While many things in League of Legends have changed over the years, the iconic roles system remains largely the same.
Going back to the early seasons of LoL, the five roles of top, jungle, mid, bot, and support have been almost sacred. There have been times when innovations such as lane swaps and carry-centric strategies have been viable, but these five roles remain the same for the most part. As Riot Games has enforced the five roles, it has designed League champions with specific positions in mind. While flex picks remains an important part of competitive play, each champion has a main role out of the five that rarely changes. At this point, champions are even divided into these roles in champion selection.
With Riot further codifying the roles system, here’s every League of Legends champion’s most common position on the map.
League of Legends champions are divided into roles based on how they are meant to be played, but some champions can play in multiple roles.
The roles system can be confusing. It’s possible to have a mage champion most suited for the support role or a fighter always seen in the jungle. It can seem strange, but Riot has made it so that it’s easier for new players to understand. The map roles are the ones to keep an eye on, as these will often indicate where a champion is most viable.
Note that some champions are shown under several role tabs in champion select. For example, Zed can be found under both the jungle and mid tab simply because Riot considers him viable in both positions. Let’s look at all champions for each of the five roles, with flex picks not always accounted for.
The top lane is the place for tanks, bruisers, and sometimes carries that do well at split pushing. Riot has put a lot of different champions under the top lane category, making it a lane suited for many different types of players.
If top lane doesn’t have enough variety, then jungle certainly will. This role is probably the hardest to define, as jungle champions always come and go. It’s where junglers can pick the wonkiest champions as most champions can essentially work in the jungle. With that said, Riot has put the best jungle clearers and gankers in this tab.
Mid lane is the place for all the mages and magic-damage champions, but that’s not all. Mid lane also hosts plenty of assassins and bruisers that can be the perfect counters for all those mages. It’s also the center of the map and thus a vital chokepoint that will often face pressure from the other lanes and jungle.
Bot lane is probably the most defined role of the five, at least according to Riot. This is the role where all the marksman and attack damage carries go. The LoL client has very few champions in this category, but the community generally accepts a wider range of champions. Mages and enchanters such as Swain, Seraphine, and even Heimerdinger can work very well in this role and crush solo queue. In some situations, mid lane champions can fit into this role as well.
Last but not least are all the supports. This is the role of the healers, shielders, and engagers who can set up a team for success. The role has a lot of variety, but many champions are only suited for this role. It’s rare to see Yuumi or Thresh played in other lanes. They, along with most other support champs, almost always stay in the bot lane to help the bot laner.
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