LoL Tier List Patch 26.22: Best Champions by Role

The best champions on League of Legends patch 26.22 are Malphite and Darius in top lane, Master Yi, Wukong and Lillia in the jungle, Ahri, LeBlanc and Katarina in mid, Xayah and Jinx in the bot lane, and Thresh, Blitzcrank and Leona at support, based on Emerald+ ranked data. Patch 26.22 went live in early November 2026 with a midscope rework for Mel and nerfs to Thresh, Yasuo and Locke, but Thresh is still one of the top supports. This guide lists the S+ to A tier picks for every role, explains the patch changes behind them, and flags the champions to watch before patch 26.23.

Checked against Riot's League of Legends Patch 26.22 notes and U.GG's Emerald+ Ranked Solo tier lists (World, patch 26.22) on November 12, 2026.

Data basis: the tiers below are U.GG's own S+, S and A rankings for Ranked Solo/Duo, Emerald and higher, all regions, on patch 26.22, as shown on November 12, 2026, with 14,489,620 champion picks analyzed. Win rates and game counts are U.GG's. The comments on each pick are editorial and come from Riot's patch notes. Lower ranks play differently; for Silver data and easier champions, see the best LoL champions for beginners.

What are the best top lane champions in patch 26.22?

Malphite, Darius, Gangplank, Fiora, Irelia, Mordekaiser and Nasus make up S+ tier in top lane. Malphite has the best mix of popularity and results with a 51.7% win rate over 99.2K games.

Tier	Champion	Win rate	Games
S+	Malphite	51.7%	99.2K
S+	Darius	50.9%	104.4K
S+	Gangplank	51.2%	72.7K
S+	Fiora	51.3%	62.1K
S+	Irelia	50.4%	65.2K
S+	Mordekaiser	50.4%	73.7K
S	Kayle	51.9%	40.1K
S	Ornn	51.3%	58.5K
S	Camille	50.9%	66.0K
S	Garen	50.8%	88.1K
A	Shen	51.2%	52.5K
A	Zaahen	51.0%	50.4K

Kayle is the patch winner to watch. Riot cut her Q cooldown from 12-8 seconds to 10-8 seconds and her R cooldown from 160/120/80 to 140/110/80, saying top lane needed more scaling options; she already sits in S tier with a 51.9% win rate. Zaahen's Q cooldown also dropped at early ranks (10 to 8 seconds at rank 1), and he is a solid A tier pick.

What are the best junglers in patch 26.22?

Master Yi, Shaco, Wukong, Lillia, Cho'Gath, Briar, Shyvana, Talon, Hecarim and Naafiri are S+ in the jungle. Lillia (51.9%) and Wukong (51.7%) have the highest win rates among the popular picks.

Tier	Champion	Win rate	Games
S+	Master Yi	50.7%	84.1K
S+	Wukong	51.7%	95.7K
S+	Lillia	51.9%	69.4K
S+	Cho'Gath	51.7%	71.4K
S+	Shyvana	51.7%	55.9K
S+	Briar	51.0%	57.2K
S+	Naafiri	50.5%	64.9K
S	Zac	51.8%	36.5K
S	Ekko	51.1%	65.2K
S	Bel'Veth	51.3%	37.4K
A	Rek'Sai	52.3%	19.9K
A	Sejuani	51.5%	31.8K

Naafiri got a Q heal and W attack damage buff this patch. Riot's goal was mostly to bring her back in mid lane, but she already plays as an S+ jungler. Shen jungle also got help: his Q monster damage modifier rose from 100-200% to 120-200%, after Riot said the champion had been pushed too far out of the jungle meta.

What are the best mid lane champions in patch 26.22?

LeBlanc, Katarina, Ahri, Fizz, Vladimir, Ekko, Vex and Xerath are S+ in mid. Ahri is the safest choice: a 51.4% win rate over 165.2K games, the most played mid laner in the list.

Tier	Champion	Win rate	Games
S+	Ahri	51.4%	165.2K
S+	Katarina	51.2%	91.0K
S+	LeBlanc	50.9%	82.2K
S+	Ekko	52.3%	75.1K
S+	Fizz	51.3%	69.2K
S+	Vladimir	51.5%	58.6K
S+	Vex	51.9%	41.2K
S+	Xerath	51.1%	57.2K
S	Hwei	51.6%	51.6K
S	Lissandra	50.8%	80.4K
S	Twisted Fate	51.1%	71.8K
S	Aurora	51.2%	38.0K

Mel is missing from the top tiers on purpose: her 26.22 midscope rework replaced her old W reflect with a nova that destroys projectiles and shields, lowered her Q's first hit, and changed her base stats. Reworked champions need a week or two of data before their win rate settles, so treat her as unranked for now. On the U.GG bot lane list she shows up as an A tier pick at 50.5% over 11.4K games.

What are the best ADCs in patch 26.22?

Draven, Xayah, Jinx and Twitch are the S+ bot laners. Xayah stands out with a 52.1% win rate over 119.5K games, and Jhin is the most played ADC at 275.9K games.

Tier	Champion	Win rate	Games
S+	Xayah	52.1%	119.5K
S+	Jinx	51.2%	155.2K
S+	Twitch	51.1%	71.2K
S+	Draven	50.7%	57.7K
S	Jhin	50.4%	275.9K
S	Zeri	51.6%	66.5K
S	Kog'Maw	52.8%	33.2K
S	Smolder	50.9%	71.7K
S	Sivir	50.9%	66.5K
S	Yasuo	51.7%	29.1K
A	Miss Fortune	50.3%	112.2K
A	Corki	50.5%	56.5K

Two item changes affect the bot lane. Doran's Bow dropped from 8 to 7 attack damage, and Riot said it expects that nerf to help Smolder, who also got a W damage buff (10-110 to 25-125 base). Corki's R damage went up as well. Yasuo bot is S tier despite a small Q nerf (105% to 100% total AD ratio).

What are the best supports in patch 26.22?

Blitzcrank, Thresh, Leona, Lulu, Braum and Alistar are the S+ supports. Blitzcrank and Leona both sit at 51.5%, and Thresh remains the most played support at 202.5K games.

Tier	Champion	Win rate	Games
S+	Blitzcrank	51.5%	107.3K
S+	Thresh	51.1%	202.5K
S+	Leona	51.5%	125.0K
S+	Braum	51.6%	74.8K
S+	Alistar	51.4%	99.5K
S+	Lulu	50.0%	194.1K
S	Rell	52.0%	59.5K
S	Zilean	51.9%	40.0K
S	Janna	51.6%	67.2K
S	Senna	51.5%	80.0K
S	Nami	51.0%	131.8K
A	Taric	51.8%	17.1K

Riot said Thresh had stayed at the very top of supports despite an earlier nerf, so 26.22 took his base AD from 56 to 54 and his R damage from 250-550 to 200-500. He still holds an S+ spot, which suggests further changes are possible. Maokai's Q max health damage went up by 0.5% at every rank, which helps both his jungle and support builds.

Does the tier list change at lower ranks?

Yes, a lot. In U.GG's Silver data for the same patch, several S+ picks are champions that barely appear in the Emerald+ top tiers, because simple, forgiving kits win more often when opponents make more mistakes.

Role	Emerald+ S+ examples	Silver S+ examples
Top	Malphite, Darius, Fiora	Teemo, Mordekaiser, Illaoi, Garen
Jungle	Wukong, Lillia, Master Yi	Briar, Warwick, Rammus, Master Yi
Mid	Ahri, LeBlanc, Katarina	Malzahar, Fizz, Veigar, Lux
Bot	Xayah, Jinx, Draven	Miss Fortune, Twitch, Smolder
Support	Thresh, Blitzcrank, Braum	Morgana, Leona, Seraphine

Briar is the clearest example: she is the top Silver jungler at 53.4% over 64.3K games but sits in S+ only as one of many options at Emerald+. Miss Fortune is A tier at Emerald+ but the most played and highest rated Silver bot laner at 51.7% over 223.9K games. If you play below Platinum, weigh the Silver column more heavily, and see the beginner guide for easy picks by role.

What changed in patch 26.22?

The main changes are the Mel rework, nerfs to Thresh, Yasuo and Locke, and buffs to Aurelion Sol, Corki, Kayle, Maokai, Naafiri, Rumble, Shen, Smolder, Viktor and Zaahen. The table covers the champion and item changes that move the tier list.

Change	Before	After
Locke Q stack bonus damage	18-50	15-43
Locke W duration	6s	5s
Thresh base AD	56	54
Yasuo Q AD ratio	105% total AD	100% total AD
Kayle R cooldown	160/120/80s	140/110/80s
Viktor R conjure AP ratio	50%	60%
Rumble R maximum AP ratio	175%	200%
Doran's Bow attack damage	8	7
Overlord's Bloodmail attack damage	30	40

The patch also started moving Teamfight Tactics into its own client, so 26.22 was a larger download than usual. Riot has already teased 26.23 content (Cafe Cuties Neeko and Zoe skins), but its notes were not out on November 12, so recheck these tiers after it lands. Ranked players should also read the LoL ranked guide for 2026 for how LP and Season 3 work.

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FAQ

What is the best champion in LoL patch 26.22?

There is no single best pick, but Malphite (top), Wukong and Lillia (jungle), Ahri (mid), Xayah (bot) and Blitzcrank or Leona (support) combine high play rates with win rates above 51% in U.GG's Emerald+ data for 26.22.

Is Thresh still good after the 26.22 nerf?

Yes. Riot cut his base AD from 56 to 54 and his ultimate damage by 50 at every rank, but U.GG still lists him as S+ with a 51.1% win rate over 202.5K Emerald+ games.

What happened to Mel in patch 26.22?

She received a midscope rework: her W now creates a nova that destroys enemy projectiles and shields and grants her a shield and move speed, her Q's first hit is weaker, and her E root now scales with distance.

Who is the best top laner in LoL right now?

Malphite, with a 51.7% win rate over 99.2K Emerald+ games on patch 26.22. Darius, Gangplank, Fiora, Irelia and Mordekaiser are also S+.

Which rank does this LoL tier list use?

Emerald and higher, Ranked Solo/Duo, all regions, from U.GG on patch 26.22. Lower ranks favor different champions; Miss Fortune, Malzahar and Morgana are S+ in Silver, for example.

When is the next LoL patch?

Patch 26.23 is next. Riot has revealed its Cafe Cuties skins, but the patch notes were not published as of November 12, 2026.