10 Best League of Legends Champions To Ban

Every ranked game in League of Legends starts with the same important decision: who are you banning? A smart ban can completely change how a match plays out. Whether you’re trying to avoid an overpowered meta pick, shut down a hard counter to your main, or simply remove a champion you hate playing against, your ban matters more than most players realize.

The best champions to ban aren’t always just the highest win-rate picks. Sometimes it’s about how frustrating they are to deal with, how hard they snowball, or how easily they can take over a game with one good play. In certain patches, one champion can dominate solo queue because they’re strong in lane, scale too well, or require perfect coordination to shut down.

In this article, we’ll break down the 10 best League of Legends champions to ban right now, focusing on solo queue impact, carry potential, and how much they can ruin your game if left open.

#10: Dr. Mundo

Dr. Mundo is one of the safest and most frustrating tanks to deal with in solo queue. If your team does not draft properly against him, he can slowly take over the game just by existing in fights and refusing to die. He is not flashy, but he is extremely effective.

The biggest reason to ban Dr. Mundo is his scaling. Once he gets a few core items, his health pool becomes massive and his regeneration makes him very hard to bring down. If your team does not build anti-heal early, he can heal through trades and extended fights with ease. In lower coordination environments, players often forget to itemize correctly, which makes Mundo even stronger.

He is also very strong in side lanes. Mundo clears waves quickly and can apply constant pressure on towers. If ignored, he will take objectives. If multiple players collapse on him, he often survives long enough for his team to gain advantages elsewhere on the map.

Dr. Mundo is especially strong against team compositions that lack burst damage or consistent crowd control. If your draft looks low on damage or healing reduction, banning Mundo can save you from a very long and frustrating match.

#9: Yasuo

Yasuo is one of the most banned champions in League of Legends because he can completely take over games when he gets ahead. In the right hands, he becomes a constant threat from the early game all the way into late team fights.

One of the biggest reasons to ban Yasuo is his snowball potential. If he picks up an early kill, he can quickly chain that lead into more pressure through aggressive trades and constant dashing through minion waves. His mobility makes him difficult to lock down, especially for teams that lack reliable crowd control.

Wind Wall is another major reason players remove him in champion select. This ability can block key projectiles and even important ultimates, which can shut down entire team compositions. Against certain champions, a well-timed Wind Wall can completely change the outcome of a fight.

Yasuo also synergizes extremely well with knock-up champions, which are very common in the meta. When paired with strong engage tools, he can follow up instantly and delete priority targets.

If you want to avoid dealing with constant pressure, high outplay potential, and strong scaling damage, banning Yasuo is always a safe and reliable choice.

#8: Sylas

Sylas is one of the most dangerous champions to leave open in ranked because his strength depends heavily on the enemy draft. The ability to steal ultimates gives him insane flexibility, and in the right game, he can become stronger than the champions he is facing.

In lane, Sylas has strong trading power and sustain, which allows him to survive difficult matchups and look for aggressive plays. If he finds an early advantage, he can roam and impact other lanes quickly. His mobility makes him hard to pin down, and his burst damage can surprise squishy targets.

The real problem begins in team fights. Sylas can take a powerful ultimate from your team and use it against you. Whether it is a strong engage tool, a defensive ultimate, or high burst damage, he can completely flip fights with the right steal. This makes drafting against him tricky, especially if your composition relies on key ultimates.

Banning Sylas is a smart choice if your team has high-impact ultimates or lacks reliable crowd control. He thrives in chaotic solo queue environments and punishes teams that do not coordinate well, which is why he remains one of the best champions to ban.

#7: Viego

Viego is one of the most snowball-heavy junglers in League of Legends, which makes him extremely dangerous in solo queue. He might not look overwhelming at first, but once he gets a single reset in a fight, the entire game can spiral out of control.

The biggest reason to ban Viego is his passive. After securing a takedown, he can possess the enemy champion and gain access to their abilities. In messy team fights, this allows him to chain kills together and constantly refresh his ultimate. If your team loses just one member at the wrong time, Viego can clean up the entire fight by himself.

He is also very strong in early skirmishes around objectives. Viego thrives in 2v2 and 3v3 situations where fights are extended. If he gets ahead through early dragons or Rift Herald plays, he becomes very hard to stop in mid game fights.

Another issue is how well he scales with items. Once he completes core damage items, his burst becomes high enough to instantly remove squishy targets before they can react. Combined with his mobility and resets, this makes him a constant threat.

Banning Viego is especially smart if your team composition lacks reliable crowd control or burst damage. If you do not shut him down early, he can easily take over the game through one good team fight.

#6: Akali

Akali is one of the most frustrating assassins to deal with in solo queue. When played well, she can slip in and out of fights, delete priority targets, and escape before you even have time to react. That kind of mobility makes her extremely hard to punish, especially in uncoordinated games.

In lane, Akali has strong trading patterns and can pressure many matchups once she hits level six. Her all-in potential is very high, and if she secures an early kill, she becomes a serious threat across the map. She can roam, dive side lanes, and snowball quickly off small mistakes.

Her shroud is one of the biggest reasons players choose to ban her. It gives her safety during trades and team fights, forcing enemies to either back off or waste abilities blindly. In chaotic fights, that invisibility window can completely disrupt positioning and target focus.

Akali also scales well into mid and late game. With the right items, she can instantly eliminate squishy carries and reset fights in her team’s favor. If your team lacks point-and-click crowd control or reliable lockdown, stopping her becomes extremely difficult.

Banning Akali is often the safest option if you do not want to deal with high mobility, burst damage, and constant backline pressure throughout the game.

#5: Morgana

Morgana is one of the most annoying champions to play against, especially in solo queue where coordination is limited. She might not look like a traditional carry threat, but her utility alone can completely shut down aggressive team comps.

The main reason to ban Morgana is Black Shield. This ability blocks crowd control and magic damage, which can instantly ruin engages. If your team relies on hook champions, hard engage, or pick compositions, a well-timed Black Shield can cancel your entire play before it even starts.

Her Dark Binding is another problem. One good Q can lock you in place for what feels like forever. In lane, it creates constant pressure, and in mid to late game fights, it can decide picks around objectives like Dragon or Baron. Getting caught by one binding often means burning Flash or dying.

Morgana is also very strong in jungle and support roles, which makes her flexible in draft. In the jungle, her clear speed is solid and her objective control is safe. As a support, she can control lane tempo and protect carries effectively.

Banning Morgana is a smart move if your composition depends heavily on crowd control or if you want to avoid long root durations and denied engages throughout the match.

#4: Zed

Zed is one of the most feared assassins in League of Legends, especially in solo queue where positioning mistakes are common. If he gets ahead early, he can completely take control of the game and make life miserable for squishy champions.

The main reason to ban Zed is his burst damage and kill pressure. Once he hits level six, he becomes a constant threat. His ultimate allows him to dive onto carries, deal massive damage, and escape safely using shadows. In lower coordination environments, it is very hard to peel him off your backline consistently.

Zed also scales extremely well with items. After completing a couple of core damage pieces, he can eliminate targets in seconds. Even if he is slightly behind, one good roam or misposition from an enemy can bring him right back into the game.

Another issue is how difficult he is to punish. His mobility with Living Shadow makes him slippery, and skilled players can outplay ganks or turn fights around quickly. This makes him a high skill ceiling champion that can dominate in the right hands.

If you do not want to deal with constant assassination attempts, heavy snowball potential, and late game one-shot pressure, banning Zed is always a safe decision in ranked.

#3: Caitlyn

Caitlyn is one of the most oppressive ADC picks in solo queue because of how easily she controls lane from level one. Her long auto attack range allows her to pressure most bot lane matchups without taking much risk. If she gets an early lead, it becomes very difficult to recover.

The main reason to ban Caitlyn is her lane dominance. She can constantly poke, zone enemies off minions, and build large CS advantages just by playing safely. Paired with a strong support, she can take plates early and snowball the game before mid lane even stabilizes.

Her traps also make sieging and defending towers frustrating. A well-placed trap around objectives or under turrets forces enemies to play carefully. Getting caught by a trap into follow-up damage often means losing a fight before it starts.

Caitlyn scales well into mid and late game because of her consistent damage output and safe positioning. Even if she does not snowball early, she remains a strong late-game threat with high range and reliable DPS.

Banning Caitlyn is a smart choice if you want to avoid heavy early lane pressure and strong objective control from the bot side of the map.

#2: Malphite

Malphite is one of the most reliable engage champions in League of Legends, and that consistency is exactly why he is such a strong ban. Even if he falls behind in lane, one well-timed ultimate can completely change the outcome of a fight.

The biggest reason to ban Malphite is his team fight impact. His ultimate is point-and-click engage with massive area knock-up potential. In solo queue, where players often group poorly or position aggressively, a single Malphite ult can instantly win a dragon fight or Baron contest. Squishy carries are especially vulnerable, and without Flash, they often have no counterplay.

He is also extremely strong into heavy AD compositions. His armor scaling and natural tankiness make him difficult to kill once he builds defensive items. If your draft has multiple physical damage champions, Malphite becomes even harder to deal with.

Malphite’s lane phase is also safer than many players expect. He can poke with his Q, survive trades with his passive shield, and farm safely until he reaches level six. Once he unlocks his ultimate, the threat of all-in pressure is constant.

Banning Malphite is a smart decision if your team relies on immobile carries or if your composition struggles against strong engage. One button from him can decide the entire game.

#1: Mel

Mel has quickly become one of the most banned champions in League of Legends because of how much control and damage she brings into a game. In solo queue, where fights break out constantly and coordination is inconsistent, she thrives in chaotic situations and punishes small mistakes immediately.

The main reason to ban Mel is her overall impact in both lane and team fights. She has strong poke, reliable damage, and the ability to pressure opponents without overcommitting. Once she gets ahead, it becomes very difficult to step up in lane without losing health or summoner spells.

In mid and late game fights, Mel becomes even more dangerous. Her abilities allow her to deal consistent damage from a safe distance while still threatening high-value targets. If left unchecked, she can slowly take over objectives and force enemies to play defensively.

Another issue is how well she fits into most team compositions. She does not require a specific setup to be effective, which makes her a flexible and safe pick in many drafts. That flexibility alone increases her ban value.

If you want to avoid facing strong lane pressure, scaling damage, and high team fight presence, banning Mel is one of the safest choices you can make in ranked right now.

Conclusion

Choosing the right ban in League of Legends can completely change how your game plays out. Whether it is a snowball-heavy assassin like Zed, a game-changing engage like Malphite, or a frustrating lane bully like Caitlyn, removing the right champion gives your team a real advantage before the match even starts.

The best champions to ban are not always just the highest win rate picks. Sometimes it is about comfort, matchup difficulty, or how hard a champion can carry in solo queue. In uncoordinated games, certain champions become much stronger simply because they punish small mistakes or thrive in chaotic fights.

At the end of the day, smart bans are part of climbing. Understanding which champions are dominating the meta and which ones give you the most trouble personally will help you make better decisions in champion select. Use your ban wisely, and you will increase your chances of winning before the game even loads in.