League of Legends: Top 5 Best Champions for Arena

Ranking the strongest champ picks in League of Legends Arena Game mode after its latest balance patch.

League fans around the globe have been excited for the latest game mode to come to Riot's legendary MOBA.

Aptly named “Arena”, the game mode was announced alongside the popular title's Soul Fighter crossover, and is set to pit 4 pairs against each other in a number of new maps whilst also providing dynamic perks. At the same time, new plant types will also be introduced to ensure that no two Arena matches feel the same.

Arena comes as a breath of fresh air for long-time League of Legends players, who for the most part have been stuck playing its classic 5v5 format. The beloved Riot MOBA has been in a bit of a dry spell when it comes to its game variety, with its most popular including Teamfight Tactics and the Ultra Rapid Fire (a.k.a. “URF”) variations. As a result, plenty of fans have their fingers crossed that the game mode will be here to stay.

A smaller batch of Arena balance changes today after getting a chance to review PBE data from the break.
These will be the last balance changes before it goes live next week, we'll be spending the rest of our time fixing as many bugs as we can! pic.twitter.com/7tHtdfOrGn

— Madness Heroo (@MadnessHeroo) July 11, 2023

While millions of players excitedly wait for patch 13.14 to drop, chosen participants have already gotten a taste of the 2v2v2v2 game mode in the PBE. And after its first update on the PBE, we can already see which champions will be performing well in the near future.

Best Champions for Arena

5 – Shaco

As far as AP assassins go, Shaco mains have had the time of their lives in Arena's more claustrophobic maps.

The Demon Jester possesses powerful abilities that can either win trades or outright remove a vulnerable player from the game. Shaco's Q is an excellent engage tool, and his ultimate ability provides good peel and can be used to split the enemy's focus during important fights. At the same time, Augments like Contract Killer gives him a sharper edge when he isolates an opponent, making him one of the best champs for Arena.

Many have been quick to point out Arena's similarities to games like Battlerite, but knowing Riot, the game mode definitely hold its own unique twists once it hits the live servers on LoL's July 19 update.

4 – Aatrox

Strike fear into your enemy's hearts as Aatrox, a self-sufficient, crowd-controlling tank that's easily one of the best bruisers in the game. With enough mobility to chase down low-health opponents while providing some much-needed CC, the Darkin Blade is a top-notch champ for people wanting a safe (albeit high-skill) Arena pick.

3 – Illaoi

Illaoi's kit was designed to dominate in close-quarter teamfights. That said, her abilities can scale pretty quickly after a few kills, and her tentacles are bound to win you and your teammate any damage trade. Building Black Cleaver and Sterak's Gage is optimal for survivability and speed, but either can be switched out for Iceborn Gauntlet in case you go up against ranged champs like Vayne or Twitch.

Keep an eye out for the Electric Field or the Goliath Augments!

2 – Mordekaiser

Mordekaiser's versatile builds and late AP makes him an absolute standout for the Arena. What's more is that the tanky Iron Revenant's signature ultimate ability “Realm of Death” is the perfect tool to isolate a weakened opponent in a 2v2. His E can even be used to peel enemies off of your bleeding partner while you grow into an even bigger problem. Scaling-wise, Mord would've been the hardest one to beat were it not for the strongest Arena champ on this list.

Willing Sacrifice, and I'm the Juggernaut are fantastic Augments for Mordenkainen in the late-game.

1 – Sett

Sett stands above the rest as the best champion to play in Arena at the time of writing. The top-laner usually has enough sustain to ride out the early game, making him a troublesome match-up even when he's at his weakest.

For Sett's best Augments, go for Dawnbringer's Resolve, Celestial Body and Perseverance.

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