League of Legends started with uncomplicated champions and an easier take on the MOBA genre. Things started changing after a few years. Riot became bold and decided to create champions with complex mechanics that would become even more complex and even more weird every year. Easy-to-play champions would get reworks, and some new champions would get convoluted passives with hard to track skill synergy.

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Some of these champions are incredibly hard to master due to their hard-to-understand mechanics, others might have much simpler mechanics that are nuanced enough to have significantly different uses depending on the context. One way or another, some Champions in the current League of Legends are notoriously hard to master.

Updated on September 6, 2021, by Juliet Childers: Though League of Legends, like any MOBA, has a constantly shifting meta, the champions themselves only change with reworks or significant buffs/debuffs. As such, the ones that are difficult to master will always be that way. However, that just means you have to practice, practice, practice in order to get better with them. From junglers to support champions and everyone in-between, here's an updated looks at the highest skill cap champions in League of Legends.

15 Aphelios, The Weapon of the Faithful

League of Legends - Aphelios

This champion is a living arsenal that mercilessly strikes down the enemies of his faith. Guided by his sister, the mute gunslinger uses several different weapons with equal mastery.

The part about being an arsenal is not an exaggeration. Aphelios actually has five different weapons with different gameplay mechanics that are frequently changed while he is shooting enemies. In order to master this champion, players must know when to change to the off-hand gun and know all the special abilities of each different weapon. Not only that, but players also have to know how the weapons synergize in the main hand and off-hand.

14 Samira, The Desert Rose

League of Legends - Samira being stylish as always

This character is an unapologetic reference to Devil May Cry. Some fans consider Samira to be a gimmicky character since she has to keep changing the way she strikes down her foes in order to unlock her ultimate. However, this is easier said than done.

Although Samira does have great skills and damage, she can be easily shut down with a crowd control skill. This makes her positioning crucial in her great performance. Not only that, she is highly dependent on surviving and striking while using different abilities until she can ult. She seems a bit too similar to Isabela from Dragon Age, wouldn't you say?

13 Azir, The Ascended Emperor

League of Legends - Azir making soldiers out of sand

This ancient Shuriman ruler is by far one of the hardest champions to make full use of. Although his kit seems simplistic, Azir is a very vulnerable hyper carry that becomes a god of repositioning and sky-high damage per second.

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This all depends on being at the right place all the time while completely dominating the little things that can turn this stale champion into a highly mobile, gracious damage machine. This champion is left aside even by pros because of how hard it is to use him effectively.

12 Akali, The Rogue Assassin

League of Legends - Akali

Once called the Fist of Shadow, Akali left the Kinkou in order to protect those she judged in need of her. Now she uses all that she has learned from her master Shen in order to defend Ionia from its enemies.

Akali is a highly mobile assassin. Although she might lack the burst damage that others of her category have, she specializes in frequently jumping in to deal damage and leaving to do it again. What makes her hard to master is knowing how to use her passives and making sure that the chosen time to jump in is not a death sentence. Once this is mastered, it is nearly impossible to catch an Akali. Mastering her kit is far from being easy, though.

11 Qiyana, The Empress Of The Elements

League of Legends - Qiyana and her hoop-like blade

This champion is a powerful warrior who dominates elemental magic. Combined with her agility, combat prowess, and exotic weapon Qiyana thinks of herself as the greatest elementalist to have ever existed among her people.

She is one of these champions with an easy-to-understand concept but a not-so-easy-to-use kit. Making her work at minimum functionality is not complicated, but learning all the nuance behind the elements and applying them in the best possible way takes long hours of learning, trial, and error to master. The difference between an intermediate Qiyana and a Master one is always painfully clear.

10 Yasuo, The Unforgiven

League of Legends - Yasuo calmy meditating

An agile master of the sword, Yasuo cuts through the air and bends it with his technique. The Unforgiven was forced to kill his own brother in self-defense after being falsely accused of murdering his own master.

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In Summoner's Rift, Yasuo is a scary thing to see. This champion is extremely powerful and his plays can change the tide suddenly. If fed early, Yasuo becomes an unstoppable killing machine. Many constantly die playing Yasuo, which makes some players ban him just so he won't be picked by a teammate.

9 Yone, The Unforgotten

League of Legends - Yone wielding two swords

A majestic sword master who came back from the dead, Yone hunts evil spirits while tries to understand what he has become. He has a certain grace that is unique to him, and his style currently differs from his brothers due to his dual-wielding technique.

Much like Yasuo, Yone can be very complicated to use effectively. That happens due to the nature of his skills and their situational effects. Yone's lane phase can also be difficult for those who do not play with the needed patience, and his powerful ult just throws a player in the middle of the enemy team when unwisely used.

8 Lee Sin, The Blind Monk

League of Legends - Lee Sin doing a jump kick

There is not a single player who was learning Lee Sin and did not go for a Resonating Strike right after hitting Sonic Wave even though it would result in terrible positioning. This is just one of the many reasons Lee Sin is hard to master.

He is a powerful jungler with amazing repositioning skills, one of the best ultimates in the game, and also a lot of utility. Unfortunately, Lee Sin is also one of those champions that do poorly late game, so using his kit effectively during the early and mid-game is crucial to make him worth the pick.

7 Thresh, The Chain Warden

League of Legends - Thresh being intimidating

This champion comes across as a sadistic undead who tortures his victims even after they have passed away. Of course, the Spirit Blossom Thresh skin might have people assuming differently. But Thresh is one of the most interesting support champions in summoner's rift. Although he is incredibly hard to master, his kit is so strong that using it at a basic level is already enough to make him useful.

Thresh has a lot of nuanced ways to use his kit that benefit out-of-the-box thinking a whole lot. Although the bread-and-butter works fine, professionals keep coming up with new ways to use his kit. Kowing all of the nuance of his hook and lantern are key to transform Thresher from decent support into an outstanding support champion.

6 Irelia, The Blade Dancer

League of Legends - Irelia making her blades dance

Although her kit might not seem as complicated as the ones of other champions, it is nuanced enough to make it hard to learn. Worse than learning is using it in a completely effective way. Players must know the best moment to dash in, mark the target, position her blades while making sure it is the right time to jump in.

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Irelia has many ways to get in and deal damage, but getting out is not one of the things she does best. So teamwork, team awareness, and even minion awareness are things that the player must use in order to make the most out of her kit.

5 Kalista - The Spear Of Vengeance

League of Legends Kalista

Though many players will say that Draven or Vayne are the most difficult AD characters to master, Kalista sticks out more due to her very unique auto attack animation. She jumps from one spot to another with each attack, making last hits less of an automatic process. Her more support-style ultimate also means that she isn't the best duelist -- another difference from both Vayne and Draven.

But when itemized correctly and with a great support, Kalista is a total bully in lane and can put out massive damage. Mastering her means learning when to engage and disengage.

4 Nidalee - The Bestial Huntress

League of Legends Nidalee

Cat-spear-lady sees pro play regularly, so Riot always shows her love. Though she can be "easy" in terms of just using her heal and landing her spears, mastering both sets of abilities she has is a never-ending journey. After all, Nidalee essentially requires two different playstyles: ranged and aggressive melee.

She used to be seen in mid lane or even as a "support" character, but jungle is where she is best suited currently. The trick to mastering her is to play tons and tons of games as Nidalee, trying out different itemizations, jungle pathing, and team fight strategies.

3 Elise - The Spider Queen

League of Legends Elise

Like Nidalee, Elise has multiple forms which means two sets of abilities to learn. Her spider form is useful for mobility and jungling, while her stun skill shot in her human form is critical in chasing down targets. However, she doesn't have the same "get out of jail free card" or tankiness many meta junglers have.

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While her Repel ability makes her temporarily invulnerable, an Elise in the wrong place at the right time is always a free kill for the enemy team. Take the time to master her, though, and you can turn the tide of games easily.

2 Diana - Scorn Of The Moon

League of Legends Diana

Diana recently got a ton of love on the pro play circuit which was odd with how non-meta she had been even since her release. Riot tweaked her kit just a bit, gave her some new skins, and even featured her in the Sentinels of Light event. More than that, the narrative team confirmed her past (current?) relationship with Leona to the delight of many fans.

Mastering this AP assassin isn't like an Akali or a Katarina; she is mobile but meant to be a bit more robust -- especially in the jungle. But her ganks are next level if you can time them right.

1 Bard - The Wandering Caretaker

Bard League of Legends

Every though YouTuber Polypuff makes it look easy in all of his highlight videos, perfecting Bardo isn't as easy as it seems. After all, he really only has one offensive ability with his Q which is a skill shot players often miss. Mastering the timing and location of his ultimate, as well as Magical Journey is practically a lifelong mission.

Itemization also plays a critical role in mastering Bard, too, as his scaling allows for more offensive or supportive builds. But keep practicing your meep guardian -- even if other players flame you.

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