The biggest winners and losers of LoL 2026 Season 1 update

As of January 8, Riot Games rolled out the new League of Legends season to the live server. With the ranks reset, players are grinding away in the hunt for that sweet Challenger rank — or Bronze.

There have been a ton of changes introduced into the game, from role quests to returning items to the removal of Atakhan. There is plenty for players to get their hands into in the LoL 2026 Season 1 update. But who were the biggest winners and losers of the new patch, and how will it impact the esports scene? Stay tuned as we walk you through the five biggest winners and losers in the Season 16 update.

Of all the LoL Season 1 2026 changes, ADC players expressed gratitude that their role was getting some love. In comes the seventh item slot, which is the quest reward for ADCs in 2026. This means hyper carries are back on the menu, and there are very few that can stand up to Kai’Sa when she’s in the meta. With an extra item under her belt, she will be a menace. 

In the League of Legends Season 1 meta, Kai’Sa is the most popular champion by a significant margin. According to LeagueOfGraphs, Kai’Sa’s popularity percentage is 18.1%, the highest of any champion in the game for ranked.

Roaming champions have not been dealt the best hand so far in League of Legends 2026 Season 1. Mid lane champions, specifically Galio and Twisted Fate, are going to feel the pain of their quests progressing slowly. This is because most quests rely on them staying in mid. The problem is that they are champions whose kit is designed for roaming. 

What this means for players using these champions is they’re going to fall significantly behind in the race to get to tier three boots. This shouldn’t have to be a problem for players who enjoy roaming champions, and it will be interesting to see how Riot adjusts the quests if players kick up a storm about it. They’re still in the top 20 most picked for their role, but they have fallen far down the pecking order.

While Sylas players flirted with the idea of him being a jungler at the back end of Season 15, Sylas has gone to a whole new level in 2026. The League of Legends Season 1 meta has seen Sylas rise to one of the most popular champions in the game. He’s being played more as a jungler than as a mid laner in Season 16 — and we can see why. His clear has gotten a lot quicker, making him an ideal champion in the early game.

And because he doesn’t have to go back to base early, players can make the most of his early game playmaking potential. Unlike the mid laners listed above, Sylas won’t have this problem because he’s playing in the jungle. 

Tanks are the collateral damage of Season 16. While the game pace is moving quicker, tanks have been left in the dust. Consider stacking health and armour a thing of the past, as Lord Dominik’s Regards now has a Giant Slayer passive, meaning at 1,500 health, ADCs will melt through the tank’s defences like a hot knife to butter. This means champions like Sion and Ornn are going to have a tougher time surviving, and you can forget picking Cho’Gath. 

Tanks also don’t feel the same benefits of the new Level 20 quest. A slightly tankier Ornn is not going to feel much different, but a level 20 Garen or Volibear running at you is a terrifying sight.

Gangplank is about to get one of the biggest glow-ups of the year. Essence Reaver, one of the most essential items in his arsenal, will now build Sheen again, which will combine nicely with his passive. On top of that, with the return of the 200% crit, this has been added back to his passive. And while Riot has nerfed his E, the LoL champion buffs and nerfs have been very kind to Gangplank. Who would want to go up against a level 20 Gangplank with 200% crit?

With esports moving to a Fearless Draft model, teams will need to iron out their champion pools. For top laners especially, they will have to go from frontline tanks to champions that can get onto the backline quickly. Riot recently introduced First Choice, a new system that will affect the pick-and-ban phase. The team with the higher seed will now have the option between side selection and draft priority, meaning those with better drafters will be able to take advantage of this change.