15 out of 173 LoL Champions went unpicked in Tier 1 ahead of Worlds 2026

It has been a long year of League of Legends. With new international events, as well as longer seasons with more matches, several hundred official matches have been played worldwide in Tier 1 this year. Still, even with the addition of Fearless Draft, some champions went unpicked and were forgotten, as happens every single year.

Whether because they were designed around solo queue and lower levels of play, because they are niche picks playable by dedicated players, or because they have simply remained overpowered, there are many reasons why a champion might not be picked. With the Worlds 2026 Main Stage about to start, Sheep Esports dives into the 15 champions that went unpicked throughout the entire year.

The first question that comes to mind when looking at unpicked champions in Tier 1 is how the numbers compare to previous years. To put this year's figures into perspective, in 2026, according to Games of Legends, 15 out of 173 champions (8.67% of the roster) were never picked in Tier 1 tournaments, including the Worlds Play-In. In 2025, the number of champions that went unpicked in Tier 1 was, interestingly enough, exactly the same: 15 out of 171 (8.77%). In 2024, however, before the introduction of Fearless Draft, which prevents champions from being picked more than once per team across a series, only 13 out of 168 champions (7.74%) went unpicked in Tier 1.

Overall, the numbers suggest that the proportion of unpicked champions has remained relatively stable from year to year, as many of the same champions continue to be overlooked due to their lack of viability in professional play. It is also worth noting that Fearless Draft does not necessarily have a significant impact on these figures. While the format encourages greater champion diversity within a series, it does not necessarily make champions that are rarely, if ever, picked more viable options for professional teams.

Another interesting comparison is the gap between the most-picked champions each year. In 2026, Ryze and Jarvan IV were the two most-picked champions, with 817 and 769 games played, respectively, a difference of 48 games. In 2024, by contrast, K'Sante topped the rankings with more than 1,200 games, while Rell came in second with slightly fewer than 1,000. This left a gap of more than 200 games between the two most-picked champions, suggesting that the top of the pick-rate rankings was considerably more concentrated in 2024 than in 2026.

The 15 champions that went unpicked in Tier 1 this year largely fall into four categories: solo queue specialists who are difficult to master or adapt to professional play, straightforward “noob stompers” easily countered by coordinated teams, champions that have simply fallen out of the meta, and long-standing candidates for a rework.

Funnily enough, Twitch almost made it onto this list as the 16th unpicked champion of the year, were it not for MVK ’s eye-popping performance in the final game of the Worlds 2026 Play-In, which saw secure the last spot in the Main Stage. Before Harky, Twitch had not been picked since the LEC 2025 Summer Playoffs, where ’s played and won with the champion against .

* Editorial Note: Briar was picked once by T1’s

Mun "Oner" Hyeon-jun

at the 2023 Red Bull League of Its Own in a showmatch against

Berlin International Gaming

!… though this hardly counts as an official game…

With the Worlds 2026 Main Stage just around the corner, will any of these 15 champions finally get their moment in the spotlight, or will they remain on the sidelines for another year? One thing is for sure: all it takes is one fearless draft, one pocket pick, or one very brave coach to give them a chance. We’ll find out soon enough!