Patch 26.7 dropped on April 1, 2026, and it’s shaking up the ranked meta more than most patches do this time of year. With significant nerfs to dominant supports Karma and Nami, Graves finally getting hit in the jungle, and the complete removal of the support farming penalty, there’s real movement in who climbs fastest. This LoL tier list for Patch 26.7 breaks down the best champions by role so you can stop guessing and start winning games.
We update this tier list every patch based on win rates, pick rates, and solo-queue climb potential across Platinum–Diamond ELO. Here’s what to play in April 2026.
What Changed in Patch 26.7 That Affects This Tier List
Before jumping into rankings, these are the key changes shaping the current meta:
- Graves nerfed: The dominant jungler finally got hit. His numbers remain playable, but he’s no longer an automatic lock in every game.
- Karma and Nami nerfed: Two supports that ran the bot lane for months are stepping down. The rest of the support pool now has room to breathe.
- Rell and Kalista buffed: Rell gains in engage patterns — her move speed bonus now reaches up to 30%, making dives harder to escape. Kalista should hit harder when stacking spears.
- Cassiopeia buffed: More base mana and improved empowered-E scaling give her more freedom to trade in lane. Expect her win rate to climb further.
- Support farming penalty removed: Supports can now farm minions freely without any gold reduction. A massive quality-of-life change that opens up new economic patterns for the role.
- Ornn, Singed, and Veigar nerfed: Overperformers across multiple roles brought down a notch.
With these changes in mind, here are the best champions to play in each role this patch.
Top Lane Tier List — Best Champions in Patch 26.7
The top lane meta in Patch 26.7 heavily favors durable bruisers and tanks that dominate lane phase and scale into powerful teamfighters. Recent item changes have buffed tank options like Sunfire Aegis and Jak’Sho, rewarding self-sustain and crowd control above all else.
S Tier — Dominant Top Laners This Patch
Garen has claimed the throne as the best top laner in April 2026. He sits among the highest win rates in the role with a 14% pick rate — the most-played top laner this patch. Simple to execute, extremely durable, and punishing against squishy enemies. Garen rewards consistent fundamentals and punishes opponents who make even small positioning mistakes.
Aatrox remains a top-tier carry-oriented fighter with excellent split-push pressure and one of the best all-in combo kits in the top lane. His ability to win extended fights while healing through damage makes him difficult to manage in solo queue. Check out our guide to the best top lane champions this season for deeper matchup breakdowns.
Malphite fits any team composition that needs a frontline anchor, and his ultimate remains one of the best teamfight initiators in the game. With tank items buffed, he’s harder to kill than ever and one of the highest-floor picks you can play.
A Tier — Strong and Reliable Top Picks
- Ambessa: A high-carry-potential fighter with an aggressive, mobile playstyle. Above 52% win rate and still trending upward.
- Darius: Still a monster in extended trades and snowball games. Struggles against ranged matchups but punishes melee opponents relentlessly.
- Jax: His mid and late-game scaling make him one of the top two 1v1 threats on the entire map. Takes time to come online, but his teamfight impact is enormous.
- Gwen: A tank shredder with strong dueling potential that thrives in the current tanky top lane meta.
B Tier — Solid but Situational
Camille, Fiora, Cho’Gath, Nasus
C Tier — Below Average This Patch
- Singed: Took nerfs this patch. His already niche playstyle is harder to justify in standard ranked games.
- Ornn: Nerfed in 26.7. Still useful in heavy engage compositions but no longer the reliable S-tier pick he was last patch.
Jungle Tier List — Best Junglers in Patch 26.7
Jungle is seeing a power shift after the Graves nerf. He remains playable but drops out of the automatic-pick tier. Nocturne has emerged as the most consistent climb pick, especially at mid-ELO where his simple gank pattern outperforms complex options.
S Tier — Dominant Junglers
Nocturne is the single easiest and most effective jungler to climb with in Patch 26.7. His point-and-click ultimate eliminates the guesswork from ganks, his clear speed is excellent, and he works in virtually any team composition. If you’re not committed to a specific jungle champion, play Nocturne.
Xin Zhao has one of the highest win rates in the jungle this patch. Strong 1v1 dueling, reliable early ganks, and enough scaling to stay relevant at all stages. An underrated S-tier option that many opponents don’t respect enough in champion select.
Vi continues as a solid S-tier pick with strong engage and reliable hard CC. Her ultimate synergizes well with the support changes this patch — pairing her with an aggressive bot lane creates lethal dive combinations.
A Tier — Strong and Reliable Junglers
- Graves: Nerfed but still formidable. High burst damage, fast camp clear, excellent dueling. Dropped from S+ but remains a top-three jungle pick.
- Warwick: Exceptional for players learning the jungle role. His Blood Hunt passive effectively functions as a permanent low-health minimap tracker.
- Hecarim: Strong initiation, surprising burst damage, and excellent objective control in the current meta.
B Tier — Solid Situational Picks
Ekko, Kha’Zix, Rengar, Ivern
C Tier — Below Average This Patch
Champions with slow clear speeds or weak early gank patterns are heavily punished when opponents run the current fast-push meta across all five lanes.
Mid Lane Tier List — Best Mid Champions in Patch 26.7
Mid lane is in excellent shape for mage players after Cassiopeia’s buffs. Ahri continues to be the undisputed queen of the mid lane with unmatched mobility and assassination potential. Veigar was nerfed specifically in the bot lane context — his mid-lane scaling game is still functional but less dominant early.
S Tier — Best Mid Laners This Patch
Ahri sits comfortably at the top of the mid lane tier list and has for several patches. Her burst combo, W–E–R mobility chain, and roam potential onto side lanes make her the complete mid laner in 2026. Until Riot targets her charm duration or mobility, she remains the default S-tier pick. Explore her full build in our best Ahri mid build guide for 2026.
Cassiopeia just received buffs in 26.7 — more base mana and empowered-E scaling — giving her more freedom to angle for trades and sustain through longer games. Her win rate sits above 53%, placing her firmly in S tier. She excels against tanks and melee champions that struggle to kite her poison trail consistently.
A Tier — Strong and Reliable Mid Picks
- Syndra: Her ball-manipulation burst combo still hits extremely hard. Consistent damage output with reliable wave clear makes her a safe pick into most matchups.
- Lissandra: Excellent self-engage, solid CC chain, and a passive that makes her lane phase more forgiving. Strong into physical damage-heavy compositions.
- Viktor: With Cassiopeia as the clear S-tier mage, Viktor sits one step below — but his high-damage kit and zone-control are still among the best in mid.
B Tier — Solid Situational Mid Picks
Orianna, Zed, Twisted Fate, Vex
C Tier — Below Average This Patch
- Veigar: Nerfed in 26.7 specifically to reduce his early-mid power spike with a cooldown nerf on his ultimate. His late-game AP stacking remains intact, but he’s less of a threat in the critical early-mid transition that decides most solo queue games.
ADC Tier List — Best Bot Lane Carries in Patch 26.7
The ADC meta is currently dominated by Nilah, whose unique melee playstyle continues to catch opponents off guard who aren’t prepared for a crit-based melee carry. Kalista received targeted buffs this patch and could push into S tier before 26.7 is over.
S Tier — Best ADC Champions This Patch
Nilah leads the ADC roster with a 54.3% win rate and over 8% pick rate across tracked ELO brackets. Her melee range is counterintuitively effective — she can kite champions who expect to kite her, and her damage output in the current item meta is exceptional. Pair her with a tanky engage support for maximum results.
Kai’Sa offers the most complete traditional ADC experience this patch: mobility, burst damage, and a strong mid-game power spike. She adapts her item build depending on team composition and consistently maintains win rates above 51%. An ideal choice for players who prefer a mobile marksman over Nilah’s melee commitment.
Jhin remains a reliable S-to-A tier option for players who prioritize lethality and positioning over movement speed. His power with enchanter supports creates devastating all-in combinations that punish any support caught out of position.
A Tier — Strong and Reliable ADC Picks
- Caitlyn: Long range, dominant lane phase, and consistent performance make her one of the safest ADC choices every patch.
- Miss Fortune: Pairs perfectly with engage supports. Her R is still one of the highest-impact teamfight abilities available in the bot lane.
- Kalista: Just buffed in 26.7 to hit harder when stacking spears. Watch her climb into S tier as players adapt to the patch.
B Tier — Solid Situational Picks
Ezreal, Jinx, Sivir, Varus
C Tier — Below Average This Patch
- Veigar bot: Specifically nerfed in 26.7 to reduce his early-mid spike. The dominant early threat that made him a priority bot-side pick is considerably blunted.
Support Tier List — Best Supports in Patch 26.7
Support has seen the most meta movement of any role this patch. Karma and Nami — which ran the bot lane together for months — both received nerfs, while Rell got meaningful engage buffs and the complete removal of the support farming penalty adds new economic options to the role.
S Tier — Best Supports This Patch
Milio has been a premier support for multiple patches, and the nerfs to Karma and Nami have solidified his position at the very top. With a 53.0% win rate and outstanding utility — healing, anti-CC cleanse, and range extension for his ADC — Milio is the safest high-performing support pick in 26.7.
Nautilus is the most consistent engage support in the game. His passive grants a point-and-click root every few seconds, making his CC chain nearly impossible to avoid. Excellent when paired with dive-heavy compositions or hard-engage ADCs like Nilah.
Morgana: With Nami and Karma nerfed, her Black Shield utility is more valuable than ever. She protects carries from Nautilus and Leona initiations while outputting meaningful damage and rooting isolated targets from range.
Leona is the best pure-engage support in the game. A full CC chain from range, armor stacking, and high burst damage make her a terror in bot lane whenever your ADC can reliably follow up on her initiations.
A Tier — Strong and Reliable Support Picks
- Rell: Buffed in 26.7 with improved engage patterns and higher damage numbers. Her move speed bonus now reaches up to 30%, making her dives significantly harder to escape. A strong addition to any support pool this patch.
- Thresh: The highest skill ceiling in the support role, but almost always A-tier in capable hands. Effective in both engage and protective peel scenarios.
- Karma: Nerfed but not destroyed. Still a solid laning support with reliable disengage and consistent poke. Dropped from S tier but remains viable in the right matchups.
B Tier — Solid Situational Supports
Blitzcrank, Lulu, Soraka, Sona
C Tier — Below Average This Patch
- Nami: Hit hard by 26.7’s nerfs. Her wave-empowerment pattern is still pleasant to play, but the numbers no longer justify running her as a priority pick when Milio, Nautilus, and Leona are available.
How We Rank Champions in Our LoL Tier List
Our rankings draw on multiple data points to give you the most useful information for climbing ranked:
- Win rate across Platinum–Diamond ELO — the rank range most players are in or actively targeting
- Pick rate — high pick rates combined with high win rates signal a dominant champion, not a statistical fluke from low sample sizes
- Ease of execution — we factor in how consistently a champion’s win rate is achievable by an average player, not just one-tricks
- Patch 26.7 changes — all buffs, nerfs, and system changes are reflected in the current rankings
- Team composition flexibility — champions that perform across many different team setups rank higher than one-dimensional niche picks
S tier champions are your best choices for climbing right now. A tier is strong and reliable in the right conditions. B tier is viable but rarely optimal. We don’t cover D tier — don’t waste your time.
Tools like buildzcrank take this a step further: instead of applying a static tier list to every game, they analyze your actual match state in real time and recommend the optimal build based on your specific team composition and opponents. It’s the difference between knowing what’s strong in general and knowing what’s optimal right now, in this exact game.
Frequently Asked Questions About LoL Tier List Patch 26.7
What is the best champion to climb with in Patch 26.7?
For most players, Nocturne (Jungle) or Garen (Top) offer the best climb potential this patch. Both have high win rates, straightforward execution, and consistent game impact without requiring mechanical perfection. Nocturne’s one-button gank ultimate removes the hardest part of jungling for newer players.
Has the support farming penalty actually been removed in 26.7?
Yes. Patch 26.7 completely removes the gold reduction penalty when supports farm minions. This opens up new patterns where supports can farm safely in empty side lanes between objectives without being economically punished for it.
Who should I play in the jungle after the Graves nerf?
Nocturne and Xin Zhao are the top replacements for Graves in jungle. Vi is also an excellent alternative with strong engage initiation and consistent gank pressure across all stages of the game.
Is Nami still viable after her nerfs in 26.7?
Nami has dropped to B tier and is no longer a priority pick. Milio, Nautilus, and Leona are significantly better support choices for climbing this patch. If you’re a dedicated Nami player, she’s still functional — just manage expectations.
Which ADC should I play in Patch 26.7?
Nilah is the highest-performing ADC in 26.7 with a 54.3% win rate — worth learning if you’re comfortable with a melee carry. For a traditional marksman experience, Kai’Sa and Jhin are both strong S-to-A tier picks with excellent win rates across skill levels.
Keep Up With Every Patch
A tier list is only useful when it reflects the current meta. We update this guide every patch to incorporate the latest win rate data and patch notes.
For a broader look at the LoL tooling ecosystem, see our complete LoL companion app comparison for 2026. For role-specific deep dives, our dedicated tier lists for top lane and mid lane are updated on the same schedule.