Breaking into a game as well-defined as League of Legends can be a daunting experience, but it doesn’t have to be impossible, and it gets easier when you sort out your main roles. We have put together a guide that will help you understand each role as well as the playstyles associated with the role, to help you figure out the best way you will be able to make an impact and contribute to your team. Check out our run down of the roles, consider what would best fit your style of gameplay, and take that onto the lane in your next match.

The Purpose and Playstyle of Each Role

As a starting point, the roles in League of Legends can be broken down into 5 main categories. You have Top Lane, Jungle, Mid Lane, Bot Lane, and Support. Each role can spin off into different styles, but their overall goals are going to remain the same. Throughout the guide, we’re going to provide you with an overview of the role, and then a run-through of the main playstyles that fit into each role.

Top Lane

Regardless of the playstyle of choice, when it comes to the Top Laner the goal is consistent, generating pressure for your teammates. You might be doing this solo or with your teammates, but you’re going to be pressuring the opposition with your efforts.

Split Push

One of the most common strategies with the Top Lane is the split push. Utilizing Champions such as Yorick, Camille, Fiora or Tryndamere just to name a few, you will be shoving lanes and dropping turrets. The primary goal here is to generate that pressure by constantly pushing beyond a big objective and attempting to make a dent in your opponent’s base. If these champions are left unaddressed for too long, they can easily decide the game on their own efforts. If you’re looking to take on a steady stream of duels and outplaying your opponents, you’re probably going to enjoy the Top Lane.

Front Line Tanks

The tank playstyle is another common tactic from Top Lanes, using tanky Champions like Malphite, Ornn, Mundo, or Sion. These walking meat shields generate pressure by creating space for your teammates to fight in as you push against the enemy’s line. If you are a player who enjoys being up in the opponent’s face and in the mix of every battle, pick a tank and become the immovable object on your team’s front line.

Fighters

Rounding out the most common Top Lane playstyles is the fighter, with Darius, Riven, Renekton, and Irelia as the Champions you will likely see in the role. These are Champions who can throw down against multiple enemies simultaneously, being able to serve as a sort of hybrid between a tank and a split pusher. The combination of a high damage output with their beefy defensive stats enables fighters to stay in the battle longer while adding steady pressure to the opposition. Your enemies can either choose to peel them away from their carries or suffer the consequences.

The Rest

There are a few other niche playstyles that fit within the Top Lane, but they typically are all attempting to achieve the same goal that we talked about earlier; generating pressure. Akshan’s ability to eliminate targets quickly, Singed’s speedy poison, and Shen’s high utility all work towards expanding those Top Lane playstyles. If you feel as though you’ve got the basics of the Top Lane down to a science, get experimental.

Jungle

Arguably the most influential and impactful role in League, the Jungler is looking to secure objectives around the map and provide an impact for teammates. Here are some of the playstyles you can use to achieve those goals.

Power Gankers

The bread and butter of the Jungle role, the ganking Jungler continues to haunt the nightmares of players across the other roles. Using Champions like Nunu, Jarvan, and Rek’sai, Junglers are able to create pressure by ganking lanes and providing their teammates with space and momentum, which leads to more secured objectives. Once you’ve found the Champion that works best for your Jungling, you’ll be able to return to the scene of the crime over and over again to continue ganking your victims.

Power Farmers

Next in line for the Jungle role is the power farmers. Using Evelynn or Shyvana, you might look to farm up to level 6 and enjoy that massive power jump. Alternatively, you might use Master Yi or Karthus to farm up 2 or 3 items as fast as possible and begin bullying your less-farmed opposition. Either way, you’re taking a Champion that is going to scale their power, come online, and immediately take control of the game.

Skirmishers

The last of the primary Jungle playstyles, the skirmishers are there to serve as something of a middle point between the power farmers and the gankers. With Champions such as Xin Zhao, Udyr, Bel’veth, Kindred, or others, you will look to aggressively fight to help your team build up a lead and use that lead to scale power significantly. These are Champions who are going to offer high early-game damage, as well as an extremely high potential to snowball. If you’re looking to take on all challengers and create some outright chaos, this is the way to go.

The Rest

Similar to the Top Lane role, the Jungle has its own niche playstyle options. Zac, Viego, Rammus, and Taliyah are just a few of the Champions that can fit into a few of the main categories with playstyles that are strong but could take some getting used to.

Mid Lane

Using their centralized location on the map, Mid Laners will work to impact the map in quite a few different ways. Mid Lane is able to really spread the love, similar to the Jungle role, as they can travel to their teammates to offer some assistance. What the Mid Lane lacks in overall control compared to the Jungle role, it makes up for in the variety and versatility of the role.

Mages (Control & Damage)

A trusty standard playstyle for the Mid Lane is the mage, the primary source of AP in League. You can split the mage into two groups; control mages and high-damage mages. Anivia, Viktor, Vex, and Cassiopeia are some of the common control mages you will see, with their abilities to create space and dominate team fights and skirmishes alike with their steady output of damage.

Ahri, Xerath, and Vladimir are some of the Champions you will see as examples of high-damage mages, Champions who will often work to reach a power spike before dumping as much damage into each fight as possible. Figure out if you are the type of player who enjoys micromanaging fights as a control mage, or living up to that AP Carry label as the high-damage mage, and make this your go-to role.

Assassins

The next Mid Lane playstyle is all about targeting and eliminating a priority carry as quickly as possible, a goal that Champions like Leblance, Zed, Katarina, and Akali all excel at. Utilizing their ability to dish out high burst damage through the early game as well as their outstanding mobility, this playstyle exists to keep the opponent’s carries in check. If you are a fan of ninjaing around the map and outplaying your enemies, you’re going to enjoy the assassin.

Roamers

The last of the core Mid Lane playstyles, the roamer, focuses on clearing waves and staying mobile to make their impact on the map. Roamers will work to get fed and then wander off, roam, and gank other lanes. Talon, Akshan, Twisted Fate, and Taliyah are Champions who fit the playstyle well, utilizing their unique mobility to help out their teammates away from the Mid Lane.

The Rest

You are probably noticing a theme, and yes, there are even more niche or sub-categorized options for the Mid Lane playstyle. The more powerful AD fighters such as Yasuo or Renekton, or AP Champions who scale extremely well like Kassadin can be a great fit on the Mid Lane. Yone is a Champion who can fit as more of a balance between the two, and there are other options that serve to overlap with the Mid Lane playstyles. Keep the core concept of the Mid Lane in mind and you can get creative with the Champion selection for the role.

Bot Lane

Players in this role are often referred to as ADCs and primarily look to deal consistent damage while also enabling their team to take objectives. If you’re interested in being the freight train for your team that steadily gains steam and momentum, these playstyles could be the perfect fit.

Early Game Fighters

The early-game fighter makes up one of the core Bot Lane playstyles, often using Champions that feature high base damage which makes them perfect for earning that huge early-game lead. Lucian, Samira, and Draven are Champions that fit the bill, using that early-game advantage to secure objectives, take down turrets, and snowball into the late game.

Hyper Scalers

The opposite end of the spectrum from the early game fighter is the hyper scales, Champions who tend to scale up at about the third item and take over the game. Jinx, Aphelios, and Kog’maw are some of the Champions that represent the hyper-scaler playstyle. They may be a bit weak in the early game, but they will make up for it once they are powered up in the late game.

Utility Marksmen

Champions such as Ashe, Jhin, and Varu are good examples of the utility marksmen role, as they provide wave priority and other utility. These are Champions who can keep opponents busy while their teammates catch up, and they also dish out a fair amount of damage in their own right.

The Rest

There are a few Champions that either don’t really fit into the other playstyles, or fit into a mix of each of them. There are mages like Seraphine who can offer up utility, Veigar who can scale up damage, Yasuo who is there to follow up, and other examples. If you are someone who wants to consistently push out the damage, the Bot Lane could be the role for you.

Support

Last but not least, the Support rounds out the list of core League of Legends roles. This role makes its impact by providing their teammate with a variety of supporting tools, as well as maintaining vision control of the map. The task of managing the team’s vision while also denying the opponents is a critical aspect of the Support role.

Enchanters

The true embodiment of the support role, enchanters look to empower their teammates with heals, shields, and other utility. Some enchanters may even debuff the enemies with their utility. Champions like Yuumi, Lulu, and Soraka would be a good starting point for the enchanter playstyle. These Champions may be weaker during the early game, but they will make up for it as they scale into the late game.

Engage Tanks

Making themselves at home on the frontline, engage tanks serve as the playmaker for their teams at times. Champions such as Leona, Rell, and Nautilus offer decently beefy stats while also featuring a ton of lock down. These engage tanks are there to use their CC or use their kit to lock down enemies and help protect their carries.

Damage Dealers

Finally, the last of the popular Support role playstyles are the damage dealers. These Supports can be a bit non-traditional, and they’re occasionally even controversial. Brand, Vel’koz, and Heimerdinger are Champions who can deal a ton of damage throughout the game, and they serve as an additional early game carry as a result of their strength throughout that phase. They fit the support role by drawing attention from their teammates with the damage they are dishing out, as well as their ability to remove key targets from the battle.

The Rest

There are a few niche playstyle options that combine the different aspects of the styles within the Support role. Rakan is a bit of an odd mix between an enchanter and an engage while a Champion like Bard has the ability to roam around and make plays. Remember to control the vision for your team and maintain that focus on helping out your teammates and you’ll already have a leg up as a Support player.

Great Role Pairings

Alright, we have covered the basics of each role and the variety of playstyles offered by each, now we need to talk about how they compliment each other to make you a better overall player and teammate. Consider first, is the knowledge transferrable between the roles? Next, ask yourself if there are any overlapping Champions across the two roles. Lastly, are there any playstyles that overlap across multiple roles? Looking at your role selection through this framework is going to enable you to be much more efficient and versatile.

Top & Mid

These two roles compliment each other well as they offer a ton of flexibility between their pool of Champions. Though the lanes may be different sizes, Champions such as Malphite, Kled, Irelia, Aatrox and Renekton can be great options to learn Mid Lane. Alternatively, a number of Mid Lane Champions are great options to trade and punish mistakes, making them a great fit for the Top Lane.

Jungle & Support

These two roles may seem to be a bit of a style clash to you now, but they’re actually quite similar in playstyle. That being said, there may not be as much Champion overlap, but the playstyle similarities between enchanters and Ivern, or a power ganker like Nunu and a support like Nautilus. Another similarity is that both roles are dependent on knowing where your team’s vision is place and where the opponent’s vision has been cleared. Once you have figured out jungling, you’ll adapt nicely to roaming as a support.

Mid & Bot

Given that both ADC and Mid Lane rely so heavily on wave management, jungle tracking and trading patterns, this is another great pairing for a player’s roles. It is another example where there is not as much Champion overlap, but the playstyles offer a great deal of similarities. Building up your skill with an early game damage dealer such as Samira as a Bot Lane can work to help you learn Kassadin as well as Jinx. A Champion like Seraphine can even offer a great middle ground by providing utility in both Mid and Bot Lane.

Bot & Support

With the Bot and Support roles, the knowledge is easily transferrable both ways. Champions may not overlap, but the playstyles offer a significant amount of overlap. If you have been maining early game fighters as an ADC, you will adapt well to the engage tank role as well as the damage dealers due to their early game presence. Additionally, hyper scalers and enchanters are similar in the sense that they both have to play more conservatively throughout the early game, before scaling into becoming real problems for their enemies later on. When you put your mind to learning one of the playstyles, you’ll adapt quickly to the other.

Now Put it into Practice

We have gone through each of the roles as well as their most common playstyles, while also offering up some suggestions on Champions to apply to each. Now you have to hit the field and put it into practice. Consider your own playstyle and tendencies and then identify which playstyle would serve as the best fit and give it a try. As you become more experienced with that playstyle, check out one of the playstyles that we have explained features a lot of overlap and begin to experiment with that as well. Within no time, you’ll know exactly which roles you will be able to offer the biggest impact with.