Top 7 Overpowered Champions in LoL Patch 25.05

The nerfs to several meta champions have slightly impacted the top-tier ranked picks in Patch 25.05. In this article, let's explore the seven most dominant champions for climbing the ranks in this patch!

Since mid-2024, Warwick has become an easy-to-play top lane pick with strong sustain and the ability to solo many fighter matchups. This makes him a comfortable choice without many hard counters. In recent patches, nerfs to several tank items and other meta champions have given Warwick more room to shine, pushing him into the overpowered category for top lane.

The return of the Lethal Tempo rune and the attack speed cap increase to 3.0 have further strengthened Warwick. If safety is a concern, Warwick can take Flash and Teleport like other top laners, but for a guaranteed lane advantage, Barrier is the optimal choice. Barrier was recently buffed, has a very short cooldown, and activates at 25% HP, giving Warwick extra time to triple his healing through his Passive.

The core item for Warwick top is Blade of the Ruined King, providing damage, sustain, and slow effects. After that, he can build Stridebreaker, Sterak’s Gage, Spirit Visage, or Hullbreaker.

What started as an off-meta experiment has now turned Darius jungle into a powerful meta pick. His jungle clear is solid, and his insane early-game dueling power with Hemorrhage (Passive) makes him a formidable force in extended fights.

Even at level 1, Darius is a terrifying opponent. His major weakness, lack of mobility, has been mitigated with the introduction of new mobility items and runes.

Darius jungle's core build includes Youmuu’s Ghostblade and Dead Man’s Plate, offering both damage and durability. Boots of Swiftness is a must-have, followed by standard items like Sterak’s Gage, Spirit Visage, and Guardian Angel. Lastly, Phase Rush is crucial for chasing enemies and providing extra flexibility in fights.

With the nerfs to tank items, top lane Volibear has fallen out of favor. Instead, the Relentless Storm is now thriving as a jungle pick in the current patch. Volibear boasts excellent jungle clear, taking minimal damage while farming, which ensures a strong early-game presence.

He can also gank effectively without relying on his ultimate, making him a strong choice for early aggression. His playstyle is simple and effective, becoming even more threatening once he unlocks Stormbringer (R). Volibear is particularly dominant in low ranks, where his ability to control jungle routes and influence fights is invaluable.

The burst damage build for Volibear has gained popularity, utilizing Rod of Ages and Navori Flickerblade due to their cost efficiency. The Press the Attack rune enhances his early and mid-game dueling potential before transitioning into tankier options like Thornmail or Spirit Visage.

Zed has quickly risen in popularity across multiple servers after receiving a buff to his E damage. While this change didn’t significantly boost his overall damage output, it synergized well with other factors, making him a high-win-rate pick.

The Electrocute rune was buffed in previous patches, and Zed’s core lethality items remain strong and consistent, keeping The Master of Shadows relevant.

Apart from the standard lethality build with Eclipse, Voltaic Cyclosword, and Edge of Night, Zed can opt for a bruiser setup with Black Cleaver and Spear of Shojin as his second item. With the return of many mid-lane mages, Zed is an excellent counter-pick. While he still requires skill to play effectively, these buffs have made him a top-tier mid laner once again.

After disappearing from the meta due to severe nerfs, Aphelios has made a strong comeback in the latest patch. A small attack speed buff was all it took to revive him as a dominant bot lane carry.

This resurgence is further reinforced by the recent buffs to traditional ADC builds, particularly Kraken Slayer and Infinity Edge.

Additionally, the return of Lethal Tempo and the 3.0 attack speed cap increase make Aphelios a monster in the mid-game, leveraging his massive attack speed scaling. His build is further complemented by Lord Dominik’s Regards and armor penetration items.

While many long-range ADCs dominate the meta, Nilah has maintained her relevance as a melee marksman.

Her strength is often underrated in ranked play due to various factors, but that is a mistake. With Immortal Shieldbow receiving buffs, Nilah can now survive longer in fights and create massive impact, especially after hitting level 6.

Despite not focusing on attack speed, Nilah still benefits from Infinity Edge, allowing her to burst enemies unexpectedly once she reaches two to three core items. The rest of her build consists of The Collector, armor penetration items, and Guardian Angel. The Precision rune tree is the perfect choice for her melee ADC playstyle.

With Aphelios and Jhin back in the meta, Thresh has emerged as a perfect support pick.

His W (Dark Passage) helps compensate for these ADCs' lack of mobility, while his Q (Death Sentence) and E (Flay) provide great engage and peel potential.

Thresh's itemization and rune choices haven’t changed much. He still runs Aftershock and builds staple support items like Locket of the Iron Solari, Knight’s Vow, and Thornmail.

However, one key difference in this patch is that Thresh now prioritizes Symbiotic Soles to assist teammates instead of Mercury’s Treads or Plated Steelcaps.

I hope this list of meta champions helps you climb the ranks in League of Legends! Do you have any other overpowered picks? Share your thoughts in the comments!