I remember when the roster in League of Legends was a paltry 40 champions. Since then, it’s nearly quadrupled, exploding to 112 characters and counting. With such a vast selection of warriors to choose from, there’s going to eventually be something for everybody, even if finding one’s ‘personal champion’ gets harder and harder with each passing release. But hey, more game-play, right?
Of course, all of this new content comes with some very troublesome caveats. There’s bound to be a few things that don’t quite jive with players, and there’s quite likely to be more than a couple mechanics which end up broken no matter how you swing it. We’ve seen this many times in the past: Kayle’s never-ending cycle of nerfs, Irelia’s descent into near-uselessness followed by a complete rework, the stealth rework….you get the idea. We’re not here to discuss problems in the game’s mechanics, however. We’re here to speak about something else.
See, in among all those champions dwells a select few whose names are spoken in not-so-hushed tones, furiously howled in the rage of battle (and usually accompanied by a string of profanities). These are champions which – no matter what Riot does with them – will always hold a special place in the hearts of players: a fiery, burning pit of rage, hatred, brimstone, and tears. These, my friends, are some of the most hated champions in the League of Legends.
10. Singed
You hear it all the time – it’s a mantra that veteran players repeat to the newer ones: “Whatever you do, whatever else you may remember, don’t chase the Singed.” People still do it, though – in the middle of a fight, it’s easy to forget such details and rush towards the next kill. The problem with Singed is that he excels at denying people that kill, laughing as he hurls them about like rag-dolls and watches them choke to death on his poison. He excels at enveloping his opponents in a choking mist which eats away at their hit points while they try to take down the bigger, more pressing threats.
Basically, he excels at being an irritating bastard. It doesn’t help that no matter how far behind he gets, a single item can get him back in the game with relative ease.
For leaving a bad taste in the mouths of players everywhere, Singed secures the #10 spot on the list.
9. Tryndamere
I was torn as to whether Garen or Tryndamere should be placed in the #9 slot on this list…in the end, I went with the Barbarian King. If you ask newer players to the league who the most overpowered champion in the game tends to be, many of them will likely point to Tryndamere. He used to be a lot worse, but even now, he’s positively nasty to deal with. In melee, he can dish out some of the most devastating critical hits in the game, he comes pre-equipped with a self-heal, he’s incredibly difficult to escape from, and on top of that…whenever he chooses, he can decide that you can’t kill him for a full six seconds.
8. Fizz
I have two words to justify Fizz’s position in the #8 slot: Playful Trickster. In the hands of a skilled player, Fizz is nearly unstoppable. Dodge their skill shots, dash towards them, shred them to ribbons and back off before they even knew what hit them. Didn’t kill them? That’s alright – you’ve left them with a lovely little damage-over-time spell that increases in potency based on how much life they’re missing.
Also, no unit collision and automatic damage reduction. The only reason he’s not higher on this list is because he actually takes skill to play effectively.
7. Katarina
Truth be told, I’ve never fully understood all the ire directed at Katarina, though it certainly exists. Yes, she’s incredibly difficult to fight in lane if you don’t know what you’re doing. Yes, she can close the distance between her and her opponents terrifyingly quickly. Yes, her ultimate will absolutely devastate a team without any crowd control. Still, the hatred exists, and she remains one of the more feared mid-laners in the game – even after her rework/nerf/
6. Shen
Admittedly, Shen used to be a great deal worse than he currently is. At one time, he was capable of out-tanking most other champions in the game, all while doing a metric ton of damage. Even after Riot fixed the problem, he remains one of the more despised characters. In essence, this is tied to what he brings to the table: his ability to completely disrupt a team-fight is unquestionable, and
He’s also not a real ninja. Not by any stretch.
5. Shaco
Shaco is basically that guy. When he’s in the jungle, bad things tend to happen to the opposing team (at least, they do if he knows what he’s doing). His Jack -in-the-boxes are second only to Teemo’s shrooms in irritation, and his ability to gleefully dash away from any engagement that isn’t going as he wants it to can make him downright infuriating to do battle with.
4. Malphite/Alistar/Amumu
You may be a bit confused to see three champions sharing fourth place on the list. I’m afraid I couldn’t decide which of the three to put here- though what makes them so reviled (and so frequently banned) is shared in common between them: it’s the amount of crowd control they’re equipped with. All three are positively devastating tanks in their own right, capable of wreaking havoc on the enemy team even alone. All three can make escape from a gank nearly impossible, disrupt positioning to a completely irretrievable degree in team-fights, and laugh off virtually all the damage they might receive.
Last, but certainly not least, all three can, when played right, cause entire teams to rage.
3. Blitzcrank
Blitzcrank shares a special place on this list, in spite of his similarity to the previous three champions: his grab. Getting caught by his fist spells instant death for almost every champion in the game – there are very few who are tanky enough to survive Blitzcrank and whatever friends he’s rolling with at the time; fewer still who can escape once they’re grabbed. That his grab can go through walls only makes matters worse.
His grab can be avoided, but a single mistake – a single slip-up – means that you’re going to be respawning. It simply isn’t fun to deal with.
To quote one player, “to lane against a Blitzcrank is to clench your sphincter tighter than the door on a space shuttle.”
2. Darius
Bringing up second place, we’ve got the executioner of Noxus. Even thou
gh I’m an occasional Darius player myself, I’m going to say it right now: Darius is overpowered, and nothing Riot can do (save making him entirely unplayable) is going to change that. It’s something fundamental related to his kit – more specifically, his ultimate. He can cut down virtually any target with relative ease, and even if someone manages to escape, the bleed damage from hemorrhage might still kill them.
1. Teemo
Finally, in number one, we have….Satan, also known as Teemo. You honestly can’t be all that surprised to see this demonic, hell-spawned gerbil take first. He’s one of the most irritating, frustrating, and terrifying champions to play against in league, and if you’re against one that knows what he’s doing, well…
Don’t go into the bushes. Trust me.
He’s incredibly fast, he can shut down most AD Carries with ease using blinding dart, his poison is devastating, and he can literally pepper an entire map with explosive, toxic mushrooms. Truly, he is the most hated champion in the game, and truly, it’s a position that’s been rightly earned.
What about you folks? What are some of your least favorite champions to be matched against?