League of Legends Tier List Patch 12.20. Best League of Legends Champions to Climb with in Solo Queue

League of Legends Tier List Patch 12.20. Best League of Legends Champions to Climb with in Solo Queue

Welcome to the Mobalytics Predictive Tier List for League of Legends for Patch 12.20!

Ready to hit your ranked goals for League of Legends Season 12? Our panel of experts has you covered for every role and rank.

Below, you’ll find our two League of Legends champion tier lists, one for general ELO (low ELO up to high Plat/low Diamond) and one for high ELO (high diamond up).

LoL Tier List 12.20

Click the icons for champion builds, counters, and more!

Latest Champion

Mid Lane (God Tier)

For everybody else, we have prepared much more:

Jump to General Tier List

Jump to High-ELO Tier List

If you have any questions about our choices or process, ask us on Discord!

Now that you know the best champions for LoL, get the best champions for Teamfight Tactics with our TFT tier list or Wild Rift with our Wild Rift tier list.

We also have a best decks tier list for LoR and an agent tier list for Valorant.

Methodology TLDR: This list was curated in collaboration with our League Experts: Adam ‘Moriarty’ Isles, Dan ‘Aux’ Harrison and Phy, and our Role Specialists: Shikari, Only, Command Attack, and Yen. Unlike most tier lists, we publish ours before, or as a patch goes live, according to the predictions of our in-house experts.

  • Our first tier list aimed at lower elo, specifically gold elo and the surrounding brackets. These picks are effective when utilized in lower ranks and are the best tools for helping you to climb the SoloQ ladder as far as Diamond.
  • Our second tier list is for high elo, aimed at Diamond 2 and above. These picks are curated by our experts and are an indicator of the champions inherent strength when played at the highest level. For a lot of the user base this information isn’t super relevant for their games but provides invaluable insight into the game itself.
  • We made the decision to return to two tier lists after heavily reviewing the feedback from our users. Ultimately we agreed that a general tier list aimed at Plat+ wouldn’t serve a majority of the playerbase and we had missed the mark.
  • Our difficulty system relies on “Skill Floor”, meaning that a Simple champion will yield results faster (around 5-10 games of learning)
  • If a champion has a higher skill floor (Hard or Severe), it will take more time to learn them (20-50 games +) but you will be rewarded with better results over time whereas a Simple champion may fall off as you climb higher.

For a more in-depth explanation for our methodology, head to the bottom of the article.

Jump to High-ELO Tier List

General LoL Tier List for Patch 12.20

LoL Tier List Patch 12.20

Jump to High-ELO Tier List

Top Lane Tier List:

Tier Champions
Optimal (S-tier) Singed Poppy Shen Aatrox Sejuani Mordekaiser Darius Olaf Garen Maokai
Great (A-tier) Quinn Dr Camille Riven Illaoi Fiora Swain Sett Warwick Vladimir Akshan Kayle Ornn Malphite
Mundo Tahm Kench
Good (B-tier) Gangplank Gnar Vayne Udyr Sion Shyvana Wukong Kled Jax Nasus Yorick Teemo Urgot Irelia Lillia Renekton

Jungle Tier List:

Tier Champions
Optimal (S-tier) Bel’Veth Mordekaiser Master Yi Amumu Fiddlesticks Rammus Volibear Zac Shyvana
Great (A-tier) Olaf Skarner Diana Elise Kha’Zix Rek’sai Nunu Jarvan Warwick Nocturne Vi Udyr Sejuani Maokai Ekko
Good (B-tier) Evelynn Shaco Xin Lillia Viego Rengar Graves Kindred Wukong Gragas Trundle Kayn Poppy Hecarim Lee Sin

Mid Lane Tier List:

Tier Champions
Optimal (S-tier) Swain Vex Diana Zed Vladimir Akshan Viktor Seraphine
Great (A-tier) Cassiopeia Anivia Sylas Heimerdinger Vel’koz Talon Galio Kassadin Annie Lux Katarina Pantheon Singed Zilean Ziggs Varus
Good (B-tier) Ekko Irelia Malzahar Neeko Fizz Akali Yone Zoe Leblanc Yasuo Xerath Veigar Aurelion Sol Taliyah Twisted Fate Ahri

ADC Tier List:

Tier Champions
Optimal (S-tier) Jhin Tristana Miss Fortune Seraphine
Great (A-tier) Kog’Maw Swain Caitlyn Nilah Karthus Ashe Heimerdinger Ezreal Samira Vayne Kai’sa Sivir Twitch Jinx
Good (B-tier) Varus Yasuo Cassiopeia Lucian Xayah Draven Ziggs

Support Tier List:

Tier Champions
Optimal (S-tier) Soraka Maokai Renata Janna Amumu Sona Nami Zilean
Great (A-tier) Vel’koz Xerath Pyke Blitzcrank Nautilus Taric Thresh Lulu Zyra Seraphine Lux Leona Rell
Good (B-tier) Rakan Braum Karma Ashe Morgana Yuumi Brand Bard Swain Alistar Senna

Expert pick commentary

To see all the explanations for our expert picks and more, head to our tier list feature!

tier-list-feature

Top – Maokai

  • Maokai is back with a vengeance and this brick wall Top laner is one of the best tank picks to go for right now. In lane, he packs a ton of sustain, decent trading power and an unrivalled ability to set up ganks.
  • His W & Q make him the ideal lane to play for, almost guaranteeing successful ganks every time.
  • Maokai then turns into a monstrous team fighting crowd control monster offering peel, engage or whatever it is your team needs! If you enjoy the frontline fantasy, Maokai is a top choice.

Jungle – Bel’Veth

  • Bel’Veth has cemented her place in the jungle recently, especially in Solo Queue. She absolutely thrives in unorganized games, and the Solo Queue chaos suits her perfectly.
  • Her mobility is incredible, she has solid damage in both short bursts and long extended fights and her E is a fantastic defensive ability making her very difficult to shut down.
  • Bel’Veth tears down the Rift Herald and those tanky Dragons with ease, and as the game goes on, she only gets stronger with that permanent attack speed from her Passive.
  • If you have low crowd control and burst damage, Bel’Veth will just stay alive forever, and if she’s got that Void form- good luck taking her down.

Mid – Swain

  • Swain has been having the season of his life ever since that mid-scope update and with still no nerfs this patch, he’s going to remain one of the best champions in the game.
  • Swain is fairly straightforward to play and works into most team comps which is ideal when playing in those lower-ranked games.
  • Swain has solid laning, fantastic team fighting and immensely good snowball potential, becoming unkillable with his scaling health and itemization but also dealing a crazy amount of AOE damage.

Bottom – Miss Fortune

  • Miss Fortune is the most popular and the most successful AD Carry in the game right now. She starts off by being an oppressive lane bully in the early game and turns into a monster with a few items. Her Ultimate alone is enough to tear through teams and if you catch enemies in chokepoints, you can genuinely ace them with this ability by itself!
  • Miss Fortune isn’t just reliant on her Ultimate now though as she was in the past as now with her crit build she also packs a big punch with her auto attacks and Q. This allows her to kite and burst down enemies throughout fights rather than just waiting for her R to be back up.
  • There are not many easier and safer options to go for than Miss Fortune at the moment if you’re looking to carry from the bot lane.

Support – Amumu

  • Amumu Support is just so simple in the way that it’s effective. You’ve got 2 charges on that Q which can setup fights and ganks in the early game and then you’ve got your Ultimate which allows you to lock down 5 enemies in those big teamfights.
  • Amumu is very simple to learn and easy to pick up but his impact on games is without question. As long as you can get into the right position to engage for your teammates and press R, you’re good to go.
  • If you can combine Amumu support with other strong AoE wombo combo picks, you’re in for a treat.

High-ELO LoL Tier List for Patch 12.20

High ELO LoL Tier List Patch 12.20

Jump back to the general tier list

Best Top Laners for Low Elo:

Tier Champions
Optimal (S-tier) Singed Poppy Shen Maokai Sejuani Mordekaiser Darius OlafNasus Ornn
Great (A-tier) Quinn Dr Mundo Camille Riven Kayle Garen Fiora Swain Sett Warwick Aatrox Akshan Jax Irelia Lillia Wukong
Good (B-tier) Gangplank Gnar Malphite Gragas Sion Shyvana Tryndamere Kled Renekton Illaoi Yorick Teemo Urgot Volibear Vladimir Tahm Kench

Best Junglers for Low Elo:

Tier Champions
Optimal (S-tier) Bel’Veth Mordekaiser Udyr Amumu Fiddlesticks Nunu Volibear Zac Ekko Rammus
Great (A-tier) Olaf Skarner Diana Elise Kha’zix Rek’Sai Warwick NocturneVi Sejuani MaokaiKayn Shaco Master Yi Shyvana
Good (B-tier) Evelynn Karthus Xin Zhao Lillia Viego Rengar Graves Kindred Lee Sin Gragas Trundle Poppy Hecarim Jarvan IV

Best Mid Laners for Low Elo:

Tier Champions
Optimal (S-tier) Swain Vex Diana Zed Seraphine Viktor Ekko
Great (A-tier) Cassiopeia Anivia Sylas Heimerdinger Vel’koz Galio Kassadin Lux Katarina Pantheon Singed Zilean Fizz Irelia Vladimir Akshan
Good (B-tier) VarusMalzahar Ziggs Neeko Annie Ahri Talon Zoe Leblanc Yasuo Xerath Veigar Aurelion Sol Taliyah Syndra Lissandra

Best ADC for Low Elo:

Tier Champions
Optimal (S-tier) Miss Fortune Seraphine Kai’Sa Twitch
Great (A-tier) Kog’Maw Swain Sivir Nilah Karthus Ashe Heimerdinger Jinx Samira Ziggs Tristana Jhin
Good (B-tier) Varus Yasuo Caitlyn Lucian Xayah Draven Ezreal Vayne

Best Supports for Low Elo:

Tier Champions
Optimal (S-tier) Soraka Maokai Renata Glasc Janna Amumu Sona Nami Zilean Blitzcrank
Great (A-tier) Vel’koz Xerath Pyke Rell Nautilus Taric Thresh Lulu Zyra Seraphine Lux Leona
Good (B-tier) Rakan
Braum Karma Ashe Morgana Yuumi Brand Bard Swain Alistar Senna

Top – Singed

  • Singed has had periods this season of pure domination in the Top Lane and right now we are definitely experiencing this.
  • He has such an infuriating playstyle which is undeniably effective, and at those higher ranks is really where players are abusing this champion.
  • Singed usually has a way to make it through any matchup. He has good laning power, a fantastic gank setup, and an incredible ability to roam and influence the map.
  • Even if you get behind on this champion, all you have to do is sprint at those high-priority carries and throw them back into your team.
  • Whether you’re proxying waves or camping other lanes, Singed is a very impactful champion in High ELO right now, and has been for quite a while.

Jungle – Elise

  • Elise hasn’t been the most popular or consistent choice in the jungle for a while, but over recent weeks, she’s seeing more impressive results.
  • Elise is an aggressive early game ganking Jungler with the ability to easily punish and dive lanes taking certain players out of the game completely. She’s one of the few Junglers that can dive turrets so early and so easily and at higher ranks people can abuse this every single game.
  • Elise’s solid early ganks translate into a terrorising mid game: snowballing out of control and one shotting anyone who gets close. As long as you’re confident enough in your Elise capabilities, you can end games early enough before you start to fall off.

Mid – Zed

  • Zed’s been a heavily prioritized pick in that Mid-lane for quite some time recently and he doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of slowing down. Zed ticks so many of those High ELO champion boxes.
  • He’s got a super high skill ceiling, fantastic carry potential and the ability to outplay his enemies against all of the odds.
  • Now, if you get fed on Zed at the moment, you have a very good chance of carrying the game, you can pop down enemy carries in a matter of seconds and you can often just get out of there without too much risk of trading 1 for 1.
  • Zed’s mobility, burst damage and overall ability to snowball games by himself make him a very scary Mid-lane pick in the right hands.

Bottom – Draven

  • Draven will always be a fantastic AD Carry to play at higher ranks due to the intense mechanical gameplay that can be insanely rewarding in the right hands.
  • If you can manage those axes and keep on the move whilst pumping out damage and farming efficiently, Draven is just such a great champion and if the meta allows him to be more viable, then he’s always a top Bot lane pick to go for.
  • Draven’s Passive makes him arguably one of the best snowballing marksman in the game as all that bonus extra gold can allow him to spike so early and then just kill his lane opponents in 2 or 3 axes.
  • He’s got self peel with his E, a global Ultimate that help him cash in on that Passive from across the map and of course that huge movement speed steroid in his W as long as he keeps catching those axes.
  • Draven works super well with a variety of supports too making him a solid champion to One trick from that bot lane in high ELO.

Support – Pyke

  • Pyke has always been a real terror in the right hands, but recently he’s started to really come back into popularity. His crazy ability to carry is almost unrivaled from that Support role and his pick potential, his clean-up damage, and his overall impact on games are back at full strength.
  • Pyke has a crazy high skill ceiling so, the better you get at him, the higher the reward is, and at the top ranks this is a huge factor as to his success rate.
  • Pyke has several itemization options, he has a solid range of matchups and if the lane is that bad he can just roam and carry the map instead. If you can pull him off, he’s a fantastic choice to play in high elo this patch.

Format and Methodology

Our difficulty ratings focus on how long it would take to start seeing a champion’s power level on our list in terms of the number of games invested.

Let’s say you’re debating between learning and climbing with Jax (A-tier | Simple) or Rengar (A-tier | Severe) – you’re going to want to go with Jax. Why? This is because Jax has a lower skill floor and would require less games to play at an A-Tier level in solo queue. If you tried to pick up Rengar, you wouldn’t get the full value of A-tier until after about 15 matches of practice whereas with Jax, you would get that full 15 every time you play him.

Another example would be between Nidalee (S-tier | Intense) vs Xin Zhao (B-Tier | Simple). Let’s say you’re about to play your last match before promos and you get auto-filled to Jungle (a role you’re not too familiar with). Even though he’s lower on the list, you’d be better off choosing Xin because you don’t have the required number of games to break the skill floor of Nidalee.

Higher skill floor champions will scale better with time investment – Severe champs will outperform Simple champs in the long run because Simple champs generally have their weaknesses exposed the higher you climb.

So if your question is, “How long until I’ll start seeing results?”, the answer would be harder = longer time, easier = shorter time. If your question is. “Will this champion still be strong as I climb in ranks?”, the answer would be harder = moreso, easier = less so.

Disclaimer #1: If a champion isn’t on our Tier List, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t climb with them. You’ll just have to put in more effort to get similar results as our Optimal, Great, and Good choices for climbing.

Disclaimer #2: This list is meant to evaluate the champions that we believe are best for climbing Solo Queue. Although there can certainly be some overlap, we are NOT looking to name the champions that are the best in pro-play or organized, competitive 5-on-5. This is why champs that require a ton of team coordination such as Ryze, may not be included or ranked highly.

As always, we welcome all discussion and feedback. If you have any questions about picks that we didn’t expand on or would like to let us know how you feel about Patch 12.20 and our predictions in general, join us in our Discord! If you’re wondering how we make our tier list, check out our video explanation.