The Low ELO Tier List for 13.12
Now that Patch 13.12 has been out for over a week, we’re back for another tier list. As always, we have consulted our experts and asked them to assess the buffs and the nerfs and give us the rundown on where all of the Champions are landing on the tier list for Low ELO players. Let’s jump right into it.
Top Lane
We’ll be starting up top first, so take a look at the tier list. Are you seeing your main there?
Since Ornn is as strong as he is, we need to present you with at least one option to perform well into him, and as a result, we have Zac. This blob is a very powerful laner for tanks and sustains amazingly well into Ornn. Next to this, he can also abuse one thing that most lower ELO players simply do not consider: Extremely high engage ranges without any indicator of what will happen. Ornn, on the other hand, tells you what’s up by blowing into his horn, but Zac just stretches his biceps a bit and jumps right onto your skull.
Using items such as Radiant Virtue provides him with all of the stats he wants, and especially thanks to the more recent change to the item, it’s extremely cheap for him to acquire. This obviously leads to an earlier spike, and as long as Zac is allowed to sustain through fights, he’ll deal with that tanky Ornn without any issues.
Another all-time classic that’s been dominating the top lane and is very strong in the sense of making an impact all the time is Maokai. This tree can provide you with anything you need from a supportive angle or just take over the game if fed and itemized well. He’ll even be useful from behind, given the amount of crowd control he offers while simultaneously allowing his allies to play around him and get fed.
Maokai is easy setup, easy lockdown while offering high dive potential if you feel up to the task. As for the item department, go with Sunfire and Evenshroud, and things will naturally go your way.
Jungle
Over in the jungle, we have some adjustments that are interesting to observe. Changes within this list aren’t as extreme as they might be for the higher ELO tier list, but we have clear winners so lets take a look.
First up, we’re going with Ivern. This Champ’s supportive power and ability to take over games from the get-go is unparalleled, thanks to the items available. Echos of Helia is a perfect fit, and with support items being as cheap as they are, he can stack them up and reap all of the benefits. Add to that the fact that most people in lower ELO won’t acknowledge spam ganking at all before falling victim to it. With Echoes and Ardent or Staff, depending on the Champs you’re with, you’ll be an extremely painful opponent to play against once you’re slightly ahead.
The next Champ is all about getting ahead, so it may seem odd to slot her into a low ELO tier list, but we’re looking at Kindred. She has to play around certain mark spawns and utilize pattern recognition to make sure she’s efficient in terms of collecting marks, but with the introduction of a new build, things have changed.
Kindred now turns into a mobile turret, being as chonky as a tank, yet she dishes out an unholy amount of damage. If you’re wondering what led to that, just look at Trinity Force into Black Cleaver or Wit’s End, and it will make more sense. You’ll have to go out of your way to die with that.
Mid Lane
Next, we’ll head to the mid lane, and if you don’t see your main in the higher tiers, this next Champ may become your new main, or a minion, or a ward at any point. Any idea who we’re hinting at? Obviously, it’s Neeko, and this Champ has hit the game much harder than we expected.
Even more powerful is the fact that people who are not paying close attention to her existence are being caught off guard all the time. If you want to utilize most of her power in the mage-like approach, all you need to do is get Protobelt, Sorc’s, and Shadowflame, and then you’re on easy street.
If Neeko isn’t your vibe, we suggest you take a look at Zilean, who has historically been one of the most annoying picks to face outside of his one weakness; the lane phase. Given that you have an accelerated Lost Chapter in combination with Future’s Market and the minor gold buff to mid lane, Zilean is stronger than he was before.
Adding even more power to that is the common perception of the lower ELO players, as they’ll often forget that Zilean is capable of single-handedly denying an enemy engage while providing safety and crowd control simultaneously due to their bloodlust when they see a low HP bar. We suggest you go with Zilean’s typical core build consisting of Everfrost, Boots of Lucidity, and Cosmic Drive, and don’t forget to hang on to a Tear, as you’ll need it later for Archangel’s Staff.
Bot Lane
Now that we’re on the bot lane, we’re going to spice it up with the ADC role all based around one major theme for the entire class of marksmen, Trinity Force.
Twitch the Plague Rat is currently rocking the game as we speak. He’s easy to play from a skill-floor perspective but features a reasonably high ceiling in spite of that. Before you start laughing, it’s not about the mechanical execution but more about the approaches you can take with Twitch. Being able to read the map and going for clutch rotations, utilizing your stealth while knowing about enemy wards, is an elaborate strat that you won’t often see in low ELO gameplay.
To enjoy the rat play, start with Blade of the Ruined King to have a strong first item, then transition into Trinity Force. This build will provide you with great damage and broken stats, which will make you extremely difficult to kill.
The same train of thought comes into play with the next Champion, though we will offer two approaches. Miss Fortune was a brutal winner of the lethality changes to Youmuu’s in the past. However, Miss Fortune players were disappointed when it got nerfed. Fundamentally speaking, it’s still a solid item on her in the right situations, but for this patch, it’s all about Trinity Force.
Rather than going with Youmuu’s into Collector, you’ll go Trinity Force into Krane or into Collector. With these items in, you’ll actually be shocked by how much damage you’re dealing out.
Support
Last but not least, we’re looking at the Supports, and we’ve got a couple of options we wanted to highlight.
Nautilus has benefited from the recent changes to the price tags and has risen increasingly in priority, with the same thing applying to Rell. Both of these Champs are really happy right now and display that they are quite powerful, but that’s especially true in Rell’s case.
Luckily for players of both Champs, but of them feature the same itemization, or at least they can dip into the same thought process. Evenshroud and Zeke’s Convergence or Evenshroud and Knight’s Vow are amazing pickups for either of them, so you’ll be more than happy to get these.
For the enchanter players out there, we have to mention the most busted picks in 13.12, and it’s Janna and Sona once again. These two are absolute criminals with Echoes of Helia and make the game borderline unplayable for their opponents once they’ve scaled.
Let’s be honest here, how many times have you seen these Champs get shut down as they should be? At least Sona should die occasionally, right? If that’s not the case though, it’s time for them to take over the map. Go with Echoes of Helia, Staff, or Ardent, depending on the team composition you have, and life will be pretty sweet.
Finally, we will highlight the walking brain of the support role, Heimerdinger. He’s an infamous criminal when it comes to camping in brushes with his array of turrets and, let’s be honest, name a more iconic duo than League players and face-checking unwarded brushes. Don’t worry; we’ll wait.
It’s pretty easy for Heimerdinger to be fully functional, just pick up Rylais and Liandry, and you’re good to go in terms of utility and damage alike.
If you’d prefer a Champion for some pressure, it’s Annie, Annie, and Annie again. Maybe one day, this Champ will be a weak support option, but we don’t know when that will happen. For Annie, however, there’s also an Echoes of Helia build. Just run Font of Life, rush Echoes of Helia, and go for Rylais afterward. Enjoy the great power curve from a decent early game into an absolutely devasting midgame.
