Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Librarian Husky. Today, we’ll provide you with three champions for every single role that are amazing solo carries for Patch 14.16 .

Top Lane: Urgot in Patch 14.16

Making his way into the top three for this patch is Urgot . Urgot has been an S-tier solo queue pick for a while now, but he gets even better this patch with the buffs to Black Cleaver. Urgot is one of the few champions who actually rushes Black Cleaver, so he benefits from the buff a lot earlier in the game than most champions who use the item.

Urgot’s Strengths and Matchups

Urgot is one of the better blind pick champions you can play in the top lane because there are very few matchups that he hard loses. Urgot has one of the best level ones in the game due to his E, allowing you to trade aggressively right from the start. Many champions look to play off of a level two or three power spike, but Urgot is stronger than most top laners right from level one.

Urgot’s Build and Strategy

Ranged top laners can pose more difficulties for Urgot , so avoiding someone like Vayne or banning her out is a good idea. The standard core build for Urgot revolves around a Black Cleaver rush, followed by Hullbreaker second and Sterak’s Gage third. Even after the recent nerfs to Fleet Footwork, it still outperforms Press the Attack. If you’re really confident in your Urgot and know your matchups well, then taking Press the Attack (PTA) is an option.

Choosing the Right Build for Urgot

When you know you can pressure early on, Press the Attack (PTA) can work great. However, if you’re newer to Urgot or aware of being in a more difficult matchup, Fleet Footwork will provide more consistent value.

Top Lane Solo Carry: Aatrox

For our second solo carry selection in the top lane, it’s going to be Aatrox . When piloted well, Aatrox possesses some of the most powerful skirmishing strength among top laners. His damage output and sustain can be ridiculous, making Aatrox very rewarding to play as you can completely take over games when you get a lead, relying very little on your teammates to succeed.

Aatrox’s Build and Playstyle

What’s great about Aatrox right now is that you can run both bruiser and lethality builds. Eclipse, with Serylda’s Grudge and Sterak’s Gage, is the most popular core build for Aatrox . However, going with Ravenous Hydra and Serylda’s Grudge can also be highly effective. Aatrox is a better blind pick now due to the flexibility of these two builds. You can prioritize the bruiser setup against other bruisers or tanks, while the lethality setup can shine against more squishy compositions.

Aatrox’s Matchups and Runes

When it comes to banning champions, Fiora is never a bad choice, as her W and mobility make landing Aatrox ‘s Qs consistently much more difficult. The optimal rune page for Aatrox consists of Conqueror with Triumph, Legend: Tenacity, and Last Stand. For secondaries, Second Wind and Revitalize provide additional sustain and resilience in lane.

Strong and Easy-to-Play Top Lane Fighter: Volibear

If you want a fighter who’s easier to pick up but equally as strong as Aatrox , Volibear is the champion to choose. Volibear thrives at taking short trades early in lane, providing both damage and a shield that gives him an edge in many early fights. Playing around the spell’s cooldowns is crucial. Even though E is the spell you max out last on Volibear , taking it at level one is key as it allows you to easily win level one trades. Like Urgot , Volibear’s level one is quite powerful, so you can gain an advantage in lane right from the start.

Volibear’s Key Matchups and Build

One champion who can really nullify your trading strength in lane and should be considered for banning is Jax, as his E makes it difficult to initiate fights. The standard core build for Volibear that offers a strong mid-game spike consists of Rod of Ages, followed by Navori Quickblades, and then either Spirit Visage or Frozen Heart.

Optimal Runes for Volibear

The optimal rune page for Volibear is Press the Attack, combined with Presence of Mind, Legend: Tenacity, and Last Stand. For secondary runes, consider taking Biscuit Delivery and Time Warp Tonic for added sustain and versatility in lane. There aren’t many changes that will influence the jungle meta in this patch, so you can continue spamming Lillia to great success.

Lillia’s Role in the Current Jungle Meta

Lillia is arguably the best team fight jungler you can play right now. Her AOE damage and the threat of a multi-man ultimate (R) give her incredible value in grouped-up fights, making her a strong choice in the current meta.

New Lillia Build in Patch 14.16

There’s even a new build that has been gaining traction on Lillia over the past patch, making her even better. This build consists of going Liandry’s Anguish into Riftmaker. Demonic Embrace has become a bit overrated on Lillia ever since it was nerfed a few patches back, and players have transitioned to this new build. With Riftmaker, you’re a lot more difficult to kill due to the additional health and omnivamp, which allows you to be even more of a nuisance in fights.

Countering Lillia and Rune Setup

Champions with very high burst threat who can one-shot Lillia and nullify her kiting power are good bans. With Kha’Zix in the meta right now, he’s a solid choice to ban. For the rune page on Lillia , look to grab Conqueror with Triumph, Legend: Tenacity, and Cut Down, while Free Boots and Cosmic Insight are ideal secondaries.

Shyvana’s Place in the Current Meta

It turns out that the 14.15 nerfs to Shyvana did not impact her solo queue power much, so she’s back in the top three for 14.16. Shyvana is a great solo queue champion right now because she’s extremely easy to play and has a powerful setup that offers incredibly strong team fight presence.

Shyvana’s Gameplay and Strategy

The game plan with Shyvana is super simple: focus on hitting your level six power spike as soon as possible. At level six, Shyvana ‘s gank power and skirmishing ability become ten times better, allowing you to press your opponents. Since Shyvana doesn’t have the greatest gank power before level six, banning a jungler in the meta who likes to gank a lot, like Hecarim, can help give you an advantage.

Shyvana’s Optimal Build and Runes

Your first two items with Shyvana should always be Spear of Shojin and Liandry’s Anguish. After that, the build can be situational. The rune page currently finding the most success in solo queue for Shyvana includes Fleet Footwork with Triumph, Legend: Tenacity, and Cut Down, while Free Boots and Biscuit Delivery are the best choices for secondaries.

Amumu’s Rise in the Jungle Meta

A jungler who has really been gaining priority lately and cracking the top three for this patch is Amumu . Amumu ‘s meta build makes him so powerful for solo queue because it provides a great mix of damage and durability. You have strong early game snowball potential with Liandry’s Anguish, and when you transition into the mid-game and start team fighting, tank items allow you to survive while diving in for those impactful plays.

Amumu’s Build and Runes

More players have started picking up on the strength of a Liandry’s Anguish rush, which has propelled Amumu up in priority. Prior to patch 14.14, Sunfire Aegis was the most popular choice on the champion, but since 14.15, most players have swapped to rushing Liandry’s, proving to be extremely powerful. Since Amumu is a jungler who wants to dive the backline in fights, banning a meta champion with strong peel power like Milio or Braum is a good idea. For Amumu ‘s rune page, consider taking Conqueror with Triumph, Legend: Tenacity, and Last Stand, followed by Cheap Shot and Ultimate Hunter for secondaries.

Best Solo Queue Melee Assassin: Naafiri

Naafiri is a top choice for solo queue, with many favorable matchups in the current meta. She performs exceptionally well against LeBlanc , Sylas, and Ahri, three of the most annoying mid laners in the game. The only meta matchup you may want to consider banning out is Yone, as Naafiri has historically struggled against him in solo queue. Although Naafiri is a melee assassin, her Q’s range allows her to bully many melee mids in lane. You can whittle down enemies with Q as they go for last hits, and once they’re low enough, it’s easy to secure kills with her point-and-click W engage.

Naafiri’s Strengths and Build

This point-and-click engage makes Naafiri more noob-friendly and a great solo queue assassin, as there’s less micro involved in winning with her compared to other assassins. The standard core build for Naafiri includes rushing Eclipse, followed by Ravenous Hydra and Serylda’s Grudge. For runes, take First Strike with Free Boots, Biscuit Delivery, and Cosmic Insight, followed by Sudden Impact and Treasure Hunter as secondaries.

Top Ranged Assassin: LeBlanc

While Naafiri is the best melee assassin right now, if you’re looking for a ranged assassin, LeBlanc is the way to go. LeBlanc ’s lane bullying power early on makes her very rewarding to master. From as early as level one, you can trade aggressively using her Auto-W-Auto combo, which procs Electrocute and deals significant damage. The skirmishing strength of LeBlanc is also incredibly high, making it crucial to maximize her potential.

LeBlanc’s Strengths and Strategy in Patch 14.16

When you’re paying attention to where your jungler is on the map and helping with early fights, LeBlanc is one of the few champions who can push up in lane without being in danger of getting ganked, thanks to her W. As long as you stay on the side of the lane that you have warded, you can avoid ganks and maintain constant lane pressure. This allows your jungler to play as aggressively as they want. Patch 14.16 actually improves LeBlanc ‘s position, as Doran’s Blade is losing health, which increases her kill threat in certain matchups.

LeBlanc’s Matchups and Build

LeBlanc thrives when she can freely use her mobility to set up pick plays, so champions with point-and-click crowd control are her only real threats. Banning out Vex or Malzahar is a smart choice. The core build for LeBlanc consists of Luden’s Echo as a rush item, followed by Shadowflame and Rabadon’s Deathcap. A rune page that has been gaining popularity for LeBlanc includes Electrocute, Sudden Impact, Eyeball Collection, and Relentless Hunter, with secondary runes being Taste of Blood and Cut Down.

Vex: The Best Solo Queue Mid Laner in Patch 14.16

The best solo queue mid laner that you can play in the current meta is Vex . If you can play a good Vex , you’re going to win a lot in Patch 14.16 because three of her best matchups—LeBlanc , Yone, and Yasuo—are now some of the most played champions in solo queue. Even Katarina and Sylas are getting buffed in this patch, which should lead to them being played more, and Vex counters these champions as well. The only downside to Vex is her range, as she relies heavily on her ultimate.

Vex’s Strengths and Challenges in Lane

Vex’s abilities have medium range, so longer-ranged mid laners like Xerath and Lux can be more difficult to lane against. Using your ban on either of them is a good idea. The standard build for Vex involves rushing Luden’s Echo, followed by Shadowflame, and then either Zhonya’s Hourglass or Rabadon’s Deathcap as the third item. For the rune page, take Electrocute, Taste of Blood, Eyeball Collection, and Ultimate Hunter, with Manaflow Band and Transcendence as secondary runes.

Misfortune: A Top-Tier ADC in Patch 14.16

An ADC who has gained significant priority over the past few patches is Misfortune . There was a period in the middle of Season 14 where she was quite weak, but after receiving buffs, having her new meta build discovered, and seeing many other ADCs nerfed, she’s back as a top-tier pick. What makes Misfortune so strong right now is her ability to abuse a Bloodthirster rush. Combined with taking Barrier as a secondary summoner spell, she gains a lot of added durability with that single item spike. For a champion who lacks a gap closer, this setup is ideal because it reduces the punishment for making a slight misstep.

Optimal Rune Page for Misfortune in Patch 14.16

For Misfortune , the optimal rune page includes Press the Attack, Presence of Mind, Legend: Alacrity, and Cut Down. For secondary runes, take Free Boots and Biscuit Delivery. Misfortune remains one of the best ADCs in Patch 14.16 , alongside Jhin . While many ADCs were impacted by the Shiv and Kraken nerfs in the last patch, Jhin remained untouched and has gained priority as a result.

Jhin’s Build and Starting Items

With the nerf to Doran’s Blade this patch, it will be interesting to see if Boots or Long Sword starts make a comeback on Jhin . In the past, this versatility was a unique feature for Jhin , as he had three different viable starting items: Doran’s Blade, Long Sword, or Boots. The core build for Jhin consists of rushing The Collector, followed by Infinity Edge second, and Rapid Firecannon third. Similar to Misfortune , Jhin struggles against heavy dive champions, so banning out Zed or Yone is advisable.

Jhin’s Rune Page

For Jhin ‘s Keystone Rune, grab Fleet Footwork, along with Presence of Mind, Legend: Bloodline, and Cut Down. For secondaries, take Celerity and Gathering Storm.

Ashe’s Return to the Solo Carry Top Three

Making her way into the solo carry top three for ADC for the first time in a while is Ashe . Despite the nerfs to Statikk Shiv and Kraken Slayer in the last patch, there’s a build on Ashe involving both items that is performing incredibly well. You rush Statikk Shiv, go Kraken Slayer second, and then Bloodthirster as your third item. This build is especially popular in Korea right now. The setup makes a lot of sense for Ashe because it gives her strong upfront burst potential. Much of Ashe ‘s strength in solo queue comes from finding catch plays with her R, and when you have the energized proc from Shiv combined with the three-hit passive proc from Kraken Slayer, you can burst a target down much quicker.