Ladder Climbing: Helpful Uncommon Champions

Disclaimer: These champions are not the only, sure, nor easy picks to climb the ladder. They are uncommon Champions that I used to climb the ladder which can benefit you.

 

Overview

On the road from Bronze to Platinum, I have encountered many different obstacles and had to devise ways to get over them. One way that I was able to do it, was through picking certain champions to help me overcome specific obstacles. That being said, I will be discussing Champions that are not commonly picked since statistically those are, the most probable to have been overlooked. This is not a guide to playing the Champions. This article will offer options that helped me as well as an explanation on why they did so. Learning and mastering the Champion is up to you.

 

1. Taric
Pick Rate: 1.9%
Role: Support
Best Tier/s: Bronze to Silver
Specific Obstacle: Team Communication and Smart Pings

I played a lot of Taric around season 3 and used him often in Season 4. Not much has changed with Taric since then. Essentially he still is a point and click Champion that locks down AD Carries with a stun you cannot miss. He is an easy Champion to play and is a great asset for a player new to the ranked system and who is still overcoming nervousness during some games. Although, as many would say, there are a lot of better supports. One can name at least a couple of champions who can do what Taric can do but better.

However the reason I picked him up as a go-to support in these lower tiers, is because I knew that I needed to work on getting my team in the position to win by being the one to focus on the mini map and tracking enemies’ movements. By picking Taric, I was lifted of the burden of constantly waiting for a perfect moment to land my line skill shot or ensuring that my 100-health ADC who insists on staying in lane to farm is kept alive. Taric’s E is an easy engage/disengage and is literally unmissable. His Q on the other hand can keep your stubborn ADC’s health at a decent level. With those two things in check. I could focus on the mini map more often since I don’t have to be worrying about being mechanically perfect while playing him. I could also use the spare time ensuring wards are in the right places and pings are where they are needed.

While these skills need to be improved with training, picking Taric was a great help to me by allowing me to focus on training these specific skills which I needed to get further up the ladder.

Photo courtesy of Akiman - http://akiman.deviantart.com/

2. Yorick
Pick Rate: 0.8%
Role: Top Lane
Best Tier/s: Bronze to Gold
Specific Obstacle: Solo kills, Game Phases, and Teemo

First and my most loved part about Yorick is that he counters Teemo, when played right that is. Teemo is played most around the Bronze to Silver tiers and often he hinders last hitting and gets relevant enough to deal substantial damage later in the game. Yorick’s kit naturally counters Teemo’s and can shut one down early. Asides from being a Class A Teemo wrecker, Yorick also excels in staying alive. When I first transitioned from Silver to Gold, I found myself unable to catch up to the mechanical abilities of my opponents. It was as if the difficulty level was upped several notches. I often ended up feeding Top lane when I got it and that got me stuck hovering at Gold V. Then I remembered I had a pocket pick that could get me out of that rut.

Using Yorick, I quickly ascended into the middle of Gold Division and improved my level of play as well. By using Yorick’s E I was able to sustain myself enough to not get into a position where I could die and by using his W I was able to escape several hard engages by my opposing laner. Using Yorick taught me to play safe when I needed to. Aside from this, I also gained the knowledge that, naturally some champions are stronger in certain phases of the game and it is my job as a player to adjust accordingly. While, again, there are more solid top lane picks, Yorick’s kit helped me best to overcome getting solo killed and helped me build my in game knowledge.

Photo Courtesy of Shev14th - http://shev14th.deviantart.com/

 

3. Heimerdinger
Pick Rate: 2.1%
Role: Mid Lane
Best Tier/s: Silver to Platinum
Specific Obstacle: Objective Focus 

When I reached Silver in Season 4, I learned the harsh reality that, as opposed to Bronze,just being better than your opponent is not good enough. After a countless number of games in which I destroyed my enemy laner in kills and cs, I finally learned my lesson: In most games objectives are more important than kills. I was always focused on winning my lane and hoping to snowball from there. Using that mindset, I got stuck at the bottom of Silver. After watching some videos of poking fun at Heimerdinger I was intrigued by the champion, so I tried him out. To my surprise, it got a lot harder for me to kill my lane partner, but I was able to get more cs and push towers much more quickly, both of which are thanks to Heimer’s turrets. It did not stop there.

Already having pushed my lane a lot of the time and not being able to kill my lane opponent in the same number of times, I knew I couldn’t just stay idly in my lane biding my time. Using Heimerdinger taught me that, even as a mid laner, I should help secure global objectives, especially towers in other lanes. By using him, I was able to get a better grasp of how to win games and I doubt I would be where I am today without this intelligent yordle.

 

4. Rammus
Pick Rate: 2.9%
Role: Jungle
Best Tier/s: Bronze to Gold
Specific Obstacle: Knowing your role 

When I was not playing support, I was always a damage-oriented player. My playstyle and build were always fitted to do the most amount of damage in the least amount of time. While this mindset carried me past Bronze and early silver, I got stumped at Silver 3 for the longest amount of time. I always got demoted, then promoted, then demoted again, and so on. It was only after playing a game against an un-killable Rammus that I found that you don’t need to deal the most damage to be the most use to your team.

I bought Rammus after that game and proceeded to tank up games in hope of getting beefy enough to tank damage for my team while adding some crowd control. This boosted me from my slump and this even affected my way of thinking in other roles. I began using supportive mid laners such as Anivia. I also began to favour tanky top laners such as Alistar as opposed to carry top laners in order to provide a decent tank line for my team. Using Rammus is a great way to learn carrying without being a carry.

To end, I would like to reiterate that these are not the only Champions that can teach these certain aspects of the game. They are, however, the ones I used climbing the ladder which I can confirm are effective enough to get a player like me to Platinum, and maybe even beyond. I would also like to stress that nothing can replace hard work and perseverance in climbing the ladder. Good luck, have fun, and thank you for reading.