Malphite

Malphite’s strength is in how plainly he plays. Rated near the bottom for difficulty and near the top for defense, this tank does best in top lane, with the occasional mid game, where he hard-counters attack-speed and AD-heavy teams. He also offers one of the most dependable teamfight engages in League of Legends.

His early game rests on Granite Shield, a passive stone layer that soaks up damage equal to as much as a tenth of his maximum health. It refills whenever he goes unhit, so he can trade and disengage with much less risk than most tanks carry. Seismic Shard is a targeted poke that steals move speed: it slows the enemy and speeds Malphite up, which makes it useful both for closing gaps and for escaping. Ground Slam deals magic damage that grows with his armor and reduces enemy attack speed, so auto-attack fighters and marksmen have a hard time winning a duel against him. Thunderclap adds aftershock damage to his basic attacks, giving him short bursts of trading power.

A single key, five knockups

Everything comes back to Unstoppable Force. This ultimate sends him soaring across the map and launches every enemy it hits into the air. One accurate cast into a bunched-up backline can settle a teamfight before it properly begins, and the rest of his toolkit keeps him standing in the chaos he started. His weaknesses are easy to spot: he burns through mana, he is slow to move outside his ultimate, and heavy magic damage blunts his defenses. Malphite is a good fit for players who want the biggest possible teamfight impact from a simple, low-mechanics champion.