League of Legends now has over 160 champions available to play, and they cater to a vast range of skills. Many are designed for new players and take only basic knowledge to pilot well, while others can take hundreds of games and several years to master fully. Some champions are even avoided by the pros, as even they simply don't have the time to invest in playing the character to their full potential.
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However, once players master these champions, they become a force to be reckoned with, and outplaying opponents with them can be one of the most rewarding experiences League of Legends has to offer. The upcoming champions take a lot of skill to fully master, and their players have fully earned the right to flash their mastery emote in-game.
9 Zed
Many champions make this list as a result of having several figures to track in-game, and Zed is no exception. Keeping track of his shadows, especially after level six, is often the difference between deleting the enemy carry, and barely making an impact. Even more importantly, they are crucial to escaping the enemy's back line.
The best Zed players will be able to slip quietly around the enemy tanks and execute a fed enemy ADC or mage before they know what's hit them. Often in League of Legends now though, this requires predicting dashes and pixel-perfect accuracy on a triple shuriken. Zed also stands out as having a high-skill floor, as players will have to have at least a good understanding of his shadows and energy costs to make themselves known before even beginning to try and carry games.
8 Orianna
Orianna has a very unique play style in League of Legends, as any abilities players cast won't originate at the champion herself, but from the ball she redirects. Players new to the character will have to get used to tracking its location at all times, as a minor misposition can make or break a teamfight, or leave her or a teammate high and dry.
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Like many scaling mages, players will need to farm well in the laning phase and throughout on Orianna to ensure they stay relevant into the late game, which can be tricky as she is very prone to ganks, and has very little mobility. Once she makes it to the mid-game she'll have a slightly easier time, and choosing where to place her ball will be the name of the game. Used well, she can completely disrupt an enemy engagement, or make a friendly bruiser unstoppable, but without a careful strategy, the team, or the enemy, will hardly notice she's there.
7 Nidalee
Jungle has long been the hardest role to fully master in League of Legends, and Nidalee is one of the trickiest champions to pilot to her full potential within it. Switching between human and cougar forms gives her 7 unique abilities to learn, and each is very situational. Optimizing her early clear is one of the hardest things to pull off on this champion, as falling behind will quickly render her useless in fights.
In addition, Nidalee's spear is one of the trickiest skillshots in the game to land and is vital to pulling off her full combo and dealing effective damage. Fans will often see her in pro play when farming junglers are in the meta, as knowing her limits and a fully perfected clear can make this champion very difficult to counter in the later stages of a game.
6 Azir
Azir can be a very difficult champion to get to grips with, as the name of the game is tracking up to 4 spawned soldiers, as these will be the source of most of his damage. Newer players will often find themselves unable to track their own health bar at the same time, and dying without realizing it while focusing on getting their damage down with soldiers.
His dismal Solo Queue win rate is a testament to how hard this champion is to pull off, and despite this he receives frequent nerfs directed at pro-level play, showing how effective he still is at the highest level. With an organized team and some kills under his belt, Azir can be an unstoppable late-game carry at shredding through champions and health bars, but put one foot wrong, and players will be looking at a gray screen in no time.
5 Riven
No list of the hardest champions in League of Legends would be complete without Riven, and she often tops the rankings of the hardest mechanics in the game. Many players have found themselves in a 1v1 with a 1hp Riven, only for her to gain a 400hp shield, knock them up three times, and leave them contemplating their actions as they wait to respawn.
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Mastering Riven's combos can take hundreds of games, and knowing when to use each of them will take even more, making her a very tricky champion to pick up, and an even harder one to fully understand. If new or seasoned players are looking for a test of their reaction timings and mechanics, look no further.
4 Yasuo
Perhaps one of the most contentious champions in the game, Yasuo has also been one of the most popular characters ever since he was released back in 2013. He has a relatively low-skill floor and is particularly easy to pick up with the right team comp and matchup, but the best Yasuo players can make him work in any situation, and this requires some very advanced mechanics and wave management.
Knowing his limits is paramount, including when to engage in making sure he can come out ahead. Without some serious experience, Yasuo is very hard to make work to a high level, but having the mechanics to back him up can turn him into a serious 1v9 threat, and montage material galore.
3 Aphelios
The culmination of 200 years of game design himself, Aphelios is not only very tricky to pick up and play, but has one of the highest skill ceilings in League of Legends. His completely unique kit revolves around cycling between 5 weapons, each with a specific ability and ammo type, rather than the usual 4 abilities.
Knowing when to use each weapon is just the beginning, as managing his ammo and cycling through the correct weapons is the difference between a 1v9 performance or a lackluster showing. If players find themselves against him, however, they only really need to know one thing: red white, don't fight.
2 Thresh
The only support to make this list may be a surprise to some, but while Thresh is very easy to pick up and try out, mastering him is an art. His hook is slow-moving and one of the trickiest skillshots in the game to land but, if anyone is looking to become a Thresh aficionado, that is just the beginning.
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To play him to his full potential players will need to master the art of repositioning him and his ADC using his latern, hook, and any other tools at his disposal, as well as high-level support macro. This will very often be the difference maker between the AD carry being able to melt through the enemy or getting one shot before they can react.
1 Lee Sin
To round off the list, one of the most popular junglers of all time is the blind monk, Lee Sin. He is another champ that is easy to play on the surface, and many players can easily find success with just his basic combos, but once his mechanics are fully mastered, he can turn the tide of any teamfight, and escape with barely a scratch.
Much of Lee Sin's playmaking comes from his ability to jump to an allied unit or ward, allowing for some very creative plays when used with his Q and Ultimate abilities. As fans begin to delve into what can be accomplished with this champion, they'll quickly learn that the insec kick is not only incredibly powerful but one of many maneuvers possible with fast enough hands.
League of Legends is available now for PC.
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