From being in Bronze for quite a long time, I will admit that this tier is not always easy. From the large amount of trolls to those who are just inexperienced with League of Legends, I have seen them all. I know, some things are not entirely in my control, but positivity goes a long way, as well as good champion selection. Now, from my experience, I have found that a few champions for each role that are not only good to have mastered, especially if you are put somewhere you don’t want to go, but also to get you out of the deep dark depths of Bronze tier. I will try to give you the good and the bad for each one of them, so you know what to do and not do should you summon these champions to the rift. Enjoy!

Top Lane

3. Sion

Pros: This reborn tank (literally) is one of the big boys on the scene up in the island known as top lane. With his massive tank stats and Unstoppable Onslaught, he can easily run into team fights and isolate with ease. When not in team fights, he has great farming ability with his Q ability, which also doubles as a great stun. If you are to die as Sion, your passive known as Glory in Death reanimates your body to finish off those who would be so wrong to destroy you, and the more you hit them, the longer you stay in your reanimated state.

Cons: One of the downsides I find with Sion is his aiming his ult. With it, you have to aim it almost exactly where you want it, as moving from side to side is not entirely possible. On top of the lack of driving ability, it is really easy to not only run into the wrong person but run into the environment. If you have a ranged champion against you in the top lane, you can get poked down pretty quickly.

2. Gnar

Pros: I am a huge fan of the most recent addition to the top lane. He has a great kit, allowing him to be ranged as well as melee in Mega Gnar. What I have found is that in addition to being a great tank when put into Mega Gnar, he can turn into a huge carry, dishing out tons of damage. Really, he is a great pick for times when you have a jungler who could also be a tank and you don’t know if he wants to carry instead.

Cons: One of the huge difficulties I find with Gnar is keeping track of his rage bar. Without rage, you are limited to little Gnar, which keeps you from being the team fight king. Also, if you are not able to get the combos down as Mega Gnar, a lot of your damage potential as well as your peel greatly decreases, putting your team at risk heavily.

1. Nasus (Susan)

Pros: Minus the doge memes and different names, Nasus is a one of my favorite top laners. Going through his kit, his Q stacks permanent damage for each minion/monster/champion you kill, which then you can use to burst down your enemies as well as towers. His Wither is a great slow that also slows down attack speed, which is great for stopping the AD carries in their tracks. If you find yourself getting ganked, just press R to win. Super Doge is absolutely phenomenal with the bonus health he gets, as well as dealing AOE AP damage that takes percent health away from the enemies.

Cons: If you can’t farm Siphoning Strike, you will find that a lot of your damage potential dies off, which mostly comes from ranged top laners. He does not really do well in the early game, as he does not have all the tanky stats that he gets towards the late game and with his ult, so making sure you keep the pressure on your opponent is key.

Jungle

3. Kha'Zix

Pros: I really like using Kha’Zix for his mobility and damage output. As a rule of thumb, if the mid laner has a jump/good escape, I like to evolve his wings first, just to get the longer range jump in and out for ganks. Apart from that, his evolutions in abilities make him a great champ for changing to what the team needs as the game goes on. His ultimate ability makes him fantastic for ganks, on top of having two charges of it.

Cons: The few problems I have with Kha’Zix mainly are scaling and strength. Kha’Zix needs to get a kill or two in the early game to really get going, as his damage potential is not entirely the best until he gets his finished jungle item and boots. On top of that, he is easy to burst down since he isn’t a tanky jungler by any means. I like to use him when I know the top and bottom lanes will have tanks, which allows me to go full on damage.

2. Sejuani

Pros: Using Sejuani’s ulti is one of the best team fight initiators in the game with its massive stun potential and huge slow. Once you land her dash, you can almost face roll the keyboard for damage and destroy everything in your path. She also has the capability for massive damage with her great AP scaling.

Cons: With having a skillshot ult, you are relying on getting it at max range to land the stun, otherwise it is just a slow. I also find some issues with knowing the range of her dash, as well as knowing what does and does not have frost stacks on it. Otherwise, I think those are her only issues.

1. Vi (Here she comes. Again.)

Pros: Seeing Vi banned in Bronze is not uncommon because she really is that good at this tier. Her Q+E combo is a burst potential waiting to happen, her W shreds the armor of her opponents on the third auto attack hit, her ult isolates anyone targeted and runs through those who were not, the whole kit is great. She can go super tanky if she is needed to, and also can build a ton of damage if not. I haven’t found a team that was not happy with me choosing Vi.

Cons: The few issues I find with Vi are really in just two places. If you miss her Q, the cooldown is not the greatest to recover from, and your damage potential drops off significantly when you don’t land it. Also, when you ult someone in the earlier levels, you will need some follow up from your teammates, as your damage will not be that great.

(http://kumikopixiv.deviantart.com/art/Lissandra-363451676)

Mid Lane

3. Ahri

Pros: Ahri has a great amount of damage and burst potential in the mid lane. Her mobility with her ult and her charm make her extremely difficult to out play in the damage department. The spell vamp passive is also a great thing to utilize when a fresh wave of minions come. She is great against the other mobile champions such as LeBlanc and Zed.

Cons: Missing the charm on Ahri is one of the few issues that I find, as missing it causes you to wait until it comes back. Without the charm, trying to all in someone is extremely difficult unless you can manage your charges on your ult. Fox Fire is rather lack luster from a damage aspect, which means you are left really with only three spells.

2. Zed

Pros: The mobility of Zed is absolutely fantastic. Being energy based, you do not have worry about being mana hungry, just managing your energy. Using the Living Shadows as a poking and farming mechanism, as well as an escape tool make his kit extremely versatile, especially when you can switch places with your shadow to get more damage in. Using his Death Mark on an opponent is just the icing on the cake, leaving them no choice but to take a fair amount of damage.

Cons: The few issues I have with Zed lie in the energy and shadow management, and his ult. With the energy and shadow management, you can lose track of which shadows are which, your W shadow or your ulti shadow, and spamming your abilities can’t be done as much with the relatively high energy costs. With his ulti, it can be negated with the active ability of Quicksilver Sash, which ends a huge burst of Zed’s kit.

1. Lissandra

Pros: I absolutely love Lissandra. This (true) ice queen has an entire kit full of CC and unbelievable burst potential. Trying to all in a Lissandra in a 1v1 fight isn’t the brightest of ideas, as she can lock you down, ulti you, and throw a few Ice Shards at you to finish you off. With her ulti, it can be also used defensively if you get ganked hard, allowing a small window to be opened for your team to come and help. Her passive allows her to be able to use an ability for no cost every 18 seconds, and the cooldown on it lowers with each slow you apply to your enemies.

Cons: Lissandra’s lack of mobility makes her difficult to deal with. If you cast your E out, you can be stunned or silenced and will not be able to recast E to escape. Also, if your ult is down, a lot of your damage potential and burst is gone, so make sure you use your ult wisely.

AD Carry

3. Graves

Pros: With Graves, you are one of the better duelers in the game. Your passive allows you to stay in fights and duels longer with the increased armor and magic resist you get that stacks. Beyond dueling, you have a large potential to burst down anyone in your path, and your dash is just another way to get in and blow them up.

Cons: While he does have a dash, he suffers from a general lack of mobility, which ultimately is his downfall. On top of that, his positioning in team fights can be difficult because he has a smaller auto attack range than most AD carries. If you have a good support that can lock down your opponents, you should be fine. If you do not, you will have quite a bit of issue.

2. Jinx

Pros: I really love the versatility of Jinx. With her interchangeable auto attack range and bonus splash damage in her Fishbones form, she can zone out her opponents and farm waves with ease. Her Zap, given you can land it on the target you want, deals a ton of damage, also zoning out your opponent. Her Chompers are also great for “closing the gates” of the jungle in case you forsee a gank incoming. They are also very good at locking in your opponent to a lot of damage. Finally, even the recent nerf of her ult damage close range, her ult deals a ton of damage on top of being global.

Cons: A similar issue to Graves is her lack of mobility. She has no form of dash to save her, and if you cannot land your Chompers at the right time, you could be completely screwed. If you try to use her ultimate at close range, you are going to have a bad time, due to the recent nerf. Finally, your team will need to peel for you in order for you to dish out all the damage you are meant to, otherwise you are left with being blown up.

1. Lucian

Pros: To start of the massive benefits of playing Lucian, Lightslinger gives you a bonus auto attack with bonus damage after every spell you cast, which allows for fantastic trading. His auto attack range is one of the better of the AD carries, on top of having some of the best pokes in the game as well. His dash is a significant distance, so jumping through some walls will be possible. The Culling is great for clearing waves as well as objective control in the defensive and offensive situations. Honestly, if I am put into the ADC role, I pick Lucian everytime if I can.

Cons: The few issues I have with Lucian are really user notices rather than champion kit issues. Your dash has a relatively long cooldown, and even though landing spells can lower the cooldown of it, utilizing the dash at the right time is key. Lucian can also get a bit mana hungry with spamming of his abilities, and this can affect your ability to trade easily, so know when and when not to go for that trade.

Support

3. Janna

Pros: Janna is delightfully mobile, allowing for her to roam with ease. The use of tornados, when done correctly, can zone out enemies, stop ganks, and give great initiates to team fights. The shield she has is great for laning, as it gives bonus AD to the one it is cast on, making trades early game for your ADC great. The ult she has gives an AOE heal that is great for using when doing Baron Nashor or after team fight dragons, as well as in the middle of team fights to knock back enemies and heal up your allies. On top of a targetable slow, she is fantastic for Bronze.

Cons: Predicting where your opponents will be can be tricky when trying to land tornados, so try to make good guesses against your enemies. Once you use your Zephyr, you lose a lot of speed, so be careful when using it. Finally, Janna is extremely squishy, so taking care of your health would definitely be in your best interest.

2. Leona

Pros: I love using Leona as a hard engage tank support. She as a boat load of CC, from stuns to lockdowns, slows and peels. Her W, when fully activated, gives her bonus tank stats to keep her in team fights longer. The key to Leona really is getting the combos down, and not forgetting about using her W ability. Just be careful not to hurt the enemy team’s eyes with how much sunlight you will be giving them.

Cons: When using Leona, you must be ready to say “I do!” to your engages, because once you jump in, there is no backing out, and the divorce papers on your engage did not come with any prenuptials. Forgetting to use your W before engaging is also something that causes a lot of Leona’s power to disappear. Missing your ult is probably the one thing that makes or breaks a good Leona, so practice up!

1. Nautilus

Pros: One of my favorite supports has to be Nautilus. With his great tanky stats, huge shield, AOE slow, targetable ult and massive pull, he is one of the great go-to supports. The pull can be alternatively used as an escape as well, hooking onto the environment and pulling you to safety. On top of that, the previously mentioned shield gives you splash damage that activates when you kill a minion.

Cons: I hold slight issue to shield management. If you lose the shield faster than wanted to, you could find yourself in way too deep. Also, hooking the wrong target/missing the target completely can ruin the whole combo, leaving you useless if your ult is not up. However, if they are the ones to engage you, make sure you have the shield ready.

Even though it would be better to be in the carry roles, you won’t always get them, so practice being a well-rounded player and have a few champions ready to play if you don’t get the role you really want. Of course, that isn’t to say you can’t carry in all roles, but if you can’t, just blame the jungler since it works every time, right? Just remember to have fun, it is a game after all!

If you liked what you read, leave a comment below and tell me your top 3 favorite champs for climbing elo! You can also follow me on Twitter at @_CasualToaster and also on Twitch at twitch.tv/pirateboarder! Best of luck on the rift, friends!