League of Legends Season 2 Ranked Reset: LP Reset & Champions to Grind (2 Weeks Left)

Season 1 of League of Legends 2026 closes at 11:59 PM on April 28, and Season 2 begins less than 24 hours later on April 29. Whether you are chasing a target rank for end-of-season rewards, grinding the ranked mission, or simply preparing your champion pool for the new competitive environment, exactly two weeks of Season 1 games remain. Here is everything you need to know.

Key Season Transition Dates

Season 1 End and Season 2 Start

Season 1 closes at 11:59 PM on April 28, 2026 (regional server time). Season 2 opens at 12:00 PM on April 29, 2026. A maintenance window separates the two — the servers will be briefly offline while Riot applies Patch 26.9, distributes end-of-season rewards, and resets ranked queues.

End-of-season rewards — ranked borders, profile icons, and honour-based cosmetics earned in Season 1 — are distributed automatically with Patch 26.9. You do not need to do anything to claim them beyond having met the rank or honour requirements before the April 28 cutoff.

What Resets with Season 2

• Ranked mission resets — The Season 1 challenge (win 15 ranked games) resets at Season 2 start. Your progress does not carry over.
• LP soft reset — High-ranked players see their LP reduced and visible rank adjusted downward, triggering fresh placement games at Season 2 start.
• Shard transfer services are temporarily disabled during the transition period.
• Split progress and rewards are calculated at Season 1 end — what you have earned by April 28 is what counts.

How to Maximize Your Season 1 Rewards in Two Weeks

With roughly 14 days of ranked games remaining, most players can still reach their target rank — or at minimum the tier boundary for the cosmetic reward tier they want. In prior seasons, end-of-season rewards such as borders, ward skins, and summoner icons were tied to the highest rank achieved during the split.

If you sit at the edge of a tier boundary, now is the time to queue consistently. Two weeks allows multiple rank-ups if you focus on your strongest champions and avoid experimenting with unfamiliar picks. Every game counts — use the final stretch to play champions you genuinely know, not champions you are trying to learn.

Best Champions to Grind in the Final Two Weeks of Season 1

Patch 26.8 landed on April 14 and will remain live through the end of Season 1. The balance changes create clear winners — champion these in your final ranked push.

Top Lane

• Gnar (56.5% win rate) — The meta's best scaling top laner. Build: Trinity Force into Sterak's Gage. Hard to counter with reliable teamfight CC in Mega form.
• Tryndamere (55.5% win rate) — Split-push machine who forces side-lane responses. Build: Kraken Slayer into Immortal Shieldbow for sustain in extended duels.
• Dr. Mundo — The 26.8 nerfs hit his jungle clear but left his top lane entirely intact. Build Heartsteel into Warmog's Armor for an unkillable scaling tank.

Jungle

• Lillia (buffed in 26.8) — Her passive monster damage cap now scales with level, dramatically improving mid-game clear speed. Build: Riftmaker into Shadowflame. Tier 1 jungler post-buff.
• Viego (buffed in 26.8) — Improved Heartbreaker stun duration and better passive healing on possession. Build: Trinity Force into Sterak's Gage for sustained teamfight resets.
• Xin Zhao — Still the most reliable early-game aggressive jungler. Build: Trinity Force into Blade of the Ruined King. Force early fights and snowball lanes.

Mid Lane

• Hwei (buffed in 26.8) — Significant passive damage increases make him more viable before full mastery. Build: Luden's Companion into Shadowflame. His buffs reward learning him now with two weeks remaining.
• Ahri — The safest, most consistent mid laner in the scaling meta. Build: Crown of the Shattered Queen into Shadowflame. Reliable pick for any team composition.
• Mel — The 26.8 nerfs reduced Q damage and W cooldown uptime, but she remains viable for dedicated mains. Expect roughly a 2–3% win rate drop.

ADC

• Lucian (buffed in 26.8) — E cooldown and mana cost both reduced, restoring his lane-dominant trading identity. Build: Kraken Slayer into The Collector. Punish passive bot lanes aggressively.
• Jinx (52.6% win rate) — Meta's most consistent scaling ADC. Build: Kraken Slayer into Runaan's Hurricane. Safe farm, hard teamfight snowball with passive resets.
• Nilah — Leads all ADCs in win rate on Patch 26.7. Build: crit-focused path (Infinity Edge rush). Pairs explosively with enchanters who amplify her passive healing.

Support

• Rell — Best engage support in the meta. Bandlepipes' attack speed aura devastates alongside any auto-attacking carry.
• Thresh (52.4% win rate) — Most versatile support pick. Build: Shard of True Ice into Zeke's Convergence. Reliable in every composition.
• Sona (54.5% win rate) — Diadem of Songs makes her heals and shields absurdly efficient. Pair with Nilah for a self-sustaining bot lane that is nearly impossible to burst down.

What to Expect When Season 2 Starts

Season 2 launches with Patch 26.9 on April 29 and introduces the Demons of Runeterra theme, with the Demon Vision skin line featuring Shaco (Prestige), Kindred, Vayne, and Annie. On the gameplay side, WASD movement officially enters Ranked with Season 2 after a year-plus of beta testing in normal queues.

The ranked reset creates a volatile early-season environment. Every game in the first two weeks of Season 2 carries inflated LP swings as the system re-calibrates skill ratings. Win streaks can rocket you up ranks quickly — but loss streaks hit equally hard. Enter Season 2 with a refined, consistent champion pool rather than experimenting with new picks.

Expect the meta to mirror late Season 1 initially, with the Patch 26.8 changes carrying over. Lillia and Viego will see increased play as players discover their newly buffed strengths. Hwei's viability improvement means more experimentation in mid lane early in Season 2. The scaling-friendly, teamfight-oriented meta from Patches 26.7 and 26.8 is unlikely to shift dramatically until further balancing arrives.

How to Prepare Your Builds for Season 2

• Study Patch 26.8 builds before Season 2 — builds rarely change dramatically between patches, but item timing evolves quickly after a reset as the meta solidifies.
• Prepare situational counter-items — knowing when to buy Seeker's Armguard, Null-Magic Mantle, or Warden's Mail can swing close games in early-Season 2 chaos.
• Bookmark builds from 2-3 top players on your champion — when Season 2 drops, those first ranked games reveal which adaptations stick.
• Expect longer games — the scaling-friendly environment from Patches 26.7 and 26.8 carries into Season 2. Tanky frontlines, enchanter supports, and late-scaling carries remain strong.