The High ELO Tier List for 13.12
By now, you’ve seen the low ELO tier list that our panel of experts had put together for patch 13.12, and now it’s time to see how things are playing out at the top! With new item builds emerging, buffs and nerfs from Riot, and overall, players getting more accustomed to new playstyles, we’re sure to see some interesting trends playing out.
Top Lane
The first Champion we have to highlight for the top lane is Rumble. With his recent changes skewing him toward dealing better against tanky enemies, we will see some matchups that will favor him. As for items, your core is likely still going to be Hextech Protobelt, Sorc’s, and Shadowflame. This is a Champ that leans heavily into pen, obviously.
For the second top lane highlight Champion, we’re jumping onto the Ivern top hypetrain. This Champ is all about dominating the laning phase and allowing your jungler to play around you actively. If you remember the Karma top lane era, this will be very similar. You’ll use the brush bonus damage as well as the natural range advantage to bully enemies off of the lane. We suggest you rush Lichbane top into Night Harvester. It will sound weird on paper, but it’s a fresh approach to the top lane. Well, until it ultimately gets nerfed.
Jungle
Up next is another Champion and build that’s sure to be nerfed in the future, the Trinity Force Kindred. The item is absolutely broken with Kindred, as you’re basically turning into a juggernaut that deals unlimited amounts of damage, and all you need is Trinity Force, Wit’s End, and Black Cleaver. The first item alone will make her so ridiculously powerful you’ll be half tempted to stop there.
Our second highlight Champion, Rek’sai, has had a similar trajectory to Kindred recently. She felt lacking as Prowler’s Claw was changed, but after some adjustments, she’s back in business. Her new build and the buffs from 13.11 really helped her reclaim her old glory, and you’ll be leaning on the tried and true trick of the level 3 gank to make it happen. You’ll want to tunnel into the enemy’s lane from behind to deny their escape, and then once you’re on top of them, it’s likely a done deal.
We would suggest you grab a Stridebreaker and Black Cleaver to be an unkillable damage dealer.
Mid Lane
Over in the mid lane, the Neeko rework has proven to be a massive success in terms of player satisfaction. She’s gimmicky, features many strategic elements, and scales with the enemies. If they’re tired, they won’t even notice the extra minion wave and you’ll pick up a freebie. Check out our masterclass on this master of disguise to get an edge, and build her with Rush Rocketbelt, Sorcs, and Shadowflame to maximize her output.
This next Champ appears to be on her way back into the mid lane role, which has earned her a highlight placement on our tier list. Damage buffs and a minion gold increase have given Orianna some extra power when it comes to laning and scaling. More than often enough, her full combo felt lackluster, but with the added damage to the ult, she will feel a lot more satisfying to use. She probably won’t quite reach her overpowered days of the past, but she’s getting there. Make sure to pick up Luden’s Echo for earlier spike and pen, Sorc boots, and then Archangels, of course.
Bot Lane
Are you seeing your main anywhere on our list of ADCs? We certainly see some of our favorite picks ranked well on this tier list.
First, we have Draven, a Champ who never disappoints. The damage potential offered is off the charts with the right build. Normally you’d default to the Essence Reaver built for infinite mana, but in 13.12, we’re giving him Trinity Force into Collector. With the added tankiness and the power from the recently buffed Trinity Force and Collector, you’ll be a big problem. The eco-nerf to Bloodthirster may be weird, but it’s Draven, you’re in it to get rich or die trying.
Another pick that does a lot of the same item-wise is Samira, a Champion that is loving the Trinity Force and Collector build. Her low cooldown on a spammable spell puts value on that Spellblade proc, while granting her more power in early fights. Furthermore, the added tankiness is quite a neat thing as Samira is infamous for going deep behind enemy lines.
Supports
Last but not least, we’ve reached the support tier list. We wanted to spotlight Rakan, and here we have the Shurelya’s & Zeke’s Convergence build. This will provide you with decent stats and playmaking capabilities, which will help you take over the game with a strong ADC by your side.
The next Champion will also add much to any fight, skirmish, or all-in. Seraphine has been one of the most stellar picks that went through so many phases in League, from being a go-to mid lane to being a broken APC, and eventually landing in the support role. Her value has always been crazy, and it was all just a matter of team composition to give her the credit she deserved.
With Moonstone getting some buffs, we’re curious to see if this item will finally take over on her, replacing Helia as the go-to item on every enchanter. Font of Life with Echoes of Helia really did become quite the meta, though people still don’t build it on Champs such as Karam because they believed in the power of Shurelya’s. Remember, move speed is important, but turning into a massive stat-stick while offering tons of healing and damage should not be underestimated. Our recommendation for Seraphine would be Moonstone, into Staff or Ardent, to see how strong it can be compared to Helia.
For the last pick, we have a buffed one. Ashe has received a number of nice buffs to her base damage and AP scaling, which is obviously targeted at her identity as support. The thing about Ashe is she’s totally broken. She constantly applies Font of Life while Helia does its usual work. At the same time, Ashe is able to facilitate plays around the map, and even in skirmishes, her slow comes in clutch.
The only problem is she can present skill and composition issues, so we don’t suggest that you blind pick this one, as certain Champs can make your life a living hell. In the right hands and played properly, though, you’ll be amazed at how powerful she can be.
