Most summoners have their go-to champions, or keep up with who is most relevant in the meta right now. But they might be in for a shock when they switch to ARAM only to discover that their champion is no good there. Whether it’s game mode-specific balance changes or simply not excelling on Howling Abyss, some champions just don’t live up to the hype outside of traditional games.
Take a look at a few of the under-performers here to make informed decisions for the next ARAM match.
[See also:
When Should Players Give Up on a Champion?]
While Briar boasts a 51.08% win rate and an S tier rating on U.GG in ranked, the same can not be said of her ARAM performance. Instead, she has a 48.12% win rate, a C-tier rating, and places 131st overall (out of 167 champions).
Unfortunately, a few key factors make Briar much less effective on the Howling Abyss, the first of which is her Blood Frenzy. Each time she uses her W or Ultimate, Briar chases down champions uncontrollably until the time runs out (W), the enemy dies (Ultimate), or until she cancels the ability with her E.
For ARAM players, this is particularly a problem, as Briar is liable to run (or rocket) straight into turrets. Or, she can hang back and play safe, but lose out on a huge portion of her damage. Additionally, Briar excels at 1v1 combat, of which little occurs in ARAM.
Overall, Briar players might want to save her for Summoner’s Rift. She loses a lot of her charm and her strength in ARAM. While it is certainly still possible to make it work, players should consider the tradeoffs before picking her in this game mode.
While he has a 51.09% win rate in ranked and an S+ U.GG rating, Malphite may not be quite as rock-solid of a choice for Howling Abyss. Unfortunately, his ARAM win rate is lower at 49.45%, falling under the benchmark 50%. He also ranks at 104th and a mediocre B-tier rating.
Hypothetically, Malphite has the perfect kit for ARAM. His Ultimate is built for teamfights, he has a passive shield that recovers every 6-8 seconds to keep him healthy, and who doesn’t love his rock shard slow?
However, the reality is much more disappointing. One potential reason Malphite performs worse in ARAM is because two of his key items are worse. Malignance and Stormsurge, core items in his AP build, have worse AP ratios and base damage in Howling Abyss.
Summoner’s Rift Malignance:
ARAM Malignance:
Summoner’s Rift Stormsurge:
ARAM Stormsurge:
As shown in the images above, Malignance loses 5 base damage per tick, as well as 0.55% AP scaling. Stormsurge is reduced by 40 or 30 base damage (melee vs ranged) and 5% or 3.75% AP ratio.
When deciding on their ARAM champion, players might want to think twice about the level of power they will have when choosing Malphite. While he seems deceptively strong at first glance, he may not perform ideally in-match.
Bard is another Summoner’s Rift star that doesn’t quite deliver in ARAM. In Summoner’s Rift ranked games, he has a 51.5% win rate and an A rating on U.GG. But in ARAM, he has only a 48.43% win rate and places 114th in champion rankings, leaving him at a C.
Bard’s charm is simply not the same when he only has one lane to work with. Rather than his normal roaming and tunneling, his mobility is naturally limited in ARAM. While his Lich Bane build adds some excitement back, it is simply not powerful enough to keep him relevant. Overall, he struggles to keep up with other champions, many of whom have full mage kits that can perform the same job, but better.
For those who enjoy playing a different style of Bard, ARAM Bard might be a worthy pick simply for the change of scenery. But for those who enjoy classic Bard shenanigans, or those looking for a powerful relative game presence, they might be disappointed.
Briar, Malphite, and Bard feel much different to play on ARAM than they do in Summoner’s Rift games. And unfortunately, their power level simply cannot compete with their traditional counterparts, nor with other ARAM champions. While players might still pick them for fun, they should be cautious that the experience may not be as enjoyable as they are expecting based on previous games. Overall, these three champs are just a bit lackluster in ARAM right now.
Featured Image from Riot Games
Other Images from League of Legends Wiki
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