How Many Champions Were in League of Legends?

How Many Champions Did League of Legends Start With? League of Legends is one of the most played games today, with over 100 million players playing the game monthly. Since 2009, the game has dominated the gaming industry, and its popularity is growing daily.

One of the reasons behind the game’s huge success is its regularly updated features. League of Legends gameplay today is different from that of 2019. Riot Games, the game developer, is constantly innovating to improve the game experience. If you are wondering what LoL looked like in its alpha stage, who were the first champions in league of legends, etc., this is your review.

Who Were the Original League of Legends Champions?

League of Legends began with 17 champions who laid the game’s foundation. Riot Games used these characters as their base as they designed and released new characters later, also known as champions. If you didn’t have the chance to interact with these characters during the alpha stage, here are their quick overviews;

1. Alistar

Alistar was one of the most lethal original League of Legends champions. He had an impressive movement speed boost, making it easier to take out nearby enemies. The original Alisatr champion, however, lost the E ability and transformed to Headbutt, a passive healing ability.

2. Annie

Annie is one of the simplest LoL champions, and beginners can pick and effortlessly use her abilities. She has mostly stayed the same since the alpha stage; however, there have been some improvements in her cooldowns, Tibber’s life span, and damage multipliers. The most recent improvement is that players can use her shield on allies.

3. Ashe

Ashe is another iconic champion whose passive enabled her to make critical strikes and modify her attacks on slow-moving targets. Her kit has been effective and balanced, and the champion has received little alterations.

One change or improvement is that her passive doesn’t support critical strikes. It instead causes more damage on slow targets. Another alteration is that she unleashes significant damage in smaller periods.

4. Fiddlesticks

Fiddlesticks is a scarecrow-looking character who has undergone various improvements. His original ability was hiding in bushes and scaring enemies away with his looks. He had amazing stealth and silent movements, and the champion had reserved these skills. Some of the adjustments done to Fiddlesticks include cooldowns, mana, damage, and CC duration adjustments.

5. Jax

Jax is another LoL champion whose abilities haven’t changed, apart from improved damage, AoE damage reduction, and spell shield breaks. The champion is one of the best for beginners because of his simplicity.

6. Kayle

Here is a character very different from her original champion. She was deadly during the alpha stages; however, Riot Games made a few adjustments, and today, she has to scale to activate her range abilities.

7. Master Yi

Master Yi has retained his alpha force and is known as the ideal AP mid-laner. One of his significant abilities is his attack-speed-oriented playing style which makes him lethal. Master Yi has had other viable playstyles before; however, Riot Games has effectively balanced his abilities.

8. Morgana

Morgana has been a favorite pick for most League of Legends players. This original champion has received many buffs, and her playing style perfectly suits modern gameplay. Her abilities make her the ideal pick for mid, support, and jungle LoL roles.

9. Nunu

Nunu previously had visionary sacks abilities but was only a popular pick for some. Riot Games transformed him into a fearsome monster, and he gets more plays and picks today.

10. Ryze

Riot Games has reworked Ryze’s character five times. His original state had a lower cooldown, and players had to deal with much mana damage. He has transformed, and today he is more balanced and lethal.

11. Sion

Here is another original who has undergone a complete transformation. The character used to have an ally heal and bonus life steal. He had simpler overall gameplay; however, his transformation has made him one of the best champions.

12. Sivir

Sivir has maintained her ability stats; the only adjustments are a few patch updates. This has affected her pick, and she is less preferred than she was before.

13. Soraka

The rework done on Soraka has seen her transform into a level champion. She previously had significant healing abilities and renewed skills that Riot Games had to scale her down.

14. Teemo

Teemo is one of the most hated champions who used to be very powerful thanks to his vision and movement speed. He was recently scaled down, making him weaker than during the alpha stages.

15. Tristana

Tristana is a powerful champion who uses her lethal auto attacks to eliminate enemies. She has preserved most of her abilities, and one of the adjustments made is the inclusion of the Explosive Charge.

16. Twisted Fate

This champion is one of the most sophisticated, and no major adjustments have been made to him.

17.  Warwick

Warwick is the final original champion, which was easy to control. However, Riot Games raised his gameplay complexity.

The Bottom Line

If you have been asking how many characters did League of Legends start with? This review has answered your question. Above is everything you need to know about the available champions during the alpha stage. This makes it easier to understand the game’s timeline.