League of Legends’ champion roster is increasing as the months go by, with most champions being forgotten as better versions of those units get released. Riot Games has introduced so many different characters that it’s hard to keep track of every single one and it’s even harder to unlock them all. Today, we’ll be talking about the least played champions in League of Legends and how come they have become largely ignored by the community.
The Least Played Champions in League of Legends
There are 160 champions in League of Legends as of June 22, 2022, with even more announced to come in the near future. In a ranked League of Legends match, you’ll only be able to see 10 unique champions being played and up to 10 champions being banned. Even though the community’s preference is diverse, there are simply some champions who have fallen off in the eyes of the fans that they’ve simply had a terrible global pick rate in the game.
There are many reasons why a champion drops in popularity. It can range from difficulty, outdatedness, usefulness, and aesthetic. While there is no champion currently that has a ZERO percent pick rate, there are some who have dropped below 1% of the total playerbase, which can be considered an anomaly since that means the champion hasn’t been picked consistently and most players will almost never see these champions at all. Now, let’s take a look at the least played champions in the game:
5. Bard | 0.9% Pick Rate
Bard is a support pick that has fallen in terms of popularity due to his unique playstyle. Most players don’t want to play as Bard and even more hate playing with a Bard pick. While the support pool isn’t that huge as compared to other roles, he still managed to dip below 1% because there are only a few players who would play this pick unironically and most of them are probably one-tricks who are loyal to the playstyle of this champion.
The main reason players hate playing Bard is because he’s extremely boring. His passive requires him to collect Chimes around the map, forcing him to leave lane often trying to move from one place to another which is an absolute chore. If you’re an ADC playing solo queue, you would hate the fact that your support player is constantly leaving you because you’re always vulnerable to a 2v1 attempt. He’s the least played champions in the support role by a large margin.
4. Gragas | 0.7% Pick Rate
Gragas is one of the oldest champions in League of Legends that hasn’t received a rework yet in terms of visual and gameplay changes. Needless to say, the fact that he’s outdated really makes it really hard to play him and there isn’t really any redeeming factor to his character’s existence aside from being something funny to pick once in a while. He dips back into popularity once in a while, but he is often a dead pick that you’ll never see other players enjoy.
You’ll understand why Gragas is one of the least played champions if you actually tried to use him in a game. His abilities feel so wonky and difficult to control because of his outdated design as compared to the fast paced gameplay that you get from more recent champions. Fortunately, he’s not a completely irrelevant champion since he finds himself being usable as a powerful AP tank that has one of the most powerful engage tools.
3. Rumble | 0.6% Pick Rate
Rumble is another champion that players refuse to play, but for a different reason. In this instance, Rumble is ignored simply because he’s a completely difficult champion to play that requires players to achieve a high level of mastery either in the game, in general, or on the champion itself especially in higher ELOs. Otherwise, there’s nothing you can really do to succeed on this champion so players tend to ignore him completely.
The problem with Rumble is that he has too many self restrictions that make him really hard to play unless you constantly manage your resources properly. However, it’s not really worth doing so half the time because there are simply a lot more champions out there that are easier to play and has a similar function. The only reason you would really play Rumble is to flex your master over the champion against other players.
2. Elise | 0.4% Pick Rate
Elise is a really sad case because she became one of the least played champions not because of her playstyle or design, it’s simply because she became overshadowed by other champions who could do what she does better. While her design isn’t completely outdated, it simply isn’t worth playing her as a champion because all her redeeming factors have been stolen by more modern designs.
There’s really nothing amazing about Elise and the players who use her regularly are probably only doing it for… the art. Someone’s gotta be loyal to the queen, right? If Riot Games can give Evelynn the rework she has right now as compared to her previous design before, maybe they can do the same for Elise so that she can rebuild her identity as a jungle and return as a top AP jungler that can clear the camps quickly and execute powerful ganks.
1. Aurelion Sol | 0.3% Pick Rate
Aurelion Sol is the least played champion in League of Legends, because he’s also the hardest champion to learn. This champion is a literal cosmic deity and it would take League of Legends deity to play them properly as well. If you’re not a high ELO player, this champion will be the worst champion that you will ever see in the game but if you are, then he would look pretty decent. That’s why almost nobody wants to play him.
The great thing about Aurelion Sol is that he motivates players to get better at the game. Those who get interested in his playstyle often find themselves playing this champion more and eventually have this as a pocket pick. Unfortunately, his game-breaking plays are really hard to execute and he’s not as influential most times so only those that have the patience to master him will really get rewarded.
