One Trick vs Champion Pool in LoL: How Many to Play

One trick vs champion pool in LoL is a question of goals. If you want to climb in solo queue, play two or three champions in one main role and keep one or two for your second role. A pure one trick learns faster on a single champion, but one ban can take the whole plan away, and a wide pool of ten champions usually means you play all ten at an average level.

What a one trick is, and why it works

A one trick plays the same champion in almost every game. After a few hundred games on one champion your hands work alone: you know the combos, the damage at every level, what a trade costs and which matchups are hard.

That frees your attention. League of Legends asks you to watch the minimap, guess where the enemy jungler is, count the minion wave and plan the next objective. A player who still has to think about ability keys has no attention left for any of that. A one trick does, and that is the real reason one tricks climb: not the champion, but the free head.

It also makes your mistakes easy to see. When the champion is always the same, a lost lane is about your decisions, not about a kit you did not know.

The price of playing one champion

The weak point is champion select.

• Bans. In ranked draft every player bans a champion. If yours is popular or annoying to face, it will be banned often.
• The enemy takes it. The other team can simply pick it before you.
• Counter picks. If you pick early, the enemy laner can answer with a champion that is strong against yours.
• Autofill. Sometimes the queue gives you a role you did not ask for, and your champion may not work there.
• Balance changes. Riot Games adjusts champions regularly. A champion that feels strong today can be weaker after an update, and a one trick has nowhere else to go.

There is a quieter cost too. If you only know one champion, you understand less about what other champions want to do. And when your team needs something else from you, such as a tank, magic damage or someone to start fights, you cannot give it.

One trick vs champion pool in LoL: choose by your goal

• You want to climb in solo queue as fast as possible. Stay narrow: one main champion, one backup you can really play, and a simple pick for your second role.
• You play Flex or Clash with a fixed team. Three or four champions in your role are worth more here, because the team drafts around a plan and the enemy can aim bans at you.
• You want to understand the game. Play many champions in normal games on purpose. The best way to learn how to beat a champion is to play it.
• You play for fun. Play what you like, and keep experiments out of ranked.

Most strong players end up in the middle, and professional players are the clearest example. Faker is known for champions like Azir and Orianna, yet he has played a very wide range of mid laners on stage. Depth comes first, then width.

How many champions should you play?

For ranked, a good rule is two or three champions in your main role and one or two in your secondary role. That is five at most, and three is enough for many players.

Why not more? Practice gets divided. Fifty games spread over ten champions is five games each, and five games do not show you a champion's limits. The same fifty games on two champions are real experience.

Why not just one? Because of the ban. With a second champion you trust, a ban is a small adjustment and not a problem.

A new player should stay even narrower at first. Our guide to the best champions for beginners in each role is a good place to choose the first ones.

How to build the best champion pool for you

The best champion pool in LoL is not a list of this month's strongest picks. It is a small group where each champion covers a hole the others leave.

1. Settle on one role first. Champions spread over five roles are not a pool. If you have not decided yet, read the five roles explained.
2. Choose a main you enjoy. You will play it a lot, also on losing days. Enjoyment matters more than a win-rate table.
3. Add a backup that plays in a similar way. If your main is a tank, a second tank lets you keep the same habits. Skill carries over between similar champions. It carries over much less between an assassin and an enchanter.
4. Add one champion that covers a different need. If both of your picks deal physical damage, add one with magic damage, or one that can stand in front when the team has no tank. A top lane example: a tank such as Malphite, a fighter such as Garen and one ranged champion give you an answer to most drafts.
5. Keep one safe pick for early picks. Some champions do fine against almost anything. Others need the right matchup. When you have to pick before your lane opponent, take the safe one.

Give every new champion a few normal games before you bring it into ranked.

Do not change your pool after every loss. One bad game says little. Twenty games on a champion say a lot.

Common mistakes with a champion pool

• Picking a counter you have barely played. A champion you are comfortable on in a hard matchup usually does better than a counter you do not know.
• Chasing whatever is popular after each balance update, so you are always a beginner on your own champion.
• Keeping a pool where every champion loses to the same thing.
• Having no backup, then playing a champion for the first time in ranked because your main was banned.

Frequent questions

How many champions should I main in LoL?

Two or three in your main role are enough for ranked, plus one or two for your secondary role. Fewer is fine while you are new.

Is one-tricking bad?

No. It is the quickest way to get good at one thing, and it works at every rank. The risk sits in champion select, so keep at least one backup ready.

What do I do when my main is banned?

Take your backup at once. That is what it is for. If you have none, choose the simplest champion you own for your role and play safe.

Do I need to own many champions?

No, only the ones in your pool. Champions are unlocked with Blue Essence, which you earn by playing, or with RP.

RP for your champions and their skins

RP is the game's paid currency. It buys champions, and skins for the ones you play most. On Mas4Games you can get League of Legends RP codes for accounts of the Türkiye server. The code is shown on your order's page in your account and sent to you by e-mail, and the help center has live support if you need a hand.