Category: MOBA

Thresh

With a strong win rate of 53.2% over more than 41,000 matches and a solid pick rate of 12%, Thresh’s combination of lane dominance, pick potential, and roaming pressure makes him one of the best supports available today. Here’s an in-depth look at why Thresh continues to excel on Summoner’s Rift.

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Early to Mid-Game Strategy: Lane Dominance and Roaming

Thresh’s laning phase is characterized by his ability to control trades and generate kills, often setting the pace for the entire game. His Death Sentence (Q) is a game-changing skill shot that can hook enemies and initiate fights or pick off key targets. Successfully landing a hook early can snowball into lane dominance, securing kills and objectives.

Once Thresh obtains and upgrades his boots—typically Boots of Swiftness in the popular build—his roaming potential skyrockets. This mobility allows him to influence other lanes, assisting allies with ganks and securing vision control around critical objectives like Dragon and Baron. Effective roaming not only amplifies Thresh’s impact but also helps his team snowball advantages across the map.

A key tip for maximizing Thresh’s effectiveness is to bait out enemy dashes or abilities that could dodge your Death Sentence. Patience and prediction are critical—landing one hook can decisively swing a skirmish or even the entire game in your favor. Additionally, placing vision strategically near objectives helps set up these crucial picks before team fights or objective attempts.

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Optimal Build and Summoner Spells

For those looking to master Thresh, the most popular and effective build includes:

• Summoner Spells: Flash and Ignite. Flash provides essential mobility and escape potential, while Ignite adds kill pressure during the laning phase.
• Runes: Aftershock serves as the keystone rune, enhancing Thresh’s survivability after engaging. Font of Life, Bone Plating, and Unflinching in the primary tree further bolster durability and crowd control resistance. Biscuit Delivery and Cosmic Insight in the secondary tree offer sustain and cooldown reduction.
• Rune Shards: Adaptive Force (offense and flex) and Health Scaling for balanced offense and defense.
• Core Items: Start with Solstice Sleigh for shielding and resistances, followed by Boots of Swiftness to maximize roaming speed. Locket of the Iron Solari provides crucial team shielding. Finish with Knight’s Vow, Zeke’s Convergence, and Vigilant Wardstone to enhance tankiness, synergy with allies, and vision control.
• Skill Priority: Maximize Q > E > W for effective crowd control and engage potential.

This build currently boasts a strong 53.2% win rate, reflecting its potency and consistency.

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Strengths That Make Thresh a Dominant Support

• Lane Dominance: Thresh’s ability to control the lane through aggressive hooks and crowd control can secure early kills, putting his team in a strong position.
• Pick Potential: His Death Sentence is one of the best pick tools in the game. Landing a single hook can lead to decisive advantages, especially in mid-game skirmishes.
• Roaming Pressure: With mobility boots, Thresh can roam effectively, assisting other lanes and applying pressure across the map. This flexibility allows him to create opportunities beyond his own lane.

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Challenges and Weaknesses

• High Skill Ceiling: Thresh is one of the most mechanically demanding supports. Mastering his kit requires precision and game sense, particularly in landing skill shots.
• Squishiness: Despite his tanky build, Thresh remains relatively vulnerable, especially if his hook attempts fail. Missing a Death Sentence can leave him exposed to enemy retaliation.
• Reliance on Skill Shots: Thresh’s effectiveness heavily depends on landing his abilities, especially Death Sentence. Failure to connect reduces his threat and utility drastically.

Nami

With her unique blend of poke, sustain, crowd control, and teamfight utility, Nami offers a compelling package for players looking to influence the early laning phase and maintain significant impact throughout the game. Here’s a detailed breakdown of why Nami is considered one of the best supports in the current patch.

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Early Game Dominance: Be Obnoxious and Aggressive

Nami’s laning phase is where she truly shines. To maximize her effectiveness, you want to be as obnoxious as possible early on. This means relentlessly harassing your opponents with basic attacks, and efficiently using Ebb and Flow (W) to poke and sustain. Nami’s W allows her to deal damage to enemies while simultaneously healing herself and nearby allies, making aggressive trades favorable.

Timing is crucial. Mastering the rhythm of your abilities, especially combining your Aqua Prison (Q) with your Tidal Wave (R), can create devastating chains of crowd control that shut down enemy aggression. Use your ultimate in sync with your Q to lock down high-priority targets, ensuring your team can follow up with damage. This double CC is a powerful tool for controlling team fights and sieges alike.

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Optimal Build and Summoner Spells

For players aiming to maximize Nami’s potential, the most popular and effective build includes:

• Summoner Spells: Flash and Heal – Flash for mobility and escape, Heal for clutch survivability and sustain.
• Runes: Summon Aery is the keystone of choice, providing consistent poke and shielding. It’s complemented by Manaflow Band, Transcendence, and Scorch for mana sustainability, cooldown reduction, and additional poke damage. The secondary tree typically includes Bone Plating and Revitalize, enhancing durability and healing power.
• Stat Shards: Adaptive Force (twice) and Health Scaling for balanced offense and survivability.
• Core Items: Start with Dream Maker to enhance healing and shielding, followed by Ionian Boots of Lucidity for cooldown reduction and Imperial Mandate for synergistic damage amplification. Finish with Moonstone Renewer, Ardent Censer, and Vigilant Wardstone for sustained healing, buffing your team’s damage output, and map vision control.

Skill priority should be W > E > Q for maximized poke and sustain, with the build boasting an impressive 52.7% winrate over more than 110,000 matches—testament to its consistency and power.

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Strengths

• Sustained Poke and Healing: Nami’s Ebb and Flow (W) combined with Tidecaller’s Blessing (E) allows her to pressure opponents relentlessly while keeping herself and allies healthy. This duality of damage and sustain makes laning aggressive yet safe.
• High Kill Pressure: Her Aqua Prison (Q) and Tidal Wave (R) bring significant crowd control and kill potential, making her a real threat during mid-game skirmishes and team fights.
• Teamfight Sustain: Nami excels at keeping her team topped off with health and empowered with buffs, enhancing their overall damage and survivability in extended engagements.

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Weaknesses

• Immobility: Nami’s low mobility makes her vulnerable to enemy crowd control. Getting caught out often results in a quick death.
• Dependent on Team: Unlike some supports with higher carry potential, Nami relies heavily on her team to convert her utility into kills and objectives.
• Squishiness: Her low base health makes her an easy target. Effective positioning and fight selection are critical for survival.

Lulu

Known for her versatility, powerful utility, and reliable protection, Lulu remains a top-tier pick with a solid win rate of 53.0% over more than 60,000 matches and a healthy pick rate of 11.4%. Let’s explore what makes Lulu one of the best supports in the current meta.

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Early Game Tips and Laning Phase Strategy

Lulu’s laning phase revolves around controlling trades and protecting her ADC. A crucial tip for maximizing your poke and survivability is to use Help, Pix! (E) cleverly during early trades. When harassing opponents at levels 1 and 2, if the enemy responds to your aggression, self-casting Help, Pix! (E) can grant you a shield to sustain counterattacks. Conversely, if the enemy cannot effectively trade back, applying Help, Pix! (E) to them increases your poke damage.

Maintaining close proximity to your ADC throughout the laning and mid-game phases is vital. Lulu’s strength lies in her ability to shield, buff, and peel for her carry, so staying near your ADC allows you to maximize your protective and offensive utility.

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Ultimate Usage and Teamfight Impact

One of Lulu’s defining features is her Ultimate, Wild Growth (R), which can decisively turn the tides of skirmishes and team fights. Proper timing of Wild Growth is essential — casting it as an enemy initiates on you or your ADC will knock them up, interrupting their engage and buying critical seconds for your team to react. This ability not only negates incoming damage but also prevents crowd control effects, often saving your team’s primary damage dealers from lethal situations.

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Optimal Build and Runes for Lulu Support

To fully leverage Lulu’s potential, the most effective and popular build incorporates:

• Summoner Spells: Flash and Heal, providing both mobility and survivability.
• Runes: Summon Aery serves as the keystone rune for consistent poke and shielding. This is paired with Manaflow Band for mana sustain, Transcendence for cooldown reduction, and Scorch for extra poke damage in the primary tree. The secondary tree features Bone Plating and Revitalize to increase survivability and healing.
• Rune Shards: Ability Haste for offense, Adaptive Force for flexible damage, and Health Scaling for durability, tailored to matchup specifics.
• Core Items: Begin with Dream Maker to boost healing and shielding effectiveness, followed by Ionian Boots of Lucidity for cooldown reduction and Ardent Censer to enhance allied attack speed and damage. Finish your build with Moonstone Renewer, Redemption, and Vigilant Wardstone, ensuring your team’s sustain, healing, and vision control are top-notch.
• Skill Order: Prioritize E > W > Q, maximizing your protective and utility abilities first.

This build supports Lulu’s playstyle and currently yields a 53.0% win rate, underscoring its effectiveness.

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Strengths That Elevate Lulu in the Support Role

• Sustained Protection: Lulu excels at keeping her teammates alive with her potent combination of Help, Pix! (E) and Wild Growth (R). These abilities greatly increase allied survivability, allowing carries to stay longer in fights and output more damage.
• Consistent Poke and Shielding: Her Glitterlance (Q) and Help, Pix! (E) offer reliable poke damage and shielding, enabling her to win trades and protect herself if needed.
• Versatile Utility: Lulu’s kit offers a wealth of utility, making her adaptable across a variety of team compositions and strategic scenarios.

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Recognizing Lulu’s Weaknesses

Despite her strengths, Lulu does have notable limitations:

• Low Mobility and Vulnerability to CC: Lulu’s immobility makes her a prime target for crowd control and assassinations if caught out of position.
• Dependent on Team: Lulu provides support and utility but lacks the raw carry potential seen in some other support champions, relying heavily on teammates to capitalize on her buffs and protections.
• Squishy Nature: With relatively low base health, Lulu is fragile and requires careful positioning and fight selection to avoid being quickly eliminated.

Volibear is a versatile and aggressive jungle champion who excels at early skirmishes, tower dives, and punishing overextended enemies. With strong engage tools and the ability to disable turrets using his ultimate, Volibear can snowball leads and create pressure across the map. This guide covers the most popular and effective jungle build, with tips to help you maximize his impact in every phase of the game.

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Summoner Spells

Volibear’s most effective jungle setup utilizes Flash and Smite. Flash allows you to reposition for better engages or disengages, while Smite is essential for objective control and securing camps.

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Runes

Primary Tree – Precision

• Keystone: Lethal Tempo
• Triumph
• Legend: Haste
• Last Stand

Secondary Tree – Sorcery

• Celerity
• Waterwalking

Rune Shards

• Offense: Attack Speed
• Flex: Adaptive Force
• Defense: Health Scaling (can be swapped depending on matchup)

This setup enhances Volibear’s dueling strength, chase potential, and scaling presence in extended fights. With this build, Volibear currently holds a 54.7% winrate across 14,832 matches.

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Core Item Build

1. Cosmic Drive – Grants Ability Power, Ability Haste, and Movement Speed, ideal for skirmishes.
2. Boots of Swiftness – Provides chase potential and mitigates slows.
3. Navori Flickerblade – Increases damage output and cooldown efficiency.

Final Build
4. Spirit Visage – Amplifies healing and adds Magic Resist and Health.
5. Dead Man’s Plate – Improves burst mobility and durability.
6. Unending Despair – Offers sustain and tankiness during extended fights.

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Skill Priority

Max Order:

• Q – Thundering Smash
• W – Frenzied Maul
• E – Sky Splitter

This order maximizes Volibear’s engage and sustained damage output in early skirmishes and ganks.

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Combo and Execution

For optimal burst and engage:

1. Use Q (Thundering Smash) to initiate and stun.
2. While closing in, cast E (Sky Splitter) for damage and shield.
3. Auto Attack immediately.
4. As your Auto lands, use R (Stormbringer) to cancel Q’s backend animation and disable turrets if needed.
5. Auto Attack and then use W (Frenzied Maul) for bonus damage and healing.

Note: Using R during the Q animation helps guarantee your E hits while maximizing burst potential.

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Tips and Tricks

• Activate Q close to lane to avoid it timing out before you land your stun.
• Use R to dive towers safely, but ensure your teammates are in a position to follow up.
• Look for mid-game picks on isolated enemies using Q + R to start fights on your terms.

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Strong Matchups

Volibear performs well into these junglers:

• Sejuani – 44.0% winrate
• Dr. Mundo – 44.7%
• Shyvana – 45.0%
• Karthus – 45.2%
• Poppy – 45.3%

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Tough Matchups

These champions have favorable win rates against Volibear:

• Jax – 56.3%
• Ivern – 54.1%
• Elise – 52.7%
• Trundle – 52.0%
• Kha’Zix – 51.4%

Against these, avoid early fights and focus on efficient farming, counter-ganks, and playing around objectives.

Teemo is one of the most frustrating champions to face in the top lane due to his long-range poke, stealth, and map-controlling mushrooms. This guide walks you through the optimal build, runes, strategies, matchups, and combos to dominate your lane and tilt your enemies.

Win Rate: 53.4% over 4,492 matches

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Summoner Spells

• Flash – Essential for escaping, chasing, or repositioning.
• Ignite – Provides kill pressure and helps secure early lane dominance, especially against healing champions.

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Runes

Primary Tree – Precision

• Press the Attack – Amplifies your burst after three auto-attacks.
• Triumph – Grants healing and bonus gold after takedowns.
• Legend: Alacrity – Boosts your attack speed for better poke and DPS.
• Last Stand – Increases damage when you’re low on health.

Secondary Tree – Resolve

• Bone Plating – Reduces incoming burst damage during trades.
• Overgrowth – Grants bonus health as the game progresses.

Stat Shards

• Offense: Attack Speed
• Flex: Adaptive Force
• Defense: Scaling Health (swap to Armor or Magic Resist depending on the matchup)

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Core Item Build

1. Nashor’s Tooth – Provides AP, cooldown reduction, and massive synergy with Teemo’s poison.
2. Sorcerer’s Shoes – Adds Magic Penetration to boost your damage.
3. Liandry’s Torment – Deals sustained damage over time and shreds tanks.
4. Malignance – Additional burn damage and burst potential on your mushrooms.
5. Shadowflame – Enhances damage against shielded or low-health targets.
6. Rabadon’s Deathcap – Huge AP power spike to maximize your late-game damage.

Skill Order: Max E > Q > W

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Laning Phase Strategy

Against Melee Champions:

• Use your ranged advantage to auto-attack and apply E (Toxic Shot) for poke.
• Cast Q (Blinding Dart) to deny trades and stop them from farming.
• Maintain lane control with zoning and constant harass.

Mushrooms (R – Noxious Trap):

• Place mushrooms in river, jungle paths, and common gank routes to act as vision and traps.
• Use passive (Guerrilla Warfare) near mushrooms for surprise ambushes.
• Mushrooms also serve as waveclear and can stall enemy pushes.

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Basic Combo

Difficulty: Average
Combo Sequence:

R → R → AA → Q → AA → W → AA → AA → AA

Execution:

• Drop two mushrooms in quick succession to stack their explosions.
• Auto-attack once, then blind with Q, and follow with repeated attacks while chasing or kiting using W.

Notes:

• This combo is especially effective against champions with little to no mobility.
• The bounce mechanic from double mushrooms increases your range and zone control.

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Teemo Strengths

• Lane bully: Excels at poking and zoning melee champions.
• Anti-carry potential: Q (Blinding Dart) can completely shut down ADCs and auto-reliant champions.
• Map control: R (Noxious Trap) offers vision, slows, and heavy damage when placed smartly.

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Teemo Weaknesses

• Very squishy: Vulnerable to crowd control and burst damage.
• Falls off late game: Limited impact in teamfights; often relegated to split pushing.
• Easily countered mushrooms: Control Wards and high-mobility junglers can avoid or clear traps.

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Favorable Matchups (Strong Against)

Champion	Win Rate
Vayne	40.4%
Rumble	41.3%
Garen	41.9%
Jayce	41.9%
Volibear	42.5%
Singed	42.9%
Gnar	43.6%
Aatrox	44.1%
Yone	44.1%

Focus on constant harass, zoning, and capitalizing on their lack of range or mobility.

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Difficult Matchups (Weak Against)

Champion	Win Rate vs Teemo
Cassiopeia	59.7%
Riven	58.1%
Vladimir	55.0%
Aurora	55.0%
Kennen	54.4%
Ryze	53.6%
Cho’Gath	53.3%
Ornn	53.2%
Malphite	52.8%
Nasus	52.7%

These champions can tank, sustain, or gap-close efficiently. Play safe, ward deep, and avoid extended trades.

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General Tips

• Set traps in jungle entrances and around objectives before they’re contested.
• Use Passive (Guerrilla Warfare) to scout or bait enemies when they walk into mushrooms.
• Split push when safe, but watch the map carefully to avoid unnecessary deaths.
• Communicate with your team — Teemo’s pressure requires them to capitalize on the space you create.

If you’ve played League of Legends at any point in the last few years, you’ve probably muttered some variation of: “Why is the client like this?” But recently, it’s gone from mildly annoying to outright unbearable.

Let’s not sugarcoat it — the League client has always been… “quirky.” Crashes, lag, minor UI bugs — they’ve been part of the ride. But it used to be manageable. You tolerated it because the actual game was fun and the client eventually did what it was supposed to do. That’s no longer the case.

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Post-Game? More Like No-Game

One of the most infuriating issues right now is how the client behaves after a match. Sometimes, after a game ends, it just… doesn’t load the post-game lobby. Instead, it enters an infinite loading loop. Other times, it shuts down entirely. No honors. No post-game stats. No lobby. You’re left wondering if your match even counted. And heaven help you if you try to reconnect — because often, the client won’t even open properly unless you force close every background process manually via Task Manager.

This isn’t just a minor annoyance anymore — it actively ruins the experience.

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The Queue from Hell

Leaving the client open for a bit? Big mistake. It slows to a crawl. Queues start skipping seconds like they’re late for something. You might get a match pop, but the client won’t notify you until it’s already expired. That means dodged queues, lost LP, and in some cases, actual dodge timers. People are losing ranked progress because the client can’t handle basic matchmaking alerts.

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In-Game Instability

It’s not just the client either — players are now reporting actual in-game crashes that leave them unable to reconnect, because again, the client itself vanishes. We’ve reached a point where League of Legends, a game with over a decade of development and billions in revenue, can’t consistently keep you connected to your matches.

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How Did We Get Here?

This is the new client — the one Riot built to fix the old one. That’s the bitter irony. Years ago, Riot promised a modernized, faster, more modular client. But somewhere along the way, that dream turned into this bloated, inconsistent shell that somehow got worse. Menus lag, loot tabs freeze, memory leaks spiral out of control, and UI bugs abound.

They even shut down third-party clients that tried to do better — remember Wintermint? Riot gave them a cease-and-desist, then hired the devs. Fast forward nearly a decade, and we’re still staring at a half-functional launcher that feels like it’s held together with chewing gum and regret.

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The Community Is Losing Patience

Scroll through Reddit, Discord, or even Riot’s own forums, and you’ll find veterans and newcomers alike fed up. From users on high-end gaming PCs experiencing stuttering and memory spikes, to people unable to even open the client some days — the sentiment is clear: this isn’t acceptable.

Even casual players are turning away, not because the game is bad, but because the client is actively preventing them from playing.

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Will Riot Fix It?

The big question. Riot hasn’t publicly committed to any comprehensive overhaul of the client in recent months. Bugfixes trickle in with each patch, but they feel like Band-Aids on a bullet wound. And while League remains massively popular, the erosion of goodwill is real.

It might not be enough to kill the game, but it’s enough to make people ask whether their time would be better spent elsewhere — on games that work.

If you’re a newcomer to League of Legends, especially one coming from another MOBA like Smite, you might be surprised by the relatively low usage of Cleanse—a summoner spell designed to remove crowd control effects. As a former high-level Smite player, you may naturally expect Cleanse (akin to Purification Beads in Smite) to be a staple pick, especially when facing CC-heavy comps. So why isn’t it?

Let’s break it down.

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1. Cleanse Is Used—But Only in Specific Roles and Situations

In higher ELOs, Cleanse sees regular use, especially among ADC players. This is primarily because ADCs are the squishiest champions on the map and the most susceptible to being chain-CC’d and instantly deleted.

However, other roles are often “locked out” of taking Cleanse due to necessity:

• Top and Mid usually need Teleport for map pressure and lane management.
• Jungle is tied to Smite.
• Supports generally prefer Ignite or Exhaust to win lane or peel, and they can purchase Mikael’s Blessing for a targeted Cleanse effect instead.

This leads to a situation where only ADCs consistently have the “option” to take Cleanse, and even then, it’s a situational pick.

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2. Timing and Utility: Cleanse Is a High-Skill Spell

Unlike Purification Beads in Smite, Cleanse in LoL only removes certain types of CC, namely:

• Stuns
• Roots
• Slows
• Taunts
• Fears
• Charms
• Blind

It does not work on:

• Knockups
• Suppressions
• Displacements

This limited applicability means you have to:

1. Recognize the type of CC
2. React with perfect timing
3. Still avoid dying afterward

That’s a tall order for many players, especially in low to mid ELO, where decision-making and reaction times are still developing. And if you mistime Cleanse, it’s often a wasted spell with no value. In that light, Barrier or Heal feels more forgiving—guaranteed impact during a fight, rather than the gamble of avoiding one.

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3. Tenacity Is Not Immunity

It’s worth noting: Cleanse provides 75% tenacity for 3 seconds after use, which means future CC durations are reduced. This is a nice touch, but not equivalent to immunity, and definitely not a game-turning reset like Beads into an aggressive counterattack.

In LoL, once you’re caught, you’re often dead—especially without mobility or peel. That makes Cleanse feel less impactful than it might in a Smite scenario where fights are more fluid and spaced out.

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4. LoL’s Meta Rewards Proactive, Not Preventative, Spells

Summoner spells like Ignite, Exhaust, and Barrier offer direct combat value, either helping you win trades or survive burst. Teleport enables map presence and strategic pressure.

By contrast, Cleanse is purely reactive—it only becomes valuable if you get hit by a clensable CC and if you react appropriately. That’s a niche scenario compared to the reliable power of other summoners.

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5. Alternatives to Cleanse Already Exist

Many champions and items offer built-in CC mitigation:

• Tenacity from items like Mercury’s Treads
• Spell immunity or resets from items like Zhonya’s Hourglass or Quicksilver Sash (QSS)
• Peeling from allies (e.g., Lulu ult, Janna tornado, etc.)
• Mobility abilities to dodge CC entirely

This redundancy makes Cleanse feel somewhat redundant or overly specialized outside of specific matchups (e.g., facing Ashe + Fiddlesticks + Twisted Fate).

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6. In Pro Play and Higher ELO, Cleanse Has a Place

Despite all this, Cleanse isn’t “bad.” In organized play or higher ELO, where team comps are tailored and CC chains are a serious threat, Cleanse shines. It’s a proactive choice to counter specific champions or strategies—e.g., negating a Twisted Fate gold card or dodging a Sejuani engage.

But in solo queue or casual play, that same preparation and coordination just isn’t there. Players favor tools with guaranteed value over situational insurance.

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Conclusion: Cleanse Is Powerful—but Not Popular

To sum up:

• Cleanse is niche and skill-reliant
• Its value is hard to measure in casual play
• Other summoners offer guaranteed returns
• It’s especially relevant to ADCs and high ELO players

So no, you’re not wrong to feel surprised. If you’re coming from a game like Smite where Beads were meta and expected, LoL’s more rigid summoner system and champion design make Cleanse less of a must-have and more of a strategic luxury.

But don’t discount it entirely. In the right hands, in the right matchup? Cleanse can absolutely flip a fight.

1. Ekko

Hail of Blades AP Burst Build – 55.5% Win Rate

Ekko Mid remains a top-tier pick for snowballing games with explosive burst, strong lane control, and incredible outplay potential. This version focuses on a Hail of Blades auto-attack burst style, maximizing Ekko’s passive and trading power early on — boasting a 55.5% win rate across 6,459 matches.

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Summoner Spells

• Flash – Core mobility and escape tool.
• Teleport – Gives map control and better lane sustain in tough matchups.

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Runes – Hail of Blades Burst Build

Primary Tree: Domination

• Hail of Blades – Boosts your passive proc speed in early trades.
• Sudden Impact – Synergizes with your dash (E) for more burst.
• Grisly Mementos – Adds utility with slows and crowd control.
• Relentless Hunter – Helps with faster rotations and side-lane threat.

Secondary Tree: Sorcery

• Absolute Focus – Bonus AP when above 70% HP — great for burst.
• Scorch – Early lane pressure and poke damage with Q.

Rune Shards

• Offense: Adaptive Force
• Flex: Adaptive Force
• Defense: Scaling Health (or Armor/MR based on matchup)

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Ekko Mid Item Build

Starting Items

• Doran’s Ring + 2 Health Potions

Core Build Path

1. Lich Bane – Your first big spike. Adds insane burst on passive procs.
2. Sorcerer’s Shoes – Magic penetration to kill squishies fast.
3. Nashor’s Tooth – Increases your DPS with auto-attacks and ability haste.

Final Items

4. Rabadon’s Deathcap – Massive AP power spike.
5. Void Staff – To shred magic resist.
6. Zhonya’s Hourglass – Survival and dive safety with active stasis.

This exact build is currently winning 55.5% of games over 6,459 matches.

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Skill Order

Max: Q → E → W
Q is your main poke and waveclear, E is your gap closer, and W is utility.

Full Skill Order:

1 → Q  
2 → E  
3 → W  
Max: Q > E > W  
R at 6, 11, 16

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How to Play Ekko Mid

Early Game

• Use Q for safe poke and last-hitting.
• Trade aggressively with Hail of Blades + E + Auto to quickly trigger your passive.
• Keep river vision up — you can roam quickly with Relentless Hunter.

Mid Game

• Look for flanks and burst picks.
• Your combo: E → Q → Auto → Passive Proc → R or Zhonya if needed.

Late Game

• Play as a flanker or backline assassin.
• Use W for teamfight zoning or tower dives.
• Save R for cleanup or life-saving resets.

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Tips & Tricks 💡

Try to fight when Absolute Focus is active for maximum damage.

Use W from fog of war or brush for easier stuns.

You can buffer E through walls to surprise enemies.

2. Galio

Tanky AP Burst 54.8% Win Rate

Galio is a unique champion: a magic damage tank with powerful engage, waveclear, and anti-mage tools. This build focuses on survivability and sustained fights, turning Galio into a frontline disruptor while still dishing out respectable damage.

With a 54.8% win rate over 10,566 matches, this is currently the most successful Galio Mid setup in solo queue.

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Summoner Spells

• Flash – Mandatory for engages, escapes, and clutch repositioning.
• Teleport – Lets you control tempo and respond to side lane plays with Hero’s Entrance (R).

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Rune Setup – Tanky Utility Galio

Primary Tree: Resolve

• Aftershock – Gives you a big armor & MR spike after landing your CC (W or E). Key for trades and teamfights.
• Shield Bash – Synergizes with your passive and W shield.
• Bone Plating – Greatly reduces damage in short trades (especially against burst mages).
• Overgrowth – Bonus HP scaling into late game.

Secondary Tree: Sorcery

• Nimbus Cloak – Helps you reposition after using Flash or Teleport.
• Transcendence – Bonus Ability Haste = more taunts and Q poke.

Rune Shards

• Offense: Adaptive Force – Gives your abilities more bite.
• Flex: Adaptive Force – Boosts both Q poke and passive damage.
• Defense: Scaling Health – Scales well with Overgrowth and your tanky itemization.

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Galio Mid Item Build

Starting Items

• Doran’s Ring + 2 Health Potions

Core Build

1. Hollow Radiance – Boosts your waveclear and gives damage aura + tank stats.
2. Mercury’s Treads – Tenacity and MR — ideal into AP-heavy mid lanes or CC-heavy comps.
3. Riftmaker – Adds sustain and true damage for longer fights, great synergy with Galio’s mixed damage.

Final Items

4. Zhonya’s Hourglass – Active stasis for dives or clutch survival in the middle of fights.
5. Thornmail – Anti-heal and armor — especially strong vs AD or lifesteal-heavy champs.
6. Frozen Heart – Armor, mana, and attack speed reduction for teamfight utility.

This build makes Galio incredibly durable while still dishing out meaningful damage in extended teamfights.

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Skill Order

Max: Q → W → E

Full Skill Progression:

1 → Q  
2 → W  
3 → E  
Max order: Q > W > E  
R at 6, 11, 16

• Q – Winds of War: Main poke and waveclear tool. Max it first.
• W – Shield of Durand: Taunt + shield = max second for utility and durability.
• E – Justice Punch: Gap-closer and engage — max last.

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How to Play Galio Mid

Early Game

• Farm safely with Q and passive-enhanced autos.
• Trade when Aftershock is up — land a W taunt, then disengage.
• Watch for roaming windows: your Hero’s Entrance (R) can change fights in side lanes.

Mid Game

• Look for R + Teleport combo plays on sidelanes.
• Use your E + W combo to lock down priority targets in skirmishes.
• Push out mid and roam — Galio shines in coordinated plays.

Late Game

• Play as a frontliner and CC bot.
• Use W to peel for carries or engage with E + Flash.
• Time your Zhonya’s for survival in the thick of teamfights.

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Matchups & Counters

• Strong Against: Sylas, Veigar, Zoe
• Struggles Against: Kassadin, Anivia, Akshan (consider Doran’s Shield and defensive early pathing)

3. Annie

Burst Mage Build – 55.2% Win Rate

Annie is a simple yet deadly mid-lane mage. With a reliable stun, point-and-click burst, and game-changing ultimate (Tibbers!), Annie thrives on fast trades, quick kills, and punishing missteps. This Electrocute burst build is currently dominating solo queue, with a 55.2% win rate across 20,147 matches.

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Summoner Spells

• Flash – Critical for both aggressive Tibbers engages and escaping ganks.
• Ignite – Adds kill pressure and reduces healing — vital for 1v1s and snowballing early leads.

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Runes – Electrocute Burst Setup

Primary Tree: Domination

• Electrocute – Amplifies your one-shot potential with your Q+W combo + auto.
• Cheap Shot – Synergizes with Annie’s stun, adding bonus true damage to your combos.
• Grisly Mementos – Free slows help in trades, especially with Tibbers.
• Relentless Hunter – Roam faster and snowball leads by impacting side lanes.

Secondary Tree: Sorcery

• Absolute Focus – Bonus AP while you’re healthy — perfect for Annie’s front-loaded burst.
• Axiom Arcanist – Grants magic penetration after item completions, boosting your damage spike post-Mythic.

Rune Shards

• Offense: Adaptive Force
• Flex: Adaptive Force
• Defense: Scaling Health (swap for MR or Armor based on lane opponent)

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Item Build – Full Burst Mage Annie

Starting Items

• Doran’s Ring + 2 Health Potions

Core Items

1. Malignance – Annie’s top Mythic. Grants massive AP, a damaging burn on spell hits, and bonus move speed.
2. Sorcerer’s Shoes – Core for early magic penetration and mobility.
3. Stormsurge – Explosive power spike, pairs perfectly with Tibbers for executing low-HP targets.

Final Items

4. Shadowflame – Counters shield-heavy comps and adds burst.
5. Rabadon’s Deathcap – Huge AP multiplier for late-game one-shots.
6. Void Staff – Essential vs MR-stacking teams to ensure your damage still lands hard.

This build is designed to delete squishies instantly with one clean combo.

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Skill Order

Max: Q → W → E

Full Skill Sequence:

1 → Q  
2 → W  
3 → E  
Max order: Q > W > E  
Level R at 6, 11, 16

• Q – Disintegrate: Your main damage and farming tool. Point-and-click, refund mana on kill.
• W – Incinerate: AoE cone damage and great for applying stun to multiple targets.
• E – Molten Shield: Use defensively, or proactively to charge your stun quickly.

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How to Play Annie Mid

Early Game

• Farm safely with Q — it’s forgiving and refunds mana on kill.
• Charge your stun passively (4 spell casts) or quickly with E if prepping for a fight.
• Look for all-ins at level 6 with Flash → R → W → Q → Ignite.

Mid Game

• Roam with Relentless Hunter and Malignance mobility.
• Punish immobile carries or mispositioned squishies with instant combo bursts.
• Use Tibbers to zone objectives or peel when teamfights break out.

Late Game

• Play as an engage threat or a counter-engage nuke.
• Always keep track of your stun — enemies will hesitate when the glowing ring is ready.
• Flash + Tibbers into the backline can still win entire teamfights.

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Tips & Tricks 💡

• Use Tibbers to tank towers during dives or push waves.
• E can be spammed quickly to charge up your stun between fights.
• Positioning is everything — Annie lacks mobility, so ward and play safe when Flash is down.

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Matchups

• Strong Against: Veigar, Ahri, Syndra
• Struggles Against: Fizz, LeBlanc, Zed (consider Seeker’s Armguard or early defensive pathing)

4. Katarina

Burst Assassin Build – 53.7% Win Rate

Katarina is one of the most dangerous snowballing assassins in League of Legends. Her ability to reset fights, clean up low HP targets, and turn skirmishes around makes her a constant threat from early to late game. With this Electrocute + Lich Bane build, you’ll be diving backlines and deleting carries in seconds.

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Summoner Spells

• Flash – Core for flashy plays and repositioning post-reset.
• Ignite – Essential for early kill pressure and anti-heal vs sustain champs.

---

Runes – Electrocute Reset Burst

Primary Tree: Domination

• Electrocute – Best keystone for Katarina’s Q → E → W + auto combo. High burst.
• Sudden Impact – Activates after E (Shunpo), giving you bonus magic pen.
• Grisly Mementos – Applies slow when you deal damage, helping to chase fleeing enemies.
• Relentless Hunter – Boosts out-of-combat movement speed. Great for roaming and flanking.

Secondary Tree: Precision

• Triumph – Restores HP after takedowns — perfect for multi-kill skirmishes.
• Coup de Grace – Deal more damage to low HP targets, helping to secure resets.

Rune Shards

• Offense: Adaptive Force
• Flex: Adaptive Force
• Defense: Health Scaling (or Armor/MR depending on your lane matchup)

---

Item Build – Lich Bane Burst Path

Starting Items

• Dark Seal & Refillable Potion (for scaling)

Core Items

1. Lich Bane – Grants AP and movement speed, and synergizes perfectly with your burst rotation.
2. Sorcerer’s Shoes – Early magic pen to increase your damage output.
3. Shadowflame – More AP and flat pen — helps snowball mid game against squishier targets.

Final Items

4. Zhonya’s Hourglass – Key for surviving after diving into the backline. Use after R or to bait cooldowns.
5. Rabadon’s Deathcap – Massive AP spike. Pushes your burst to lethal levels.
6. Void Staff – Cuts through MR. Core against tankier comps or if enemy builds magic resist.

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Skill Order

Max: Q → E → W

Full Skill Sequence:

1 → Q  
2 → E  
3 → W  
Max order: Q > E > W  
Level R at 6, 11, 16

• Q – Bouncing Blade: Great for poking and prepping trades.
• E – Shunpo: Instant teleport — use offensively for daggers or defensively to escape.
• W – Preparation: Drops a dagger and gives speed. Combos with E for damage and mobility.
• R – Death Lotus: Massive AoE burst damage, especially deadly when enemies are clustered.

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How to Play Katarina Mid

Early Game

• Play safe pre-3; poke with Q and farm.
• Look for trades with Q → E → W → auto + Electrocute.
• Always track your daggers — every dagger pickup = big damage.
• Once level 6, look for all-ins with Ignite. You can often solo kill if you land Q + E and get a dagger reset.

Mid Game

• Use Relentless Hunter mobility to roam to side lanes.
• Clean up fights with resets from your passive (Sinister Steel).
• Use vision control to flank — Katarina shines when enemies are grouped or caught.

Teamfights

• Don’t dive first. Let your team start, then go in once key abilities are used.
• Clean up low health enemies with dagger resets and quickly reposition with Shunpo.
• Use Zhonya’s after ulting in if you risk getting CC’d.

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Tips & Tricks 💡

• Always use minions or wards for Shunpo targets.
• You can E to a dagger, then instantly W to drop another one and chain burst.
• Cancel Death Lotus if needed — your autos, Q, and daggers might finish the kill faster.
• Watch for opportunities to double E reset in fights — Katarina’s strength is chained kills.

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Matchups

• Strong Against: Ahri, Veigar, Vex
• Struggles Against: Lissandra, Malzahar, Fizz (CC or untargetability counters her all-ins)

The Ranked Trap: Why You’re Still Stuck

League’s ranking system isn’t just about your skill. It’s designed to keep you hooked. You dominate one game and feel on top of the world, only to get slammed with back-to-back frustrating losses that feel out of your control. This cycle isn’t accidental—it’s what keeps most players stuck in place.

What most don’t realize is that breaking free from this cycle takes more than just playing more games. You need strategies and decision-making tailored specifically to your rank.

Now, let’s get into the solo carry picks making waves in Patch 25.10.

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Top Lane Solo Carries – Patch 25.10

Malphite

A subtle yet impactful change in patch 25.9 brought Malphite back into the spotlight. The Feats of Strength buff, combined with the new Armored Advance (Plated Steelcaps upgrade), makes him incredibly efficient now—especially since it provides 15 bonus armor and costs only 500 gold.

Malphite excels against AD champions and doesn’t need to win lane to dominate. His teamfight presence alone can carry games. The only matchups to watch out for are heavy AP threats like Sylas or Mordekaiser, so consider banning Sylas if you plan to pick him.

Build:

• Core: Sunfire Aegis → Thornmail → Frozen Heart
  
• Runes: Arcane Comet, Manaflow Band, Transcendence, Scorch
  
• Secondaries: Second Wind and Overgrowth
  

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Shen

After several buffs, especially to his Q, Shen is stronger than he’s been in a long time. What makes him shine now is the synergy between his new power spike and Titanic Hydra as a rush item. It fixes Shen’s old problem—waveclear—and lets him exert more pressure, earlier.

Pro tip: Run Inspiration secondary with Biscuit Delivery and Approach Velocity instead of Domination. It has a 4% higher win rate, which is huge for solo queue.

Matchup Note: Ban Mordekaiser. Shen struggles against champions who don’t rely on auto-attacks, and Morde is the king of that niche.

Build:

• Core: Titanic Hydra → Jack-Sho → Situational tank items
  
• Runes: Grasp of the Undying, Shield Bash, Second Wind, Revitalize
  
• Secondaries: Biscuit Delivery, Approach Velocity
  

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Sett

Sett has been a solo queue staple for several patches now, and nothing’s changed in 25.10. In fact, the Ignite buffs in this patch make his all-in threat at level 6 even more dangerous.

If you’re ahead as Sett, you become a one-man wrecking crew. With point-and-click damage and his iconic W, winning 1v2s becomes a regular occurrence.

Struggling against ranged top laners? Ban Kennen or Vayne.

Build:

• Core: Stridebreaker → Hullbreaker → Overlord’s Bloodmail
  
• Runes: Conqueror, Triumph, Alacrity, Last Stand
  
• Secondaries: Second Wind and Overgrowth
  

The jungle meta in League of Legends Patch 25.10 is undergoing a shakeup with the nerfs to several popular picks. With Xin Zhou, Vi, Kayn, and Naafiri all seeing declines, it’s time for a new wave of junglers to take the spotlight. Whether you’re looking to dominate early or take over the map in midgame skirmishes, these are the top jungle champions you should be playing to climb fast.

Champion	Role	Strength	Best Ban
Malphite	Tank/Initiator	Incredibly efficient vs. AD champs; teamfight presence wins games even from behind	Sylas
Shen	Tank/Support	Strong waveclear with Titanic Hydra; impactful ult; buffs to Q made him dominant again	Mordekaiser
Sett	Bruiser	Dangerous all-in with Ignite buffs; powerful in 1v2 scenarios; strong against melees	Kennen/Vayne

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Jungle Solo Carries – Patch 25.10

With Xin Zhou nerfed, Jarvan IV rises as the premier early-game ganking jungler for solo queue. What gives Jarvan his edge is not only his strong ganks but also his long-range engage potential, which is a huge asset in chaotic solo queue environments.

Why Jarvan Works in 25.10:

• Dominates early skirmishes and ganks
  
• Great pick potential with long-range EQ + R combo
  
• Strong around objectives—set up early, punish split enemies
  

Pro Tip: When playing Jarvan, it’s wise to ban Lulu or Braum, as they can shut down your all-ins and deny you key kills.

Jarvan IV Optimal Build:

• Core Items: Eclipse → Sundered Sky → Tank items (Randuin’s, Spirit Visage, etc.)
  
• Runes:
  
  • Primary: Conqueror, Triumph, Alacrity, Coup de Grace
    
  • Secondary: Magical Footwear, Cosmic Insight
    

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Nocturne

Nocturne benefits massively from the drop-off in early-game pressure junglers. While his early gank power isn’t on Jarvan’s level, Nocturne makes up for it with devastating map-wide ultimates and unmatched midgame catch potential.

Why Nocturne Is Top-Tier:

• Excellent map impact with Paranoia in midgame
  
• Great for punishing overextended enemies
  
• Thrives in lower-coordination solo queue environments
  

If you’re locking in Nocturne, banning Braum or Lulu is still the move—they’re reliable disengage tools against your dive-heavy playstyle.

Nocturne Optimal Build:

• Core Items: Stridebreaker → Hexplate → Black Cleaver
  
• Runes:
  
  • Primary: Conqueror, Triumph, Alacrity, Last Stand
    
  • Secondary: Grizzly Memento, Ultimate Hunter
    

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Ekko

One of the biggest indirect winners of Patch 25.10 is Ekko, thanks to multiple AP item cost reductions. His two-item midgame spike is deadly, and now it comes 400 gold cheaper thanks to buffs to Lich Bane and Nashor’s Tooth. Oh, and Rabadon’s is now 100 gold cheaper too. That’s 500 gold shaved off his core build—massive value.

Why Ekko Is Climbing the Jungle Tier List:

• Strong two-item midgame power spike arrives faster
  
• Excellent skirmisher with great outplay potential
  
• AP item buffs make his scaling more accessible
  

Weak Matchups: Ekko struggles against champions who can avoid his passive procs. Shaco is particularly annoying, making him the best ban when you’re planning to pick Ekko.

Ekko Optimal Build:

• Core Items: Nashor’s Tooth → Lich Bane → Rabadon’s Deathcap
  
• Runes:
  
  • Primary: Dark Harvest, Sudden Impact, Eyeball Collection, Treasure Hunter
    
  • Secondary: Magical Footwear, Cosmic Insight
    

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Final Thoughts: Play Smart, Ban Smart, Climb Fast

Patch 25.10 is shifting jungle priorities toward midgame impact and strong engage potential. Jarvan is your go-to for early pressure, Nocturne dominates with map-wide picks, and Ekko benefits from a more affordable (but just as deadly) power curve.

TL;DR Jungle Picks for Patch 25.10:

Champion	Role	Strength	Best Ban
Jarvan IV	Early Game Control	Engaging, snowballing ganks	Lulu/Braum
Nocturne	Midgame Skirmisher	Catch power, split threat	Braum/Lulu
Ekko	Scaling Assassin	AP burst, item spike	Shaco

With AP item changes continuing to reshape the mid lane meta, Patch 25.10 has opened the door for several champions to climb to the top of the tier list. Whether it’s buffed items, direct champion adjustments, or even a more forgiving early game, there’s a lot working in favor of mid lane assassins and burst mages this patch. If you’re looking to climb, these are the champions—and builds—you need to know about.

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Mid Lane Solo Carries – Patch 25.10

Annie

Annie has gone from forgettable to fearsome, climbing from a 47% win rate in 25.8 to over 52% in Patch 25.9—and she’s still rising in 25.10. Thanks to direct buffs and the Ignite buff, Annie’s level 6 kill threat is stronger than ever, making her a terrifying force in solo queue.

Why Annie Is Strong in 25.10:

• Buffs in 25.9 significantly improved her win rate
  
• Ignite buffs amplify her all-in power at level 6
  
• Avoids the 25.10 nerfs to Liandry’s, unlike many other mages
  

If you’re picking Annie, consider banning Syndra or Orianna, as both can zone you from a distance and shut down your shorter range poke.

Annie Optimal Build:

• Core Items: Malignance → Stormsurge → Rabadon’s Deathcap
  
• Runes:
  
  • Primary: Electrocute, Cheap Shot, Eyeball Collection, Relentless Hunter
    
  • Secondary: Absolute Focus, Ultimate Hunter
    

Annie is one of the easiest champions to pilot with high kill potential, making her a perfect pick for mid lane climbers.

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Diana

Diana has been hovering at the edge of S-tier, and Patch 25.10 pushes her firmly into top-tier territory. With multiple AP item buffs working in her favor, Diana can choose from a variety of strong build paths depending on her role in the game—whether that’s dueling in a sidelane or bursting in teamfights.

Why Diana Shines in 25.10:

• Viable with all of the buffed AP items (Lich Bane, Nashor’s, Rocketbelt, Rabadon’s)
  
• Flexible builds based on team comp and playstyle
  
• One of the few assassins who can hold lane early and trade well
  

There’s no must-ban for Diana, but Yasuo can be tricky, as Wind Wall blocks your Q and disrupts your engage combo.

Diana Optimal Builds:

• Sidelane/Fighter Build: Lich Bane → Nashor’s Tooth → Rabadon’s
  
• One-Shot/Teamfight Build: Rocketbelt → Shadowflame → Rabadon’s
  
• Burst Utility Build: Stormsurge → Shadowflame → Zhonya’s
  

Diana Runes:

• Primary: Electrocute, Sudden Impact, Eyeball Collection, Treasure Hunter
  
• Secondary: Shield Bash, Bone Plating
  

Tip: Diana’s strength lies in how quickly she can pivot between playstyles—choose the build that fits the enemy comp and your team’s needs.

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Katarina

Katarina is loving the new Lich Bane changes. The 300 gold cost reduction and recipe change (no more Needlessly Large Rod!) drastically improve her early game purchasing power, helping her snowball faster and more reliably.

Why Katarina Is a Top Pick in 25.10:

• Lich Bane now has a cheaper and smoother build path
  
• Early game snowball potential is stronger with better gold efficiency
  
• Still one of the most punishing roamers in solo queue
  

Katarina’s toughest matchup remains Galio, who’s tanky, has reliable CC, and can completely shut down her reset potential—ban him if you’re looking to snowball.

Katarina Optimal Build:

• Core Items: Lich Bane → Shadowflame → Zhonya’s or Rabadon’s
  
• Runes:
  
  • Primary: Electrocute, Sudden Impact, Eyeball Collection, Relentless Hunter
    
  • Secondary: Triumph, Coup de Grace
    

Success with Katarina is all about knowing when to go in—get your resets, and take over fights before the enemy can react.

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Mid Lane’s Rising Stars in 25.10

Patch 25.10 is heavily favoring burst mages and AP assassins. Whether you’re looking for early kill pressure (Annie), flexible scaling (Diana), or gold-efficient snowballing (Katarina), now is the perfect time to lock in these champs and start climbing.

TL;DR Mid Lane Picks for Patch 25.10:

Champion	Strength	Best Ban	Core Build
Annie	Level 6 burst, consistent damage	Syndra/Orianna	Malignance → Stormsurge → Rabadon’s
Diana	Hybrid playstyle, flexible builds	Yasuo	Lich Bane → Nashor’s or Rocketbelt → Shadowflame
Katarina	Snowball queen, better item curve	Galio	Lich Bane → Shadowflame → Zhonya’s/Rabadon’s

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Ready to master the 25.10 mid lane meta? Whether you’re looking to one-shot enemies or control teamfights, these champions are your ticket to climbing in solo queue.

While Patch 25.10 brings only light changes to the bot lane, that doesn’t mean the role isn’t in a strong place. In fact, the current ADC meta is one of the best for solo carrying, thanks to a combination of powerful itemization, strong early-to-mid game spikes, and more self-reliant picks.

If you’re queuing up as ADC this patch, these are the champions, builds, and strategies you need to dominate.

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ADC Solo Carries – Patch 25.10

Jinx

Jinx continues to shine as one of the best ADCs in Patch 25.10. Her kit is tailored for solo carrying games, especially in midgame teamfights, where her passive can snowball fights instantly.

Why Jinx Is Meta:

• Insane reset potential with Get Excited!
  
• Two-item power spike (Kraken Slayer + Infinity Edge) hits like a truck
  
• Synergizes perfectly with enchanters, but also excels with Braum
  

Jinx is especially deadly when paired with Braum, with the duo winning over 55% of their games. Braum’s CC into Jinx’s Flame Chompers creates near-unbreakable lockdown. Other great partners include Lulu, Yuumi, Nami, Soraka, Janna, and Sona.

To maximize her teamfight potential, consider banning a dive champ like Zed or Jarvan IV, both of whom can easily shut her down before she scales.

Jinx Optimal Build:

• Core Items: Kraken Slayer → Infinity Edge → Rapid Firecannon or Guardian Angel
  
• Runes:
  
  • Primary: Lethal Tempo, Presence of Mind, Bloodline, Cut Down
    
  • Secondary: Absolute Focus, Gathering Storm
    

Tip: In teamfights, position for the first takedown—after that, it’s cleanup city.

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Tristana

Tristana is thriving in this ADC meta thanks to her ability to threaten kills early while still scaling into a late-game hypercarry. Her level 6 all-in potential is unmatched among ADCs, and smart use of her mobility makes her one of the best self-sufficient carries in solo queue.

Why Tristana Works:

• High all-in kill pressure from W + E + R combo
  
• Great matchup into squishy lanes with weak disengage
  
• Strong scaling despite aggressive playstyle
  

Just be cautious of overaggression—knowing when to leap in and when to hold back is key to mastering Trist.

Itemization Strategy:

Tristana’s build is dependent on your gold timing and lane state:

• Early lead + <1300 gold: Rush The Collector
  
• Bigger base (1300+ gold): Grab Youmuu’s Ghostblade
  
• Behind or even lane: Still prioritize Youmuu’s, even if you have to wait—it scales way better
  

Tristana Runes:

• Primary: Press the Attack (or Lethal Tempo), Presence of Mind, Bloodline, Cut Down
  
• Secondary: Free Boots, Biscuit Delivery
  

 If you’re paired with an aggressive support, go PTA. For enchanters, Lethal Tempo gives you better DPS scaling.

Best ban for Tristana? Karma, who can easily disengage your all-ins and stall out your kill windows.

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Lucian

Lucian rounds out the top three ADCs and continues to thrive as one of the most independent and aggressive bot laners in the game. His midgame R poke is fantastic for chunking out carries before big objectives, and his Essence Reaver → Infinity Edge build provides massive burst potential.

Why Lucian is S-Tier:

• Can make picks and start fights without relying on teammates
  
• Short cooldown dash (E) keeps him mobile and hard to punish
  
• Essence Reaver + Infinity Edge = tons of upfront damage
  

Lucian thrives in skirmish-heavy games, so if you’re looking to make plays without waiting on your team, he’s your go-to.

Lucian Optimal Build:

• Core Items: Essence Reaver → Infinity Edge → Rapid Firecannon or Lord Dominik’s
  
• Runes:
  
  • Primary: Press the Attack, Presence of Mind, Bloodline, Cut Down
    
  • Secondary: Magical Footwear, Biscuit Delivery
    

Because of Lucian’s shorter range, you’ll want to ban long-ranged poke ADCs like Ashe to avoid being harassed out of lane early.

Positioning tip: Use E aggressively when going for trades—but save it when you’re facing point-and-click CC or dive threats.

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TL;DR: Top ADC Picks for Patch 25.10

Champion	Strengths	Best Ban	Core Build
Jinx	Teamfight resets, hypercarry scaling	Zed / Jarvan	Kraken Slayer → Infinity Edge → RFC
Tristana	All-in threat, great scaling	Karma	Youmuu’s / Collector → IE
Lucian	Self-sufficient, playmaker burst	Ashe	Essence Reaver → Infinity Edge

While the bot lane meta continues to shine in Patch 25.10, it’s not just ADCs enjoying the spotlight. Support is in a fantastic spot too—especially if you’re leaning toward playmaking or high-impact enchanters. Whether you’re looking to dominate skirmishes or amplify your ADC’s power, this patch delivers some powerful tools.

Here’s your guide to the top three supports for solo queue in the current patch, including how to build, play, and ban around them.

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Support Solo Carries – Patch 25.10

Braum

Braum has quietly been strong for a few patches, but with recent buffs to Unflinching and tier-three boots, he’s now reclaiming his throne as the best solo queue support in Patch 25.10.

Why Braum Dominates:

• Unmatched 3v3 power: His passive and CC chain dominate early skirmishes
  
• Incredible damage mitigation: Can absorb absurd amounts of poke and burst
  
• Strong synergy with hypercarries like Jinx, Lucian, Tristana
  

With the current bot lane meta so focused on brawling, Braum gives your team a massive edge in fights around early dragons or skirmishes in river.

The only real ADCs you want to avoid when picking Braum are Ezreal and Jhin. Ezreal’s lower damage and reliance on skill shots make him less effective in coordinated all-ins, and Jhin’s slow autos don’t synergize well with Braum’s passive.

Braum Build & Runes:

• Core Items: Locket of the Iron Solari → Knight’s Vow → Solstice Sleigh
  
• Summoner Spells: Flash + Heal
  
• Runes:
  
  • Primary: Guardian, Font of Life, Bone Plating, Unflinching
    
  • Secondary: Biscuit Delivery, Cosmic Insight
    

Ban Tip: Senna is a strong poke support who can bully Braum in lane—ban her out if you’re locking him in.

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Leona

After recent buffs, Leona is shining again as one of the top melee engage supports. But what really elevates her this patch is how well she synergizes with the most meta ADCs: Jinx, Tristana, Lucian, Kai’Sa, and Miss Fortune.

Why Leona Works:

• Great synergy with ADCs that can follow up or dive with her
  
• Dominant pick potential in lane and mid-game
  
• Excels against squishy comps and immobile carries
  

Key Build Insight:

Too many Leona players are defaulting to Celestial Opposition, but in most games, Bloodsong is the superior upgrade, especially against sustained DPS comps. Use Celestial only if you’re facing burst-heavy threats.

Leona Build & Runes:

• Core Items: Locket → Knight’s Vow → Bloodsong
  
• Runes:
  
  • Primary: Aftershock, Font of Life, Bone Plating, Unflinching
    
  • Secondary: Biscuit Delivery, Cosmic Insight
    

Ban Tip: Braum is Leona’s worst enemy right now, shutting down her all-ins and punishing dives. Ban him if you want to engage freely.

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Sona

Sona takes the crown as the best enchanter support in Patch 25.10. With Lulu nerfs continuing and a recent buff to Sona’s Q, players who max Q first are now winning 54% of the time, compared to just 51% for W-max builds.

Why Sona Is S-Tier:

• Strong poke and sustain when ahead
  
• Max-Q builds deal surprisingly high damage
  
• Can turn fights with her ultimate engage
  
• Huge utility with W/E + game-changing R
  

While she’s vulnerable in lane against aggressive melee supports, her scaling into mid and late game makes her a monster in teamfights. If you’re even or ahead, she becomes a true 5v5 powerhouse.

Sona Build & Runes:

• Core Items: Moonstone → Bloodsong → Redemption
  
• Item Upgrade: Always go Bloodsong for max value
  
• Runes:
  
  • Primary: Summon Aery, Manaflow Band, Transcendence, Gathering Storm
    
  • Secondary: Conditioning, Revitalize
    

Ban Tip: Take out Leona or Nautilus—melee engage supports can shut Sona down before she scales.

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Final Thoughts: Support Picks to Win More in 25.10

Support	Playstyle	Best ADC Synergy	Ban Recommendation
Braum	Skirmish tank, peel	Jinx, Lucian, Trist	Senna
Leona	Hard engage, playmaker	Tristana, Kai’Sa, MF	Braum
Sona	Enchanter, scaling utility	Any hypercarry	Leona or Nautilus

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Whether you prefer locking down enemies, setting up your ADC to pop off, or buffing your team into late-game dominance, Patch 25.10 offers excellent support options for solo queue climbers. Just make sure you’re building correctly, pairing smartly, and banning wisely.

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