Pro League of Legends players sound off on which champions they want deleted

With champions constantly being added to League of Legends and the roster currently peaking at 157 unique characters, things are bound to get hairy on the design side of things. Everyone has that champion they hate, whether it’s due to gameplay, design or even the champion’s voice lines and emotes.

Professional players, though, have the strongest vendettas against certain champions. When given the opportunity to delete a single champion off the face of the Earth, this is what players across the globe competing in various regional leagues and international competitions had to say.

All images are courtesy of Riot Games.

Tryndamere

Tryndamere’s design has largely been the same since the champion’s release in 2009, but he continues to be a thorn in the side of professional players everywhere. Tryndamere made a splash in competitive play at the League of Legends World Championship this year, but most grievances with the champion arise from solo queue and his split-pushing antics. Surprisingly, he was also the most requested deletion among professional players.

“Tryndamere. He’s just so annoying. He spins on you, crits you twice and then spins again.” - Immortals support Mitchell “Destiny” Shaw

“OK, I would probably pick Tryndamere. I just hate playing against him both top and mid lane. His ultimate is super broken when he’s ahead.” - Counter Logic Gaming mid laner Cristian “Palafox” Palafox

“Definitely Tryndamere. He just changes how you lane so much. If you get crit once or twice, you just lose the lane. And he heals!” - Excel Esports top laner Finn “Finn” Wiestål

“Oh, there’s just so many. I think I have to pick Tryndmere. Getting two-shot after he completes two items just isn’t fun.” - Evil Geniuses AD carry Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki

“I’ve never really thought about it, but probably Tryndamere. I feel like he just changes the game in a really weird way, especially in solo queue. There’s a lot of one-tricks that are ready to punish you.” - Counter Logic Gaming top laner Thomas “Jenkins” Tran

Ryze

Ryze was one of the most contested mid lane champions at the 2021 world championship and for good reason -- he just does everything too well. Ryze clears waves, deals immense damage and can Realm Warp his team into perfect position.

“I think Ryze is too strong with how much control he has. He can pivot to any lane really quickly.” - KT Rolster mid laner Lee “Aria” Ga-eul.

“I think there are too many. There are so many champions that I would like to delete, but for now, I will pick Ryze in the mid because he can push the lane so fast.” - Beyond Gaming AD carry Chiu “Doggo” Tzu-Chuan

Yuumi

Yuumi is one of the cutest champions in League of Legends, but her ability to remain untargetable while buffing her allies tends to make most players, amateur and professional alike, rather catty.

“I would delete Yuumi. It’s a champion that can just tag along and heal the other champions and that’s how you win.” - Dignitas jungler Kim “River” Dong-woo

“There are a lot of strong picks, but probably someone like Yuumi. The champion can just totally kill the laning phase and it’s really not fun to play against a single champion.” - Former Immortals AD carry Quin “Raes” Korebrits

Akshan

Akshan has yet to make his debut in competitive play due to being released before Worlds this year, but that doesn’t mean he’s been able to avoid the hate of pro players. As the only champion in the game with a “revive” mechanic, it’s only natural that he’ll be controversial.

“Can I just say the new champion? Akshan? His kit and the passive are just things that shouldn’t be in the game. I feel like they do this with every release lately.” - FlyQuest Academy mid laner Stephen “Triple” Li

Renekton

Renekton has a reputation for being the strongest early game top laner in League of Legends, but with that strength also comes the reputation of being one of the weakest late game champions, period.

“Probably Renekton. We lose every time we pick it, so I think we can just delete him so that we don’t have to pick or ban him anymore.” - Cloud9 mid laner Ibrahim “Fudge” Allami

Zoe

Zoe holds a special place in all of our hearts as one of the most oppressive long-range champions in League of Legends. Zoe’s E ability, Sleepy Trouble Bubble, and Q ability, Paddle Star, combo to one-shot just about any champion from over a screen away.

“Zoe. I especially hate Zoe’s W and also the E. There is no risk for her, but once it hits me I really take a lot of damage. I really hate Zoe.” - Detonation FocusMe top laner Shunsuke “Evi” Murase.