The League of Legends game type All Random All Middle (ARAM) is a unique way to play. Recalling and healing from the fountain are disabled, the traditional map is condensed to a single lane, champions start at a higher level, and most notably, you are assigned a champion at random.
With over 150 champions to play, it can be difficult to choose which to keep and which to re-roll. The best way to decide is to use the uniqueness of ARAM to your advantage. Keeping assigned champions that can sustain themselves in the absence of fountain healing, or through large area of effect abilities that flourish on the cramped map and utilizing a champion’s passive to the fullest, will help you achieve victory.
10 Swain
In the past, Swain was a solid champion to play on ARAM, but with his rework, he has become one of the best with a versatile kit perfect for the game type. In addition to good minion clear, he also scales over time, contains crowd control, and can sustain himself through his ultimate ability and scaling passive.
Swain is especially suited to ARAM due to close quarters allowing him to get multiple passive stacks from a single use of his Death’s Hand and Nevermore abilities. He can also recharge his ultimate indefinitely while enemies are in range.
9 Nautilus
The aim of Nautilus’ game is initiation. He can pull himself into the fight, lock enemies down, and slow any nearby foes, all while taking little damage through his shield.
The Howling Abyss allows Nautilus to easily catch enemies by using his Dredge Line ability to maneuver the narrow lane. He can also take advantage of ARAM’s exclusive Summoner Spell, Mark (aka snowball), which allows him to catch back-line enemies and flawlessly initiate team fights. Also, If lined up correctly, his ultimate ability has the chance to knock up and stun an entire team.
8 Miss Fortune
Miss Fortune thrives in the ARAM environment with her large area of effect abilities. Her Make It Rain ability can make it easy for her to get damage on multiple enemies and slow them, allowing her team to capitalize on the crowd control. She is also able to easily line up her ultimate ability, with the potential to massively damage an entire team.
In addition, the confined space of ARAM makes it easier for her to land her Double Up ability and maximize her passive’s damage by easily swapping between targets.
7 Karthus
Possessing a death passive is extremely advantageous in ARAM. Upon death, Karthus is still able to activate his abilities as if he were alive for a few seconds, only now he can cast them uninterrupted, allowing him to dive towers if needed.
Additionally, because The Howling Abyss is narrow, he is able to catch most enemies with his Wall of Pain that stretches nearly the length of the single lane. This not only benefits Karthus but also allows his team to catch the slowed enemies and do increased magic damage.
6 Nasus
Sustainability and scalability make Nasus a desirable champion. His ultimate increases his maximum health, armor, and magical resistance for a considerable amount of time (15 seconds) and allows him to deal additional magic damage based on an enemy’s maximum health. This can be extremely advantageous in the late game.
Nasus' Siphoning Strike can stack infinitely, giving him additional damage when a full build is achieved. He also shines on ARAM due to being able to easily catch enemies with his multiple slowing abilities and employ self-sustainability through his passive.
5 Kayle
Able to progressively gain movement speed, attack speed, and range, and eventually gaining the ability to deal ranged area of effect damage, Kayle gets stronger as the game continues.
Though she starts with little range and plays as a melee champion, she can effortlessly change between melee and ranged with her Starfire Spellblade and Radiant blast. This allows her to chase down enemies or safely defend towers. She can also prevent death for her and her teammates through healing or by using her ultimate to make an ally champion or herself invulnerable.
4 Veigar
Veigar can catch multiple enemies in his Event Horizon and deal massive amounts of damage, empowering him to execute enemies with increased damage to those with low health. He is also able to infinitely stack his passive and in ARAM, where teams are forced to be near their teammates, hitting enemies with his Baleful Strike is a breeze.
In this game type where a full build can be achieved quicker than on Summoner’s Rift, a scaling passive that can surpass the magic damage cap is invaluable.
3 Maokai
The layout of The Howling Abyss allows Maokai to flourish with bushes that are unavoidable and a single lane that makes snaring the enemy team in his ultimate effortless. When placed in a bush, his saplings lost longer, increase their area of effect, and do more damage.
The smaller map of ARAM causes his passive to activate more frequently and, thus, causes him to heal himself more often, increasing his sustainability, and is also able to lock down enemies easily with his Twisted Advance and ultimate ability.
2 Renata Glasc
Ms. Glasc is an empowering support. She can buff herself and allies with attack speed and movement speed, mark enemies to receive additional percentage health damage, perform various types of crowd control, and shield herself and allies.
As if that wasn’t enough, Renata Glasc is also able to prevent death with her Bailout ability. Her ultimate, which causes enemies to go berserk and forces friendly fire, is especially deadly on ARAM because it is easier to hit the entire team due to the shape of The Howling Abyss.
1 Samira
Samira is one of the best champions to play on ARAM. She can sustain herself through the lifesteal of her ultimate, which is made easier on the cramped map, and by effortlessly getting Conqueror stacks. She can also prevent damage and crowd control to herself and her teammates through her Blade Whirl, preventing otherwise detrimental initiation or fatal attacks.
Additionally, Samira can defend turrets easily through her automatically switching to melee mode when in range. This causes her to deal additional damage that can push back a team and its minions.