In ranked, it's always a huge question at the very start- Who to ban?


A lot of people just call out the bans everyone wants. Usually, these include Alistar, Malphite, Shen and Morgana. You'll almost ALWAYS see these 4 champs banned, but *why?* And who would be a better ban based on who you have laning?

Alistar. He's a strong, un-gank-able support who can heal his ADC. The issue is, he's amazingly aggressive, and most people can't cope with that. So why wouldn't you ban him?? Well, to start off, if you stay back and don't let Alistar get behind you or your partner, he has to burn his flash to *possibly* get a kill. But if you're playing an ADC such as Caitlyn or Tristana then you have an ability flash that should mostly clear you from a blow. Cait's 90 Caliber Net also slows him, so aim well :)
To be perfectly honest, I'd rather use the ban on Blitzcrank or even an entirely different lane.

Malphite. He's got a slow, a knock-up, 2 AoE's, and a shield worth 10% of his hitpoints. He's tough to take down, and if you *do* damage him, he can just sit out of the battle for 10 seconds before coming back in to farm. So why wouldn't you ban him?? Malphite's shield takes 10 seconds to regenerate, so that's about 2 creeps he doesn't get. Also, if you play a smart top, such as Nidalee or even Irelia who can keep poking him about every 5-8 seconds, then he can't regenerate his shield. Also, he's probably the thirstiest champion I've played, I personally think he ranks along with Ahri and Evelynn with the sheer amount of mana he requires. He has to give up 1 if not 2 items he could be using for damage or for tankiness just so he can use more than 3 spells. Also, Unstoppable Force is a click/place ability, allowing for you to run out of his range (and if I were you, I'd stay there).

Shen. Oh, Shenny-dearest. He has a short-range dash, a short-cooldown shield, a health-regenerating q, and a global ult that everybody hates. He is a strong solotop because you can't take down his turret, he's an epic jungle (huehue) because he doesn't require Smite, and an AMAZING support/tank because Vorpal Blade heals the ADC based on *his* max health, he can Shadow Dash and stop you from attacking their ADC, and he can use Feint and run away giggling. So why would you ban him?? Yes, Shen is a strong champion who can totally eat your brains. But he can't carry the entire team, so if Shen is doing well along with your solotop, you might not win. Champions like Vi or Vayne can get fed and win their team the game, and they're not even over-powered (well Vi might be, but we have yet to see). His Stand United is on a *crippling* cooldown, and his Shadow Dash requires 60% of his energy and only returns energy if he hits someone. He has no special talents without items, so shut him down early and keep him there and you're golden.

Morgana. She has a stun, an AoE damage, a magic-damage shield that prevents disables, and a damage/slow/damage/stun ultimate that shreds in teamfights. So why wouldn't you ban her?? Well, I know from personal experience that champions such as Teemo or Cho'Gath mid CRIPPLE her. Not sure why or how, but they do, and I can't walk over them and it makes me cry. Also, if you play a heavy-magic-damage champion such as LeBlanc, you can bait her Black Shield early and let your jungler gank (it has a 20 second cooldown if I remember correctly). Also, her Tormented Shadow is her best/only farming ability, so she'll have to push to outfarm you. Since she'll be pushed, just damage her and force her to use her Black Shield then send in your jungle Kha'Zix and totally **** on her.

Well, that's all for now, I'll post something about my favorite ban choices later, but this was a freaking LONG post and it took me forever... Till then, happy leaguing!

Frnchie