The Best Heroes of Vainglory for Solo Queue

Vainglory is a competitive MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) that requires strategy, knowledge, skill and teamwork in order to win. Vainglory was developed and published by Super Evil Megacorp. While Vainglory is a team video game, some players prefer to play with heroes with which they can deal higher amounts of damage to the enemy team, or not depend so much on their teammates. Some players also enjoy the challenge of playing in solo queue, as each team composition is different depending on the match, and these players like to test their skill and strategy while solo queueing. While their reasons vary, some players prefer playing in solo queue, either in casual matches or ranked matches. Players who choose to play in this way and want to increase their win rate and climb the ranks of Vainglory often search for the best heroes that can be played in solo queue. Most often than not, these are heroes that do not require as much support, do not depend so much on the team composition, and can be played well by skilled players to carry their team to victory. It is important to mention that, while these heroes are excellent for playing in solo queue, this does not mean that this allows the player to play completely solo during the battle. In other words, playing in solo queue is not the same is not playing as a team in each battle. It is important to remember that, as much as some heroes are excellent choices for playing in solo queue as they allow the skillful player to carry their team to vicoty, the player still has to know how to play as a team, to support their teammates as well as consider teamwork as an effective way to victory.

While it is important to have knowledge of most of the heroes of Vainglory, some heroes are indeed quite effective for playing in solo queue, including ranked solo queue. Most often than not, these are carry and jungler heroes, which are the two roles of heroes of Vainglory best suited to deal high amounts of damage, siege enemy turrets and turn the tide of battle in teamfights. While these heroes are often high-damage dealers and have high mobility, they also expect much of the player in terms of skill, positioning, strategy, and knowing the best moments to get in or out of fights. In other words, while these heroes are excellent choices for solo queueing, it is also important that the player have knowledge and experience with these heroes in order to do well in the solo queue and in ranked matches of Vainglory. When deciding the best heroes for playing in solo queue and for solo queueing, many Vainglory players look for the top tier heroes based on meta. Although the meta is a factor to be considered at higher ranks, the case is that, in many ranks, a well-played hero is going to outperform a bad-played hero, even if such hero does not belong to the meta. For this reason, top tier lists often reflect the current state of things regarding the meta, but they don't reflect the ease of gameplay and the possibilities of each hero in the game. For this reason, my top tier list of best heroes for solo queue is not based on meta, but based on gameplay. Players often wonder which are best heroes for playing Vainglory in solo queue.

The best heroes of Vainglory for solo queue are Skaarf, Baron, Kestrel, Petal, Taka, Saw, Alpha, Koshka, Vox, Kinetic, Gwen, Skye, Reza, Blackfeather and Ringo.

The versatility of heroes is of great importance when playing Vainglory in solo queue, also referred to as solo queueing, as in these battles players often find themselves in unexpected team compositions, requiring versatility to adapt to different situations in order to climb the ranks of the game.

15 - Skaarf

Skaarf is a carry hero able to deal high amounts of damage, with the downside of lacking the mobility of other carry heroes of Vainglory. Skillful players are able to combine Skaarf's A and B abilities to deal increased amounts of damage, and with certain crystal builds that include Frostburn, this hero can not only deal high amounts of damage, but also slow down enemy heroes.

While Skaarf is an excellent hero to turn the tide of battle and siege enemy turrets, in many cases Skaarf will require of the player excellent positioning skills, and also a good assessment of the best cases in which to join fights and the best cases in which to not join fights, as Skaarf is quite vulnerable due to his lack of dashing skills. With adequate positioning, Skaarf is an excellent carry hero of Vainglory for solo queue.

14 - Baron

Baron is a carry hero able to deal high amounts of damage. While I consider Baron to be generally similar to Skaarf, Baron has one high mobility ability that can make much different when the necessity arises to get out of a teamfight.

Baron is a versatile hero able to use both weapon and crystal builds, which can be game-changing when playing in solo queue, and considering that his hero is able to deal high amounts of damage, Baron is able to either turn the tide of battle or siege enemy turrets. For these reasons, Baron is an excellent carry hero of Vainglory for solo queue.

13 - Kestrel

Kestrel is a carry hero able to deal high amounts of damage through burst damage builds, while also having the ability to become invisible. While Kestrel is technically a carry hero, she can be used either in the lane or in the jungle, one of the reasons why this is an excellent choice of hero for solo queue.

Kestrel is also versatile in the sense that this hero is able to use both weapon and crystal builds. This versatility is incredibly important for players who prefer to play in solo queue. Due to her stealth ability, Kestrel is also able to get out of fights and invade enemy jungles. On the other hand, Kestrel is not an easy hero to learn how to play, which is the reason why I did not place her higher in this list. However, skillful Kestrel players can turn the tide of battle in all ranks. For these reasons, Kestrel is an excellent choice of carry hero for solo queue.

12 - Petal

Petal is a jungler hero able to deal high amounts of damage through DPS (damage-per-second) builds. Petal has the ability of summoning munions that deal damage to her enemies, and due to the combined attack of Petal and her munions, this hero is able to deal a high amount of damage per second, a reason why this hero is formidable in prolonged teamfights.

Due to her high damage and ranged attack, Petal is able to invade enemy jungles and also gank enemy heroes. For this reason, Petal can also participate in ganking stratgies and also sieging enemy turrets, as well as turning the tide of battle in teamfights. Due to the versatility and high damage of this character, Petal is an excellent choice of jungler hero for playing in solo queue in Vainglory.

While Petal is technically a jungler hero, she can also be used in the lane due to her ranged attack. However, considering that most of Petal's damage is dealt through crystal attack, Petal crystal builds that employ lifesteal through Eve of Harvest generally do not do as well on the lane. While I have seen some Petal weapon builds do well in higher ranks, I do not suggest these weapon builds for new players.

11 - Taka

Taka is one of the earliest heroes of Vainglory, and one of my personal favorite jungler heroes of Vainglory. Taka is easy to learn how to play, and is able to deal high amounts of damage and to become invisible to either get out of fights, invade enemy jungles or gank enemy heroes.

Taka is quite versatile in the sense that this hero is able to use both weapon and crystal builds. This hero has even greater versatility in the sense that his weapon builds can either be used for DPS or for burst damage. His crystal builds, in most cases, are used for burst damage.

While Taka does not have as much natural defenses as other jungler heroes, his abilities allow him to deal high amounts of damage and also to become invisible to get out of fights. For this reason, Taka can be effectively used to repeatedly attack enemy heroes, dealing high damage, and to target weaker enemy heroes, such as enemy carry heroes or heroes with a low amount of health points. Taka is an easy to learn jungler hero able to deal high damage and to get out of fights when necessary. For these reasons, Taka is an excellent choice of jungler hero for solo queue.

10 - Saw

Saw is a carry hero of Vainglory, able to deal high amounts of damage. In my perspective, Saw is one of the strongest DPS heroes of Vainglory. When using certain weapon builds, Saw can deal and also sustain high amounts of damage during fights, being excellent for 1-on-1 fights with ranged or melee enemy heroes, and Saw can effectively turn the tide of battle of teamfights and siege enemy turrets.

While Saw is infamously known for players that do not have much knowledge of this hero and eventually "feed up" the enemy team (which, in MOBA language, means that the hero dies in the game many times and this makes the enemy team stronger due to increased amounts of currency and experience), skilled Saw players can effectively make a lot of difference in battles in Vainglory. Saw is able to deal high amounts of damage, especially in prolonged teamfights, and there are not many heroes in Vainglory that can defeat a well-built Saw in a 1-on-1 fight, unless these heroes are played by very skilled players. On the other hand, playing well with Saw requires knowledge and practice. For these reasons, Saw is an excellent choice of carry hero for solo queue.

9 - Alpha

Alpha is a jungler hero of Vainglory, famously known for her unique ability to have an extra health bar. Alpha is one of my personal favorite jungler heroes of Vainglory, and has versatile abilities that allow this hero to perform combos, chase enemy heroes and also utilize an extra health bar in prolonged fights.

Alpha is able to deal high amounts of damage, either through burst damage builds or DPS builds, and is effectively able to use both weapon damage and crystal damage builds. This versatility is incredibly important when playing in solo queue, especially in higher ranks, in which players are more experienced in building defenses according to the choices of build of the enemy team. In higher ranks, for example, if all of the heroes of your team are employing weapon attack builds, then it is likely that the enemy team will build higher defenses for weapon damage. In this case, choosing a crystal damage build for Alpha could be quite beneficial, as the enemy team will likely have less defense for crystal damage.

Due to her versatility, unique abilities and high damage, in my personal list of best heroes of Vainglory for solo queue, Alpha would definitely be considered the third best hero, as I consider her one of the best heroes of the game for solo queue. However, playing well with Alpha requires some practice, knowledge and experience, and for these reasons, I did not place her higher in this list. For me, personally, she would definitely be the third best hero of Vainglory for solo queue. Players with a higher knowledge and practice of this hero are able to turn the tide of battle in all ranks. For these reasons, Alpha is an excellent jungler hero of Vainglory for solo queue.

8 - Koshka

Koshka is a jungler hero of Vainglory, able to deal high amounts of damage and also having a high mobility. In general, Koshka most often uses crystal builds that deal high burst damage, which is quite compatible with her abilities that deal high amounts of damage in a very short time, and also grant her a temporary bonus to movement speed. For these reasons, Koshka players get in and out of fights very quickly, dealing high damage and then repositioning or hiding.

While Koshka is a very strong hero, she is strongest during early and middle game. In the late game, unless Koshka has higher-tier equipment than the enemy team, in general Koshka will not perform as well in teamfights. For this reason, considering that Koshka generally outperforms enemy heroes during the early and the middle game, it is strategic to play aggressively with this hero during these stages of the battle. In the late game, Koshka still is able to deal high amounts of damage, but is more strategically used as an additional avenue of damage, rather than the main damage dealer of the team. Considering that Koshka is able to deal high amounts of damage and has a high mobility, Koshka is an excellent choice for jungler hero in solo queue.

7 - Vox

Vox is a carry hero of Vainglory, able to continually deal considerable damage, being an effective DPS hero that can deal high amounts of damage over prolonged time periods, especially during prolonged teamfights. Vox is also versatile in the sense that this hero can either use weapon damage builds or crystal damage builds, a versatility most important when playing in solo queue, in which there are many different team compositions.

When choosing the build for Vox, it is important that players consider their gameplay style. Vox crystal damage builds most often require the presence of enemy minions in order to deal increased damage, as most of Vox's crystal damage build damage is deal through Vox's Resonance. In other words, crystal damage Vox are able to deal high amounts of damage to enermy heroes through Resonance, but if they engage in 1-on-1 combat with these enemy heroes, crystal damage Vox will not perform as well. Weapon damage Vox can also perform quite well in battles, especially with certain items that increase their damage over prolonged time periods, such as the item Breaking Point, which is often a classic of Vox weapon damage builds, for good reason. Vox also has a dashing ability, which is useful for getting out of fights or increasing the distance to enemy heroes. For these reasons, Vox is an excellent choice of carry hero for solo queue.

6 - Kinetic

Kinetic is a carry hero of Vainglory, able to deal high amounts of damage over prolonged time periods, especially during prolonged teamfights and prolonged 1-on-1 fights. To deal the most damage, it is important that Kinetic players repeatedly use her A ability, which has a stacking effect of up to 5, which temporarily increases her basic attack damage. If used well, this effect can be very useful in fights with enemy heroes.

Kinetic also has a dashing ability, which can be used either to get out of fights or to get in fights. Not all carry heroes of Vainglory have dashing abilities, and for this reason Kinetic has a mobile advantage over many carry heroes. For this reason, skillful Kinetic players can use her A ability to increase the damage and the B ability to chase fleeing enemy heroes, effectively taking control of the lane in the battlefield. For these reasons, Kinetic is an excellent choice of carry hero of Vainglory for playing in solo queue.

5 - Gwen

Gwen is a carry hero of Vainglory, able to deal high ammounts of damage. In general, most Gwen weapon builds focus on dealing high burst damage, but there are also effective high DPS builds, especially when making use of life-stealing items, attack damage and attack speed. Gwen weapon builds that focus on burst damage, on the other hand, generally include mostly weapons that increase attack damage and critical hit.

Due to her abilities, Gwen is able to deal high amounts of damage in short time. Her heroic perk, which is an ability that recharges over time and can be used repeatedly, allows her to deal an increased amount of damage in the first attack (after each recharge). This heroic perk is quite useful for kiting enemy heroes in the lanes of the battlefield. In MOBA language, kiting means to attack and to move, in order to keep a safe distance from the enemy, while also dealing some damage in order to slowly weaken the enemy hero. Combined with life-stealing items and a kiting strategy, Gwen players can often take control of the lane and siege enemy turrets, and are also able to turn the tide of battle in teamfights.

4 - Skye

Skye is a carry hero of Vainglory, able to deal high amounts of damage. While Skye is technically a carry hero, she is often played in the jungler role. While Skye is able to deal very high amounts of damage in short time periods, in my perspective, Skye is perhaps one of the most difficult heroes of Vainglory to learn how to play. However, skillful Skye players can effectively turn the tide of battle, and often defeat multiple enemy heroes in a row in teamfights.

While playing with Skye presents an initial difficulty due to her learning curve, this hero is able to deal very high amounts of damage. Skillful Skye players take control of the lane and often invade enemy jungles. For these reasons, Skye is an excellent choice of carry hero for solo queue.

3 - Reza

One of my personal favorite heroes for solo queue, Reza is a carry hero of Vainglory, able to deal high amounts of damage in short time periods. While Reza is technically a carry hero, I have often played as Reza in the jungler role with very good results, still being able to carry different teams to victory. In fact, I have often had better results with a jungler Reza than with a carry Reza, in the sense that I believe Reza's abilities can be extremely useful in the jungle, while they can be more challenging in the lane, depending on the enemy hero that is also present in the lane. While playing well with Reza requires skill, this hero is able to deal very high amounts of damage and also use his abilities to have a high mobility in the battlefield, enabling Reza to effectively target weaker enemy heroes or enemy heroes with a lower health bar.

On the other hand, while Reza is able to deal high damage, this hero can be quite vulnerable if the player does not make use of his high mobility and does not include some defense items in the build. For these reasons, even though Reza is one of my personal favorite heroes for solo queue, playing well with Reza requires some practice and also some knowledge of builds. However, Reza is quite effective at fighting and defeating enemy heroes, either in 1-on-1 fights or in teamfights. For this reason, Reza is an excellent choice of carry hero or jungler hero for solo queue.

2 - Blackfeather

One of my personal favorite heroes for solo queue, in my perspective Blackfeather is one of the most versatile heroes of Vainglory. Blackfeather can be played either as a carry hero or as a jungler hero, and can this hero can also be played either with weapon builds or crystal builds. Not only is Blackfeather very versatile in this regard, he also is able to deal high amounts of damage, either through DPS or burst builds, while also having a higher mobility than most heroes of Vainglory. While this description may sound as if Blackfeather is an easy choice, it is important to keep in mind that Blackfeather does not have an easy learning curve. In other words, it can be challenging for new players to learn how to play well with Blackfeather.

Skilled Blackfeather players, with enough practice and knowledge of this hero, can effectively use Blackfeather's skills to take control of the lane, invade enemy jungles, gank enemy heroes, win 1-on-1 fights and defeat multiple enemy heroes in a row in teamfights. For these reasons, Blackfeather is an excellent choice of carry hero or jungler hero for solo queue.

1 - Ringo

One of the earliest heroes of Vainglory, and one of my personal favorites for solo queue, Ringo is a carry hero able to deal high amounts of damage. In my perspective, due to his B ability, Ringo is able to be one of the heroes of Vainglory with the highest damage-per-second.

Ringo's A ability can be used to slow down enemy heroes, quite effective for chasing fleeing enemy heroes. Ringo's B ability allows him to temporarily increase his attack speed, most useful in 1-on-1 fights, in teamfights and when sieging enemy turrets. Ringo's Ultimate ability can effectively chase enemy heroes, even through long distances, and even causes damage to invisible enemy heroes. Ringo is able to deal considerable amounts of damage in most weapon builds, and can also use crystal builds for burst damage, though I would not recommend crystal builds for Ringo for new players. While Ringo is a formidable hero in the lane, he usually does not do well in the jungler role, due to his lack of dashing skills.

Due to his abilities, Ringo is able to deal high amounts of damage per second, taking control of the lane and turning the tide of battle. His B ability not only increases Ringo's attack speed, but also his movement speed, allowing him to either get in fights, get out of fights or chase enemy heroes. Ringo is also quite easy to learn how to play. For these reasons, Ringo is an excellent choice of carry hero for solo queue.