League of Legendsis now home to over 160 champions, whose strengths and weaknesses vary hugely even within their set roles. Some are perfectly built to scale into the late game and become a terror once they hit level 16, while others prefer to hit the ground running and push their advantage on the enemy as soon as possible.
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Each champion will only have access to one ability and their passive at level 1, which means that some, with very powerful singular abilities, can be a major threat before minions have even spawned. TheseLeague of Legendscharacters are some of the best in the game to try and snowball an early lead and bully the enemy team out of the game quickly.
Amumu
Hook champions are some of the mostpowerful lane championsinLeague of Legends, and the only thing more powerful is one with two hooks, at level 1. Since Amumu was reworked to have two charges on his Q, he has been one of the most powerful junglers and supports to invade with, as he can keep a target locked up for plenty long enough for his team to follow.
This is also why he has seen such success in pro playas a support, as he can shut down the enemy ADC for ages, or keep both enemy bot laners in place for his ADC to follow, which only increases once he has his ultimate. On top of this, his curse passive allows his team to have even more burst damage early, which can be the extra they need.
Draven
Draven is a terrifying champion to come up against in the early game, as his passive means that dying to him once can render the game almost unwinnable. On top of this, his Q is one of the best abilities in the game level 1, asa skilled playercan exploit his huge damage with auto attacks which can one-shot an enemy before they even realize what’s happening.
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While he won’t be able to cash out many stacks of his passive from a level one kill, even the small gold lead he’ll gain can make his damage seem insurmountable in the early game. Paired with an engage support, any good Draven will be looking to bully out the enemy ADC before the game even gets underway.
Jax
Many champions who are powerful at level 1 are so because of the power of their auto attacks and will have an ability or passive that synergizes well with this strength. Jax is no exception, with his passive granting ramping attack speed that can stack, allowing him to win a large portion of any level one trades.
However, Jax is also a serious counter to other champions with this strength, as his E ability, Counter-Strike, blocks all incoming damage from auto attacks. This nullifies the level 1 threat of many ADCs and bruisers, as it will also allow him to dodge anybasic abilitiesthat apply on hit effects, such as Fiora and Ezreal Qs.
Braum
Like many powerful early-game champions, Braum has a passive that can make level 1 engagements almost unusable. By hitting an enemy with his Q or auto-attack, he applies a stack of Concussive Blows, after which any ally attacks also apply a stack. Once an enemy reaches 4 stacks, they are stunned.
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This is especially powerful with a team invade level 1, as the more allied champions in the area, the quicker an enemy can be stunned, rendering them helpless. Especially when paired with Sejuani, who has a similar ability, the power of this passive persists well into the mid-game and is unstoppable in skirmishes.
Yasuo
Yasuo relies on auto attacks for the bulk of his damage, already making him apowerful level 1 threat. To add to this, all three of his basic abilities are very powerful in their own right, particularly in invades. His Q can be stacked to produce a tornado, knocking up any enemy in its path. This can incapacitate the entire enemy team for allies to follow up.
Less popular but still powerful options are taking his Windwall, which can negate much of an enemy team’s damage with correct placement, while allies focus down one enemy champion. Equally, in a 5v5 brawl, his E ability can be used to dash once to each enemy, providing huge mobility and damage across the enemy team.
Darius
Perhaps one of the best-known level 1 powerhouses inLeague of Legendsis Darius, who almostany enemy will want to avoidin a level 1 trade in the top lane. His passive, Hemorrhage, applied stacks of bleed to an enemy, dealing huge damage in its own right, but also granting Darius huge amounts of AD when fully stacked.
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Paired with his Q or E ability, both AoE, Darius is also a major threat in an invade, as he can deal damage to or incapacitate several enemies in one swing. His power is only increased with the threat of his snowball, as one of two kills under his belt can make a lane feel completely unwinnable for his opponent.
Nautilus
Technically the second hook champion on this list, Nautilus provides much the same service, with the ability to lock up one target for several seconds, and any others that stray near him for a shorter duration. His first attack against a new enemy will root them, meaning if a team invades level 1 he can cause some serious disruption.
His hook is one of the largest hitboxes in the game and will be a challenge for any enemy to dodge, as well as pull them into Nautilus’s team. Being able to root the hooked enemy makes him even more powerful than Blitzcrank, as allies should have more than enough time to follow up before the enemy can escape.
Sion
Sion is already a very powerful level 1 threat, especially with Grasp of the Undying, as his base damage from auto attacks is substantial. His passive is also one of the most powerful in the game, bringing him back from the dead with greatly increased movement speed and attack speed. Any enemy with no mobility will simply be run down and killed, meaning that Sion can almost always trade one for one at the very least.
With the element of surprise, however, this juggernaut becomes even stronger. Whether he is waiting for an enemyin the top lane, or in a brush while the enemy invades, his Q can AoE knock up and stun multiple enemies. This can very easily turn any fight into a winning one for his team, especially combined with his power from auto attacks.
