Top 10 LOL Best Mages That Wreck Hard
#10: Annie, The Dark Child
Annie didn’t always have her powers. At first, they would manifest through emotional outbursts, but now she can control her pyromancy. Now, she wanders the woods looking for someone to play with. Annie is great for players who want to start learning mid lane. Her kit is basic, but remains strong enough to contend with the entire league cast if played optimally. Here are some tips to get you started:
Annie farms minions first and champions second. Her early game is extremely weak. As tempting as it is to fire off your Q’s whenever they could kill a minion, pushing your lane early can lead to ganks from the enemy jungler, which Annie has a hard time avoiding. Make sure you aren’t overextending as you farm.
Annie can kill after her first half item sometimes, and after her first full item almost always. Throw a couple of Q’s in the enemy laner’s face to see if you will be able to full combo them or not. Don’t throw out your ult first unless you’re sure you can kill them with one rotation of your abilities.
Annie has amazing roaming power. Buying Mobility Boots is not unheard of, although you’re sacrificing some early damage. Push your lane quickly, stack a stun with your abilities and go to other parts of the map. Her kit is perfect for getting a quick kill in another lane.
How to midlane like a pro with Annie:
#9 Lux, the Lady of Luminosity
Lux was born with magical abilities in Demacia, a country that fears all things magic. Having to keep her powers secret in order to secure her family’s royal status, she now uses her abilities in secret to help Demacia stay safe. Lux has high kill potential from mid-game on and can carry teams with relative ease. Here are some tips to get you started:
Lux’s bind is her greatest tool, but it is also what makes her weak. Without her Q up, she becomes extremely gankable and killable. Only use this ability if you know you won’t be ganked and you know you can’t be killed if you miss. Otherwise, never use it. You don’t need it to farm waves, but you definitely need it to save yourself from a gank.
Lux has incredible coverage from her abilities. Her E is a powerful poking tool, but it can be used in more than one way. Try and use it to manipulate where the laner moves to, then throw out a Q while they’re slowed.
With max cooldown reduction from runes and items, one kill with Lux’s ultimate sets the ability on a 12-second cooldown. Use this ability’s incredibly low cooldown to your advantage by rushing Luden’s Echo (20% cooldown reduction) and go from there. If you need to build armor, rush a Zhonya’s Hourglass, and if you can be less defensive, rush a Morellonomicon.
How to mid like a pro with Lux:
#8: Orianna, the Lady of Clockwork
Orianna used to be human until an accident necessitated that her entire body be replaced by intricate clockwork. Now accompanied by a ball used for protection and an unlikely friend, she takes her new body and explores everything that she desires. Orianna is a very unique champion that can take hold of teamfights with the push of a button. Here are some tips to get you started:
Orianna has a lot of self-peel, with two of her abilities (E and R) giving some form of crowd control and her E giving her a shield. This makes her weak to champs with gap closers, so if you find yourself in an abrasive matchup consider taking defensive summoner spells instead of Ignite or Teleport.
Orianna has a strong early game thanks to her passive, Clockwork Windup. This gives her auto attacks extra damage for each time she auto attacks the same target (up to two stacks). Use this to get some extra damage in early, especially if you’re laning against Zed or a similar champ who doesn’t have a way to deal with harass early.
Orianna’s most important tool is her ultimate, Shockwave. This ability alone can win games if used optimally. Get very comfortable and knowledgeable about when its a good time to use your ultimate, as its cooldown is relatively long.
How to mid like a pro with Orianna:
#7: Malzahar, The Prophet of the Void
The voices in Malzahar’s head lead him to the fallen city of Icathia. There, he looked through a portal into the heart of the Void, giving him new powers and a new perspective. Now an advocate of an apocalypse via the Void, Malzahar uses his abilities to bring others into the Void. A uniquely defensive champion, Malzahar’s learning curve is great for intermediate players looking to dominate the midlane. Here are some tips to get you started:
Malzahar has very low interaction with the opposing laner. His strengths are farming early and dominating the mid-late game. Play as safe as possible early game until you’ve finished your first item (traditionally Luden’s Echo, but of course build what you need to specific to the matchup). Malzahar is very gankable thanks to his ultimate, so make sure you ask for a gank when you hit 6.
Level your E first. This maximizes his waveclear and damage over time as well as the mana regeneration given to him after the E switches targets. Malzahar is another champion that farms minions first, then champions later.
Managing Malzahar’s passive is key to staying safe in lane. Even with it up, he isn’t completely gank-proof, so make sure you have your lane warded. Malzahar is very weak early since he has no self-peel outside of his ultimate. Not dying early is the key to winning games on Malzahar.
How to mid like a pro with Malzahar:
#6: Ahri, the Nine-Tailed Fox
Ahri is a chimeric being that feeds on the life force of her prey. She harnesses the abundant magic of Runeterra into orbs of energy that manipulate the emotions of beings.. Ahri’s ruthlessness is matched by her empathy, as when she devours the life essence of a being she also absorbs their memories and emotions. Ahri is an extremely mobile assassin that makes her enemies feel helpless. Here are some tips to get you started:
Ahri’s strongest tool is her ultimate, Spirit Rush. This gives her three dashes that all deal damage to the nearest enemies. Use this ability to reposition yourself and open lanes for your charm to hit the enemy in lane. In team fights, use it to harass enemies and remain safe.
Ahri’s charm is her strongest tool in lane. Unfortunately, minions can block it, so it can become obvious when she is about to throw it since there aren’t many open sightlines through a minion wave. Use your ult to circumvent this weakness, or get good at timing clearing the wave with your Q and then throwing out a charm.
Ahri’s orb is hard to dodge in the middle of a team fight. Try and hit as many enemies as possible with this ability, as it deals true damage on the way back to her.
How to mid like a pro with Ahri:
#5: Xerath, The Magus Ascendant
Xerath is a being of pure magic that was sealed away in a sarcophagus, thought to be banished forever under the ancient city of Shurima. With the rise of the ancient city, Xerath escaped from his prison. Insane with power, Xerath hopes to mold the world in his image. Xerath is a mage that specializes in spamming abilities from a safe distance. Here are some tips to get you started:
Start lane with your W. This may seem counter-intuitive, as it isn’t his highest damage-dealing ability, but it is much easier to land than his Q. Use this to poke down the enemy before you hit level 2.
Xerath is strong, but only if you can hit your skill shots. His abilities also become spammable after you buy Lost Chapter. Don’t get baited into throwing out abilities every time they’re up, as you will quickly run out of mana. Try and only throw out abilities when you know they will land, either when the enemy laner comes up to secure some CS or after you land your slow or stun.
Xerath’s ult is by far the hardest ability of his to hit. It fires faster when he aims closer to him, and that makes hitting enemies that are far away much more difficult. Practice landing this ability as much as possible so you can get comfortable with the ways people dodge it.
How to mid like a pro with Xerath:
#4: Swain, The Noxian Grand General
Crippled in war and disgraced for his weakness, Swain climbed the ranks of the Noxian army with his cunning intellect and his secret weapon - a new demonic hand. Now a frontline commander in the army, Swain’s ruthlessness is unmatched. Swain is a great mage for players looking to be in the middle of team fights instead of the backline. Here are some tips to get you started:
Swain’s E, Nevermove, is perfect for when the enemy is spaced at its max range. This leaves no room for them to dodge the snare on the return trip. Try as best you can to space the ability like this, as it sets them up for your combo or even a gank from your jungler.
After casting your ultimate, think twice about immediately recasting for the extra damage. Not only will it heal you and deal damage for the entire time it’s active, but the recast also does extra damage for how much health you’ve sapped over the duration.
Swain can pull anyone who has been immobilized in any way. If your jungler has some hard crowd control, try and get them to gank you for an easy kill.
How to mid like a pro with Swain:
#3: Akali, the Rogue Assassin
Akali was once a student under her teacher, Shen. After she left, Akali became a solo assassin, killing targets who threaten the peace of Ionia. Akali is a mobile assassin with an extremely high skill cap and unique kit. Here are some tips to get you started:
Akali specializes in killing squishy backline targets. When a team fight starts, don’t be afraid to get to their backline as quickly as possible. Her W, Twilight Shroud, will keep you safe until you see the perfect opportunity to dispatch an enemy.
Akali’s shroud is one of many tools that keep her safe, but it also the one with the longest cooldown. Be careful about using this in lane, and try not to have both your E and W on cooldown at the same time early game, as you will be extremely vulnerable without those abilities.
Akali’s passive, Assassin’s Mark, make her movement patterns more unique than any other champion’s. This has her walking in an out of range of enemies to get a stronger auto-attack. Get used to leaving the circle your abilities leave on the ground, as this increases Akali’s damage to lethal levels, especially after three or four procs in one fight.
How to mid like a pro with Akali:
#2: Fizz, the Tidal Trickster
Fizz is an aquatic yordle that lives just outside of Bilgewater. Fizz uses his smarts and ability to seemingly control aquatic life to survive. He is often mistaken for an ocean spirit of some kind. Fizz uses his unique abilities to dominate the midlane. Here are some tips to get you started:
Fizz has a unique passive that allows him to move through enemy minions. Use this to your advantage to harass with auto attacks in lane as much as possible.
Both Sheen and Hextech Revolver have incredible synergies with Fizz’s kit. Rush Lich Bane or Hextech Protobelt, then build the other item as both are incredibly useful to his kit.
Fizz’s ult can be deceptive, sometimes latching onto enemies from miles away and sometimes not latching on at all despite what looks like solid aim. Get comfortable with this ability, as it is an incredible tool to get ahead in lane.
How to mid like a pro with Fizz:
#1: Kassadin, the Void Walker
Kassadin was a Shuriman guide and adventurer until an attack from the Void killed his family, friends, and town. After collecting artifacts and runes that would help him gain his vengeance, he set off in search of the Void’s source, beginning by looking for the self-proclaimed prophet of the void, Malzahar. Kassadin is the definition of a snowball champion, taking the slightest lead and turning it into a decisive, one-sided victory. Here are some tips to get you started:
Kassadin is very weak early game. None of his abilities do damage on their own at low levels and he has no peel or escape tools. Play early lane as safe as you can, saving abilities for securing minions rather than poking the enemy since you won’t be able to get them to kill range.
Ask your jungler to gank you once or twice. Just getting one kill on this champion can be enough to secure a victory. Do everything you can to gain a lead and expand on it, from roaming to power farming.
Kassadin is an unstoppable machine with 40% cooldown reduction. Build items with this in mind and you can use Kassadin’s ultimate every two seconds, dealing massive damage and making him virtually unstoppable.
How to mid like a pro with Kassadin:
These mages are sure to give you the upper hand when paired with a level head. Good luck on the Rift!
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