Best Champions to Ban in Arena Mode
Arena Mode is faster than ever, which is great for players who want to get in and out of a game quickly. Arena Mode is fun; you don’t have to worry about making one mistake costing you the whole game. Instead, each round is very even, and you can win even when you’re “behind.”
However, if you have been grinding this game mode like me, you will often see the same champions being picked over and over again. Thankfully, Riot Games is taking the initiative with this game mode, and they are making frequent buffs and nerfs to prevent some champions from continuing to be really strong. But that doesn’t mean there are not some favourable bans you can make to make the game mode more fun for you.
In this Mobalytics article, we will discuss some of the best bans in Arena Mode. These champions are either really strong at the moment, synergise well with the new Augments, or are just really annoying to play against. If you want to learn what other champions are broken and very strong in Arena Mode, then head over to the Mobalytics’ Arena Mode Tier List.
1. Trundle
Trundle is my go-to ban in Arena Mode as he deals a lot of damage while being really tanky at the same time. In Arena Mode, you will often see a lot of tank champions, and Trundle can directly counter them with his Ultimate, which makes him even harder to kill. If you pick a tank, or your ally is a tank, then Trundle will be extremely hard to kill.
There are a lot of good Augments and items Trundle can take in this game mode. Usually, he will unlock Augments that empower his auto-attacks to make him attack faster. He also makes good use of Augments that provide him with Runes, such as Symphony of War which gives him Lethal Tempo and Conq. These two Augments are really good on Trundle and make him a lot stronger while trading and skirmishing.
2. Brand
The second ban we suggest is Brand. Brand can deal considerable damage in the game mode, and his Ultimate is really good in 2v2 fights. In Arena Mode, you have to work with your ally, and you shouldn’t really split up. This can make Brand really good because his Ultimate can bounce between one enemy and another. In other words, Brand is really annoying to play against due to his damage output and poke.
There are a lot of good options for Brand when it comes to Augments. But for the most part, he can get a ton of free AP if he picks either Phenomenal Evil or Wishful Thinking. However, Brand will deal a lot of damage over time with his burn. This damage is vital in winning those long-drawn-out fights.
3. Galio
Our third recommendation is to ban Galio. Galio is a tank and will be building tanky items. He doesn’t go damage, which is nice, but the fact is that he will be extremely tanky and hard to kill, especially if he is paired with another tank, or someone who will deal the damage for him. Galio can even outlive most champions when the circle decreases due to his insane shielding and health.
As Galio is a tank, with multiple CC tools (his W, E and Ultimate), he usually takes an Augment that makes him tankier and works with his CC tools. Augments like Courage of The Colossus or Goliath make him really strong. He can gain a shield by using any CC tool with Courage of The Colussus, and Goliath makes him naturally a lot tankier. These two, paired with the items he builds will make him really tanky and quite difficult to kill.
4. Swain
Fourth on our list is Swain. Swain is a very strong champion in Arena Mode and can be extremely dominant even versus the tankiest of matchups. Swain has great synergy with a lot of the tank champions and the two of them can be really tanky together. Just like Brand, he can deal a lot of damage over time, and his Ultimate is also good in those 2v2 fights.
For Augments, Swain has a lot of options, but usually, he will take something that applies a burn to help him deal with tanks. For instance, Infernal Conduit can be horrible to play against due to the burn it applies. Another option is Magic Missile, which makes him deal additional damage to those mega tanks you’ll often play against. So if you intend to play a tank that isn’t Swain, then maybe you should give him a ban as he will directly counter you ans shred through your health bar like it’s butter with these Augments and the items he buys.
5. Shaco
The final champion on our list today is Shaco. Shaco is annoying to play against at the best of times, but on Arena Mode, he can be even harder to handle due to his strong skirmishing potential and his Ultimate. Shaco is very versatile and works really well with a lot of different Augment setups and items too.
First off, his best build right now is an AP dominant build. So he might wish to take Witchful Thinking as it gives him more AP which makes all his abilities stronger, and his clone too. For his clone, when it explodes, it deals a lot of damage, so the more AP the better. Another good option is Eureka, which gives him ability haste and reduces the cooldown of his abilities. We all know how annoying he can be to play against, and this cooldown reduction makes him a lot more obnoxious.
Honourable Mentions
These champions haven’t quite made our list, but they’re highly recommended bans as well. Each champion is quite strong and has a high pick rate, so you could consider banning them instead.
- Master Yi
- Dr. Mundo
- Yuumi
- Alistar
- Yunara
In Conclusion
That sums up 5 of the best bans for Arena Mode. All of the champions we’ve listed in today’s article are picked or banned, as they are really strong and can be hard to play against. I advise banning these champions as well, due to how strong they can be.
What champions do you like to pick, and what champions are your go-to bans? Personally, I always ban Trundle, even if I’m not playing a tank champion, as he is so hard to kill and when he is paired with a strong Duo partner, he can be very hard to handle. For data and stats for Arena Mode, head over to the Mobalytics’ Arena Mode Tier List.
