Arena Mode is one of the 2 temporary game modes in League of Legends, and it has received major changes this year. Many improvements have been added to the game, and in my opinion, it is much more fun to play compared to ARAM Mayhem, since Riot made some interesting changes on Patch 26.11.
In Arena Mode, you can pick any champion you want to play, and there are a lot of champions that get banned. I would advise that if you do not pick any of these champions, then you ban one of them instead, as they’re very strong.
If you want to know what other champions are strong in Arena Mode, head over to our Mobalytic’s Arena Mode Tier List.
1) Brand (1,869,000+ matches played)
Brand is one of the strongest champions in Arena Mode, as there are multiple very strong Augments that synergise well with his kit and the items he purchases. Brand deals lots of damage over time, and when he takes things like Infernal Conduit, his damage is heavily amplified, and he deals so much damage over time.
He can deal a lot of damage to tanks, and he can melt health bars, and if he can pick up an early Phenomenal Evil or Witchful Thinking, then he can get a lot of free AP and have nearly 1000AP in the final rounds.
Brand is truly one of the strongest and most unfun champions to play against in Arena Mode, so if you don’t pick him yourself, then I would recommend banning him.
Preferred Augments for Brand include: Infernal Conduit, Magic Missile and Phenomenal Evil.
2) Smolder (1,714,000+ matches played)
Smolder is another very strong champion in Arena Mode, as he can get his execute relatively early and start taking down champions fast. In the late game, Smolder can execute enemy tanks quickly compared to some other ADCs, which makes him devastating in the late game very devastating for the enemy team composition.
Smolder does need some time to come online, though, so he might lose some of the early rounds, but once he gets an Augment like Vulnerability, It’s Critical or Jeweled Gauntlet, he can start scaling even quicker and be a major threat in rounds.
Out of all the champions, Smolder is probably the hardest champion on our list, as he does require a lot of kiting and maximising space with his E to ensure he doesn’t get collapsed or jumped on by the enemy team.
Preferred Augments for Smolder include: Vulnerability, Jeweled Gauntlet, and It’s Critical.
3) Zyra (1,340,000+ matches played)
Zyra is my go-to champion in Arena Mode, and she is extremely strong thanks to her plants. Just like Brand, Zyra will be dealing a lot of damage over time, and she will be buying items that give her plants even more damage. Zyra also has lots of CC in her kit, and with low cooldowns, she can be extremely toxic to play against.
What makes Zyra really strong is the Infernal Conduit Augment, as this increases her damage over time. If she gets this early, paired with an early Phenomenal Evil, she can deal so much damage in rounds that it makes it impossible for the enemy to survive.
Zyra’s build path usually consists of her buying AP and pen items, which makes it easier for her to deal with tanks in those later rounds of the game as well.
Zyra’s preferred Augments include: Infernal Conduit, Phenomenal Evil, and Magic Missile.
4) Zaahen (1,399,000+ matches played)
The newest champion in League of Legends is Zaahen, and he is extremely strong in Arena Mode, as Arena Mode is all about fighting and skirmishing with the enemy. Thanks to Zaahen’s Passive, he is a great skirmishing champion, as he can get a reset and keep fighting.
Unlike the next champion on our list, Zaahen is going to be a carry and build damaging items to take the enemy down. As rounds go on and on, and as he becomes stronger, he can deal so much damage just by auto-attacking the enemy over and over again.
Let’s not forget his Ultimate, though. Zaahen’s Ultimate and the CC in his kit make him a major threat against squishy champions and other champions with CC. He can use his Ultimate to dodge incoming damage and CC, and also use it to close the gap: the possibilities are endless, which makes Zaahen mega strong in Arena Mode.
Zaahen’s preferred Augments include: Mystic Punch, Symphony of War, Goredrink.
5) Sett (2,923,000+ matches played)
The final champion on our list is Sett. Even though Sett builds basically full tank and tank items, he is extremely strong in Arena Mode. There are many different Augments that Sett can take, but for the most part, you want to take tanky Augments like Tank Engine.
In Arena Mode, he has lots of damage with his Q and W. He can also get picks with his E, and also peel for his allies with his E as well. In rounds where the fire circle encircles you, he can also take the enemy out and push them into the flames with his Ultimate.
If you haven’t tried Sett before, I would really recommend it, as he is extremely fun and strong in Arena Mode.
Sett’s preferred Augments include: Tank Engine, Goliath, Steel Your Heart.
Final Thoughts
That sums up 5 of the strongest champions to pick (or ban) in Arena Mode in Season 26. What champions do you love to play, and hate to play against? For more recommendations, head over to our Mobalytics Arena Mode Tier List.