Top Lane – Maokai
The annoying aspect of Maokai in solo queue is that many top laners use champions that deal high damage, and these players often look for ways to aggressively outplay their opponents to snowball as quickly as possible. However, Maokai is an extremely easy champion to play defensively in League of Legends; you can effectively hold your opponent in place in the top lane and mitigate the power of damage dealers like the ones mentioned.
When it comes to team fights, the key to solo queue, Maokai completely outshines those damage champions thanks to his ability to root opponents directly and his area-wide ultimate. Another reason Maokai is currently so powerful is the previously buffed Sunfire Aegis, which synergizes perfectly with his reliably hitting crowd control.
Jungle – Ivern
Truly a “industrial” champion, Ivern’s role in the game is simply to avoid jungle theft and buff teammates to carry him. You will repeat this process throughout the match until victory, so don’t underestimate Ivern; he has an extremely high win rate and ranks in the top 5 among jungle champions, alongside the likes of Wukong, Shaco, and other powerful champions.
As mentioned earlier, Ivern’s main task throughout most of the game is to buff his teammates, so you should build supportive items like Athene’s Unholy Grail, Locket of the Iron Solari, or Redemption. Essentially, you’re not much different from a Janna in the jungle, so try to protect your teammates as much as possible.
Mid Lane – Neeko
Neeko’s gradual return in playoff matches of major tournaments is not without reason; she is the perfect champion for pick-offs with a Frostfire Gauntlet build and can root enemies for an extended duration. Moreover, Neeko’s team fighting power is incredibly strong with her ultimate, Pop Blossom.
Additionally, Neeko is a champion that is extremely difficult to kill in lane; she has long-range crowd control, invisibility, and movement speed boosts, making her well-equipped to discourage any jungler looking to gank her. Strong in lane and shines in team fights, Neeko fits well into any composition in solo queue.
ADC – Sivir
Unlike typical ADCs that require a lot of skills such as minion control, trading hits, or kiting opponents, Sivir is an ADC that relies the least on these skills, simply because of her unique range and abilities—her main task is just to push lanes and keep pushing.
One little-known fact is that Sivir’s skill set is a major counter to many strong support champions in the current meta, especially hook champions. When you consistently pressure your opponents under their turret, they cannot move freely to find angles to attack you, and you also have a skill to dodge enemy abilities. If the enemy picks champions like Thresh, Blitzcrank, or even Pyke or Nautilus, rest assured that Sivir will help you win lane with ease.
Support – Taric
In the Support position, simply having the ability to protect teammates already greatly benefits the team. With Taric, he offers even more than that; not only does he protect teammates but he also provides a very disruptive stun capability in small skirmishes in the bot lane. Furthermore, Taric’s basic damage is incredibly strong at early levels, and not many players can anticipate this.
In the later stages of the game, Taric possesses a highly disruptive ultimate that can make your teammates immune to damage. This is a powerful counter to burst champions or all-in team compositions, which are very common in solo queue. Therefore, if you’re looking for an easy-to-play Support champion who can fight well early and be useful later on, Taric is the perfect choice.