Another exciting year ahead for League of Legends and the first of this years top played Champions list here at MMOAttack. Last year saw the rise and fall of Ezreal and Taric, the slow but dominating presence from Teemo and the addition of some of the most popular new Champions in League of Legends history but will those trends carry through 2014?
Vayne’s first appearance of 2013 saw the Night Hunter claim the 3rd spot in June only to struggle through the remainder of the year as she failed to top her debut rank until November, securing 2nd as her highest finish in the year.
Sadly however the brief moment in the top 3 spotlight was exactly that as she failed to make any impression in December. 2014 sees Vayne make her first appearance 6 months earlier than last year but will this be another fleeting moment or is she here to stay?
January has an air of change surrounding it this year as Kha’Zix marks the first of two new Champions making their first appearance. The Voidreaver may struggle to clear lanes of minions or sneak those last hit assists but he excels in dealing incredible amounts of damage. Is that enough to secure a reputation as a top played Champion throughout 2014?
Master Yi remained one of the most popular Champions throughout 2013 and finished the year strong as the holder of the biggest margin of victory following a landslide 250,000 match cushion against August’s 2nd place finish. His popularity surge continued through to September before nerfs to the “New Yi” build saw him drop towards the end of the 2013.
The second Champion to make his first appearance on our monthly lists is Yasou The Unforgiven. Currently considered to have some of the biggest damage potential in the game Yasou may be proving popular among the League of Legends playerbase but his complex ability set could quite easily see him drop in favor of more accessible Champions as we progress through 2014.
Less than 1000 matches separated Thresh and Yasou but the Chain Warden comes out on top with one of his highest finishes since our records began. Despite being one of the newest Champions introduced to last years list Thresh failed to make much of an impression on the League community as he struggled behind with only 4 appearances throughout 2013. He’s yet to beat his debut rank of 4th last April but Thresh has had a strong start to 2014.
Caitlyn may have failed to make much of an impression during the beginning of 2013 but her debut appearance at rank 1 in April saw the Sheriff of Piltover’s popularity remain high throughout the year. She’s yet to match that impressive debut rank but continued to appear throughout the remainder of 2013, making her one of the most regularly played Champions of the year.
One of the most beloved Champions in League of Legends continues to struggle against competition but Blitzcrank makes another appearance in our top played Champions list, kicking off an exciting 2014 campaign for the Steam Golem. His lowly finish in November marked the highest he’d achieve in 2013 but Blitzcrank remains as one of the solid Champions of Summoner’s Rift.
Proving you can teach an old Yordle new tricks is Teemo, the Swift Scout. Teemo didn’t debut until May 2013 and despite being one of the oldest Champions to feature on our lists, he continued to make an appearance every single month for the remainder of the year. Finishing the year in the coveted rank 1 spot Teemo’s 2014 campaign has started strong but a familiar foe lays in wait.
The end of 2013 saw the Blink Monk in heated battle with Teemo on an almost monthly basis. The two constantly fought for spots in the top 3 but despite being beaten to the punch in December Lee Sin begins 2014 strong with a 2nd place finish. He was one of the few Champion’s to make an appearance every single month of 2013 but he’s still waiting to make his mark at the top.
The most successful addition to the League of Legends roster last year continues to prove incredibly popular among the community as the Loose Cannon secures another top spot finish. Jinx was released midway through October but still managed to destroy the competition, walking away with 1st place and the highest new Champion debut of the year. A repeat performance in November was overshadowed by a poor finish in the New Year but she’s back to her dominating ways as the most popular Champion in 2014 thus far.