Free Agent - NA
A detailed list of all champions and their fit in the current Meta. For those who do not know, the meta right now is in a very unique spot. Since the Cauterize Nerfs, Any champion who has a lot of self sustain will be great, and most Card builds have shifted towards a self sustaining play style. Additionally, due to Damage reduction champions falling off in terms of usefulness in favor of these self healing play styles, champions with high base damages are now more useful as one shotting is easier than ever. Most importantly, Champions who offer zone denial shine above the rest in terms of usefulness to the team due to their ability to put people into bad positions to be easily picked off.
s+
Absolutely the best champ in the right hands, but also completely useless in the hands of someone who doesn't know what they are doing. Definitely a Pick or ban. Awful to fight against and honestly to play with as well because if the Torvald has a brain the game becomes boring with how free the win is. Torvald is so good because of his ability to enable the Flanks to really just dominate everyone with his shielding and his ability to lock down a target. He is getting nerfed soon so expect Torvald to go down in ranking in the near future.
s
Definitely your Pick or ban champions. These guys are obnoxious to fight against and all of them are capable of single-handedly winning games.
-Barik's sustain after the Cauterize nerfs are out of this world and with the Cooldown Reset card for Rocket boots, his mobility is equally insane, and with Architectonics, he also dishes out high damage over time. A really solid tank all around.
-While having less overall healing than other healers, Jenos Luminary card allows him to really enable the DPS to shine bright in a similar fashion to Torvald. On top of that Jenos ability to peel for others and also escape bad situations really puts him above the other healers. He is the best Enabler healer right now.
-Furia is good for almost the exact same reasons as Jenos and both are really on par with one another. Furia has way more healing than Jenos for sure and is much more difficult to catch if played right than a jenos is. Really solid healer all around and obnoxious for some champions to catch. She is the best single target healer right now for sure.
-Zone denial is the name of the game and no one does it better than Bomb King. Due to Damage Reduction being less valuable this patch, Bomb King can really take over a game with how much damage he can dish out. Bomb Kings Grumpy bomb is obnoxious to deal with for the tanks and can single-handedly win fights if placed well.
-Zhin and Koga are very similar champions in terms of playstyle. Both have lots of Immortality Frames with their abilities and in the right hands can absolutely dominate matches. Best when paired with Jenos or Torvald if you can get them. I would definatley place higher value in most situations on Zhin, but both are really solid picks.
s-
Bannable in only specific scenarios such as map etc.
-A good Raum is very difficult to deal with due to how effectively he can dive backlines, get a pick, and get out without dying. he is such a nuisance to fight against and really takes a lot of pressure off the rest of the team when used properly, allowing them to shine.
-Inara is one of the only solid counters to Raum due to her Cripple, and some of her cards allow her to self sustain quite well, that combined with decent Damage reduction in her kit and you got yourself a really solid Tank all around if you can properly play her.
-Khan has healing in his kit and the ability to get himself in and out of sticky situations pretty easily, and on top of that his Throw CC lasts for a ridiculously long time without CC reduction. I would consider Khan's Throw to be more annoying to deal with than a Makoa's Hook for sure, and even worse, if your a tank it almost forces you to build CC Reduction just for this ability due to how long it lasts.
-Cassie has always been a solid pick and in the right hands she can become an unstoppable killing machine. Good damage and good escape potential.
-Makoa feels less useful this patch overall compared to previous patches but he still has one of the most useful mechanics in the game on his kit, his Hook ability. In high ELO, a hooked player is usually a free kill and for that alone, Makoa is still a top pick.
-Evie is an absolute nightmare to deal with in the hands of a good player. her ability to delay point caps by blinking on and off point during overtime, and ice blocking point, the amount of mobility in her kit as well really just makes her such a nuisance. The Teemo of Paladins for sure and for good reason. If she is picked against you make sure you take her out as soon as possible. if left unchecked she will take over the game.
-Androxus has really solid damage and mobility similarly to Evie with a lot of potential to also take over a game and his absorb allows him to get out of sticky situations really well when played properly.
-Strix got bumped up in this Meta due to his ability to one tap people with his high base damage, and he has the tools to kill flanks as well. Solid pick all around, on the right map can take over the game if left unchecked.
-Terminus has been my main since he was first released. Ive seen every single meta and by far this one is the worst for his playstyle. While the new absorption builds help his survivability in a new and unique way that allows him to sustain better overall, he is outtraded by a lot of the other tanks and his flanking potential is massively hindered by CC which a lot of the top champions have in spades over terminus and as a result his value as a tank goes down compared to the other tanks in this tier. Still a great pick that has a lot of potential to really pop off if left unchecked and with a good healer supporting him, but it is MUCH harder to survive overall compared to previous patches. if he didnt have the absorb build, he would be WAY lower on the list.
a+
These champions are solid picks that are typically never worth banning. Each has the potential to do well but pop off hard carry games are seen less often than the above tiers. Great situational picks.
-Grover on enclosed maps has very good sustain and his Root can be chain cc'd off of, usually leading to picks when the Grover lands it, in a similar vain to Makoa, and for that Grover is a very solid pick for certain maps. His healing output is very high on enclosed close quarters maps.
-Maldamba has been seeing less use in this patch and has fallen in tier due to other healers such as furia just doing his job better than he can, with more reliable CC and healing overall, but that doesn't mean Maldamba is a bad pick. still very strong in the right hands and does provide a lot of Aoe healing.
-Ying has very solid healing and great ability to escape bad situations but Ying also in most cases requires a lot more effort to pull off well compared to some of the higher tier characters with how her clones work. Not a bad character by any means, just lower value overall to some of the other healers.
-Maeve is very squishy and struggles against the champions she is supposed to assassinate a lot of the time due to CC being so prevalent in the meta making it difficult for Maeve to really pop off and do her job well. That being said, Maeve in the hands of a good player still has the potential to really dominate a match.
-Atlas, similarly to Grover, is only really really good on specific maps and in specific matchups. He is a hard counter to Hard engage champions due to his rewind ability and for that alone he is a solid pick especially into Terminus. Hard to justify this pick without specifically picking for a counter however. Practically every other tank does his job better. Also he does take some game awareness and skill. More often than not especially in low ELO you will see Atlas resetting enemies putting them into better positions to survive or get additional kills, effectively helping the enemy team rather than your own. Definitely don't recommend this pick if your ranked below Plat 1.
-Victor is a very solid pick all around if you need long range damage. He is easy to play and is an all around reliable pick to have on your team. If you don't take out Victor early he can wipe teams easily and a good victor can be a chore to catch. That being said Victor does get rekt by some of the more meta Flanks if you aren't in a position to deal with it properly.
-Lian is very similar in almost every way to Victor, solid pick all around, providing good damage and good mobility.
-In higher Ranked game play Ash is higher priority than some other picks in the list and is definately more valuable than A+, id honestly put Ash in Diamond+ games at an S tier champion due to her ability to get picks and zone players off of point into bad situations, but she is definitely a harder champion than some of the other tanks on this list to pull off well. Her sustain isn't the greatest and neither is her damage reduction across the board but in the hands of a highly skilled player Ash can perform very well and set up a lot of kills for her team. Also very good at delaying points with her ult and her ult can be used to get picks on back line carries and the healer quite easily with a good team backing you up. That being said, outside of high level play, don't expect any ash you play with to know what they are doing. Overall an A+.
-Due to the Cauterize changes, buck is rising in the tier list and is definitely a solid pick that can take over the game, however he is much harder to pull off than some of the more meta picks. In the hands of an experienced player, Buck has the potential to absolutely DOMINATE the game, 1v5ing everyone. However, pulling him off properly requires a LOT of game knowledge and proper execution unless the players you are fighting against are garbage.
-Grohk has been hidden overpowered for a very long time now and is easily one of the most underrated champions in Paladins. While is healing output is very low, among the lowest in the game of all the healers (with champions like skye even outhealing grohk in most scenarios), Grohks damage potential is absolutely insane especially against champions who spawn entities such as Barik and Ying. Grohk is a great counter pick to these types of champions because his lightning can chain off their entities. I've seen Grohks with 150k + damage consistently in my games. On top of his damage, he does provide at least SOME additional off healing for the party with his totem, and his survivability is very good when played correctly. Definitely a slept on pick for sure. Play Grohk DPS, you won't regret it I promise.
a
These champions are solid enough picks that are strong in the right hands, but usually are counterable in most cases. Very good situational picks to specific match ups.
-Io has great healing output and her damage reduction ultimate card can be very useful for keeping your tanks alive. that being said, Io struggles to survive against flanks without the help of her team and often times she feels very squishy. Her play style is very unique in that, in order to survive most situations you have to continue to heal someone else rather than directly fighting against your attacker. This is due to her self healing cards which come in handy when trying to survive a flank. Great if you have a team to play around her, not so great otherwise but can still be made to work.
-Imani has solid damage across the board and her ultimate is pretty impactful on the game. That being said Imani in most cases is just a downgrade pick to some of the higher tier champions on this list. She can be used to great effect in specific scenarios but it is definitely an uphill battle.
-Kinessa is a great pick overall, however Strix usually will out snipe you and you can be very easy to catch by flanks. She does provide more utility than Strix and she can work in place of Strix if you prefer her playstyle over Strix.
-Drogoz is capable of pumping out tremendous damage onto an enemy team making him definately a solid pick all around. That being said he struggles in this meta due to most of the higher picks on this tier list directly countering Drogoz playstyle. Solild pick but usually not worth it unless on specific maps that allow him to really shine.
-Skye is a nuisance to deal with most of the time due to her ability to provide a lot of off healing for the team. Skye can actually heal more in some situations than some of the other healers on this list surprisingly with her healing ultimate card. She is also very useful for picking off both tanks and squishies alike due to her poisons. Despite this, skye is very squishy herself and most of the higher picks on this tier list can easily deal with her. In the right hands, she is a really good pick.
-Sha Lin is a high skill cap champion for sure. If you can aim really well and make effective use of his kit he can definately take over a game, however its pretty rare for this to happen, as the current meta doesn't allow him to do so most of the time. He definitely gets outperformed by higher tier picks but can be a justifiable pick on the right maps.
-Tyra is actually very underrated in this Meta mainly due to her zoning potential with her fire grenade, which does tremendous damage if you aren't able to quickly escape the area, which is usually pretty difficult, considering the fact that her fire grenade cripples. She absolutely MELTS tanks. Tyra does, however, get shit on pretty hard by a lot of the higher tier champions and as a result isn't higher on the list. Despite what others will tell you, Tyra is definately not a bad champion at all in this Meta.
a-
Very underwhelming champions who struggle to impact the game but in the right hands can still be played with some success. Hard to justify these picks over almost any other picks in most situations however.
-Ruckus is extremely underwhelming in terms of flanking and point capture potential, and his ultimate can put him in a position to be easily picked off by the enemy's long range damage. Despite this though, he can be played effectively around with other tanks as a secondary tank for sure, but only if the main tank is focusing on Point capture and peeling off the teammates only. Ruckus is generally very bad compared to almost every other tank in the game by comparison but can work in specific scenarios if your team plays around you properly. Honestly, if your looking to play this flank heavy run and gun playstyle that Ruckus brings to the table, save your TP and your team some frustration and just Pick Raum or Terminus. Both of those champions can do everything ruckus can do, better than Ruckus ever could.
-Fernando has low impact on a game due to his damage output being generally lower than most tanks, and with many high damage carries being able to shred through his shields, Fernando provides almost nothing to the team in most scenarios. however, he does serve as a great counter pick to some of the higher pick priority champions due to his ultimate alone. In most cases however, your just better off picking any of the other tanks in the game.
-Talus provides a lot of single target damage and in the hands of a good player is a nuisance to deal with for sure. That being said, talus is easily picked off in most scenarios and if the tanks know how to properly peel off their supports, Talus will have a very hard time finding success in most situations.
b
Picks that can be played with success in specific scenarios. Will definitely be an uphill battle to get anything done for sure.
-Willo has great zoning potential, but unfortunately her damage is still very one dimensional and her kit is easy to counter, resulting in a champion that rarely can get anything done in most scenarios. Everyone already knows to walk out of her no healing zone for the most part. Also Willo gets absolutely destroyed by the current meta flankers due to how squishy she is.
-Pip has a lot of bugs that really hinder his ability to be played properly and his healing output is generally very unreliable as well. Flank pip is usually seen a troll pick due to how little damage you usually output in a fight, however his one saving grace is his ult. A well placed ultimate can win a fight and for that reason alone pip isn't in C tier.
-Moji also has a very one dimensional kit that is easily countered if you know how to deal with the champion and as a result is rarely ever useful. Due to her ability to deal tremendous damage to stacked targets, and that type of playstyle rarely seeing play in the meta currently with zoning characters being so prevalent and dominant, Moji rarely gets to pop off in fights. The only reason Moji isn't C tier is because her ultimate is able to pick off a high priority target in a fight quite easily, giving her at least SOME usefulness. Moji really is a troll pick in most scenarios though. I will say, however, that in Ranked matches below Platinum, Moji is actually a solid pick. For Bronze to Gold, i would put Moji in A tier simply due to the fact that most low ELO players do not know how to properly deal with Moji at all and as a result Moji can tilt entire enemy teams when they feel hes too difficult to kill, basically winning you games for free. As you climb into higher rating though, definitely start looking to playing other champions.
c
Probably not worth picking due to how unreliable their kits are.
-Vivian has low damage and a very 1 dimensional kit that hardly has any impact on the game in most cases and as a result its very hard to justify ever picking Vivian over Victor or Tyra or really any other damage dealer in the game.
-While zoning is the name of the game in this Meta, dredge has a very one dimensional kit that is easily countered and played around leaving you with a champion that has almost no impact on a match. He's very good if other champions who like to group up and fry champions are also good, such as Seris or Moji. Unfortunately in this meta that is rarely doable.
d
Never play these champions ever. they are DOGSHIT and you will be flamed for picking them in any game that has players with a brain.
-Seris has the worst healing output of any champion in the game (yes even worse than Grohk) and also has a very useless kit all around. Her ultimate is her only redeeming quality and even then, its not worth ever picking this champion for in the current meta. If you pick this champion, expect to be flamed by everyone. she is the literal worst champion in Paladins and is in drastic need of buffs or a rework. She struggles to keep even the most self reliant tanks alive due to her low healing output which forces your tanks to play less aggressive just because you picked Seris which usually always leads to less pressure on Point captures which leads to more lost games as a result. DO, NOT. PLAY.
-Lex is easily cornered and killed, his mobility is really useless compared to almost every other champion and his damage is awful. Anyone who knows how to fight a Lex is going to destroy you. Your trolling if you pick this champion. Expect to be flamed and 4x Reported for throwing the match. He is below Seris for a reason. While Seris provides atleast SOME sort of usefulness to a team composition, Lex provides nothing to the team whatsoever. He is an anchor weighing your team down... cut the fucking rope and swim away.