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LoL Champion Guides

Updated for patch 26.21. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch.

These LoL champion guides cover every champion on the current roster, two pages each: a counters page that names who beats the champion and which ability does the work, and an ARAM build for the Howling Abyss. Everything is checked against patch 26.21, nothing rests on win rates, and each matchup claim names the exact ability behind it, like Poppy’s W stopping the dash in our Yone counters page.

LoL champion guides: counters and ARAM builds for patch 26.21

Which champions do the LoL champion guides cover?

All of them. Every champion in Riot’s data for patch 26.21 has a counters page, and every champion with ARAM balance numbers has an ARAM page as well (the three newest picks, Locke, Yunara and Zaahen, get theirs once their Howling Abyss numbers show up in the data we use). Names run in alphabetical order, so the quickest way to a specific champion is your browser’s find box, Ctrl+F or Cmd+F, and the first few letters of the name.

How do you use a counters page?

Start with the section on why the champion is hard to deal with, because that is where the page tells you which ability actually causes the trouble (for Yone it is the untargetable dash on Soul Unbound, not his raw damage). Then the picks. Each counter comes with the ability that makes the matchup work and, where it matters, the cooldown or the range, pulled from the patch 26.21 data. The lane section covers timing: when to trade, when to back off, what to do about the ultimate. The item section lists a few purchases that blunt the kit, linked to our item pages so you can see the full stats.

What if your main isn’t among the picks? That’s expected. Counters pages name four to six champions, chosen for the clearest ability interactions, not every champion who does fine in the matchup. Real talk: a good counter you can’t play is worse than a neutral pick you know well.

What does an ARAM page include?

The ARAM modifiers come first: how much more or less damage the champion deals and takes on the Howling Abyss compared with Summoner’s Rift, shown as percentages from the current data. After that, why the kit fits (or doesn’t fit) a single lane with no recall, the build with the reasoning behind each item, and the map itself: shopping only while dead, the Mark summoner spell, no wards. Numbers in the build come from the same patch data as the item database, so when an item changes price or stats, the page changes with it.

One thing the ARAM pages don’t do is rank champions by tier. To be fair, a tier list without match data would just be a guess in a confident font, so you get the mechanics and make the call yourself.

How are these guides made?

We start from Riot’s Data Dragon files for the patch: ability names and descriptions, item stats and effects. ARAM balance numbers come from the League of Legends Wiki’s champion data. Counter picks are our calls: we look at how the kits actually clash, say a dash-stopping ability against a dash-reliant champion. We don’t publish win rates, because we don’t collect match data.

What happens when a patch lands? We compare the new game data with the previous patch. If Yone’s Mortal Steel or the stats of Infinity Edge changed, for example, every page that mentions them gets checked again and its patch label moves forward. If nothing relevant changed, only the label does.

Why no win rates? Because honest win rates need millions of matches from Riot’s API, and we don’t collect that data. Every counter pick tells you the exact ability behind it, and every ARAM build breaks down what each item does this patch, so check the logic against the game yourself.

These guides are about the “why”, not the “how often”. Honestly, if you want “how often” (win rates, pick rates), go to a stats site that actually collects match data. And if you’re new to League, our guide to LoL roles is a better starting point.

Where can I find items and skins?

For what it’s worth, any item you see in these pages is in our LoL items database with its stats, cost, build path and patch history. Champion skins live in our LoL skins database, and each champion’s guide section links to that champion’s skin list, so the skin pages and the LoL champion guide pages point at each other.

Where should you start with the LoL champion guides?

With whoever beat you last game. Open their counters page, read the “why” section, and pick one of the listed answers you already own. Then look at that champion’s ARAM page before your next Howling Abyss queue, because the modifiers there change which builds make sense (a champion at 95% damage dealt builds differently from one at 110%). Thing is, the LoL champion guides are reference pages, not a reading list, so two pages before a match is plenty.

FAQ

Are the LoL champion guides based on win rates?

No. We don’t collect match data, so there are no win rates, pick rates or tier scores anywhere on these pages. Every counter and every ARAM item is explained through ability mechanics from Riot’s patch 26.21 data.

Which patch are the guides on right now?

Patch 26.21. The label at the top of each page shows the patch the text was last checked against, and it moves forward when the new game data has been compared with the old.

Why does a champion have no ARAM page yet?

Because the ARAM balance numbers for that champion aren’t in the data yet. This applies to the newest releases (Locke, Yunara and Zaahen at the moment): their counters pages are live, and the ARAM page follows once the numbers exist.

Do the LoL champion guides cover jungle and support champions?

Yes. Every champion has a counters page regardless of role, and every champion with ARAM balance numbers has an ARAM page, so junglers, enchanters and tank supports are all in the list above.

Can I use these guides for ranked?

Yes, with one caveat: a counter only works if you can play it. Pick from the listed answers you have at least a dozen games on, or use the item section if you’d rather keep your main and adjust the build.

How do I report a mistake in a guide?

Write to us through the contact page with the champion name and the sentence you think is wrong. We check it against the current patch data and correct the page if the data agrees with you.