League of Legends features 148 characters that you can play. The vast majority of them are good for climbing solo queue, at least to a high-enough level for most gamers. I am mostly talking diamond and platinum here.
The problem is that so many of these champions have complex mechanics that take a long time to master. Also, most people cannot actually climb because of many different problems that they have. With this in mind, there are some characters that make climbing much simpler. I want to focus on these.
It does not matter if you have been playing LOL for some time now or if you just now start. In my view, there are some clear champions that make climbing easier. I will focus on 2 for every position in the game.
Top Lane
In the top lane, no matter what you might think right now, the best thing you can do is play a tank. If other players choose tanks, you can definitely experiment with some strong damage dealers but tanks will help you climb much faster. This is in part because many games end up being played without one and the fact that tanks are simple to play.
Maokai
Maokai is definitely in the meta right now but once you learn how to play him, he is good in any meta. This is because of the long range engage it offers, constant healing so you stay topped in lane, the ability to protect carries, and the fact that you can use your sapplings to slow down or see ganks coming.
The problem with Maokai is that most people see him as too simple. What you build on this champ counts. You need to take a look at the enemy team’s composition and you have to see what works great in every game. Sometimes a Frozen Heart is great. In others, you need a Righteous Glory for extra engage. If you are ahead, even a Liandry can prove to be effective. Learn what to build and how to protect your team. Also, the most important tip you should remember is: learn how to farm in early game. The sooner you get the items, the better! While Maokai does great with a low income, he does even better when you have gold.
Illaoi
We all met a good Illaoi top that makes laning very difficult. However, most are pretty bad, especially in low elo. The best Illaoi players are careful with how much mana they use and they only use their E when they are sure they hit someone. Also, the capability of being right in the middle of a fight and not die because of how the ultimate works is stressful for the opponents.
Illoai does take some time to get used to. You need to get used to when it is safe to push and when it is better to stay back. In team fights, the gameplay is different than with other tanks. You can easily flash ULT but this is not as effective as also throwing in a successful E at the same time. Also, W is an auto reset and looking at the timer on the passive so that you spawn tentacles in the right places takes time to get used with. Once you do though, so many items work great on her, based on your style and the other champions in the game.
Jungle
So many in low elo jungle positions choose champs like Master Yi and think they can carry every single game. They also randomly choose champions that are in the meta and that they see the pros play. Jungle is much more about understanding the technical side of the game. To be a good jungler you need to maximize farming, know how matchups go, when it is best to gank and how, among many other things. This is why it is best to choose simple champions so you can focus on objectives and faster farming. This is why I believe the following are the best champs for climbing.
Amumu
Amumu is rather unique because the passive makes it a good match even with AP champions when you gank. Generally, as a jungler, you want to diversify damage profile so you have both AP and AD. This is especially the case against tankier champions.
Also, Amumu is very easy to play. The jungle clear is fast and the ultimate is a game changer. You can build Amumu to do surprising amounts of damage or as a rather reliable tank. While there is a skill shot that you have to land and you have to know when to position the ultimate so that you get the right champions, this is learned rather fast.
Rammus
OK. Rammus is considered to be a rather good champion right now but he always actually was for those that took the time to learn him. He is particularly good against compositions that are heavy on AD. Yasuo, Zed, Lee Sin? Rammus works wonders against them. You gain access to an instant click taunt and ganks are surprisingly effective because of the speed of the Q. Take Ghost or Predator and it is practically impossible not to reach your target, unless someone gets in the way.
Mid Lane
Mid laners are considered to be very important in this game so many feel the pressure to pick up complex assassins like Le Blanc or Zed. These are definitely great champions to master. However, the time you need to invest is so much more than most people can. Professionals play for hours every single day. Can you play 6 to 10 hours per day to master assassins? If not, you need to simplify the process. A couple of great midlaners that work wonders when you want to climb come to mind.
Malzahar
I love Malzahar. This is my most-played champion. It is hilarious for me to hear that the champion is a no-skill one. That you only have to press R. I also love playing against most people that choose Malzahar because they do not really get this champion. They do rely way too much on that ultimate.
A very good Malzahar player will not start randomly using his skills. In fact, you will notice that he uses his E to poke and not to farm. Until level 3, he will be very passive since he is focused on farming. This is because Malzahar’s power spike is level 6. Also, ideally, you want to buy a Lost Chapter on your first back.
Malzahar is very hard to push out of lane and when he wants to, it is so simple to push. Also, hist gank assistance is very strong. If the jungler understands this, he ganks as soon as Malzahar reaches level 6 for practically a guaranteed kill.
Learn Malzahar. Learn the range on his Q and understand the different builds that you can use, based on how the game is going and the opposition.
Veigar
Veigar does pop in and out of meta from time to time. Right now, he is very good because of Glacial Augment, Twin Shadows, and so on. However, he is also good as a tank, as a bot laner, as a support, with Electrocute, and more.
Veigar does take some time to pile up the ability power that makes him a real threat. However, once this happens, he is a beast. Many Veigar players have problems during laning phase as they work too hard to kill. Instead, you need to get used to farming 2 minions at a time with your Q and to poke. Then, during team fights, damage is huge.
Bot Lane
With so many Vayne, Draven, and Lucian players in low elo, bot lane actually seems like a good lane to play when you want to get out. However, it is also a tricky lane because you rely on the support and you have to deal with 2 other people that want to kill you. Due to this, if you want to climb faster, you should take a more cautious approach.
Miss Fortune
A big problem with Miss Fortune is that she is immobile. However, if played well, she is much harder to kill than many anticipate. The big advantage of playing this AD carry is that you can build it in many ways so you can adapt to the match. You can build her as a poke champ, lethality champ or crit champ. And if you land the ultimate on many champs, it does a lot of damage. That double up damage is also much higher than what many expect. MF is easy to learn and easy to play. Once you master her, climbing is simple.
Ashe
I was thinking about whether to choose Ashe or Ezreal but after playing more games with both, I quickly understood that Ashe is better for low elo. This is because of different reasons. The ultimate is a very big one because it brings in hard CC in the bot lane, which is quite rare. Then, both the passive and the W do wonders at slowing down others. Blade of the Ruined King works great on Ashe but if it is not your style and you cannot position well in fights, going heavy AD and mainly relying on poking creates so much more damage than many expect.
Support
It is such a shame to see so many avoid support. This is a great position to climb, especially when you want to get out of gold and below. A good support adds so much value to a team. When I first climbed, I played support and I hear the same story from many. Also, playing support allows you to develop your way of thinking so that you focus more on the macro part of the game.
Sona
A healer that is played well can do wonders in a game. Unfortunately, I see many choosing Soraka. Soraka is very easy to kill when focused and Nami’s bubble is much harder to hit than many think. Sona is an all-around great champion because she provides a lot of utility. Her Ultimate is great for disengage and engage. She gives your team health, speed and does a surprising amount of damage with a charged Q. Then, when you reach late game, she can make your entire team unkillable.
Leona
This is another champ that seems so simple to play but the truth is it takes time to master. However, once you do so, it is so valuable to a team. The amount of CC offered is very high and when played right, the damage for an all in is surprisingly high.
Unfortunately, many Leonas blindly engage whenever they can. This is a mistake. A good Leona will single out targets and will protect the carries in the team. Please notice that I said carries not ADC or BOT. Always choose the correct target and you offer immense value. Just make sure that you never neglect your responsibilities as a support, which does include vision.
Final Thoughts
I warmly believe that the champions I mentioned help a lot. All of them allow you to get a better understanding of the game. They are simple and you can focus on learning the game as you climb. Remember that a huge difference between low elo and high elo is understanding the game. People in higher elo know when to fight and when not to. Playing simple champions allow you to do this.
Obviously, you can always play a more complex champion, as long as you work hard to learn the more delicate intricacies. At the same time, educate yourself. Learn about the game and never neglect macro because it is much more important than anything else. Also, no matter what champion you choose, focus on farming. Players in higher elo farm a lot better than those in low elo. This means more gold and more items, even without kills.
Hopefully, this helped. Make sure to comment if you want to about what champion you think is the best to climb with.
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