"I'd like to let you in on a very important secret I learned when I was about your age, boy. You see, power, real power doesn't come to those who were born strongest, or fastest, or smartest. No. It comes to those who will do anything to achieve it."
In the Fantasy Kitchen Sink world of Runeterra, among the various competing factions, these are the most brilliant and smoothest operators.
All spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
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Main Continuity champions
Examples
- Azir, the Emperor of the Sands, was once the mortal ruler of Shurima, who used trickery and his homicidal ally Xerath to ascend to the throne. Ushering Shurima into a golden age while he secretly schemed to free all slaves and create an era of equality amongst his subject, Azir was betrayed at the moment of his Ascension by Xerath and his kingdom doomed. Azir is resurrected ages later by his own bloodline, and through an act of nobility, finally attains his Ascension and godhood, with which he resurrects his mighty Shurima empire and begins a crusade to spread Shurima across Runeterra through first peaceful negotiation, then brute force. Though ruthless and efficient in his hunt to exterminate all traces of Xerath due to his betrayal, Azir spares a young girl's village from destruction after becoming close with her, and offers her a treasure as a parting gift as thanks for her friendship.
- Bel'Veth, the Empress of the Void, is an extremely personable manifestation of the nightmarish Void's powers. Born from the destruction of a Shuriman city, Bel'Veth is a visionary with the ambition to destroy and remake all of Runeterra. Knowing she cannot singlehandedly destroy the Watchers, Bel'Veth seeks an alliance with Kai'Sa, politely explaining her goals and reasoning with her to ensure the Watchers do not succeed in erasing all that exists, proving herself a far lesser evil than the aimlessly omnicidal abominations and even offering to spare Runeterra for a time in exchange for her eventual victory.
- Camille Ferros, the Steel Shadow, is a dangerous but elegant spy dedicated to ensuring power for Clan Ferros. Starting off being manipulated into losing the love of her life by her brother Stevan, Camille turns the tables on Stevan and usurps him. Installing a favourite niece of hers as the apparent new leader of Clan Ferros, Camille now controls the Clan from the shadows. She is utterly ruthless in ridding Piltover of any possible threats and is not above using intimidation and murder to get her way, even in one short story
killing the friend of one of her captives to force him to give up information. Ferros has upgraded herself by mechanising herself and uses these improvements to be able to combat and defeat even the most trickiest of foes. - Cassiopeia Du Couteau, the Serpent's Embrace, took after her scheming mother in every way that her sister Katarina took after their father. Preferring wiles and subtlety to slaughter, Cassiopeia inducted herself into the insidious Black Rose by tracking down and slaying every single one of her mother's would-be assassins, performing her job so efficiently there was no trace of the men left afterward. A brilliant mind with an invariable tendency to dispose of whomever might expose her dark plots, Cassiopeia's long line of betrayals only backfired when she attempted to take the ancient power of Shurima and was instead cursed into the form of a snake woman for it. Cursing her form at first, Cassiopeia eventually decides to embrace it and use it to her fullest advantage in full Du Couteau style, becoming a darkly stylish predator of the night whose tastes are reserved for people much more evil than herself.
- Darius, the Hand of Noxus, is the right hand of Swain and the finest warrior in all Noxus. Having clawed his way up the ranks of the Noxian army with his brother Draven through sheer force of will, Darius became the champion of the entire army, leading the men under his banner from victory to victory. When the evil, paranoid Emperor Boram Darkwill died and the usurper Swain took the throne, Darius pledged his Undying Loyalty; to him, there is no person who better represents the valor of Noxus. A charismatic, badass and utterly ruthless leader both adored and feared by his men, Darius shows off one successful conquest in "After Victory", where he dispatches an evil king and rescues one of his abused slaves, giving her the freedom of choice under the crown of Noxus. Darius is also a brilliant tactician; when forced to fight his old love interest, Darius arranges for her to be betrayed from within and turns her entire army against her. The poster boy for Might Makes Right in the series, and the Breakout Character for Noxus as a whole, it's little wonder Darius is almost undefeated in his role as the right hand of Noxus.
- Katarina Du Couteau, the Sinister Blade, took after and endeavoured to follow in the footsteps of her assassin father. Training herself in the way of the blade, Katarina immunised herself against poisons by carefully taking larger amounts and trained herself to be able to react on instinct for the kill. Becoming a devious and intelligent master assassin, Katarina's only major failure occurred when she tried for a bigger value target that ended up backfiring. Fighting off and defeating her father's assassin who was sent to kill her, Katarina now dedicates herself not to him but to the will of Noxus itself, foiling his efforts to assassinate General Swain after expertly executing the death of King Jarvan III. A stylish and brilliant assassin, Katarina continues to pull off intelligent and quick thinking assassinations as the new head of House Du Couteau, wholly committed to ensuring the Noxus empire shall rise.
- Shieda Kayn, the Shadow Reaper, is The Dragon to Zed and his intended successor as leader of the Order of Shadow. A Child Soldier sent to die in war by Noxus, Kayn survived and was taken in by Zed, who raised him to be a deadly warrior with a prodigious mastery over both shadow magic and any weapon he could get his hands on. Kayn has even claimed Rhaast, the Darkin Scythe, resisting his control in order to use the living weapon's power for his own ambitions. Later aiding his master in stopping their monstrous patron Master Kusho while personally weeding out and slaughtering disloyal elements among the Shadow Order's ranks, Kayn reaffirms his own commitment to Zed and their shared dream of a triumphant Ionia, intending to one day vanquish Rhaast for good and bend the darkin's full might to his will as the Shadow Assassin.
- Miss Sarah Fortune, the Bounty Hunter, singlehandedly rose from a little girl whose parents were slaughtered by Gangplank, to the pirate queen of all of Bilgewater. Miss Fortune calculated her revenge against Gangplank for years, earning her moniker after making a name for herself as a bounty hunter with a seemingly unnatural streak of luck. Miss Fortune eventually executes her revenge in "Burning Tides," duping Twisted Fate and Graves into creating a distraction large enough to attract Gangplank, whereupon he sails directly into Miss Fortune's explosive trap, losing his entire empire and very nearly his life. Miss Fortune has spent every day since making order out of Bilgewater's chaos with equal parts charm and ruthlessness, effortlessly disposing of Gangplank's remaining lieutenants and would-be usurpers to her crown. Even despite how unfettered she is—to the point of willingly dealing with Viego—Fortune retains impenetrable standards that separate her from Gangplank, at one point capturing Twisted Fate and Graves again for a sea-witch, only to craftily turn on her employer and set the two free when she learns the horrors the sea-witch has planned for them.
- Morgana, the Fallen, is an Aspect of Justice with a firm belief in bringing redemption through suffering. Lurking in the woods of Demacia as the "Veiled Lady" after a battle with her sister Kayle destroyed much of Demacia, Morgana helps people with their problems by tormenting their tormentors until they become better people through understanding the suffering they've inflicted, typically in poetic ways like whipping a priest who whipped his subordinates. Becoming a legend to the Demacian people and only staying in the shadows to protect them from her sister's wrath, Morgana proves herself not above making sacrifices when she initially denies the mage rebellion her help until Sylas proves willing to become a better person, only to contact Sylas after the rebellion's leader has died to give him a spell she'd prepared long before that lets him show Demacia the truth and rally the people to aid the rebellion, simultaneously saving her beloved Demacia and forcing Sylas to grow as a person at the cost of the mages' suffering.
- Renata Glasc, the Chem-Baroness, grew from a poor, orphaned child of altruistic alchemists to one of the most cutthroat and richest business magnates in all of Zaun. Renata used her influential family name to rise to prominence by ingratiating herself into major businesses; lending money to poorer citizens to be paid back in perpetual loyalty if not in coin; and taking advantage of disasters to improve her public image through acts of charity, with her benevolent façade soon allowing her to become an influential figure in Piltover despite her frequent dabbling in corporate espionage. Rewarding competence and loyalty in her employees yet always ensuring she gets her dues from deals, Renata has also laced her products with her parents' accidental chemtech formula that creates susceptibility in its users, intending to one day take control of the two cities and Piltover's Sun Gate so as to extend her influence the world over.
- Samira, the Desert Rose, is a thrill-seeking mercenary who promised herself to never back down from anything after a bout of fear in her youth, and has spent her whole life since then proving herself to be an inimitable daredevil and warrior. Proficient in any manner of combat, from hand-to-hand to blades to guns, Samira took up with Captain Indari's roving band of warriors in Noxus and quickly proved herself the most dangerous of their lot. Risking her life regularly, to such a point she lost an eye without flinching while saving Indari from a bombing, Samira now spends her time pulling off the most deadly, seemingly impossible tasks for those willing to pay her steep prices. Samira will slaughter entire battlefields; break into the most secure prisons; and hunt powerful champions to get her kicks, openly acknowledging that she's hero or villain depending solely on which side of her blade you're on.
- Sejuani, Fury of the North, is the charismatic and ruthless warmother of the Winter's Claw. Surviving harsh winters alongside her clan and never afraid to bloody her hands, Sejuani willingly raids villages and exterminates them to leave no witnesses, but deeply cares for her warriors. Once a friend of Avarosan queen Ashe and now her greatest rival, Sejuani uses daring and unorthodox tactics to keep her people alive, exploiting everything from magic to the land around her, notably defying a Demacian attack by using her mount Bristle's magic to bridge the gap between her own troops and the Demacian ones. In her boldest expedition, Sejuani attempts to bargain with the ferocious demigod Volibear. Fully knowing Volibear might try and trick her, Sejuani brings the shaman Udyr to stave off his powers and proves willing to declare war on Volibear and the Ursine to defend her people, even leading them in battle against the Ursine when the time comes.
- Sett, the Boss, real name Settrigh, is a brutal mobster who began his career as a young challenger in Ionia's fighting pits, eventually usurping the pits' promoters after accruing a reputation of unstoppable ferocity. Sett took advantage of Ionia's growing bloodlust in the wake of the war with Noxus to expand his operations into a criminal empire, enriching himself beyond his wildest dreams to support his loving mother and personally answering any challenges to his authority to ruthlessly secure his hold over the underworld.
- Jericho Swain, the Noxian Grand General, was once a manipulated young noble of Noxus who survived being used by the Black Rose. Made a general of Noxus's expansionary force for his brilliance and drive, Swain was crippled in battle after a betrayal by the wicked LeBlanc. Finding the demon Raum, Swain outsmarted it, mastered it and used it to facilitate his own rise to power. Plotting for years, Swain launched a coup that overthrew the government of Noxus, replacing it with himself, his right-hand Darius, and their ally the Faceless One to ensure no one man holds all the empire's power. Now firmly entrenched as the true master of Noxus, Swain uses his genius to destroy all who stand against him and expand the empire's borders, firmly remaining ahead of the treacherous LeBlanc despite her ambitions.
- Sylas of Dregbourne, the Unshackled, is a ruthless revolutionary with the ability to copy others' magic and the ambition to overthrow Demacia's royalty after years of suffering in prison for their oppression of mages. Teaching a young Luxanna Crownguard about magic and ultimately stealing her magic to free himself from execution, Sylas starts a revolution that storms the capital and nearly manages to kill Jarvan IV. Despite his initial selfishness as the rebellion's leader, Sylas ultimately finds himself genuinely fighting for the mages' cause as he reveals the truth to Demacia and rescues Lux's pacifistic mages from the Mageseekers' assault, before traveling to the Freljord and turning a disastrous mission to a victory through his own ingenuity, winning a duel with a stronger warrior through working out a plan to steal his magic in seconds. Gaining the Winter's Claw as an ally due to his cunning, Sylas then leads them against Demacia in his continuing mission tp ensure his people are never persecuted again.
- Talon Du Couteau, the Blade's Shadow, is the surrogate son of Marcus Du Couteau and just as deadly as his adopted sisters. Already a merciless enemy of the Noxian underworld's assassin guilds when he was taken in by Marcus, Talon meticulously orchestrates near-flawless assassinations against Noxus' enemies all over Runeterra in pursuit of the unattainable "Edge" from a perfect kill; his sole failed hit is Marcus' own, fallen from grace daughter Katarina, whom he elected to not pursue after an initial blundered attack due to the hypocrisy in slaying her for the same mistake. Talon currently works with the Black Rose to overthrow Swain, faking his mentor's death in a plot to assassinate the Grand General and staying loyal to the conspiracy's cause only out of fealty to the one man to ever best him.
- Twisted Fate, the Card Master, was born Tobias Felix, a drifter who came into possession of a set of magic cards. With both these tools and his own keen instincts, Twisted Fate became a legendary gambler and swindler who made a career of humiliating the rich and foolish, working with his partner Malcolm Graves to pull off countless impossible heists across the world. Although the two are separated when Graves is captured on a job and blames his friend for leaving him behind, Twisted Fate easily manages to win back his partner's trust when the two reunite during Miss Fortune's destructive overthrow of the reaver king Gangplank, continuing their heists in Bilgewater and beyond as Twisted Fate's brilliant improvisation secures the duo their survival again and again.
- Shauna Vayne, the Night Hunter, is a steely executioner of all things dark, monstrous or evil, who hunts her targets as much for fun as morality. Her family slaughtered by a demon, Vayne swore vengeance on all those she dubbed wicked, and teamed with the powerful mentor Frey to become an unstoppable fighter of monsters before betraying and murdering Frey herself when Vayne discovered she was a shapeshifter. Using physical prowess and tailored tech to accomplish her various hunts, Vayne is capable of outwitting supernaturally charming predators, and won't hesitate to kill even tragic monsters. Though initially at odds with the Sentinels of Light, Vayne puts aside her desire to hunt them for their use of dark magic to instead team up and take down Viego, saving Runeterra while becoming genuine friends with Lucian and Senna.
- Viktor, the Machine Herald, was once an optimistic young man from Zaun who, after being spurred and rejected by society, discovers he wants to upgrade humanity to achieve his self described "Glorious Evolution". A brilliant scientist, Viktor reconfigures himself into a cyborg and rids himself of emotions before planning to bring this upgrade to all of mankind. Viktor builds himself a power base in Zaun and ends up continuing his experiments while also ensuring that people know what they're signing up for. Becoming the archfoe of Jayce, Viktor seizes his crystal and attempts to use it to save at least some of a group of workers. Unbelievably affable and charming, Viktor also can showcase his softer side despite his ruthless unethical experiments, such as by helping a bullied boy stand up to his tormentors by quick thinking.
- Zed, the Master of Shadows, is the leader of the Order of Shadows. Once a young orphan named Usan adopted by the Order of Kinkou, Zed became obsessed with keeping his homeland of Ionia safe after witnessing the horrors of their war with Noxus and trauma from seeing the monstrous Serial Killer Khada Jihn's victims. Creating a new order meant to protect Ionia from harm, Zed in order to prevent the Order of Kinkou from becoming violent, sought to ensure it was enemies with this order. Zed led an attack on Kinkou and intentionally made himself archfoe to his friend Shen, stealing their box containing the "Tears of the Shadow" and using it to save the city. A brilliant assassin, Zed crafts his order to strike from the shadows and always win. In his own comic, Zed showcases the brilliant ability to read people's emotions and helps defeat Jihn before stopping an uprising and saving the people of Ionia he loves.
Main Continuity others
Examples
- "The Principles of Strength": Alyssa val-Lokan is the sole female heir to the Delverhold, which supplies Ironspike ore to Noxus. After meeting with the Trifarix at the head of Noxus to renegotiate terms for her arrogant and unloving father, Alyssa sees right through the scheme of the Faceless and quickly spins it into her own plan, foiling her brother's poorly-planned attempt to blackmail the Trifarix and killing him, then managing to effortlessly convince the Trifarix to back her own leadership of the Delverhold. Walking right into her father's throne room, she turns his own guards against him effortlessly and takes control of the Delverhold, having impressed Noxus' very best planners with her brilliant display of vision, might, and guile.
- Legends of Runeterra: Corina Veraza, Mastermind, is one of Zaun's most brilliant chembarons. Responsible for the disappearance of Caitlyn Kiramman's parents as part of her plan to lure Caitlyn to her, having her eliminate her rivals along the way, Corina has ambitions to reshape Zaun and, as part of these ambitions, tricks a squad of Piltover's wardens into her trap and activates it to eliminate her pursuers in a single masterstroke.
Alternate Universe champions
Examples
- Star Guardian Universe: Star Guardian Rakan is a corrupted Star Guardian on the side of the villainous Zoe. Fully aware of his corruption, Rakan refuses to rejoin the heroic Star Guardians in the interest of defending his beloved Xayah. Deceiving all parties involved in order to stay by Xayah's side and defend her, Rakan aids her in trying to corrupt the other Star Guardians before ultimately making a silent pact with Ahri and betraying Zoe when Zoe proves too dangerous, instantly composing a new plan, willingly taking in all of Xayah's corruption despite knowing its potential effects, and attacking Zoe when she'd never expect it. Later, Rakan tracks Xayah and pre-emptively sends minions against her potential recruits. Seeking to serve as The Corruptor and be with his beloved again, Rakan gracefully steps out of battles that don't go his way and ultimately proves entirely willing to take on every Star Guardian at once, ultimately being purified by Xayah and returning to a happy life.
- "The Spirit of Copperwood Glade": Old God/Elderwood Nocturne differs vastly from his canonical self. Instead of being a sadistic Nightmare Weaver, Old God Nocturne is an ancient guardian spirit of a wild forest known as the Elderwood. Countless have tried to take advantage of Nocturne's power for their own ends, only for Nocturne to see through their false words and slay them. To those who seek his power for the welfare of others, Nocturne will recognize them as worthy, while savagely punishing those who threaten them; such is the fate of an evil lord who threatens an innocent peasant family, where the next night he and his entire kingdom are consumed by the Elderwood as they sleep, just another one of Nocturne's many handiworks.
- Evelynn's original incarnation, the Widowmaker, was a mysterious assassin considered the greatest in the world, who kept her past a secret as she racked up kills. Able to vanish into shadows and charging a hefty fee for her services, Evelynn spends her free time charming men, breaking hearts, and teaching dance classes to idle the time away. In just one of her outings, she impresses a local crime boss by surprising him at knifepoint even amidst his many bodyguards, and when he hires her for one assassination, Evelynn casually informs him that she's taking him on as a permanent client, and that if he ever tries to back out, she'll target him next.
Examples
- Silco is a ruthless, complex crime lord and revolutionary, hellbent on securing the future of Zaun no matter the cost. Betrayed and scarred by his old partner Vander long ago when Silco's attempted uprising against Piltover grew violent, Silco bided his time for years as he secured himself a position in Zaun's criminal underworld, mass producing the drug Shimmer and swaying the chembarons under his banner. Ascending to further power as the unofficial leader of Zaun after he eliminates Vander, Silco keeps the ambitious chembarons under his thumb, earns the loyalty of his right-hand Sevika, and sows unrest through Piltover. Having adopted young Powder and molded her into Jinx as his surrogate daughter, Silco keeps the unhinged girl under his control despite her growing psychosis, and even when he has all bargaining power to cow Piltover to his demands, Silco gives it all up to secure Jinx's safety, maintaining his love for her as his child even when she unintentionally kills him. Charismatic, dangerously savvy, and possessing far more humanity and vulnerability than expected, Silco was defined by his love for Zaun and Jinx, determined to ensure empowerment of them both no matter the cost.
- Sevika, the intelligent right hand of Silco, is a crafty and dangerous woman with claim to be one of the finest in Zaun. Frequently advising Silco of Jinx's instability, Sevika is put in charge of Silco's operations, which she handles with intelligent maneuvering. When one underboss attempts to get her to betray Silco, Sevika kills him and uses the death to push the others in line. Upon Silco's death, Sevika is left looking at the now empty throne with her own ascent seemingly assured.
