. Her single-target ultimate doesn’t offer too much in the game mode, but she can still be generally useful.
Twisted Fate: Offering little in the way of damage, Twisted Fate is only useful for his point-and-click crowd control and ultimate. His ultimate is best used to teleport behind enemies to execute rather than being killed. In niche scenarios, it can also be used to backdoor enemy teams. Still, his win conditions aren’t common enough to warrant anywhere above D-tier.
Taliyah: Taliyah’s ultimate is almost useless in Howling Abyss, and her short-range poke leaves her reliant on hitting her Seismic Shove to output any relevant damage.
Aurelion Sol: Sporting an abysmal pick rate and similarly awful win rate, League’s celestial dragon struggles to get in range of anything to do damage. Zooming toward the enemy with a massive ever-expanding galaxy is fun, but it doesn’t really do anything even if it hits.
Zoe: Lacking access to enough space to hit long-range Bubbles or Paddle Stars, Zoe’s single-target damage and situational crowd control make her very underwhelming.
Fighters would likely be the worst class in ARAM if not for access to the Mark/Dash Summoner Spell (typically referred to as “snowball”) and a generous number of buffs. These factors leave Fighters smack dab in the middle in terms of class strength.
Nasus: As long as you don’t build him AP, Nasus is a solo carry threat that can literally one-shot opponents whilst being incredibly hard to kill. Nasus has his per-kill Siphoning Strike stacks increased in ARAM, making it far easier for him to scale into the game. If your team survives the early game, an efficiently stacking Nasus can carry as hard as any other hypercarry.
Irelia: Like Nasus, Irelia just needs to survive the early game to become a monstrous threat. Her mobility, healing, and access to the backline makes her an unkillable nuisance.
Gwen: Her recent Summoner’s Rift nerfs let her fall from S+ to S-tier overnight, but these nerfs haven’t crushed her. With access to a Xin Zhao ultimate on a basic ability, Gwen can safely pump out consistent damage.
Riven: Riven is only S-tier if you can operate the champion at a high level. In lower ELOs, her win rate falls below 50%. Her mobility, survivability, and raw damage output make her a dangerous threat in the right hands.
Aatrox: Like Riven, Aatrox is a beast at higher ELOs but irrelevant further down the ladder. His AoE knock-ups are easier to hit on the smaller map, and his consistent healing makes him a nuisance for teams. Paired with the correct supporting cast, Aatrox can be an effective carry in his own right.
Sett: Alone in A-tier, Sett can output a surprising amount of damage with his game-changing ultimate and W ability. His passive regeneration gives him unique survivability for the class, but he can still struggle against teams with lots of long-range damage or those that lack a good target to ult.
Darius/Hecarim/Fiora: Their intense amount of healing sets these fighters apart from the rest of the pack. All three of these champions can serve as reliable sub-carries with their damage and survivability.
Kled: One of the least-picked champions in the game, Kled is sadly not popular enough for his potential to be fully utilized. His near map-wide ultimate makes engages almost 100% reliable, and his kit allows him to stay alive long enough to effectively disrupt the enemy team.
Xin Zhao: Xin’s redeeming quality in ARAM is his ultimate. It grants him shelter from long-range threats and allows him to output a surprising amount of damage before dying.
Wukong: Wukong is very safe compared to most melee champions due to his dummy ability. The monkey jumps in, spins, disrupts the enemy team, and leaves. He does this job well.
Mordekaiser: His ultimate alone is especially useful in negating enemy threats, but he struggles to output much damage before dying due to his low range.
Illaoi: Illaoi is more annoying than powerful in ARAM. Her E ability will make you want to pull your hair out, but it won’t do too much outside the very early portion of the game. She does have the ability to carry if she hits a massive ultimate, but these opportunities are few and far between.
Camille: With several generous ARAM-specific buffs, Camille can function somewhat reliably in higher ELO games. Her long-range engage coupled with an incredibly impactful ultimate gives her the utility necessary to benefit her team more than many fighters.
Urgot/Garen/Jax/Renekton: These four Fighters play relatively similar roles as beefy meat shields with some damage output and limited crowd control. They die far too quickly to be a true frontline yet do not deal enough to be a threat to enemy carries.
Jarvan IV: Jarvan’s best attribute in ARAM is his attack speed steroid, which is a sad reflection on his state in the game mode.
Gnar: Gnar feels miserable to play in ARAM. He is essentially useless in mini form due to his low range and squishiness, and his mega form is too unreliable to trigger at a useful time given the hectic nature of the mode.
Yorick/Rek’Sai/Olaf /Warwick/Vi: These champions all have pick rates in the bottom 15 for the game mode and sport win rates that aren’t much better. If you’ve ever played these champions in ARAM, you’re already aware of their problems. These champions struggle to survive against opponents with any sort of ranged poke and get kited into oblivion. Even if they can get into range of the enemy team via snowball or short gap-closer, they get eviscerated quickly because of their lack of bulk.
Tryndamere: Easily a candidate for worst champion in the game mode, Tryndamere’s 1v1 split pushing focus in Summoner’s Rift transfers horrendously onto Howling Abyss. Tryndamere is far too squishy to operate in the thick of fights, gets kited out easily, and is far too easy to crowd control.
Tanks are in a strange spot in ARAM. The only class without any S or S+ champions, Tanks can be good to outright terrible depending on the champion. Alistar and Tahm Kench would have been the class’s S-tier champions if not for their nerfs in 12.4.
Ornn: The craftsman’s insane amount of crowd control makes his combat prowess highly effective. If he had the same passive as on Summoner’s Rift, Ornn would be one of the best champions in the game. Unfortunately, his ability to build items outside of the shop has a 120-second cooldown in ARAM. Still, this passive can be somewhat useful coupled with access to Warmog’s. His potency skyrockets even further late game when he can build upgraded items for his teammates.
Tahm Kench: Because he was one of the worst champions in the game, pre-rework Tahm Kench was buffed in ARAM. His mini rework vastly improved him in ARAM, and the buffs only exacerbated his strength. This has led to a recent nerf in 12.4 which took him down about 2% in win rate. His long-range engage, versatile ultimate, and tank steroid shield still make him a solid all-around pick.
Sion: As long as you don’t build lethality, Sion can be an impossible to kill and infinitely-scaling tank that gives his team a solid frontline.
Leona and Nautilus: Solid, consistent Tank picks that give your team unbelievable amounts of crowd control. These two function more as true Tanks compared to other Tank supports like Braum or Rell due to their tank steroids and lack of protective peel. Leona and Nautilus give you everything you need in a beefy frontline tank without being overly exceptional.
Cho'Gath: Cho is an average tank who rises to B-tier because of his ability to infinitely scale into the game. If Cho-Gath gets too tanky, he can win a game on his own just by being impossible to kill. It takes a while for him to get to that point, however.
Galio and Shen: These two champions offer cross-map defensive teleports, taunting crowd control, damage, and decent mobility. They can’t absorb crazy amounts of damage, but their versatility makes them above average Tanks in ARAM.
Volibear: Traditionally a bruiser, Volibear’s best and most common role in ARAM is that of a Tank. The electric bear’s stat-boosting ultimate coupled with his sustain gives him decent frontlining capability. He doesn’t offer much in the way of crowd control, but he does do a decent job at being a hard-to-kill meat shield who can pack a surprisingly big punch.
Alistar: In 12.4, Alistar received a nerf that doubled his damage taken from 5% to 10% and cut his healing by an extra 10%. This change dropped his win rate at least 3%, sending him straight out of his borderline S-tier ranking. His ultimate’s Tank steroid, AoE CC, and team-wide healing gives him everything you want in an ARAM Tank. Unfortunately, the crippling nerfs to the numbers in his kit make him just an average champion overall.
Nunu & Willump: The boy and his beast are very difficult to rank because almost no one builds them correctly. Nearly 90% of Nunu players build some sort of AP version of the champion, a build that makes Nunu easily the worst champion in the game. Because there is little data on the tank variant it is hard to say how strong it is, but from anecdotal data his massive Consume healing and Biggest Snowball engage make him a below average Tank.
Dr. Mundo: Crippled by his reliance on healing and lack of hard crowd control, Mundo just doesn’t have the engage, CC, or tankiness needed to be an effective frontline.
Skarner: Competing with Yorick for lowest pick rate in the game, Skarner struggles to have much of an impact in Howling Abyss. His lack of consistent access to his spires coupled with his low range make him difficult to play. His high-impact ultimate is the only thing keeping him from F-tier.
Amumu and Sejuani: Like Skarner, these two Tanks offer little beyond their game-changing ultimates. Neither have the Tank steroids necessary to absorb much damage, and their relatively telegraphed crowd control can often be avoided.
Rammus: Rammus escapes F-tier for his niche usage in countering all-AD team comps. In general, he simply lacks the reliable engage and crowd control to be worth picking in ARAM.
Zac: In ARAM, Zac tends to jump in, squirt his blobs around, and die. He doesn’t offer much crowd control compared to most Tanks, and he also lacks the Tank steroids necessary to absorb enough damage for his team. His healing reliance also serves to cripple him in a mode filled with Grievous Wounds.
Udyr and Poppy: Two of the worst champions in the game mode, Udyr and Poppy lack any reliable engage tools and get poked out far too easily before they can get near the enemy team.
Though you may see many complaints about Assassins in ARAM, the numbers simply don’t back up the claims about the potency of this class. Assassins are built to snipe out unsuspecting squishy champions isolated from their teams, and this rarely happens in ARAM. Assassins also inherently do not function well in front-to-back teamfights. This means that, apart from a select few, assassins are not set up for success on Howling Abyss.
Yasuo: ARAM lets Yasuo skip his weak early game and scale quickly into an incredible carry. Howling Abyss is great for Yasuo. The smaller map makes it easy to hit tornados, making him less reliant on teammates. Furthermore, Yasuo will almost always have a minion wave to play around with, giving him near infinite mobility. His DPS and teamfight-defining ultimate make him an amazing pick in ARAM.
Katarina: In Summoner’s Rift, Katarina often dodges her weak laning phase to spend most of the early game roaming around to find kills. Like Yasuo, Katarina can survive the brief ARAM early game to become an absolute menace in teamfights once she gets her items. Her build path diversity also gives her the ability to adapt adequately from game to game.
Viego: Viego is very tricky to pull off, meaning he only truly excels in higher ELOs. When in the right hands though, Viego is terrifying. His incredible sustain, constant resets, and champion takeovers allow him to be a viable carry.
Yone: It can be difficult for Yone to reliably use his E to enter fights without getting chunked out, limiting his early and mid-game damage potential. Still, his ultimate ability can be devastating, and he can carry as hard as anyone once he gets several items under his belt.
Kha'Zix: In ARAM, Kha will typically max and evolve his Void Spikes \first. This ARAM-specific strategy makes him a somewhat effective poke threat in the early game, giving him a buffer to transition into doing typical Kha’Zix things later into the game. He isn’t as effective as he would be on Summoner’s Rift because he will almost never be able to isolate a target, but his unique ability to be useful throughout the game makes him a viable assassin in ARAM.
Rengar: Alone in B-tier, Rengar can create infuriating zoning opportunities with his domination of the Howling Abyss brush. He falls off later into the game when he must rely on his ultimate instead of brush, but he still does enough to be a considerable threat to enemy teams.
Pyke: Because of the assumption that his ult is overpowered in ARAM, Pyke is one of the most picked champions in the game mode. This assumption is relatively correct. It is not uncommon to see Pyke get multiple Triple, Quadra, or even Pentakills in a game. If Pyke misses even one of his ultimates, however, he is useless. The telegraphed ability can be easily flashed, dashed, or Zhonya’d. Without his ultimate, Pyke can’t do much. His hook is not super impactful, and he is often forced to use his dash defensively because of his squishiness. The gold share on his ultimate execution is nice but not game-changing. His kit has enough utility and his ultimate is impactful enough to bring him to C-tier, but he is not as impactful as you may originally assume.
Talon: 12.4 gave Talon an ARAM-specific buff, increasing his damage dealt from 5% to 10%. This change improved his win rate by 3-4%, lifting him from F-tier all the way to C. Lacking inherent survivability, you are better off building Goredrinker or Eclipse rather than Duskblade. Despite his useless wall-scaling ability, his ability to kill squishies and sustain through fights makes him a decent champion in ARAM.
Ekko: Ekko’s ultimate, wave clear, and potential tank build variation are the only things keeping him from the depths of F-tier. The champion rarely will do enough damage to one-shot enemy carries, negating his effectiveness as a damage dealing threat. Since tank Ekko was once my favorite champion, I still try to build it whenever I can. It is awful on Summoner’s Rift, but in ARAM it has its niche and is more useful than assassin Ekko in my opinion. Frostfire into Fimbulwinter gives you incredible tankiness and eliminates your mana problems. You can follow this up with Nashor’s if you want some damage, but you can also build more tank items if you just want to be a frontliner. Try it next time you roll Ekko on Howling Abyss!
Qiyana and Fizz: These champions feel miserable to play in ARAM. Completely reliant on their ultimates, the assassins just don’t quite have the tools to get into range of the enemy to output their damage. Fizz’s fish is quite telegraphed, and Qiyana doesn’t have the walls to pull off effective ultimates. Both are okay at dealing damage to a single target, but neither shine in the game mode.
Master Yi: Master Yi has had a rollercoaster couple of weeks. In an attempt to promote Yi’s attack speed builds over his lethality ones, Yi received a massive buff in 12.5 that skyrocketed his win rate. His subsequent hotfix nerfs then plummeted his win rate below where it had originally been. He was then hotfixed again in the recent 12.5b patch, buffing his win rate somewhat. Yi used to mainly build Duskblade in ARAM, using the invisibility passive to decimate team comps without answers to him. This change really nerfed the viability of the build, forcing him to build attack speed. Yi now just functions as a slightly better Tryndamere. He is instantly countered by crowd control and has a tough time entering fights without getting blown up.
Diana/Evelynn/Elise/Nocturne: Due to their short range and susceptibility to poke, these champions have an exceedingly tough time in ARAM. Without access to necessary gold from early kills, they are rarely able to do enough damage before dying.
Akali and Zed: These are the two champions you’ll see the most complaints about in ARAM, yet their statistics are damning. Despite high pick rates, both champions are in the bottom ten for win rate in the game mode. There is additionally no evidence to suggest that they are significantly better in the hands of more skilled players. The damage pattern of these Assassins is simply not conducive to the ARAM landscape, especially when it is difficult for them to build a significant item disparity between themselves and the enemy.
LeBlanc: Sporting the worst win rate in the game, Leblanc struggles to be very effective in ARAM. Her one-shot potential is largely reliant on hitting her chain, and she almost never has enough time to do so before getting blown up. Like all Assassins she can one-shot champions if she snowballs hard enough, but she almost never has the ability to reach that point.
Shaco: Another candidate for worst in the game mode, Shaco’s Summoner’s Rift gameplay does not translate well to Howling Abyss whatsoever. Whether he builds AP or AD, Shaco can’t find the positions to offer enough damage to do anything for your team.
This section is reserved for those champions that don’t quite fit into one of the six broad class categories. Some of these champions are simple hybrids of two roles, but others are so unique that they function outside the traditional class limits.
Kayle: You could make an argument that Kayle is the strongest champion in the game mode because, once she gets her items and levels, she can carry harder than any other champion. This fact firmly cements her in the S+ tier, standing alone amongst the misfit toys of Runeterra. Unlike many in her tier, Kayle does have a distinct early weakness prior to level 6 when she is stuck in melee range. However, it is rare that she will be punished hard enough to make her ineffective.
Kassadin: Pre-6 Kassadin doesn’t do all that much, but he just needs his ultimate to start doing Kassadin things. In the right hands, Kassadin can 1v9 any game with his mobility, damage, and outplay potential.
Jayce: A combination of poke, assassin, and bruiser, Jayce fills nearly every niche in the game. He will spend most of the game poking down the enemy team with his E-Q combo, but he can also jump into the fray and scrap with the best of them to clean up teamfights. He pokes better than Nidalee and can one-shot better than most of the other Assassins. He doesn’t bring sustained hypercarry DPS which limits his upside somewhat, but he is still a terribly effective all-around threat.
Gangplank: Because he doesn’t have to worry about survivability in the top lane, our favorite pirate is able to build pure damage in ARAM. He has a strong early game and terrifying late game but struggles slightly to connect the two phases as he waits for more crit items. His ultimate basically takes up the entire width of the lane, creating an unavoidable zone of slows and damage that can win teamfights on its own. He also gains Silver Serpents every second in ARAM, making it very realistic to get 2 or even 3 ultimate upgrades by the end of the game. Once he has items under his belt, his barrel crits can deal insane amounts of damage to the enemy team. Gangplank can struggle without frontline allies and against more consistent DPS, but he can legitimately carry his team if played well enough.
Maokai: Maokai’s most effective build in ARAM is focused on constant Sapling spam coupled with Liandry’s Anguish. Maokai’s strength lies in his unparalleled zoning potential. His saplings cannot be targeted and grow stronger when placed in brush. Therefore, the enemy team cannot step anywhere near the brush unless they want to take obscene amounts of DoT. His crowd control is also nothing to be scoffed at either. His nerf in 12.4 did nothing to affect this build as it was targeted at his healing, hurting his already suboptimal tank build.
Vladimir: Vladimir can be an incredible carry if given the time to scale. His intense amount of healing, safety granted by Sanguine Pool, and absurd burst potential make him a scary threat.
Corki: Now a pseudo-poke Mage thanks to his new AP build, Corki cannot quite carry like he used to without his traditional sustained DPS. He is still relatively strong in ARAM though due to the general power of poke and the strength of this build.
Teemo: In years past, you could only see invisible traps like Shaco boxes, Teemo shrooms, and Jhin traps by purchasing the 300-gold Oracle’s Elixir. Riot removed this item in Patch 10.23, moving the vision passive onto cannon minions. This change has always been incredibly controversial. As a result of the change, Teemo is more annoying than overpowered. The universally hated Yordle’s strength in ARAM comes from his wave clear potential. Teemo’s mushrooms make it incredibly difficult for opposing teams to push for the end even if they win a fight. If your team just needs time to scale into the game, Teemo’s presence can ensure victory. Still, he has an awfully specific role. He can stall out games but cannot truly win them on his own.
Nidalee: Our transforming huntress is relegated to chucking max range spears at the enemy and praying they hit. Despite being relatively telegraphed, the enemy team must always consider her spears lest they take 60% of their health in damage. This alone makes her a decent long-range threat.
Lillia: The centaur’s 5% damage nerf in 12.4 severely impacted her carry potential, bringing her down from S-tier. Lillia’s usefulness in the mode comes mainly from her high damage, so nerfing this by even 5% hurt her strength considerably.
Lee Sin: Our favorite blind monk is hugely buffed in ARAM. In 12.4, Lee had his healing and shielding buffed by 20% alongside a damage buff of 2% on top of his existing 8%. He also takes 10% less damage in the mode. This buff lifted his win rate by about 5%, taking him out of the dregs of F-tier into a solid pick. He requires skill to operate, but anyone with Lee Sin experience can now use him in ARAM and not feel horribly useless. He used to hit his Sonic Wave, jump into the enemy team, and get blown up instantly. With his increased sustain and shielding, Lee can survive for an incredibly long time in the middle of the enemy team. His ultimate can always be highly impactful, and his mobility keeps him relatively safe. He is not oppressive by any means, but ARAM balance has left him in a fairly good state.
Singed: Run at enemy, flip enemy backward, poison enemy, run away from enemy. Singed fills the same role in ARAM as he does on Summoner’s Rift, and he does so relatively well.
Shyvana: Shyvana’s ability to build AP and focus on one-shotting the enemy team with her fire breath gives her a useful if slightly underwhelming niche.
Trundle: You will see Trundles build all sorts of things in ARAM, but his two main builds are a standard tanky bruiser build or his Imperial Mandate supportive build that abuses his pillar to proc the item’s passive. Both are similarly effective, though he doesn’t fill either role extremely well.
Malphite: Like Nunu, nearly everyone builds AP items on Malphite because it’s fun to one-shot things. His AP build is a lot better than Nunu’s, but it is still less effective than his Tank build. Malphite’s ultimate is a constant force to be reckoned with regardless of his build, and this alone cements him solidly in the C-tier.
Neeko: Neeko is reliant on snowball to use her ultimate, yet it can be devastating if executed well. Her root also gives her access to somewhat reliant CC. Not great by any means, but she is serviceable in the right hands.
Kayn: Shadow Kayn is probably F-tier, but his Darkin version is surprisingly effective in ARAM. On Howling Abyss, Kayn can use his E to move outside the edges of the map. This not only zones the enemy team, but it also gives him access to consistent sustain. Rhaast’s crowd control, healing, and mobility make him a disruptive meat shield with decent damage potential.
Pantheon: Whether you build him as a Fighter or Assassin, Pantheon serves his purpose well as a dive-focused engager with reliable safety in his Aegis Assault.
Fiddlesticks: The terrifying scarecrow does one thing in ARAM: wait in the bushes and hope that the enemy team forgets you exist for long enough to let you ulti on top of them. This will usually happen at least once a game, yet good opponents will learn from their mistakes. Fiddlesticks falls off a cliff in the late game because, much like Rengar, he struggles to do much without his bushes.
Quinn: Quinn operates as an awkward wannabe Marksman but lacks the consistent DPS to truly carry games. Her bursty pattern doesn’t translate well onto Howling Abyss, and her functionally useless ultimate doesn’t do her any favors.
Rumble: If the enemy team plays around him correctly, Rumble is never able to get in range to provide much damage with his basic abilities. This means he often becomes an ultimate-bot. The devastating potential of this ability brings the Yordle up to D-tier on its own.
Sylas: Sylas can function relatively well when given access to impactful enemy ultimates, but he usually lacks the damage and mobility to reach important targets. His W is not enough to save him from getting burst down once he enters teamfights.
Gragas: Skilled AP Gragas players can be somewhat effective in the mid game, but he is a bit too one dimensional to offer consistent damage potential. Tank Gragas is more effective yet doesn’t function exceptionally well due to his awkward ultimate and telegraphed crowd control.
Lissandra: Lissandra provides decent crowd control and can be a real nuisance with her ultimate + Zhonya’s combo, but she doesn’t offer much outside of this.
Kennen: Kennen is completely reliant on snowball or Flash to be able to do anything in ARAM. Even when he can get a multi-man ultimate, it doesn’t do nearly enough damage or provide long enough crowd control to be super meaningful.
Bard: Bard is such a weird champion in ARAM. You would think he could find some niche to fill, but he just doesn’t. He is massively buffed in the game mode, dealing 15% more damage and taking 20% less, yet he’s still in the argument for worst champion in the game mode. His increased chime spawn rate doesn’t really change anything either. I have seen countless different builds for Bard throughout the years and none of them are good. AP, AD, Support, Tank. None of them do enough to justify picking Bard over practically anything else in ARAM.
Here’s the full list! We split up the champions by class because, as you can see, it’s a bit much to take in all at once. Hopefully, you can use your new knowledge of ARAM champion strength to make better decisions in champ select. Remember though, having a balanced team composition is better than simply trying to field all S-tier champions. A composition with a mixture of carries, supports, and frontliners will be much better than an all-marksmen team even if they are all deemed S+ tier by this article.
Ultimately, you should try to enjoy your ARAM experience as much as possible. If winning helps you enjoy your games even more, then this article should help! We wish you luck in your Howling Abyss adventures.
