League of Legends players who enjoy the chaotic, fast-paced energy of ARAM now have an even wilder option: ARAM: Mayhem. This rotating game mode layers the augment draft system from Arena directly onto the Howling Abyss, turning every match into a power-spike race where your augment choices matter just as much as your champion mechanics. Whether you land a Prismatic that doubles your ultimate or a Silver buff that quietly carries you through extended poke wars, knowing what to pick and when separates good Mayhem players from great ones.
What Is ARAM
ARAM: Mayhem keeps everything you know from standard ARAM intact, then adds four Augment Selection phases spread across the match. According to the official Riot support page, you receive your first augment at the start of the game, then additional ones when your champion reaches levels 7, 11, and 15. There is one important catch: you can only select augments while your champion is dead. That mechanic alone changes how you approach survival, because dying at the right moment to grab a powerful augment can be the correct play.
Two other key differences from standard ARAM:
- Rune settings are completely disabled in Mayhem, so no keystones or secondary runes from champion select.
- Exhaust is unavailable as a Summoner Spell, though all other spells remain on the table.
Augment draft tier selection
What Are the Three Augment Tiers?
Augments come in three tiers, each with a distinct power level:
All players on both teams always draft from the same tier during each selection phase, so the playing field stays even in terms of rarity access.
danger
Augments unlocked through the Season of Mayhem Progression Track are guaranteed to appear in your next match (Silver Augments excluded, and only when they fit the augment draft). After that first appearance, they return to their standard rate.
What Are Augment Sets and Why Do They Matter?
Augment Sets were introduced in Patch 26.3, adding a second strategic layer to the draft. When multiple augments belong to the same themed set, collecting enough of them triggers a set bonus trait. Bonuses activate as soon as you hit the breakpoint, usually at 2, 3, or 4 augments from the same set.
All ARAM: Mayhem Augment Sets
warning
The Deathknell set reduces death timers, which sounds appealing, but it encourages dying repeatedly. Only lean into this in compositions that can afford the respawn downtime.
Which Augment Sets Should You Prioritize?
S Tier (most consistent):Snowday, Make it Rain, Stackosaurus Rex. These three sets deliver reliable value regardless of your champion. Snowball is always available, gold acceleration snowballs match tempo, and stacking amplification can hard-carry when the right champion rolls it.
A Tier (strong but draft-dependent):Firecracker, Wee Woo Wee Woo, Archmage. Firecracker has an enormous damage ceiling when missile augments fit the champion. Wee Woo Wee Woo defines sustain-and-peel compositions. Archmage rewards ability-spam casters significantly.
B Tier (good payoff, harder to force):Fully Automated, High Roller. Both sets require specific augment alignment or a long game to pay off.
C Tier (niche):Deathknell. The bonus is real but leans into playstyles that many compositions simply cannot afford.
Best Champions in ARAM: Mayhem (Patch 26.5 Tier List)
Champion performance in Mayhem is tracked by win rate across all games. The data below is sourced from arammayhem.com, updated for Patch 26.5 with 172 champions ranked.
Patch 26.5 champion rankings
God Tier (S+) Champions
Lillia is the standout performer at 59.19% win rate, thriving with Infernal Conduit and Leg Day augments that amplify her DoT and movement speed simultaneously. Brand at 56.41% is the highest pick-rate God Tier champion, making him a reliable choice who consistently outperforms expectations.
Strong Tier (S) Highlights
Malzahar (55.16% WR), Seraphine (55.76% WR), and Xayah (54.30% WR) round out the top of S Tier. Miss Fortune at a 50.51% win rate with a massive 13.15% pick rate shows she remains popular even if her ceiling is lower than other S Tier picks.
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High pick rate champions like Jayce (13.22% pick rate, 47.78% win rate) are popular but underperforming. Avoid forcing them if you want to maximize win probability.
Champions to Avoid
Bard sits at the bottom of the tier list with a 42.00% win rate, followed by K'Sante at 42.58% and LeBlanc at 43.62%. These champions struggle in the Mayhem format where their kits do not interact favorably with the available augment pool.
Why Do Runes Not Work in ARAM: Mayhem?
Rune settings are fully disabled in ARAM: Mayhem, which is a deliberate design choice. The augment system replaces the rune layer entirely, meaning your pre-game rune page has zero impact. This is why Gold augments like From Beginning to End (which grants Dark Harvest and First Strike simultaneously) carry such high value. Any keystone access in a runeless environment is a significant advantage.