My question is what's a reliable champions for solo Q ranked that makes life a lot easier? Just hit 990 ELO after a long spiral down, and I'm finding it extremely difficult to climb back to 1250 where I used to be.
I counter pick whenever I can, but usually I can't really counter pick as I'm 2nd pick most of the time, so I mostly have to choose blindly.

Are bruisers the best choice solo q low ELO?
Volibear maybe?
I need someone that can make the most impact on the game and not insta-die in a teamfight.

Glass cannon carries like vayne... I'm not so sure about them. You would get focused and you can't really carry when you're dead.
Junglers aren't really great low elo as few people can set up proper ganks and most lanes get pushed to the enemy tower. Viable, but I don't think it's the best choice imo.
Supports are great but then it's a coin-flip; either your AD carry is amazing or they just plain suck. And if it's the latter then you feel worthless.

master yi

I'm close to your elo and what I've been doing to get out is just use top champions or mid champions most of the time. Things like Veigar mid and Irelia top are good ideas in my opinion. Also use ad carries like Caitlin she does well against most champions in lane.

I have three champions in mind - are they viable for destroying low elo games?
-volibear
-singed
-nidalee
any good?
I feel like these champs can't get ganked, can dominate solo top, and roam and kill potential enemy carries. Am I right?

This and lb too if you want 20 min qq fest

Pedobear is not so good in my opinion. He is not so great in the jungle nor is he good in lane. Bear is good against stupid opponents. If you have the stupid people on your team you are worthless. His ganking potential is rather high, but probably not at low elo. You need to have teammates with an IQ above 0. Most people in this game have a negative IQ.

Singed is a great pick, assuming you can get solo top. Early game you won't die because of catalyst and late game you won't die because of Rod of Ages. Also, lots of people are still stupid enough to chase a Singed. Singed is really good at ganking.

Nidalee is my favorite top, especially at lower elo. She can escape from practically everything and if built as a bruiser she is very hard to kill. She is also fun in a lane with Caitlyn. Put traps everywhere and your opponents cannot farm, harass, or get a gank on you. Her ganks are terrible. If you cannot kill your opponents in a few hits you won't get a kill. She has no slow, root, or stun.

If you want to win your lane grab Singed or Nidalee. You will have a tough time early game against GP and Sin, but should be able to beat them early and late game if you play smart and stay alive.

like others have stated,
veigar - counters many AP Mids
brand - also good vs annie,cass,ahri, katarina, orianna, ryze, vlad also kennen
leblance - her burst early game can demoralize a whole team

jax - can 1v1 most champs
udyr - strongest jungle and very good top as well.
olaf - strong top & jungle
shen - nuff said
lee sin - ^ same reasons
trundle - great vs the current trend of tanky teams in the meta

also for lower ELO, Rammus/Kassadin/Morgana can destroy if they go unbanned
I main rammus, I've been able to play around 42 ranked games with him so you'd be surprised the amount times one of them makes it past ban. Once you start gaining ELO I would be careful about this strategy, better players will make it their priority to counter pick and shut you down.


Gragas & Rumble - two champions I wish I could play but I'm just terrible with them.
morde & kennen - next champs I plan on buying

there are two champs to get out of elo hell. You have to have a champion that can do everything. Engage, tank, and blow up any squishes. Top lanes that can do this include wukong, irelia, nidalee, and the best one is jax. The other route is to take mid and just gank 24/7 and rape the other lanes.

Nasus. Farm 20-25 minutes and you become a beast who can decide team fights.

May I ask a question, what is ELO? i mean like how can i know what my ELO is?