League of Legends

[Vipershark]

List of Champions and Their (Primary/Secondary) Roles

This is a list of all the champions and the various roles they play. This is a very simplified and loose list and is not set in stone. The primary roles have lots of variation within themselves, so even if two different champions have the exact same roles, the specifics on how they play and how they fulfill their role may be VERY different. While the roles will guide your item builds, they DO NOT dictate optimal item builds. Just because a champion may be listed as a caster doesn't necessarily mean that it's optimal to build ability power; some of them are best built with purely tanky items, for example. Try a wide variety and see which champions appeal to you the most! For info on what the roles mean, see the legend after the list.

Akali, the Fist of Shadow - Assassin/Burst Caster (Melee, Stealth)
Alistar, the Minotaur - Initiator/Disabler (Melee)
Amumu, the Sad Mummy - Initiator/Tanky Caster (Jungler, Melee)
Anivia, the Cryophoenix - Tanky Caster/Disabler (Ranged)
Annie, the Dark Child - Burst Caster/Disabler (Ranged)
Ashe, the Frost Archer - Carry/Initiator (Ranged)
Blitzcrank, the Great Steam Golem - Initiator/Disabler (Melee)
Cho'Gath, the Terror of the Void - Disabler/Tanky Caster (Melee)
Corki, the Daring Bombardier - Carry/Pusher (Ranged)
Dr. Mundo, the Madman of Zaun - Tanky DPS/Debuffer (Melee, Mundo)
Evelynn, the Widowmaker - Assassin/Burst Caster (Melee, Stealth)
Ezreal, the Prodigal Explorer - Carry/Assassin (Ranged)
Fiddlesticks, the Harbinger of Doom - Burst Caster/Disabler (Ranged, Jungler)
Galio, the Sentinel's Sorrow - Initiator/Tanky Caster (Melee)
Gangplank, the Saltwater Scourge - Carry/Support (Melee, Asshole)
Garen, the Might of Demacia - Tanky DPS/Assassin (Melee, Lawnmower)
Gragas, the Rabble Rouser - Tanky Caster/Debuffer (Melee, Jungler)
Heimerdinger, the Revered Inventor - Burst Caster/Pusher (Ranged)
Janna, the Storm's Fury - Support/Disabler (Ranged)
Jax, Grandmaster at Arms - Tanky DPS/Disabler (Melee)
Karthus, the Deathsinger - Tanky Caster/Debuffer (Ranged)
Kassadin, the Void Walker - Assassin/Burst Caster (Melee)
Katarina, the Sinister Blade - Burst Caster/Assassin (Melee)
Kayle, the Judicator - Carry/Support (Melee, Ranged [has toggle])
Kennen, the Heart of the Tempest - Disabler/Tanky Caster (Ranged)
LeBlanc, the Deceiver - Burst Caster/Disabler/Assassin (Yes, all three. Ranged) [no link for LeBlanc yet]
Kog'Maw, the Mouth of the Abyss - Carry/Debuffer (Ranged)
Lux, the Lady of Luminosity - Support/Burst Caster (Ranged) [no link for Lux yet]
Malphite, Shard of the Monolith - Initiator/Tanky DPS (Melee, Jungler)
Malzahar, the Prophet of the Void - Burst Caster/Disabler (Ranged)
Master Yi, the Wuju Bladesman - Carry/Pusher (Melee, Jungler)
Miss Fortune, the Bounty Hunter - Carry/Pusher (Ranged)
Mordekaiser, the Master of Metal - Pusher/Tanky DPS (Melee)
Morgana, Fallen Angel - Tanky Caster /Disabler/Support (Yes, all three, again. Ranged)
Nasus, the Curator of the Sands - Tanky DPS/Pusher (Melee)
Nidalee, the Bestial Huntress - Pusher/Support (Ranged, Melee [has toggle])
Nunu, the Yeti Rider - Tanky Caster/Support (Melee, Jungler)
Olaf, the Berserker - Tanky DPS (Melee, Jungler)
Pantheon, the Artisan of War - Tanky DPS/Pusher (Melee)
Poppy, the Iron Ambassador - Burst Caster/Assassin OR Carry/Assassin (Melee)
Rammus, the Armordillo - Initiator/Disabler (Melee, Jungler)
Ryze, the Rogue Mage - Burst Caster (Ranged)
Shaco, the Demon Jester - Assassin/Pusher (Melee, Jungler, Stealth)
Shen, Eye of Twilight - Support/Disabler (Melee)
Singed, Mad Chemist - Disabler/Tanky Caster (Melee)
Sivir, the Battle Mistress - Pusher/Carry (Ranged)
Sion, the Undead Champion - Tanky Caster/Disabler (Melee)
Sona, Maven of the Strings - Support/Initiator (Ranged)
Soraka, the Starchild - Support (Ranged)
Swain, the Master Tactician - Tanky Caster/Support (Ranged) [no link for Swain yet]
Taric, the Gem Knight - Support/Pusher (Melee)
Teemo, the Swift Scout - Pusher/Debuffer (Ranged)
Tristana, the Megling Gunner - Carry/Pusher (Ranged)
Tryndamere, the Barbarian King - Carry (Melee)
Twisted Fate, the Card Master - Pusher/Burst Caster OR Pusher/Carry (Ranged)
Twitch, the Plague Rat - Carry/Assassin (Ranged, Stealth)
Udyr, the Animal Spirit - Disabler/Tanky DPS (Melee, Jungler)
Urgot, the Headsman's Pride - Disabler/Tanky DPS (Ranged)
Veigar, the Tiny Master of Evil - Burst Caster/Assassin (Ranged)
Vladimir, the Crimson Reaper - Tanky Caster/Debuffer (Ranged)
Warwick, the Blood Hunter - Initiator/Tanky DPS (Melee, Jungler)
Xin Zhao, the Seneschal of Demacia - Tanky DPS/Initiator (Melee, Jungler)
Zilean, Chronokeeper - Support/Burst Caster (Ranged)

Primary roles
Assassins are champions who are capable of very quickly killing a single champion. Most assassins are fragile themselves and need to quickly get out after a kill, but there are some who are sturdier and can stay around for longer.
Supports primarily focus on healing or buffing friendly champions and may also have a secondary role of dealing small amounts of damage and disabling enemy champions. These champions tend to be fairly fragile, but they also rarely have to put themselves in harm's way.
Disabler/Debuffer are similar to supports, but focus more on damage dealing and disabling/debuffing enemy champions rather than healing and buffing friendly champions. These champions tend to be sturdier than supports. I use these interchangeably because the difference is so small.
Initiators are very good at starting fights on their terms, allowing their teammates to have positional advantages during the fight. Initiators are generally able to disable someone, either with a long distance stun or blinking/dashing into the enemy team and stunning them. Champions in the former category tend to be more fragile than champions in the latter category.
Carries are champions which primarily deal damage with their autoattacks. These champions usually have low damage outputs early game, but scale very well with items. These champions usually dominate the late game.
Burst Casters are champions which deal high amounts of damage in a very short period of time. These champions usually have strong early and mid games and scale well with both items and levels. Burst casters tend to be rather fragile and are sitting ducks after their abilities are on cooldown but they haven't killed their targets and/or do not have support.
Tanky Casters are champions which deal damage primarily through their skills. These characters usually can't deal damage as fast burst casters, but they usually have more utility or sustained damage, and are not very successful unless they have a fair deal of survivability.
Tanky DPSers are champions which deal consistent amounts of damage over the course of a battle. These champions are not usually capable of very quickly killing someone, but will wear someone down over the course of fight while staying alive themselves. Tanky DPSers are almost always melee.
Pushers are champions who are focused on very quickly killing minion waves and turrets, allowing the team to push further into the enemy's base.

Additional descriptors
Melee and Ranged: This is the range at which a champion autoattacks.
Jungler: This is a special role that some champions perform. Junglers are champions that best spend their early games not in lanes, but in the jungle area. They must be capable of ganking the enemies in the lane. Many junglers require runes and masteries to be successful. If you are a lower level summoner and you are playing a jungler, you're better off just using them in a lane, though there are exceptions. Junglers can take on a large variety of the main roles.
Stealth: These are champions who are capable of going invisible.

Important Information
* Don't die. Death gives the enemy gold and experience.
* Towers are not a guarantee against being killed.
* Pay attention to the minimap. If an enemy is missing from your lane, tell your team.
* Learn the basics of every champion by playing them at least once. There are ten champions that are free to play at any time, and they rotate weekly.
* Get on Ventrilo. (http://www.ventrilo.com)
* Buy wards. If you get just one kill or save one death because of a ward, it is worth the cost.
* G is the keyboard shortcut for pinging. You can ping the minimap, ping the real map, or tag an enemy. This is extremely useful for designating targets in the heat of the moment.
* Typing /l, /t, /j, or /d will cause your character to emote.
* Don't auto attack creeps, focus solely on getting the last hit so your lane doesn't get pushed up. You want the enemy to be closer to your tower so you aren't overextended past the river and so that your allies can kill them more easily.
* Your first item should usually be related to either HP or mana regen, depending on your champion. Getting a Doran's Shield on physical champions/tanks or a Doran's Ring on casters are very common, solid choices. People tend to buy HP/mana potions with their leftover gold. Junglers usually grab Cloth Armor or Long Sword + Potions and build it into Madred's Razor as their first item. On casters, some people like to rush a Catalyst (gives hp/mana on level-up) so they can get their Rod of Ages done as quickly as possible, while others like to rush for a Zhonya's Ring. Play around with your builds and see what works best for you!
* The middle lane is usually reserved for champions that benefit from leveling quickly, require a lot of gold, and are good at handling a lane solo.
* Learn to zone. Zoning is when you deny the enemy XP and gold by pushing them away from their own creeps with lane dominance. Think about strong lane partner combinations that can do this.
* Control the jungle. This means wards, this means getting dragon, golem, and lizard.
* If the enemy has stealth champions, buy vision wards and oracles if you need to.
* Have a plan to push towers and win the game. Waiting just ramps up the enemy's power level. Chip away at towers whenever possible, but be mindful of your positioning.

Team Fights
* Don't focus the enemy tank unless there is literally no one else in range.
* Press Tab and see who is dealing the most damage/is the most fed on the enemy team. Make sure you kill them first.
* Do not chase unless your team can handle whoever they are fighting. Most chasing just gets your delicate teammates killed by whichever enemy you left behind.
* When retreating, make sure you cover your team. If you retreat in a ragtag line the enemy will pick you off. Retreat evenly in formation and they will rarely follow you.
* Your tank needs to be good at initiating and map awareness. You need to be good at following your tank.

Commonly Used Terms:

Map Related
"Lane": The pathways which both yours and enemy minions will follow. Depending on how you and your minions are fighting the lane will either gradually progress toward the enemy's base or yours. Typically referred to as "top, middle, bottom" lanes.
"(champion or lane position) mia": This means that an enemy champion is not where he usually is and could be going somewhere to kill one of your teammates. On European servers, "mia" is sometimes "ss"
"Dragon": Looking at the middle of the map, there is a diagonal in the middle. On the southeast side there is a skull that represents the "Dragon", a somewhat harder neutral monster that gives you team-wide gold and experience.
"Baron": Baron is the giant red skull in the northwest. He is very hard to kill, requiring your whole team, but grants a powerful buff to your entire team and is useful for ending games.
"jungle": Jungles are the areas inbetween the lanes on each side of the river. They have neutral creeps and are useful for ambushing enemies.

Tactics Related
"b" : Means "get away from there, staying there means the enemy can rock your world."
"care" : Means "Watch your backside, the enemy is probably coming for you. Might want to pull back." Typically used when one or more or your teammates is deep in enemy territory.
"Gank" : This usually refers to as having multiple team members come and catch an unaware enemy champion off-guard and kill him. This is what happens if you don't heed "care" warnings. =p
"push" : Help your minions and press forward into enemy territory, usually to kill one of their towers or inhibitor.
"backdoor" : Means to go attack enemy structures while your minions are nowhere near the base, and the enemy champions are not near the base. While legal, a lot of people think it's an honorless, jerk tactic and don't like it.
"poke" : Using long-range attacks (such as a skillshot) to try and weaken the enemy before you actually break into a full fight.
"buy" or "shop" : Means "I'm going to buy some shiny loot, I'll be gone for a minute or two."

Thanks to Vier for the original OP and thanks to Dragongem for the list of terms.