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LoR: Top 5 Worst Champions in the January 2025 Rotation

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Today, let's explore the worst champions in the January 2025 rotation. They'll probably be the worst choices for any deck you build this season, and I'll show you exactly why they're so bad!

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Table of contents

  1. > Introduction
  2. > 5 - Diana
  3. > 4 - Zilean
  4. > 3 - Tryndamere
  5. > 2 - Tahm Kench
  6. > 1 - Ryze
  7. > Final Words

Introduction

This rotation meta is one of the most balanced metas of all time. Nearly all champions in Standard see play in some meta-relevant deck, and the meta itself is incredibly diverse!

However, some champions are definitely standing out for the wrong reasons: they're not part of any specific archetype, and could be overshadowed this season.

Let's see the top 5 worst champions in the January 2025 rotation!

5 - Diana

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Diana saw a lot of play with Nocturne last season, and this deck is still available now. However, Nocturne has better pairs than Diana, like Elise, for instance. Elise Nocturne is way more powerful and is very popular among new players. It is considerably more popular overall.

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As a result, Diana is being overshadowed, and is only remembered by older players that enjoy reliving old times and queuing up with Nightfall.

As she is at least playable, she is the first champion in this article. Picking our 5th worst champion was incredibly challenging because all champions in Standard are seeing play in a relevant deck this season.

Another factor is that Targon is going through some tough times right now. Its identity changed a bit in this rotation, and, apparently, only Elusive decks and aggressive strategies with Kayle are seeing play. The Nightfall kit is definitely not the most powerful strategy with this region. So, Diana might become one of the least played champions in this season.

4 - Zilean

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Zilean was very popular and meta-relevant last season. He and Taliyah were an outstanding duo both in the ranked queue and the competitive scene.

This deck was probably one of the strongest lists in the entire game, and took many control players to Masters.

However, now that Taliyah rotated to Eternal, we can't play this archetype anymore. This way, we can't play Zilean in this archetype this season.

Zilean still plays really well with Akshan and most Shurima strategies, so, as a result, it's just a matter of time until he starts seeing play in another list. In any case, because Standard doesn't have many support cards for his game style right now, Zilean will most likely be one of the worst champions in the entire rotation. Hardly any deck with him will be relevant this season.

3 - Tryndamere

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Time was not at all kind to Tryndamere. It seems that, the longer we look at him, the more outdated his design gets.

Tryndamere is still a great card, but adding him to your decks is never worth it because he is a champion. This means, you have to spend a champion slot to play him, and, many times, you can play better champions, like Trundle, Lissandra, and even Morgana, or Udyr.

If he wasn't a champion, maybe he would be more playable, as he would be a great alternative finisher with Overwhelm. Still, he is still too expensive and only works in strategies with Warmother's Call - which isn't very strong nowadays.

Tryndamere could occupy a worse position in this list, but you can still use him as an alternative finisher nonetheless. For instance, if you don't have 3 copies of Trundle or Lissandra, you can play 1 Tryndamere, no problem. Still, he'll most likely be one of the worst cards in your deck even then.

2 - Tahm Kench

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Soraka, Tahm Kench's greatest partner, rotated to Eternal. This would already be a big enough reason to add Tahm Kench to this list. However, we have even bigger reasons to list him as one of the worst champions in the game.

The first one is that he is too tied to a single archetype, as he practically doesn't see play without Soraka. The only exception was when he saw play with Ashe, but these lists were considered "rogue" or "off-meta" decks, and weren't strong at all.

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Ashe is also out of Standard, so you can't even play Tahm Kench in this off-meta list.

Bilgewater as a whole apparently only has space for aggressive lists right now, like Scouts, and lists with Miss Fortune or Illaoi. These strategies don't match Tahm Kench, and don't support him in the slightest.

I reckon he'd still be one of the worst champions in this rotation even if Soraka was in Standard right now, considering Soraka Tahm Kench often doesn't have a win rate higher than 50%. Historically, this archetype was only strong in April 2020, so, a long time ago, when Bilgewater came out. After that, this list was only one of the best strategies in the game a few times.

Explorers are also available in Standard, so any deck nowadays plays landmark removal. Even if Soraka was available in Standard, this deck wouldn't be strong because of how many landmark removals are seeing play in the ranked queue right now. Everyone would simply be able to destroy Tahm Kench and Soraka's main card: Star Spring.

1 - Ryze

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The worst champion in Standard right now is definitely Ryze.

Some players explored him at the end of last Standard season, and he even saw a lot of play in tournaments. However, even with the ban system, which favors him quite heavily, he wasn't one of the best decks competitively. Only his Targon version performed decently, and that's because his opponents were very specific Midrange lists.

Ryze's entire problem is that he was retired when Explorers came along. Everyone can destroy Ryze's landmarks, and, as his entire deck centers around playing landmarks, making Ryze work in this meta is incredibly difficult.

Another important factor is that Ryze doesn't perform well in metas with Fearsome units. The meta might be relatively slower, but many Fearsome units will still see a lot of play in many decks, like Lurk, Elise Nocturne Fearsomes, and any slow/midrange deck with Shadow Isles.

Lastly, Ryze, even when he was at his peak, never got more than 51% or 52% win rate, which isn't great. Meta-relevant decks are expected to have a win rate higher than 55%.

This happens because playing Ryze is incredibly difficult, and you need to play perfectly. Any mistake you make will cost you the entire game, so this is the last list I'd recommend for you if you want to climb ranks fast.

Final Words

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