In most lore, the phoenix is a creature of fire that rises from its own ashes. What few know, however, is that phoenixes are elemental beings, formed by the eternal essences of their native world. Anivia was conceived on a world such as this - a being of the coldest winter, a creature of pure elemental ice. On her world, Anivia was the protector of the frozen wastes and all those with the spirit to endure in such unforgiving places. She was consulted as a creature of great wisdom, one who could not die and who had seen the world renewed several times. Somehow, Anivia knew that the day would come when she would be plucked from her home and pulled across worlds, and when that day came, she received the call with grace. Seeing the imbalance and injustice on Runeterra, a world lacking elemental protectors, Anivia took her place at the League of Legends.

Since her arrival, the Cryophoenix has chosen to live among the highest peaks of the Northern Ironspike Mountains, adjacent to the frozen wastes of Freljord. She has openly claimed this territory as her own protectorate. Surprisingly, Anivia has struck up a friendship with the yeti of this region - a friendship that grows deeper and deeper with each passing moon. She has formed a close bond with two League champions: Nunu (and Willump) and the nomad princess Ashe. In a move that caught the League by surprise, the Cryophoenix recently entreated the summoners of the Institute of War to research a means in bringing across others of her elemental fellows. As a champion, Anivia is revered with a sense of awe by most, but is not the most popular as most consider her unapproachable.

Some say the world will end in fire, some in ice. Anivia awaits the inevitable latter.

Firstly, this is my first build and hope you like it :D If theres anything wrong or something you think should be changed just let me know.

Anivia was and will always be my main champion. She is a great asset to any team. Anivia is an awesome mage. She has excellent team fight presence, good burst and many other cool features which make her unique. Anivia is quite a difficult champion to play and has a large learning curve. Ive seen many people call Anivia OP cos they see a good one, other people say shes UP because they don't realise the full potential of a well played Anivia and how it contributes to a team.

Anivia has very good burst, her frostbite is one of the highest damaging spells, 350 + 1 for every AP if the enemy is chilled. She has a lot of CC and her spells can widely affect the outcome of a team fight

Another little Introduction on Anivia for me...

I never was really into MOBA styles games (e.g. Hon, LoL, Dota etc.) i was more used to fps and those types, so when my friend introduced me to LoL, i didn't expect much. However after just playing 1 game i got hooked and i really enjoy this game a lot. Now you're thinking, when did i start playing Anivia my main then? Well I actually bought Anivia and started to play her when i was still level 1. After playing my first game, i went to the store to purchase Anivia (with RP). Why? Well i wasnt really sure, she just seemed pretty cool (hehe gettit?) Anyway, i started to play Anivia all the time but couldnt manage to use her well, i couldnt execute my Flash Frost or use my Crystallize correctly. After reading many many many guides and watching some videos i started to be able to play her and get used to her gamestyle. This was when i was around lvl 20ish. After playing Anivia, i started to move on to the other AP casters like Swain, Annie and Lux which proved to be insanely easy to play. I started to play Cassiopeia and Orianna and also, they became quite easier to play.

So please just don't downvote this guide if you just went negative with her. Learning Anivia takes time and patience and experience to be able to use her well. Unlike Annie, she has a lot more different combos to choose from and unique ways in which she can be a great asset to a team. Once you learn her, she is hella fun to play and good use of Crystallize can change the fight around. Being able to nuke someone down so fast yet being unable to get focused in fights is awesome. So for those who are not sure if Anivia is the right champion, play her more and practice - thats all i can say, its up to you if u want to learn how to be a good Anivia.

Pros
Has very good damage potential
Lots of CC (slow+stun and another slow)
Egg can save you from dying
Can easily farm once lvl 6
has a very good *advantage* in the jungle
Good auto attack range

Cons
Super squishy
Very reliant on the blue buff
Passive can be useless if used incorrectly
Very slow
Can't do much after her initial burst

With masteries, you go the standard 9/0/21 build with the magic pen in offence, and the 21 points are pretty standard in the Utility tree.
If the enemy team has a lot of damage especially early game then i tend to go the 3-6-21 build. This isn't seen a lot as you do lose the magic penetration, but offers more survivability early game which is where Anivia is not as strong.




Runes choices for Anivia:

(I have changed the runes around a bit due to comments and listed below are also some optional rune choices.)

Marks:



Magic penetration Marks are simply the best choice for a caster like Anivia, I wouldn’t get anything else.

Seals:



As you will be going solo mid a lot I find getting an extra 13 armour at level 1 makes Anivia very durable especially during the earlier stages. These runes will also help if your laning against an enemy Caitlyn, Ashe or any other Ranged DPS. Remember that having more survivability will greatly increase your chances to play offensively too.

Some people like a bit more mana regen with Anivia but I really like having an extra 13 armour. With your tear of the goddess, Catalyst AND Blue Buff I see no reason to get even more mana regen. Utilise your mana efficiently and you’ll have no mana issues. However if you like to play very aggressive, these mana regen seals are a viable choice.

Glyphs



Once again these Magic Resist Runes will give you a lot more sustainability in the earlier levels. It helps A LOT when versing Strong bursty AP champs like Annie, Brand, LeBlanc etc.

Another optional choice. An extra 9 Ability Power at level 1 can increase your damage early but these runes don’t become as useful late game as late game, MPen is stronger than AP. A good choice nonetheless if you have no Magic Resist Glyphs.
CDR is great for any caster but I don’t find an extra 5% or so CDR that useful for Anivia and let me explain why. You will have blue buff most of the time which offers a 25% CDR. Late Game getting a Blue elixir, you get an extra 10% CDR, masteries also offer around 5% CDR. If you choose to get a Frozen Heart – that’s another 20% CDR. Just remember that there is no point getting any more than 15% CDR on Anivia as CDR caps at 40% and Blue Buff for Anivia is a MUST.

Quintessences:



With 1 more flat Mpen Quintessence you will have around 30 Magic Penetration which means you will do full damage to most Enemy carries is the first half of the game.



An extra 9 AP early game can be very helpful for Anivia. Anivia is considered a very strong mid-late game champion so adding more offence in the early game will give Anivia a good all round game.

A great Quintessence which offers decent Health which is beneficial as Anivia has the 2nd lowest base health. I find that having 13 armour and magic resist gives her enough durability but if you wish, these are also a great rune choice.
While I have actually never tried these runes, I feel that they are also a suitable pick due to Anivia’s low mobility which doesn’t really make sense… she is a bird after all… maybe she’s made of just pure ice so shes’ a lot heavier…? Anyway having an extra 3% movespeed can save your life sometimes – just saying.

Rebirth
(Innate): Upon dying, Anivia will revert into an egg and will get an armor and magic resistance modifier of -40 / -25 / -10 / +5 / +20. If the egg can survive for six seconds, she is reborn with the same percentage of health that her egg had left. This can only happen once every four minutes regardless of cooldown reduction.

Best passive if used well - absolutely useless if not.

Flash Frost
(Active): Anivia brings her wings together and summons a single piercing shard of ice that flies on a line, chilling, slowing movement by 20% and damaging anyone in its path. When the shard explodes or is detonated by Anivia it deals magic damage in a radius, stunning anyone in the area for 1 second. The magic damage done by both the shard and the detonation is the same.

Deals damage twice, remember just because you stun your opponent doesnt mean it deals the full damage. Using this spell is tricky. The projectile has a slow movement speed and can be hard to aim/explode. The closer you are to the enemy, the harder it is for them to dodge. Try not to use this spell directly at the enemy, try and predict which direction they will dodge/move. If you can use this spell well, you will be an awesome anivia player.

Crystallize
(Active): Anivia condenses the moisture in the air into an impenetrable wall of ice to block the movement of her enemies. The wall lasts 5 seconds before it melts.

If you can use this spell to save an ally or block an enemy then use it. At rank 5 it can block entire jungle pathways. Don't use this spell if you think you will end up screwing it up. This is what divide great anivia players from bad anivia players.
To be able to land one successfully it will take time and practice. If your quite new to lol i suggest trying to play a few bot games. This helps you learn to use this spell well and no ones gonna rage in a bot game if you use your wall incorrectly - which may happen - alot.

Using the wall can give you sight of both dragon and baron - 2 key objectives in the game. crystallize helps you stay safe and check both locations.























Frostbite
(Active): Anivia blasts her target with a freezing wind, dealing magic damage. If the target has been chilled by Anivia's other abilities, they will take double damage.

Pretty simple spell, does damage, does more damage if enemy is chilled, can be used to last hit but i wouldn't advise it. You should save up mana in case you need it as anivia is mana hungry.


Glacial Storm
(Toggle): Anivia summons a driving rain of ice and hail to continuously deal damage to enemies on an area, slowing their movement and attack speed by 20% for 1 second, and chilling them.

useful ult when it comes to farming, and team fights. Its Aoe and it does damage every second. slows enemies and their attack speed, very useful and helpful

NOTE
While anivia has a very low base movement speed and you can always use your abilities to help you escape. While running shoot your flash frost (q) behind u to either try to stun them or even slow them if you cant land a stun. Use the wall if your sure it will help you escape. Use you ultimate directly under you, so when the enemy chases you, he gets slowed.

Put one level in q at level 1 and i max this skill 2nd. Max Frostbite (e) 1st as this is your bread butter and is what makes anivia scary. In a duo lane put 1 level in your Crystallize (w) at level 4, if your going mid get 1 rank of the wall before level 10.

If you can ALWAYS GO MID AS ANIVIA. Anivia is one of the best mids as you will need all the minion kills and faster leveling. However anivia can also be played in a duo lane, preferably with a melee dps carry i.e. Xin Zhao. You can provide the stun and cc, while xin can come in and deal loads of damage. Playing with support champions can also be very helpful and give you even more sustainability

Why max frostbite ? This is your main spell, deals lots of damage and has a low cooldown. Max flash frost 2nd. Why? This is because while and flash frost can also do loads of dmg, you wont be able to guarantee a stun and do the full dmg on every cast. Level up Crystallize last, this is good for giving you sight, i.e. using it to check a bush and can help you or your allies escape in the jungle or block enemies.

Combos: flash frost - glacial storm - frostbite (Q-R-E) most damaging spell. Stun enemy so they are stuck in your ult and then frostbite . Deals most damage and if added with ignite + a few auto attacks the enemy might die depending on how much health they were on.
flash frost - frostbite (Q-E) Main harassing combo, deals good damage and uses less mana
If the enemy is close to you start off with glacial storm then flash frost and frostbite , this makes the enemy take more damage as they will be inside glacial storm for the full duration.
Other combos involving flash include: Flash into enemy + flashfrost + frostbite . By flashing then frostbiting it allows an almost 100% guarantee that you will land your stun. Do this combo if you know the enemy will die otherwise no point to waste flash
Flash + Crystallize This is only usable once level 16 and above. Flash closer to enemy and pop a wall if they are in the jungle. This should block their exist if they don't have flash. However if your chasing the enemy still he probably already used his flash. This also helps your team catch up.

Ignite/Flash
Ignite because it helps you early game for damage, and also deals true damage, useful against champions such as Swain or Mundo
Flash because its OP. Helps you escape, helps you chase, helps you position yourself better. It helps. A lot.

Other Viable Spells:
Ghost: Helps you move faster, used offensively/defensively
Teleport: Helps you keep your farm and experience up good because of Anivia's low base movement speed, i just find ignite/flash more useful
Clarity: Good for anivia beginners but blue buff should make clarity useless
Cleanse: Very helpful spell, not very useful as anivia usually stays at the back but nevertheless a very useful spell especially against a heavy cc team.

Any other spells not mentioned are useless on Anivia.

With Anivia you must be without fear. You must be ruthless. You must make enemies cower with fear. You must make enemies run from the sight of you.

this is how to play anivia - especially during the laning phase. Low on health? dont recall tower hug, if the enemy kills you, you'll get all your health back and enemy might take some tower agro. As anivia you must play quite aggresive, if your confident about not getting ganked you can zone the enemy out to. Aim for last hits all the time though - that is your main goal. use your burst Q-E-Autoattack and the enemy will lose 1/3 health (depending who they are)then focus on last hitting. When your abilities are back up, do it again and again and again. Dont be afraid to push or even take some tower/minion aggro to damage your enemy. However be careful if anyone is mia or if the enemy team has a jungler. While in a 1vs1 situation the enemy shouldnt be able to take your egg down early game, but if theres 2, you'll probably die. During team fights dont stay at the back but near it, try to stay near the centre, so if you do become an egg, your team may protect you. Late game the passive isn't as OMFGITSAWESOME anymore but still useful. With a premade team they'll help you, in solo queue especially in team fights they may not protect you if you do become an egg.

In team fights try to stay safe don't bother harassing too much or you'll end up using lots of mana of having your abilities on cooldown. When it comes to a team fight go all out, use your full combo then get back, wait for cooldown then do it again - never go alone.

This is the main item build you should have for Anivia. You won't have all these 6 items in every game but these items are the best overall for her. You may change some items depending on the enemy teams composition.



Enemy Team AP Heavy:


(last item is up to you. If enemy does have some sort of physical damage take a Zhonya's Hourglass, nevertheless if you like the passive from Lich Bane, you can get that.)

Enemy team AD Heavy



OMG IM AM RAPING EVERYONE, defence? pffft.



NOTE: The 2 items which you should always have for Anivia are Archangels Staff and Rabadons Deathcap.
Archangels Staff is a great item which gives Anivia heaps of mana/mana regen and a good amount of ap. A must have item.
Rabadons Deathcap is another great item which gives a huge ap boost.
In my opinion, Banshees Veil > Rod of Ages and let me explain why. Banshees offers more survivability with a good amount of Magic resist. It also offers health and mana and a useful shield which blocks an enemy spell every 40 or so seconds. Rod of Ages requires 20 or so minutes to be fully useful which makes it less useful. With archangels and rabaddons, having a bit extra ap from Rod of Ages seems inferior to more Magic Resist. Once again it also offers health and mana regen but i prefer the survivability that Banshees offers. As Anivia you must have some defence.
Zhonya's hourglass gives ap and armour, good against champions such as tryndamere, master yi etc. Its active is also useful in team fights and against an enemy Karthus, Annie, Fiddlesticks etc.
Void Staff is useful because of the Magic pentration, if the enemy team doesn't have much magic resist don't bother getting it. Another archangels is helpful but another item such as Frozen Heart will offer more survivability which is helpful too.

BOOTS:
Viable boot options are sorceror shoes for extra magic penetration, Mercury Treads if enemy teams has lots of cc, and even boots of swiftness as Anivia is a very slow champ. Very. Slow.
Other boots such as Ionian boots of Lucidity aren't as useful as blue buff provides more Cooldown Reduction.

Why start Meki Pendant?
This offers a longer laning presence. If use all you mana, with you quick regen you should have enough in no time. If you start with Sapphire Crystal, once you use all your mana its going to take a long time to get some mana back. Meki pendant offers more harrasing capabilities. IF you are duo laning and you partner has clarity then get a dorans ring. In my opinion Dorans Ring doesn't give enough mana regen for Anivia

While playing as a champion you always never get exactly the same items. Listed below are some other viable item choices for Anivia depending on what the enemy team has.

Frozen Heart - A very good 'tanky' item for Anivia. It offers great armour, some mana, excellent cooldown reduction and an attack speed debuff to nearby enemies. This item is situational, only get this if the enemy team has loads of damage output.

Lich Bane: A very good item, while the ap and magic resist given is somewhat mediocre, it offers a very useful passive. It enables your next auto attack to do the same damage as your previous ability. This item is great for many ap burst champions, but as a mage i don't rely on auto attacking as much. However if you like this, go for it.

Morello's Evil Tome: A pretty new item which got released a while ago and i find this item to be quite viable for Anivia at times. I get this item if your team won't help you get blue buff, or you never see it up. It offers an ok amount of ap, but gives an awesome 25% cooldown reduction. This helps lower the cooldown of mainly your flashfrost, allowing you to do more damage quicker. This also offers 12 mana regen every 5 seconds which can satisfy Anivia's mana demands.

Blue Elixir - Another great item at a very cheap price. If you go back and find out that you have some gold left over, feel free to buy a blue elixir. It offers good cooldown reduction and a good amount of ability power for its price. Throughout a game, i usually buy a few of these. Buying an elixir earlier in the game can help you in your lane.

I see many Anivia players but these 2 items which, in my opinion are not very viable for her. Either they are too expensive, offer bad stats or not as good as some other items.

Rod of Ages:

While this item may be ok, i do not find it as useful for Anivia. With these runes and this particular playstyle, i try to give Anivia some extra help during the earlier game because that is where you will have the most trouble. In my opinion Rod of Ages is not worth it as there are better items for Anivia. It offers average health, mana and some AP, but this item will only be viable 20 minutes after you purchased it. That is a waste of time. Why spend around 3000 gold for an item if you can't even reach its full potential straight away? By not purchasing Rod of Ages, it can help you get a Banshee's Viel Banshee's Viel, or a Zhonya's Hourglass Zhonya's Hourglass Staff a lot quicker. Banshees is a good item as it gives a good amount or magic resist and a useful passive. Zhonya's gives you a lot of AP as well as some armour and a life saving active. Remember to use it! By not getting Rod of Ages it helps you reach these items faster, as these items are a lot more beneficial.

Rylai's Crystal Scepter

While I can understand why some Anivia players get Rod of Ages, I have no idea why some people get Rylai's for Anivia. While it is a good item, it is completely useless as Anivia. Let me explain why...
For its price it offers not much health and not that much Ability Power, not to mention its passive is completely useless on Anivia. The passive's slow is useless on Anivia's Flash Frost , because if the enemy is stunned, the slow from the Rylai's would be useless. If you miss your stun, your Flash Frost already slows the enemy by 20%, an extra 15% is pretty useless.
Crystallize has no synergy with the slow. It deals no damage therefore no slow is provided.
Frostbite will activate a 35% slow. While this may seem ok, most of the time, you will be using frostbite while they are stunned or inside your ultimate, therefore making the 35% slow not as 'enticing'.
Glacial Storm already provides a slow, no point an extra 15% slow.

Also Anivia is a nuker and is affected by cooldown. Say you get a Rylai's Crystal Scepter and you nuke the enemy down to 30% health. Even if the enemy is slowed all you can do it auto attack and wait for your abilities to come back up negating the potential that the Rylai's offers. In a team fight, an extra bit of slow is not going to do much extra at all.

Early Game:
From levels 1-5 it might be hard. Without your ultimate you may find it hard to farm, so prioritize last hitting enemy minions. This will keep you on the same level with the enemy. While many people believe Anivia is very squishy and not very good early game, with these runes I believe Anivia can be very strong early game.

Level 1: You don't have your combo up yet, best to last hit. Use your flash frost once and try to see where the enemy champion will run, e.g. up, down or back.
Levels 1-5: This is where you start to harass. You have very good early game damage potential even with 0 Ap. Using your flash frost and frostbite should be able to take a large chunk out of the enemies health bar. With your runes, it will give you more defense which is vital for your early game. Switch between last hitting and harassing, if possible zone the enemy.
Level 6: This is where you back off a little. Depending on the enemy champion, they will have their ultimate. While comparing the flat out damage, your ultimate may feel a little 'inferior' not to mention the super high mana cost. Harass - but not too much, or you may find yourself in a sticky situation as you may get ganked.

Mid Game:
This is where you will start to get stronger. You will start to deal damage and start to own the enemy team. However don't get cocky, overextend and push too far as you are a squishy champion. You need to stay a little back. Try not to use your ultimate too much as it will consume too much mana. This is where you will have mana problems.

Level 7-12: Mini team fights should start to engage, probably nothing to serious. Don't harass or poke - thats not you job. If you do, you'll find your abilities to be on cooldown when needed or out of mana. Stay back until its time to unleash your full combo. Always ask for blue buff.

Late Game: You should have lots of mana and ap. You shouldn't have too many mana problems and this is where enemies will cower with fear. If they see you, they will run. You should be an unstoppable beast, well ice dragon - sort of.

Level 15-18: This is where team fights will constantly emerge. Stay with your team, don't wander off. Stay back and let the tank initiate. Aim for the enemy supports/carries. If you seem them within range of your flash frost go and kill them, then fall back. Try to stay inside your team so if you do become an egg, your team may protect you.

This will tell you how to counter some champions in the mid lane.
HARD CHAMPIONS TO GO MID AGAINST:
These champions are probably better in the early game and can harass and damage you more than what you can do to them. I advise to play safe and be cautious against these champions.

Urgot: OK. OK. This champions is just. ONE HELL OF AN ANNOYING CHAMPION TO MID AGAINST. SEE AN URGOT? WELL CHANCES ARE YOUR PROBABLY GOING TO LOSE. But don't worry many other champions will to. He has the most annoying harass which has super super super super range. Only advice is to try to dodge his grenades, then your safe. Don't bother tower hugging because he can still get you. Ask for a gank. Run around like a maniac. Harass. Do your best.
Annie: She has terrific burst and can out damage early game, watch out when she has her stun and stay back, when you see her use her stun that is the time to harass. Watch out when she becomes level 6, she will have extreme burst damage
LeBlanc: LeBlanc is a super strong mid, especially from levels 1-6. She can be very annoying to harass when she can use her Distortion, and when she unleashes her full combo at lvl 6, it might be able to do 80-90% of your maximum health. On the upside, you have more range so use that to your advantage. With your larger range you can farm without too much difficulty. Save your stun for the right moment - When LeBlanc uses Distortion, chances are she's going to flash back, that is when you shoot your frost bite. When your level 6, ask for blue buff straight away, to help lane against LeBlanc.
Brand He can deal tons of damage early in the game, He also has decent harass. In terms of damage output, he has more. Stay behind your creeps to avoid the stun - REMEMBER you have to be ablaze to be stunned. If the enemy Brand is pushing and manages to use a spell on you and you become Ablaze, just fall back until its gone. Run around and stay away from your minions to avoid his Pillar of Flame and his Conflagration. He relies on his stun to be able to his extreme amount of damage. The best time to attack is when he just uses his Sear, that leaves him without his stun.

THE REST
Ashe: Super squishy, which is good for you. Stay behind minions to escape volley, be careful of ganks once she reaches level 6, the enchanted arrow can be frustrating. Anivia has more range than Ashe. Dont be afraid to harass, you'll probably win your lane. A lot of the ad range carries are similar in play style and are similair in counter methods
Ezreal: This is going to be hard to lane against. His mini flahs lets him dodge/escape your stun and your ult. HE has good harass, once again stay behind minions to avoid his Q. If you do land a stun try to do as much damage as you may not get another chance.
Mordekaiser: This is one hell of a annoying champ to lane against. Stay away from minions so he has to options: don't farm or harass you, in most cases he'll stick to farming. Ask for ganks because he is pretty tanky.
Malzahar: Quicksilver Sash. Get it. Trust me. Run around to avoid his Q because there is a delay.
Caitlyn: She has more range and deals good damage early game. Dont bother auto attacking harass but rely on spamming your abilities.
Vladimir: Honestly i dont see why Vladimir is a good mid. In my opinion hes a pretty bad mid. His harass has a super long cooldown all the way until level 11, his sanguine pool's slow wont do much as you should be out of its range. Just harass. Wait for him to cast his pool then harass as much as you can after. Vladimir's sanguine pool has a very long cooldown so use that against him.
Morgana: Pretty average mid, just stay behind creeps to dodge dark binding, stay from her when shes level 6, her ult can be annoying. Her spell shield is frustrating as it will block a lot of dmg.
Veigar: He has a bad early game and requires lots of farm. Harass and zone and be hardcore and you will win your lane.
Kennen: Pretty straightforward, stay behind minions to avoid his shuriken, once he is level 6, stay back a bit.
Karthus: He can be a pretty hard champ to outzone. His Q is faster than your's, and his defile does a decent amount of damage (but uses a lot of mana.) The only real way to defeat him is to get really up close and personal. Throw your Flash Frost right near him and detonate it. Then ult in and frostbite him. This kind of burst damage usually will deal a large chunk of his health. Make sure you either have your passive up, or a healer nearby because if you don't, you'll be taking a good amount of damage from him through this, and could be subjugated to a Requiem to the face. (Ty to Aivion for the Karthus tips :P)
Kog'maw: If hes AD, run away if he has his bio arcan barrage, you can tell because he goes reddish*, if hes AP just harass, AP Kog'maw is not a threat.
Ryze: Stay back and harass. His snare requires a shorter range. Providing you stay back and only come closer to harass you will be fine.

I hope you like this guide. This is my first guide and any comments are appreciated. I will be adding more and more details and tips later on. Thx for your time please comment and rate :D
Any comments and feedback is welcome, if anythings wrong or you don't just like let me know. Any advice is appreciated.