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LoL Tier List: Best Champions for Climbing Solo Queue (Patch 26.3)
LoL Tier List: Best Champions for Climbing Solo Queue (Patch 26.03) is built for one goal: convert games into LP with champions that stay useful when your team is uncoordinated. Patch 26.03 went live on February 4, 2026, and was still the current live patch as of February 14, 2026. The next patch (26.04) is scheduled for February 19, 2026, so the picks below focus on reliable win conditions, low-risk agency, and kits that still function when you are not the main character in every fight.
Tier placements below are based on ranked Solo/Duo data for the current live update (Riot patch 26.03, commonly labeled as Patch 16.3 on stats sites), filtered to Platinum+ and Global, using the last 7 days of matches to keep the list stable and patch-accurate.
This is not a 50-name dump without structure. A tier list only helps you climb if it leads to a small champion pool you can actually master. The structure is simple: one short methodology section, one role tier section with dense role breakdowns, one complete tier list by role (S/A/B/C), one two-champion pool plan, and a conclusion that tells you exactly how to use the list instead of swapping picks every loss.
How This Tier List Is Built For Climbing
Climbing champions win through repeatable patterns, not perfect scenarios. A strong solo queue pick usually checks at least two boxes: it can stabilize when behind (wave control, safe teamfight value, or utility), it can create action without needing full team coordination (pick threat, engage reliability, or objective setups), and it can punish common ranked mistakes (bad spacing, greedy side lanes, weak vision, sloppy recalls). The more your champion relies on teammates to start or finish plays, the more your results swing.
To keep the list practical, each role still gets two "commit picks" for your champion pool. The first is the safe climber: a reliable default you can blind more often and still have a plan. The second is the carry angle: a higher-control option you pick when you want more solo leverage or you see a favorable draft. The goal is not to find the one "broken" champion. The goal is to build a two-champ pool you can play cleanly for 20 games straight.
Important note: below you will also get a full S/A/B/C tier list per role (so the article is complete), but the highest win rate strategy is still the same: commit to two champions and execute a repeatable objective plan.
LoL Tier List Patch 26.03 by Role (2-Champion Pool Picks)
Use the table as your quick answer, then read the role blocks to understand how to convert the pick into wins. The role blocks are dense on purpose: they explain the win condition, what to do when the game is messy, and the one habit that usually decides whether the champion actually climbs or just looks good in theory.
| Role | Safe climber | Carry angle | What you are trying to do every game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | Gwen | Fiora | Scale into side lane pressure, then force responses that create objective windows |
| Jungle | Kha'Zix | Rammus | Create picks that convert into dragons, Herald, and towers instead of more fighting |
| Mid | Ahri | Veigar | Control mid tempo and punish oversteps, then turn catches into objectives |
| Bot (ADC) | Jinx | Twitch | Survive to core items, then win fights off resets or stealth timing |
| Support | Leona | Nautilus | Force clean engages and objective setups so random teams stop drifting |
LoL Tier List Patch 26.03 (S/A/B/C) By Role
These LoL tier lists are based on ranked Solo/Duo data for the current patch (Riot patch 26.03 / Patch 16.3), filtered to Platinum+ and Global. The tier grading uses large-sample performance over the last 7 days, so the lists answer "what is good right now" by role for climbing in uncoordinated solo queue. If you want the fastest climb, treat S-tier as your first pool candidates, A-tier as your matchup or comfort extensions, B-tier as playable but higher variance, and C-tier as "only if you are a specialist."
Top Lane Tier List (Patch 26.03)
| Tier | Champions |
|---|---|
| S tier | Garen, Sett, Mordekaiser, Zaahen, Jax, Malphite, Kayle, Ornn, Nasus, Gwen, Shen, Irelia |
| A tier | Volibear, Fiora, Tahm Kench, Urgot, Warwick, Poppy, Heimerdinger, Swain, Naafiri |
| B tier | Riven, Ambessa, Gnar, Tryndamere, K'Sante, Rumble, Gragas, Jayce, Vladimir, Quinn, Wukong, Sylas, Cassiopeia, Aurora |
| C tier | All other top laners not listed above (specialist or niche picks). |
Jungle Tier List (Patch 26.03)
| Tier | Champions |
|---|---|
| S tier | Kha'Zix, Briar, Master Yi, Shaco, Dr. Mundo, Volibear, Fiddlesticks, Amumu, Jax, Zac, Gwen, Zaahen, Evelynn, Naafiri, Rammus, Nasus |
| A tier | Viego, Diana, Kayn, Jarvan IV, Ekko, Nocturne, Rengar, Xin Zhao, Hecarim, Sylas, Warwick, Ambessa, Talon, Nunu, Malphite, Lillia, Wukong, Elise, Sejuani, Kindred, Bel'Veth, Rek'Sai, Trundle, Ivern |
| B tier | Lee Sin, Vi, Graves, Udyr, Qiyana |
| C tier | All other junglers not listed above (specialist or niche picks). |
Mid Lane Tier List (Patch 26.03)
| Tier | Champions |
|---|---|
| S tier | Ahri, Malzahar, Katarina, Zed, Veigar, Fizz, Kassadin, Naafiri, Lux, Ekko, Diana, Xerath, Aurelion Sol, Vel'Koz, Swain, Kayle, Malphite |
| A tier | Yasuo, Syndra, Akali, Yone, Viktor, Sylas, Mel, Galio, LeBlanc, Vex, Twisted Fate, Zoe, Akshan, Hwei, Anivia, Lissandra, Vladimir, Irelia, Aurora, Qiyana, Annie, Talon, Brand, Pantheon, Sion, Morgana |
| B tier | Ryze, Orianna, Azir, Taliyah, Cassiopeia, Smolder, Ziggs, Kennen |
| C tier | All other mid laners not listed above (specialist or niche picks). |
Bot Lane (ADC) Tier List (Patch 26.03)
| Tier | Champions |
|---|---|
| S tier | Caitlyn, Jinx, Smolder, Miss Fortune, Vayne, Twitch, Aphelios, Ashe, Samira, Sivir, Draven, Nilah, Veigar, Kog'Maw, Swain, Ziggs, Brand |
| A tier | Jhin, Kai'Sa, Ezreal, Yunara, Lucian, Tristana, Varus, Corki, Xayah, Zeri, Yasuo, Kalista, Senna, Mel, Lux |
| B tier | All bot laners below A tier not listed here (playable, but more draft/skill dependent). |
| C tier | Niche or off-meta bot laners not recommended for consistent climbing unless you are a specialist. |
Support Tier List (Patch 26.03)
| Tier | Champions |
|---|---|
| S tier | Nami, Thresh, Braum, Milio, Lulu, Leona, Morgana, Pyke, Sona, Soraka, Senna, Janna, Blitzcrank, Zyra, Vel'Koz, Zilean, Maokai |
| A tier | Nautilus, Karma, Bard, Lux, Seraphine, Alistar, Rakan, Brand, Yuumi, Swain, Pantheon, Tahm Kench, Neeko, Rell, Xerath, Taric, Poppy, Mel, Renata Glasc, Shaco, Ashe, Elise |
| B tier | All supports below A tier not listed here (playable, but more matchup/tempo sensitive). |
| C tier | Niche supports not recommended for consistent climbing unless you are a specialist. |
Top: Gwen (safe climber) and Fiora (carry angle)
Gwen climbs because she gives you a win condition that does not depend on your team calling perfect fights. Your job is to reach a stable item point, then become a side lane threat that demands answers. In solo queue, the enemy team will almost always mismanage waves, over-rotate, or take bad fights when they should respond to pressure. Gwen punishes that because she can threaten towers and still show up to fights as a real damage threat. The biggest mistake Gwen players make is treating every midgame as a teamfight simulator. You climb faster when you use side lane pressure to create numbers advantages before fights start.
Fiora is the carry angle when you want more direct side lane control. The tradeoff is execution: Fiora punishes positioning and wins 1v1s harder, but she also asks for cleaner wave and vision discipline because you are often deep. If you pick Fiora, play like a professional pessimist: shove, ward, track who can answer you, and leave early if you cannot see the punish. Your climb improves when your side lane pressure turns into free objectives, not when you die for one extra wave and donate a shutdown.
Jungle: Kha'Zix (safe climber) and Rammus (carry angle)
Kha'Zix is a classic climbing jungler because he turns one common ranked problem into a win condition: people are constantly isolated, overextended, or facechecking without support. Your plan is not to "farm forever then 1v9." Your plan is to create picks, then immediately convert to objectives. The easiest way to throw a Kha'Zix lead is to keep hunting kills when dragon or Herald is free. If you want consistent LP, treat every successful pick as a timer: take the objective, take plates, take vision, then reset and repeat.
Why he still fits as a safe climber here: you are not playing for coinflip fights or highlight dives. You are playing for information, isolation, and objective conversion. When you keep the plan simple, Kha'Zix produces steady wins in uncoordinated games.
Rammus is the carry angle when the enemy draft gives you a clear target profile to punish and your team needs a simple engage button. Rammus wins messy games because he removes decision-making from your teammates: you start the fight on your terms, lock a target, and force a numbers advantage. The most important habit on Rammus is restraint. Do not spam ganks that cost your tempo. Pick high-value windows, then be on time for objectives. Rammus with objective discipline is a climbing machine. Rammus without objective discipline is a highlight reel that loses dragons.
Draft rule for consistency: Rammus is strongest when the enemy relies on auto attacks and physical damage. If the target profile is not there, default to the safer, repeatable pick plan instead of forcing Rammus.
Mid: Ahri (safe climber) and Veigar (carry angle)
Ahri climbs because she is a tempo champion with safety and pick threat. In solo queue, mid is less about "winning lane by 30 CS" and more about who controls the first move to skirmishes and objectives. Ahri can stabilize lanes, avoid losing the game to one mistake, and still create catches that turn into dragons or towers. Your climbing habit on Ahri is simple: do not roam randomly. Push with intent, move with your jungler, and only take fights you can convert. Ahri feels weak when you chase kills. Ahri feels broken when you chain catches into map control.
Veigar is the carry angle for players who want a clearer late-game "I win this fight" button. He thrives in solo queue because games often drag and teams misposition into punish windows. Your job is to turn midgame into controlled zones: hold waves, punish anyone who steps too far, and make objective fights impossible to approach cleanly. The biggest Veigar throw is ego flanking or random facechecks. You climb when you force the enemy to walk into your control, not when you walk into theirs.
Bot: Jinx (safe climber) and Twitch (carry angle)
Jinx is a safe climber because her win condition triggers off the most common solo queue mistake: bad spacing in teamfights. You do not need a perfect lane. You need a clean midgame where you are alive, farming, and ready to take the first reset. After that, one reset can flip the entire fight. The habit that decides your climb on Jinx is positioning discipline. If you die first, your champion does nothing. If you stay alive and hit the closest target, your champion wins fights that look unwinnable five seconds earlier.
Twitch is the carry angle when you want more agency in messy games. He punishes poor vision and poor coordination harder than most ADCs, which is exactly what solo queue provides. The tradeoff is that you must manage tempo and stealth timing instead of autopiloting lane. If you pick Twitch, stop thinking in terms of "I must win lane." Think in terms of "I must arrive to the fight alive with a timing window." You climb when your stealth appears at the right moment, not when you take every risky trade early.
Support: Leona (safe climber) and Nautilus (carry angle)
Leona climbs because she makes random teams playable. She creates straightforward engages, punishes misposition, and turns vision control into fights on your terms. In solo queue, games are lost because teams drift around objectives and take random skirmishes. Leona fixes that by forcing a clear start to fights and making it easier for your team to follow. The habit that matters most is timing: engage when your team can hit, not when you feel bored. If you engage alone, you are not "making a play," you are feeding.
Nautilus is the carry angle when you want similar engage reliability with slightly different pick patterns and more frequent catch potential. The same rule applies: your value is not KDA, your value is objective conversion. Use picks to secure vision, start dragons, and take towers. If you want LP, stop measuring your support impact by how many hooks you land. Measure it by how many objectives your team gets after the hook lands.
Two-Champion Pool Plan That Actually Climbs
Pick one role. Lock two champions: one safe climber and one carry angle. Play the safe pick when you are tired, when the draft is unclear, or when you need consistency. Play the carry pick when you see a clear reason: the enemy has a target profile you punish, or you know you can execute the champion without coinflipping fights. This keeps your improvement fast because you learn matchups, wave control, and objective timings instead of relearning new kits every week.
Use a simple rule for champion swaps: you do not add a third champion until you can answer two questions without guessing. First, what is your lane plan for the first 8 minutes. Second, what is your midgame plan around the next two objectives. If you cannot answer those, the problem is fundamentals, not tier list. Two champions are enough to climb while you fix the real reasons you lose games.
Conclusion
Patch 26.03 climbing is not about chasing a different champion every time the meta shifts. It is about repeatable win conditions and low-variance execution. That is why this list favors champions with clear patterns: Gwen and Fiora for side lane pressure, Kha'Zix and Rammus for pick-to-objective conversion, Ahri and Veigar for mid control and punish, Jinx and Twitch for teamfight or timing-based carries, and Leona and Nautilus for engage that makes solo queue playable. Use the list correctly and it will feel unfair. Choose one role, commit to two champions, and play for objectives instead of ego fights. If you do that for 20 games, your results will stabilize and you will start climbing even if your teammates remain unpredictable.
If you want the fastest improvement, track only three things each game: deaths before objectives, missed wave timings, and fights you took without a conversion plan. Fix those, and the champions in this tier list will start winning harder, because the picks were never the limiting factor. Your decision-making was.