Analyzing the current popular bans

Within League of Legends one of the most important parts of the Ranked experience is the Ban phase. It allows players to weed out those especially powerful champions that are just too strong, too popular, or too annoying to play against. And while it won't ever flat-out ruin a game, a bad set of bans can set your team at a disadvantage from the very start. The following is a list of the top 10 most banned Champions at all levels of play and a brief summary of what makes them so strong.

Zed:

Since his release in late 2012, Zed has been at the forefront of AD assassins. His incredible ability to single out and eliminate targets while simultaneously itemizing in a way that allows him to split push makes him a terror in solo queue, as he can both teamfight and create map pressure exceptionally well. This is the main cause of his massive ban rate, as a good Zed can dictate the flow of a game, or respond to it. No matter the situation, Zed is able to shine and carry.

Is he worth the ban?

Certainly, however it may be a good idea to wait until later in the ban phase, as your opponent is extremely likely to ban him for you.

 

Kha'Zix:

Kha'Zix has been one of the most volatile champions in all of League's history. After numerous balance and kit changes, the void bug has once again rose to the top of competitive play due to his massive damage and strong poke, something which very few junglers have access to. The main reason for his high ban rate is his versatility and carry potential. If ahead, Kha'Zix can easily build full damage and eviscerate carries, but if behind he can build more tank items and remain relevant through his base damage, poke, and utility.

Is he worth the ban?

It mostly depends on your rank. In lower levels his strengths aren't quite as important and other picks can reap more chaos if used properly. However, he's never a bad ban, just not always optimal.

 

Ryze:

Ryze strikes a very good balance in the current top lane meta. He combines high damage, targeted crowd control, a tanky build path, and immense late game scaling all into one champion. On top of all of this, he is hard to counter due to being ranged and is very easy to play. There's really no area in which he is lacking and is often banned because of this.

Is he worth the ban?

Definitely. He is just too strong and there isn't really a good way to shut him down.

**Note: In the most recent patch Ryze has been nerfed, so he may become less effective and as a result, less ban worthy.**

Rammus:

Rammus managed to slide under the radar for quite some time, never truly being seen as a huge threat. However, that has changed recently as more and more people have taken note of his incredible tanky-ness and immense crowd control and catch potential. There is currently no tank jungler with as much crowd control and damage who isn't hindered by other flaws. On top of this, it is nearly impossible to out run a Rammus and once he is on top of you there's little you can do to beat him. This combined with his very easy to play kit makes him a massive target for bans.

Is he worth the ban?

Yes. While he can be "countered" by high AP team comps, he will still be immensely disruptive and can't really be made irrelevant. His taunt is just too good.

 

Gnar:

Upon his release, Gnar was considered to be absolutely terrible. Many thought he would never see play due to his unreliable nature and overall clunky-ness. But time has proven to reveal him as an unbelievably powerful lane bully and amazing tank in teamfights. There's almost no champion that can beat him in lane and very few can compare in terms of late game utility. He's a kiting monster in mini form and a giant bundle of crowd control and damage in mega form, leading to his high ban rate.

Is he worth the ban?

Yes. There really isn't a single laner as strong as Gnar. And while other lane bullies fall off, Gnar manages to scale and stay relevant throughout the entire game.

 

Fizz:

While Zed may be the most banned assassin, Fizz is often seen as the most annoying. He has two forms of mobility (three if you count his lack of unit collision), hard crowd control, and an earlier power spike than almost any other character in the game. Plus, he is insanely slippery, being able to negate almost any ability with his Playful/Trickster. These factors combine to make a champion who snowballs hard and fast, going so far as being able to 100-0 many enemy midlaners from level 6 on. This immense power carries over into the mid and late game, leading to his large ban rate.

Is he worth the ban?

Without a doubt. He can be beat in lane, but his roaming and outplay potential make him a massive threat to your entire team. 

 

Lucian:

The marksman role has always been focused on a few key champions, whether it's the Corki-Graves-Ezreal of season 2 or the more recent surge of Tristana and Kog'maw seen in the middle of the 2014 season. But the current top dogs are Lucian and Corki, with Lucian being ahead in popularity. His mobility and lane presence combined with his respectable late game damage make him a target for many bans.

Is he worth the ban?

Situationally. The gap between Lucian and Corki is small, and as a result there's no real point in banning just one without the other.

**Note: In the most recent patch Lucian has been nerfed, so he may become less effective and as a result, less ban worthy.**

Morgana:

Morgana has a high ban rate for a few reasons. The biggest is undoubtedly her snare, which is massive in both duration and hit-box. On top of this, she has an AoE stun and one of the most powerful defensive techniques in the game with her crowd control nullifying Black Shield. This is a huge amount of power for a support to have and this is all tied together by her ease of play. Anyone can pick up Morgana and do decent, as she doesn't really have many skills that you can actually mess up. This has caused her to reach a fairly high ban rate, though as with the next few champs, she is not on the same level as the previous group.

Is she worth the ban?

Yes, especially in lower divisions. A well played support can easily win a game and nobody has as easy of a time doing so as Morgana. There's really no downside to her kit and no other support is as useful in every situation.

 

Yasuo:

No champion has endured as many nerfs since his release as Yasuo. No matter what, he seems to be able to rise up and dominate games with his massive mobility and damage potential. His damage spike is huge with just Statikk Shiv and from the moment he spikes he can begin to dominate lane. He's been a popular ban since his release and that doesn't appear to be changing yet.

Is he worth the ban?

No. Yasuo's massive ban rate is offset by his utterly abysmal win rate. He has managed to compete with Urgot for the title of the statistically worst champion in the game. While Yasuo can carry games, it's not very likely that he will come through and do so. The last set of nerfs killed his early game potential, as almost every laner can simply bully him out of lane early.

 

Akali:

There's a noticeable trend in this list. Of the top ten most banned champions, four are midlane assassins. Akali is the final champion on this list and also in many ways the most surprising. Nothing has really changed on her kit. She's always been able to relentlessly pursue targets, deal massive damage, and secure the kill and get the reset. But it appears that her time has come to return to her position as a dominant midlaner, as she is drawing high ban numbers.

Is she worth the ban?

It depends on your preference. She is an assassin and she does her job incredibly well. But at the end of the day, both Zed and Fizz are better suited towards achieving the same goal. If you're terrified of assassins then by all means, get rid of her, but bear in mind that there are a lot of champions who could be banned instead.

 

But what about?

Corki- He's definitely strong. The issue with banning him is that there isn't a huge reason to fear him over Lucian.

Syndra- While she can certainly smother her lane opponent with her impressive damage, she just isn't as popular as the current assassins. She is certainly worth a ban if you have trouble against her in lane.

Braum- For the first time since release, Braum isn't a high priority ban. This is mostly because the community as a whole has gotten much better at playing against him.

Tristana- Her most recent nerfs hit hard. Her scaling is still great but isn't as consistent. She just loses too hard to the current lane bullies to be ban worthy.