LoL Arena champion tier list: The best champs for 2v2v2v2 mode

Arena made its much-anticipated return to League of Legends with Patch 13.24 on Dec. 7. Players immediately returned to their favorite 2v2v2v2 mode, and started looking up changes to discover the tier list of the best champs in it.

These are just a few of the many changes in the Arena. Nevertheless, it returns as one of the most entertaining modes added to League. But with 166 champions, it’s difficult to determine which are the best for Arena and which are not.

These champions are from different roles in the game’s Summoner’s Rift modes, but there is one thing most have in common: they each scale exceptionally well. On top of that, most require some mechanical skills, like Vayne, or Riven. But once mastered, they can be valuable in your Arena duo.

Why you should play each S-tier champion in LoL Arena

Fiora, the Grand Duelist

• Best duo: Varus, Gragas, Ivern
• Core items: Divine Sunderer, Ravenous Hydra, Death Dance
• Strongest Augments: Outlaw’s Grit, Shadow Runner, Blade Waltz

With her unmatched dueling capabilities, Fiora is undoubtedly one of the best picks in Arena. She’s always been powerful in one-versus-one and two-versus-two scenarios, and with proper Augments and build in the returning League mode, she can excel quite fast and earn you many number-one finishes.

Kayn, the Shadow Reaper

• Best duo: Sion, Zac, Orianna
• Core items: Black Cleaver, Eclipse, Serylda’s Grudge
• Strongest Augments: The Brutalizer, Earthwake, Spin to Win

Kayn has a lot of damage, sustain, and mobility in his kit. All these aspects are heavily favored in Arena, since they allow champions to come out on top in many situations. Therefore, with a few core items under his belt, Kayn can navigate a number of Arena games.

Veigar, the Tiny Master of Evil

• Best duo: Trundle, Xin Zhao, Skarner
• Core items: Rabadon’s Deathcap, Zhonya’s Hourglass, Luden’s Tempest
• Strongest Augments: Big Brain, Witchful Thinking, Eureka

I don’t know about you, but in Arena, I often like to go for AP-based picks that can just create more chaos on the battlefield. Veigar is a prime example of such a pick. With a proper setup with your duo partners, Veigar can burst squishy targets while also navigating space with his Event Horizon (E).

Vladimir, the Crimson Reaper

• Best duo: Poppy, Trundle, Pyke
• Core items: Rabadon’s Deathcap, Night Harvester, Cosmic Drive
• Strongest Augments: Witchful Thinking, Rabble Rousing, Eureka

Similarly to Veigar, Vladimir is also a perilous champion in Arena. His kit doesn’t involve as many crowd control tools, though his damage is still one of the highest with proper build and Augments. On the other hand, his sustain is way better, so he’s able to last longer in fights.

Vayne, the Night Hunter

• Best duo: Kennen, Gragas, Trundle
• Core items: Blade of the Ruined King, Guinsoo’s Runeblade, Kraken Slayer
• Strongest Augments: Lighting Strikes, Shadow Runner, Symphony of War

Vayne was one of the best picks for Arena in its original stage, and the case is no different in Patch 13.24. Similarly to when picked on Summoner’s Rift, she can take on almost every enemy when mastered. Go for AD-based items and Augments, and try to use your Tumble to dodge opponents’ skill shots, and you should be fine.

Cho’Gath, the Terror of the Void

• Best duo: Trundle, Kog’Maw, Samira
• Core items: Heartsteel, Demonic Embrace, Sunfire Aegis
• Strongest Augments: Goliath, Perseverance, Celestial Body

A huge, tanky and deadly monster on your side? Yes please. While it’s cliche its precisely what Cho’Gath is in the Arena mode. His tankiness and snowball potential elevated him to being of the most flexible and dominant picks in the mode. You can either build him more as a tank, or take the AP damage route. Either way, you’re bound to find success.

Zed, the Master of Shadows

• Best duo: Zac, Gragas, Leona
• Core items: Eclipse, Black Cleaver, Prowler’s Claw
• Strongest Augments: The Brutalizer, Infernal Soul, Earthwake

If you’re gifted mechanically and want to show your prowess, there’s hardly a better pick than Zed. Once he gets his core items and picks up his favored Augments, Zed can outplay almost every champion in the Arena.

Skarner, the Crystal Vanguard

• Best duo: Veigar, Kog’Maw, Illaoi
• Core items: Spirit Visage, Thornmail, Sunfire Aegis
• Strongest Augments: Rabble Rousing, Guilty Pleasure, Courage of the Colossus

The best tanks in the Arena are those that can also aid your duo partner with crowd control and damage. Skarner doesn’t have much to offer in the second department, unless you build certain items, but his ultimate comes out on top in multiple situations in Arena. When combined with a proper damage dealer, Skarner and his duo partner are unbreakable.

Trundle, the Troll King

• Best duo: Rell, Veigar, Gragas
• Core items: Blade of the Ruined King, Divine Sunderer, Death Dance
• Strongest Augments: Lighting Strikes, Deft, Symphony of War

Trundle ruled the previous iteration of Arena and the Troll King is back on top this time around. It’s easy to out-sustain enemy fighters with his Q and R, block squishy targets with his E, and deal considerable damage all around.

Riven, the Exile

• Best duo: Orianna, Udyr, Senna
• Core items: Black Cleaver, Eclipse, Death’s Dance
• Strongest Augments: Outlaw’s Grit, Earthwake, Slap Around

Similarly to Vayne, Fiora, or Zed, Riven is a fantastic pick if you’re feeling good with your mechanical skills. Those who are will find it easy to surprise a few enemies and quickly advance to the top places in Arena, especially when matched with another solid pick.

Gwen, the Hallowed Seamstress

• Best duo: Soraka, Sejuani, Ivern
• Core items: Nashor’s Tooth, Rabadon’s Deathcap, Riftmaker
• Strongest Augments: Marksmage, Witchful Thinking, Symphony of War

As of now, Gwen is arguably the strongest pick in Arena. With her immunity available to do wonders on the battlefield, she can completely flip fights if synchronized properly. Gwen players should go for damage and look for pairing with a tank or a healer, who will keep her alive while she’s cutting through her enemies.

Galio, the Colossus

• Best duo: Trundle, Udyr, Vi
• Core items: Heartsteel, Rabadon’s Deathcap, Thornmail
• Strongest Augments: Guilty Pleasure, Courage of the Colossus, Impassable

We mentioned that the most dominant tanks in the mode are those who can hurt enemies while also being beefy, and Galio fits that description perfectly. With his aggressive kit it’s best to pick another fighter alongside him, while even giving Galio items like Rabadon’s Deathcap or Demonic Embrace, just to increase his damage a bit higher.

Kog’Maw, the Mouth of the Abyss

• Best duo: Cho’Gath, Volibear, Alistar
• Core items: Guinsoo’s Rageblade, Blade of the Ruined King, Kraken Slayer
• Strongest Augments: Lighting Strikes, Deft, Symphony of War

When it comes to being an auto-attack machine that hides behind a tank and demolishes enemies, there are hardly better options than Kog’Maw. He’s not as mobile as many other champions on this list though, so picking a proper front line for him is mandatory. If you provide him with Volibear or Cho’Gath, Kog’Maw should be safe and ready to eliminate the enemy duo.

Rell, the Iron Maiden

• Best duo: Samira, Lucian, Kayn
• Core items: Heartsteel, Sunfire Aegis, Thornmail
• Strongest Augments: Impassable, Guilty Pleasure, Courage of the Colossus

Rell is another great choice for Arena due to her ability to control the enemies with her powerful crowd control. On her own, she’s not strong enough to win fights, but when matched with a damage-dealing champion like Lucian, Kayn, or Samira, she can provide a perfect frontline to come out victorious.

Kayle, the Righteous

• Best duo: Vi, Trundle, Nasus
• Core items: Nashor’s Tooth, Guinsoo’s Rageblade, Kraken Slayer
• Strongest Augments: Marksmage, Deft, Symhpony of War

Last but not least, we have Kayle. She’s similar to other fighters on the list, though, she deals both AD and AP damage. When paired with a tank, enemies may find her hard to counter, especially if she lands her ultimate just right.

A-tier champions in LoL Arena

• Leona
• Swain
• Pyke
• Zac
• Udyr
• Lucian
• Sett
• Kennen
• Samira
• K’Sante
• Yone
• Lee Sin
• Poppy
• Alistar
• Varus
• Volibear
• Senna
• Aatrox
• Vi
• Illaoi
• Master Yi
• Brand
• Talon
• Rek’Sai
• Sivir
• Kai’Sa

These champions are still incredible in teamfights and can greatly benefit from a number of Augments in Arena. Besides that, you’ll find tons of versatility among these champions, from squishy yet powerful AD carries, mages, and supports to beefy and tanky bruisers and tanks, which combined can create some powerful combos.

By picking one of these champs, you have a guaranteed head start in Arena, especially since they mostly don’t require much knowledge and mechanical ability. They’re just not as successful as our S-tier champs.

B-tier champions in LoL Arena

• Mordekaiser
• Syndra
• Garen
• Sion
• Anivia
• Ornn
• Ekko
• Cassiopeia
• Fizz
• Singed
• Wukong
• Twisted Fate
• Ivern
• Vi
• Lulu
• Gragas
• Sylas
• Yorick
• Darius
• Malphite
• Kha’Zix
• Tahm Kench
• Yasuo
• Naafiri
• Kassadin
• Draven
• Ezreal
• Jhin
• Ashe
• Katarina
• Orianna
• Nautilus
• Lillia
• Elise
• Karthus
• Quinn
• Jax
• Karma

Now we pivot to the unusual and tough-to-use choices. These champions often have kits that are quite strong in Arena if used right. Yet most of them lack enough steam to be powerful throughout the whole game and often just fall behind at one point in time.

Nevertheless, if one of these champions is your main and you can’t imagine climbing the ladder without them, we’re sure you’ll find ways to claim victories along your way. You just need to know your limits, find a proper duo partner for your Arena battles, and hope for some really nice Augments.

C-tier champions in LoL Arena

• Taric
• Warwick
• Jayce
• Veigar
• Azir
• Nunu & Willump
• Hecarim
• Bard
• Ryze
• Olaf
• Shen
• Evelynn
• Rammus
• Maokai
• Twitch
• Yuumi
• Shyvana
• Soraka
• Janna
• Zeri
• Akali
• Rakan
• Xayah
• Bel’Veth
• Renekton
• Braum
• Thresh
• Rengar
• Shaco
• Morgana
• Urgot
• Hwei
• Briar
• Xerath
• Nidalee
• Pantheon

The champions are often still formidable in many key aspects of Arena, like teamfighting, tanking damage, being the main damage source, or providing utility and crowd control. Yet, often, they are superb in only one or two of these aspects, and in most games, they’ll get outclassed by other champions unless you got lucky when choosing your Augments.

D-tier champions in LoL Arena

• Nilah
• Viego
• Caitlyn
• Xin Zhao
• Blitzcrank
• Vel’Koz
• Zoe
• Milio
• Miss Fortune
• Soraka
• Sona
• Teemo
• Kalista
• Jinx
• LeBlanc
• Ziggs
• Akshan
• Kled
• Qiyana
• Gangplank
• Viktor
• Annie
• Ahri
• Jarvan IV
• Fiddlesticks
• Nami
• Corki
• Sejuani
• Tristana

We’re off to the penultimate section of our tier list. Champions in this category might be fun to play, especially once you land a fun Augment or two, but they often fail to produce results. They are usually tough to use in most duos and don’t have enough tools to climb the ranks efficiently—at least, they didn’t help us.

E-tier champions in LoL Arena

• Zyra
• Camille
• Renata Glasc
• Aurelion Sol
• Zilean
• Nocturne
• Tryndamere
• Heimerdinger
• Corki
• Irelia
• Seraphine
• Aphelios
• Lissandra
• Kindred
• Taliyah
• Nocturne
• Gnar
• Vex
• Diana
• Neeko

Last but not least, we have the list of champions who are barely playable in the reworked Arena, at least so far. They require a lot of game knowledge and proper combination with your duo to come out successfully while playing them. But, nothing is impossible in League, and these are still early stages of the game mode.

Best duos in LoL Arena

If you’re looking for the best duos in Arena to play with your partner, look no further; here are five of the strongest that will secure you a few wins.

Veigar and Trundle

Trundle and Veigar are one of the strongest duos in League Arena. The mage can one-shot enemies with his combo, and it’s not that hard to hit, especially with Trundle in your duo, who provides frontline and can weaken enemies by draining their armor and magic resistance with Subjugate. All in all, it’s a perfect combination of damage and front line.

Gwen and Kayn

Here’s another powerful Arena duo. As we mentioned, both Gwen and Kayne are arguably two of the best picks for the mode as of now, and combined they create an even deadlier combo. Both deal incredible damage and can survive quite a lot due to their mechanics.

Vladimir and Zed

You can’t go wrong with these two. Both have abilities in their kit that allow them to dodge skill shots and if you time these perfectly, you can lower enemies’ damage to the minimum. At the same time, both Vladimir and Zed have aggressive, powerful kits, so going all-in on your opponents should often go in your favor.

Leona and Samira

If you’re looking to overpower your enemies with a combination of strong CC and even fiercer damage, Leona and Samira is probably a perfect duo for you. The former has a total of four crowd control tools, while unleashed Samira is often a deadly foe. In the late game, these two have a lot to offer and can easily boast you wins.

Udyr and Mordekaiser

The last duo we strongly advise you to pick is Udyr and Mordekaiser. The latter can easily divide fights with his ultimate, and on their own, both Mordekaiser and Udyr are quite unstoppable, especially when matched with squishy targets.