Ahri Build Guide : A h r i ❥ Your Soul is Mine // Mid Lane

Introduction

Hey everybody! I'm Aquilegia, and this is my third guide on MOBAfire.

was the first champion I picked up after I began shifting out of my only-play- phase (which lasted an embarrassingly long time). She was a little harder than I was used to, since she has a few skillshots, but I instantly loved her. She's beautiful, has a cute voice, and can be incredibly powerful. She's also very unique, being the only (I think) AP carry with true damage. Her mechanics might take a little getting used to since she is more close-ranged than other AP carries.

doesn't have the most powerful ratios in the game, but she has incredible base damage and true damage. So, instead of building her glass cannon, I focus on a few resistances, health, and spell vamp to mesh with . I also get some mpen to put some pain onto my enemies. I think this way maxes out her potential and she can deal crazy amounts of damage to the entire team while surviving as she stays in range.

I think is one of the most fun champions to play, so try this out and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is appreciated, as are upvotes. :)

Pros & Cons

Pros
+ True damage
+ Lots of AoE
+ Very mobile
+ Built-in spell vamp
+ Unique

Cons
- Relatively close-range
- Weak ratios
- Not very much CC
- Initially mana hungry
s p a c e s p a c e

Masteries

is a champion that I feel should definitely go all out in the offense tree: she's your AP carry. The other 9 points are up for debate as to where you should put them, but I think that the defense tree is your best bet. You get a few resistances out of this and some health to help you out. doesn't really have the best defense, and in addition to that, she's relatively short range, so you need to be a little too close for comfort around your enemies. The defensive bonuses these masteries offer help her trades and burst damage to be delivered in a much safer way.

First of all, a point is dipped into because I pick up to couple it. If you take or some other spell, this wouldn't be my first choice for you. Next, two points go into because has low AD and needs some help with last-hitting.

is our next choice, which is necessary for any AP carry. It gives you 18 AP at level 18.

is very important for . She needs magic pen since she doesn't have very hard AP scaling abilities, so opting for mpen is the best thing for her. It gives her a greater damage output. 8% is a lot, too.

should be taken for 6 more AP. You should also take up to aid in those pesky last-hits.

is like a baby . It increases your AP by 5%, which is very helpful as you add on more AP: you'll get more than you paid for.

is great for a bursty mage like . It'll help you 100-0 targets since you deal more damage as their lifebar depletes.

Here is where we dip into a little bit of defense to help out when she's in range for her abilities, which isn't very far away from your enemy. gives you 108 health at level 18, which is a pretty hefty amount for a little mastery.

and both offer 3.5 MR and armor. This is a small bonus but helpful at the beginning of the game since isn't naturally defensive.

The 30 health from is irreplaceable, especially early-game. This is a great pick for a tiny bit of beefiness.

Other Options

Rune Page

Runes

Precision

Fleet Footwork

Phase Rush

's runes are that of a standard AP carry. You get AP from your quints and glyphs, armor from your seals, and mpen from your marks. These are all required stats for , but these runes can all be switched out for others based on preference.

These quints are the classic choice for AP carries. You get a bonus of 15 AP from these. This is best utilized early-game more than anything else. They help you out with harass as well as farming, since doesn't actually do too much with auto-attack and relies on the AoE from for farming instead.

These are the optimal marks for . Since she doesn't have the best scaling, her best choice is magic pen. Her abilities all do magic damage (and some true damage), so mpen helps out her damage output more than anything else. You should be focusing on things like this more than building AP because of her ratios.

Okay, so these seals are another classic decision. Your armor stat increases based on level, so these stay with you for the entire game. doesn't have many armor items to build that mesh with her kit, so these runes are practically necessary for her. You don't want to take too much damage from the enemy jungler or .

Again, these are another choice that almost all AP carries go with. Your scaling AP gives you almost 28 AP at level 18, which is quite a bit. You can always swap out these glyphs for others, though; is very versatile when it comes to items builds, runes, and masteries, because she isn't item reliant or reliant on AP for her damage.

greater mark of hybrid penetration

Other Options

is a fantastic choice for any mid-laner who really likes to focus on ganking other lanes. is a very mobile champion, so you can capitalize on this buy purchasing these quints for some extra speed. She's great for ganking, so these are a good pick.

is a quint that probably won't work very well on other AP carries, but is a great option for because of . She can take these over AP quints because of her true damage AND less-than-desirable scaling. If you're focusing on sustain, then go for these.

greater mark of hybrid penetration is something you should use if you're going for a more aggressive early-game where you autoattack a lot. This sort of playstyle is best against melee mids, but you'll probably be fine against ranged champs since you have a decent autoattack range, as well. This is also a great time to pick up in your build.

is cute for AP carries, but you're sacrificing some armor by choosing them. If you really have mana problems, you should probably pick up blue buff instead. Ask your jungler for it, or buy early on. These seals are viable, but there are better picks.

is a fine choice for . Again, she doesn't need to have much AP since her ratios aren't anything over 40%. If you find yourself in need of some more defense in the mid-lane, go ahead and take these. You can get AP from items, quints, and masteries, so you should be alright in picking these up.

is a nice pick for , too. FOR THE BILLIONTH TIME, since her AP ratios are somewhat poopy, she can opt for other options. Getting off more often means more and more true damage, so this is great for harass and other forms of damage without AP. Very viable picks.

Summoner Spells

Initial Choices

is a very important summoner spell for almost every champion, and this includes . It's a better pick than for her kit, since it's like a 4th . You can see the same results from as you can from , and you can travel through terrain with it. Extra mobility. You can usually be safe by blowing INSTEAD of when you first need to, but if you end up having to use both (whether offensively or defensively), they stack super well since they're practically the same thing. 4 dashes is an incredible thing to have, and has endless utility. You can in and out of towers (although I'd suggest using out of a tower instead), over terrain, to escape, to chase, and for whatever else. It's unparalleled.

is another nice spell to take, but this summoner spell is up for debate. Offensively, this is a great spell for . It brings even more true damage to your disposal. can be the thing that wins or loses you a kill or fight. I can't tell you how many times I've died to after being safely out of range of the enemy, or how many times I've secured kills after the enemy thought they had escaped. Because of the masteries I take, I gain 5 bonus AP and AD when is on cooldown, so throwing down before a fight can help out your damage output, too. It decreases the effectiveness of healing, as well, so many champions with spell vamp for self-healing abilities (or , even) will be at a disadvantage after you toss this into the mix.

Other Options

has slowly become more and more popular, and is pretty much the ideal choice over in the current meta. It's a great defensive spell, and can certainly help for someone like . She has shorter range, so she has to get up close and personal with her enemies. Being an AP carry, her enemies are generally bursty mages that like to 100-0 people. Taking really helps with stopping that. Taking this will probably win you more trades and draw out your survivability.

is another spell that can help out . CC hits her a little hard, since she is typically in range for it and she doesn't really have a secure disengage. isn't like a stun or snare, and it brings the enemy towards you (although slowly). is her ult and you don't want to blow this every time you need to get away fast. Using to escape stuns or other dangers can help you out a whole bunch. It also removes the debuff from and negates 's ultimate.

is a spell you can take if you're just frustrated with how long it takes for you to get back into your lane, OR press your ganking advantage. normally doesn't have that much of a problem with this first thing because of how mobile she is, but the time between recalling and getting to your tower can mean the loss of your lane. Your enemy free farms every second you're gone and they have more of a chance to wail on your tower. If you don't like the idea of all these things, but wish to sacrifice other spells more useful in trading, then pick this up. There's also the advantage of teleporting to bot or top on a ward, then surprise ganking from there.

Abilities

Essence Theft ❥ P
gains a charge of with each enemy unit hit by any of her spells, with a cap of 3 charges gained per spell cast. Upon reaching 9 charges, 's next spell will have 35% bonus spell vamp.

This is one of my favorite passives. allows for a whole bunch of sustain while laning and during teamfights. Since 's kit provides a lot of AoE, this basically means 35% spell vamp on every 4th spell cast. Combining this with other spell vamp items, runes, or masteries brings a lot of sustain to the table. This is infinitely useful for . She can stay in lane for insanely long amounts of time if you spend her mana wisely, and the healing can help her win trades or survive DoT. I really like this because of her all-in, short-range kit. She can heal during her burst and survive any potential backlash.

Orb of Deception ❥ Q
sends out an orb in a line in front of her and then pulls it back, dealing magic damage (40 / 65 / 90 / 115 / 140 (+ 33% AP)) on the way out and true damage (40 / 65 / 90 / 115 / 140 (+ 33% AP)) on the way back.

This skill is 's bread and butter. It's her main form of harass, farming, and damage in her burst. It's a skillshot, so it may be hard to hit at times, but it damages each enemy in a line it throws out. The damage doesn't decrease either based on how many enemies hit, so that's really nice. The main strength of this ability comes from the fact that it has true damage. This makes infinitely more unique than any other AP carry, since none of them have true damage in their kit. It also means that doesn't need to depend on ability power as much as the next guy; she'll always have some damage that won't be negated in any way. Use this ability as your main form of harass during the laning phase, and make sure you run around so that your second hit always strikes. It's great for farming, too, and deals the most damage during your burst. Most important skill NA.

Fox-Fire ❥ W
releases three s to surround her for up to 5 seconds. After a short delay after cast, each flame will target the closest enemy unit to itself, prioritizing champions, and deal magic damage (40 / 65 / 90 / 115 / 140 (+ 40% AP)) to the target. Additional fox-fires that hit the same target will only deal 50% damage.

This skill pumps out a whole bunch of AoE and will give you 3 stacks of per cast, pretty much guaranteed. makes a threat to multiple members on the enemy team since it deals the most damage when it hits 3 different targets. It is very, very powerful in teamfights because of this. Hitting the same target with this deals damage, but isn't as effective as it could be. Because of 's other pieces in her kit, she can still easily 100-0 single targets. 's kit doesn't make her much of a single target assassin, though: most of her strengths come from AoE in teamfights and ganks. The utility of outlines how she is fantastic for ganking bot and how she will always have a major presence in teamfights, even though her laning capabilities might not be the strongest.

Charm ❥ E
blows a kiss that travels in a line in front of her. The first enemy it hits takes magic damage (60 / 90 / 120 / 150 / 180 (+ 35% AP)) and is charmed, forcing them to walk harmlessly towards while being slowed by 50% for the duration.

This ability is another super unique thing that brings to the table. Her is a form of CC that no other champion has. is basically a combination of a blind, silence, slow, and taunt. It doesn't bring much damage to the table, but it brings a whole lot of utility. It can be used to check bushes and save yourself from ganks. ing the enemy jungler as they dash towards you can turn the tides of the gank. It's also a fantastic initiation tool. Catching your lane enemy in front of minions can secure you a kill, and so can catching an enemy out of position leading into a teamfight. It also interrupts channeled abilities.

Spirit Rush ❥ R
dashes towards the cursor and fires essence bolts, dealing magic damage (85 / 125 / 165 (+ 35% AP)) to up to 3 nearby enemies, prioritizing champions. In the next 10 seconds, can be cast two additional times before going on cooldown. Each enemy can only be hit once per dash.

's ultimate gives her a huge mobility steroid. Its AoE is incredible, too. She can move through terrain using this, but it's kind of hard to do so. She needs to position herself against the wall before she can cast it and succeed in dashing through it. Anyways, using this ability to take down a single target is powerful, but like , its true strength shows in teamfights and bot lane ganks. Dashing around the fight and hitting multiple enemies is a great way to get off a whole bunch of damage. It has a relatively low cooldown, so you never need to "save" your ultimate for any opportune moments. You can use it for escaping, chasing, burst damage, and taking down Baron or Dragon.

Skill Sequence

Gaining Order

You should probably pick up first because it helps out your jungler with leashing, gaining some farm off of mid lane, and harassing. It's a simple skill, as well as your highest damage, so going for this first is your best idea. It gives you the greatest benefit.

Take second to begin punishing your enemy for walking out of position and to protect yourself against ganks. If you don't think the enemy jungler will be ganking you so early, or if you're pushed up to your tower, go ahead and drop your second point into instead.

Your third and final ability taken should be (or , if you took before). By this point, you should have all of your abilities and you're ready to bust out your combo on any enemy who falls out from behind his/her minions.

Naturally, should be picked up at level 6 and focused on at levels 11 and 16.

Maxing Order

Your priority is first on maxing , since it's your ultimate. You should pick up this skill at levels 6, 11, and 16.

is the skill you should focus on maxing first before any others (discounting ). It deals the most damage out of your kit and helps you the most during the laning phase. It secures you a whole lot of farm and is your main tool of harass. It's also really easy to wrack up stacks of when using this ability because of its AoE. is also your source of true damage. Max this ability first: it brings the most to the table.

should be the skill you max second. It pretty much guarantees 3 stacks on . It deals a huge amount of AoE damage and impressive single target burst. It doesn't take any time to cast and can do whatever she feels like after casting it. It can also be cast during your dashes of . Max this ability second for the decreased cooldown and increased damage. It's a little more dangerous to use than is because of its shorter range, so don't put all of your money into this ability.

should be maxed last. It doesn't deal much damage and it scales poorly, but the duration of your increases. It's good to max this skill last because it is just for utility: a one-point-wonder. It has the highest range out of all of your other abilities, so using this to catch enemies and have them walk towards you is really helpful to get them into range. is basically a tool that is used to manipulate your enemies, but it can fulfill this at all ranks. Max it last to focus on your damage first.

Alternatively

You can go this route, which maxes first after , then , and finally . This method is best whenever you're going against a melee mid, since the s will always be in range to hit them. It's better for less mana and easy harass. This sort of playstyle compliments buying greater mark of hybrid penetration and and autoattacking for harass. It's a little more dangerous than maxing since you'll have to be closer to the enemy, but you can deal a great amount of damage in the laning phase. It's a little more high-risk, high-reward and aggressive.

Combos

AA >> >> AA

This is your basic harass for in lane. With this, you'll be dealing a decent amount of damage due to your true damage, plus your quick autoattacks with the reset from using your ability. Keep using this to pick up CS and deal damage to your enemy. It'll pass through minions so use this whenever you can, and when you have the mana to do so.

>>

This combo allows for some damage when you don't want to use much mana. It has the same effect as using in this sequence, too, but with slightly less damage and mana cost. I'd mostly reserve this for whenever you need to conserve mana, but also want to hurt your enemy. You can throw autoattacks in the mix, too. Every little bit of damage helps.

>> >>

This is your bread and butter combo. When your enemy steps out of position, bust this out. This is pretty much the most damage you can do without your ult. You should also keep in mind that you should move throughout using this combo. has 0 cast time and you can keep moving anytime you activate it. You should be moving after you cast to control its return path.

>> >> + >> >> >>

~I'm going in for the kill~ combo. If you catch your enemy, and you're sure you can secure a kill, go all in with your burst. This will yield the most damage and is probably the most realistic of what you'll be able to pull off. Every time you think you can secure a kill, post-level 6, try to use this combination. You'll see great results from it. It's also fantastic for teamfights.

>> >> >> + >> >>

Ganking? Use this. It's practically the same thing as your lethal combo, but you should initiate with and then follow up by ing the enemy. Your ult gets you into range from where you can then CC the enemy. Throw does ASAP to get the 5 bonus AD and AP when it goes on cooldown, that way you can deal a maximum amount of damage throughout the fight.

Itemizing

Starting Items

+ x2 is my preferred start. This is a fairly aggressive start that still gives you some bulk with health. You get AP, mana regen, and a passive that restores 4 mana after killing a unit. Farming is going to keep your mana sustained as will the mana regen, and you have some s to keep your health up as well. The mana you'll be getting will be precious as you can also restore health using after your s run out.

+ x2 + is another great start for sustain. I don't find it all that useful because I find that I need mana and health at different times instead of at the same time, mostly because of . However, if you find yourself in need of potions a lot of the time, then this is the way to go. doesn't turn into anything later on, but it can save you a whole lot of money since you won't have to keep on buying potions over and over again.

+ x3 is your standard start that gives you some movement speed and sustain. I don't necessarily prefer this start because is mana hungry at the beginning of the game, and you won't be bringing anything with you to keep up your mana pool. If you go this way, try to get first blue. If you can't, just be mindful of when you use your abilities. This start helps you out against enemies who have a lot of skillshots that you might need some help dodging.

Early Game

On your first b, you should begin picking up these items. Grab your as soon as you can, same with . Your boots are obviously precious: they boost your mobility and that helps you out as a mobile character. meshes well with and it gives you a nice beginning boost to your AP to tide you over until you build other AP items. You don't really need to rush a lot of AP with , so you can focus on other vital things: spell vamp for sustain and mana regen to get off your spells more often. The MR from is also very helpful for laning, which will probably be against another AP caster. If it's an AD caster, build in its place.

Alternatively

If you're going for a single-target assassin build, you should probably end up taking and x2 as soon as you can. The s give you some bulk, mana return & regen, and some AP for dealing damage. You'll be able to trade evenly, with increased mobility and damage with the magic penetration from . These tide you over until you can buy your core for this build: .

Mid Game

After you purchase those first 3 items, you should upgrade your boots to . The mpen is vital to your character because of your scaling, and it's always nice to be faster. Upgrade to for the CD reduction and AP. Its unique passive is useful for you because you're an AoE assassin. During every teamfight, you get 12% of your mana back on kill or assist. You will be killing and assisting a whole lot with your kit. Most single target assassins will blow their burst and then be unable to do much of anything else since they're out of mana, but your kit allows for you to be a terrifying presence throughout the entire battle. (If you bought before, upgrade it to instead of .) After this, look into building for some AP (finally). As an AP caster, this item is core for you and your DPS.

Alternatively

For a single-target build, should be rushed. It gives you some magic pen-esque capabilities. The aura is great for you since you will never waste it. Your ult and this item have relatively the same range. It also gives you some great survivability against whoever you're fighting mid, preferably if they're an AP carry. After this, pick up for a huge AP bonus that almost every AP carry needs. comes next for its bulk and magic penetration. You also get a little AP from it, too.

Late Game

We're nearing the end of your build. Upgrade to for AP and spell vamp. It also helps out your team, too, which is crucial. You should take at this point, as well. It gives you some health for tankiness, which you need because of your short range, as well as AP and an AoE 35% slow. How? Each bolt of is counted as a single-target ability, and you have 3 bolts, so you're going to be pumping out 35% slows in AoE. is counted as a single-target ability, as well. The rest of your kit is counted as AoE, though, but you'll still be providing a 15% slow to all those affected. is purchased last for more mpen and a little bit of AP. Again, because of your poopy scaling, the mpen is more precious than anything else.

Alternatively

For a single-target burst build, should be finished for the magic penetration, greater health and AP, AND a burn that synergizes well with , which is your next item. It works wonders for you because of the health, AP, and slow that is triggered at full effect by . Lastly, you should purchase for more penetration and AP. It has great synergy with , as well.

Magic Resist

Are you facing a team with a lot of AP and you're getting wrecked? No worries, these are all good options for . gives you some AP and MR, and the aura won't be wasted on you because you'll typically be in range for it, especially when using . You can take for health, which you will need for your range, mana, MR, and a spell shield. This is very helpful against mages like . is another choice that works surprisingly well for . You get increased healing on , plus CD reduction, health, and MR. is a cheap pick that gives you AP, MR, and movement speed. This is great for you, being so mobile. The active is cool, too, and is actually useful in teamfights to slow 2 enemies.

Armor

doesn't have that many options when it comes to armor, but the ones she has are pretty strong, and you can always opt for , too. gives you AP, armor, CD reduction, and mana. All of these stats aren't wasted on . It also has a passive that slows enemies inside of a circle on your autoattacks after you activate an ability. Use this to capitalize on the mobility you have and the mobility you'll be taking away from your enemies. gives you an incredible amount of AP with some armor, and an active that can save your life. It's not necessarily the best thing for , though. She should always be in motion, but the active can save you from a or ult.

Other Options

is a good item that provides health, AP, and mpen, which are all things that needs. It will increase your damage output, HOWEVER-- you won't be procing the increased tick from any part of your kit. is not treated as a slow, and it won't proc the double damage. You could build + this, but I feel like you'll be sacrificing too much of your other items to see any real benefit.

is a decent item for because of the mobility boost as well as the AP. Her autoattacks have the same range as her ult, so you should be in range to autoattck often. It won't be dangerous to do so and it could be an important part of her kit. She doesn't actually need to autoattack, though, so I think your money could be better spent elsewhere, like on an item that she NEEDS. If you're taking greater mark of hybrid penetration, this item is pretty important for you.

is like a more offensive version of . You get more AP, no MR, CD reduction and mana regen, but also a passive that inflicts grievous wound. It would definitely work for and all parts of her kit, but I think that is more core for her, esp. because of the MR that it offers. It's still viable but more defense is suggested.

is like a less expensive version of . If you're concerned with a lot of early spell vamp, you should probably pick this up in advance and trade it for WoTA when you're into the late-game phase. It has incredible gold efficiency. (Although you miss out on the CDR for .)

is a great item if you're looking for heavy burst. isn't exactly the best single-target burst champion (her decreases in damage when striking a single target and you waste 6 bolts from if you're focusing on only one person), but she's able to do so. I don't think she really needs all the AP this item offers, but it's playstyle preference. If you're going with my second build, this is a great option.

Gameplay

Laning

While you're laning as , you should mostly focus on staying there and farming (BEFORE LEVEL 6). You're not a single-target assassin, so taking down your enemy in one burst isn't very likely. They will probably out-range you and have some form of CC that you won't be able to handle, as well as being a single-target assassin themselves. So, rather than stupidly trying to force engagements, try your best to stay at max range. You should harass here with . One thing I always like to do is toss at my enemy while picking up CS on the way. is a great tool for farming and for harass. Make sure you punish your enemy every time they step out of position or out from behind their minions. is great at doing this; it's one of her greatest strengths. As soon as they step out, them, activate , throw , and back off. This little combo will deal a great amount of damage.

AA >> >> AA

OR

>> >>

However, make sure you realize that this doesn't mean to never try for kills in the mid lane. You should be on watch for how low their health is, and engage when you think you'll be able to pick up a kill. Just know that you probably won't be able to 100-0 a single target as well as you'd be able to 100-0 three different people. Engage when you're sure of a success, but stay back and at max range during every other time.

You should always be mindful of ganks. is thankfully a very powerful defense against ganks, as is , so be sure to use these to your advantage if you need to. is also great at turning the tides of a gank single-handedly. She does the most damage in AoE, so having 2 enemies instead of 1 is a great opportunity to do work. This comes with a warning, though. is relatively squishy, and you have to know that you have the upper hand whenever you want to fight your lane enemy and the jungler.

Anyways, like I said, pre-level 6, you should focus on harassing and farming with , while punishing your enemy frequently for falling out of position. That's all you have to worry about. is a very relaxing champion to play pre-level 6, but she is far from boring. It's nice to not have to worry about constantly engaging your enemy and getting kills. If you can pick up a kill, though, then go for it (by all means)! Harass until your enemy is low enough, and then ~go in for the kill~. Just don't expect to 100-0 targets unless you're fed.

Another great thing about is her ability to turn the tides of an engagement made by the enemy. If jumps towards you, or dashes into range, just them and pull off your combo ( + ). I can assure you, they'll regret trying to pressure you, and it's smooth sailing from there. excels in close-range, so stunts like this really shine in her favor. You'll probably be able to get a bunch of kills off of this.

To reiterate, your focus here should be farming and harassing, but not engaging (unless you're sure you have the upper hand). Push the tower relatively hard, since you have a lot of reliable escapes. You could even freeze the lane if you want to. But yeah, stay back, toss around , and try to wrack up as many creep kills as you possibly can.

Warding

Warding! This is one of the more annoying parts of playing in the middle lane; you have two bushes to worry about. You'll probably be ganked fairly often since can put a lot of pressure on the enemy lane. A good thing about this is that you can generally push safely without wards-- you have 4 dashes ( + ) as well as for some CC and disengaging. Regardless, warding is still really important, and you need to keep up with it if you're pressuring the enemy (like I tend to do). I made a little diagram to outline great ward positions.

Okay, so. The pink/salmon colored circles are great places to ward (closest to the middle lane, I mean). They are choke points where the enemy jungler will typically be passing through. If they're in your jungle, they'll be coming out of it one way, but they'll be coming out of the other way if they're just chilling in their own jungle. It's also classic to place sight wards in the bushes beside mid lane. You can place s here if you need to, like if your enemy is constantly warding and you need a gank. The other places are nice to keep an eye on, but YOU don't need to be the one warding. Your support and jungler should take care of these other spots.

Ganking

When you hit level 6, you instantly become an incredibly powerful ganker. You can stop focusing so much on pushing your tower and harassing your enemy, and you should start focusing on ganking bot lane while keeping your lane farmed (and making sure your enemy doesn't free farm, either). Bot is the best place for you to gank. It typically has an ADC and a support down there, which means multiple targets, which means maximum damage potential from you. Top lane is nice to visit if you can secure a kill, but you'll be doing the most work in the bottom lane because of how many people are there.

When you're ganking, the best way to go about it is to hide in the bush in the river. Ping to let your teammates know that you're about to go in (and it'd be nice for you to ping "on the way" when you're... on the way down). After that, run out a little, then into range and an enemy when you see a chance. Toss on the ADC to deal some extra damage and to get the 5 bonus AP when it goes on cooldown. Activate again and hit up mid-dash, then throw when the enemy support and ADC are lined up. If they aren't, that's okay, too. Focus the ADC. Keep using around the fight until you've exhausted all 3 dashes. You should activate your abilities whenever they come off of cooldown after this point (but you'll probably have gotten a kill by then). The best thing to do once your ult is down is to: , , then .

>> >> >> + >> >>

Post-level 6, you should keep your lane as pushed as you can and turn into a menace for the enemy ADC. Leech most of your kills from bot lane since that will be the easiest for you: multi-target executions rather than struggling to come on top of a single-target assassin. Make sure you don't fall behind in CS and that your tower is safe and sound. It might take some practice in knowing when you can safely leave your lane to gank, or knowing how to stay caught up with it after you leave. Roaming and practice is the best advice I can give you.

Here's a diagram I made for knowing when to gank! Since you still have to keep track of your lane, it's good to have an idea of the best time to leave your lane. Your best chance is when the enemy is pushed up to your tower. Otherwise, you should still be farming your own lane. If top has a lot of juicy opportunities, then go top. If bot is generally pushed up to the enemy tower and is doing well for themselves, don't go bot if you don't have to. If bot is generally pushed up to the enemy tower and isn't doing all that well, be a good teammate and help them out (or tell them to stop pushing so hard). You can towerdive safely because of all of your dashes and escapes, so don't worry all that much about it. But don't let the tower focus you. You are squishy, and you will die.

Teamfighting

has one of if not the strongest teamfighting presence in the entire League. Her kit allows for a great engage as well as sustain and damage to the entire team. This is the part of the game where she excels, and all your CS and kills from ganks come to play. If you're going to play , get good at catching people out of position and timing engagements.

Pay attention if you think a teamfight is about to happen. A well-aimed, well-timed can lead into a perfect engage. Watch for the enemies who fall out of position or the perfect opportunity to charm the enemy ADC. Once you do, it's best to wait for your team to see if they follow up. You're really squishy and you can't afford to run in alone like most tanks can.

Once you see that your team follows up on the engage, use to get into range. Tap and again, someone if you can, then throw into the enemy team. around the fight again and toss out autoattacks if your spells are on cooldown, but use them again as soon as they come up. Make sure to take as much advantage of you AoE as you possibly can. around as many enemies as possible and try to get your to hit as many enemies as possible, as well. True damage for everyone!

>> >> + >> >> >>

Make sure you autoattack between all these if you're a junkie. Otherwise, it's not too important. An extra 100 or so damage is always nice, but negligible from you without the mastery and especially without . These are two things that I don't really recommend on , but can be taken since her ult and her autoattack have about the same range.

Anyways, to wrap this up: while teamfighting, your goal is to spread as much AoE as you possibly can around the enemy team. Stay just in range of your abilities to stay safe, and you'll be naturally regenerated by . Don't worry about your sustain too much as long as you play offensively and safely!

Tips & Tricks

Okay, this is just gonna be a cute and small and quick little section to highlight key points in playing .

Have a lot of mana but not so much health? Take advantage of Essence Theft.
Autoattack your enemy while you're waiting on creeps :)
Make sure the true damage from Orb of Deception hits!
Try to stay at max range for all of your abilities to stay safe
Don't stress about rushing AP! You have bad ratios and true damage anyways
Each bolt of Fox-Fire procs as a single-target spell
Use Charm to check bushes!
Spirit Rush can move through terrain, but make sure you're RIGHT against the border
Punish anyone and everyone who falls out of position
GANK AFTER LEVEL 6
Always do as much AoE damage as you can

Matchups

Green = Easy

Yellow = Moderate

Red = Difficult

^{Layout credit to LiLStormcloaK!}

Akali

Fighting is going to be a pain in the behind. The good part is that you out-range her. The bad part is that makes it harder for you to her, and once she gets , she's going to deal a whole lot of damage while keeping you out of a safe range. The best thing to do here is to harass her and deal as much damage as possible before she hits level 6. This means trying to kill her. After this, just use to get away from her after she ults to you. You'll have the same amount of charges, and if you save yours, you will be able to escape from her while dealing damage.

Anivia

is really, really annoying. kinda poops on your ability to burst her down, and almost saps all of your mobility. has range you can't deal with, too. Luckily, can pass through . What you'll have to do here is stay back and farm. I wouldn't focus on harassing because you're putting yourself in danger of . Call for your jungler for a gank to pop , then ask for another gank ASAP to take her down. Teamwork wins this lane. She's esp hard to deal with because of her pushing capabilities, so while it benefits you to roam, she'll destroy your lane when you do so.

Annie

You out-range by a whole lot, so this lane will be very easy for you. Pull your combo on her as often as possible and harass her while farming. The only thing you have to worry about is a stun with . It shouldn't be that big of a deal, though; you can him and away.

Brand

Most of 's abilities extend farther than yours, but they're all skillshot-based. Good thing you're a mobile champion, huh? Harass him, dodge his skillshots, and farm. Be sure to stay behind your minions so he can't stun you with , and you should be okay.

Cassiopeia

can be a huge problem for you if she's a good player. Bad players are laughably easy, though, so I suppose this is a skill-based matchup. She has a good amount of range, so you need to watch out for it. Dodge her poison and move on her whenever she is out of position. Farm and harass as much as possible. Use your mobility to your advantage, too.

Diana

is going to be a really easy lane for you. Use your mobility to dodge and eradicate her shield with . If she tries to you, her and pull off your combo to turn the tables. You shouldn't have much to worry about. and are good counters to keep in mind whenever she uses .

Evelynn

is surprisingly powerful. You outrange her by a good bit, so use this to your advantage by staying out of range of her abilities while staying in range of yours. Harass her down. Pick up a to place in the middle of your lane so you never lose track of her. Getting into her range could be the death of you. Play it safe and use your range to your advantage.

Fiddlesticks

has a lot of abilities that frustrate your kit. saps your mobility and is especially annoying to deal with. Both of these abilities will bog you down. also lowers your health and ups his, making your sustain from almost useless. The great part of these abilities: you out-range all of them. Stay back and harass and farm and you will be A-ok. When he uses , just try to out of range. You can't fight him in it.

Fizz

is another really annoying champion, but only because of . He can dodge all of your abilities with this, but most annoyingly . Try to him whenever he s to you. You can out of , or at least dodge it. You outrange him so keep that in mind, but be wary of whenever he uses to close the gap. him when he comes out of it. Stay at max range, harass, and farm.

Galio

The amount of MR will have is the most annoying thing on the face of the earth. You probably will not be able to kill him without a significant amount of help, and in addition to that, he out-ranges you. You can easily keep out of , but all of his other abilities will be the death of you. Stay back and farm; don't worry about harass. He'll punish you for being in range of his abilities. Your best bet is to roam once you hit 6.

Gragas

's and will be hard to deal with. They have a great amount of damage and range, but his other abilities do not. Bait out and avoid it, then use your kit to deal as much damage to him as possible. It pretty much has the same cooldown as , so get out as fast as you can once you pull off your combo. Stay back, avoid barrels, and farm. Pull a combo when you can, but don't put all of your focus into harassing.

Heimerdinger

ch-1 concussion grenade

out-ranges you and will push your lane hard. This is incredibly annoying because he makes it more difficult to gank and you probably won't be able to deal with him in-lane. Try to keep up with his pushing as best as you can while farming and harassing whenever possible. Don't focus on harassing too much because he will probably take advantage of his range.

Karma

I don't think will be that big of a deal for you, but out-ranges you. She has a heal and a shield. Her shield shouldn't be a problem with , but her heal can be annoying (if she can get it off). It probably won't get on you since your range extends it. Harass her and stay behind your minions so she can't harm you with . Pull your combo off on her whenever she falls out of position.

Karthus

has a few things that can be annoying for you. He outranges you with all of his abilities, and has a really bothersome global ult. hurts your mobility and makes it hard to on him because of the range. Dodge and pull your combo off whenever you can. can move around fairly well, so harassing him while avoiding is very easy to do. I would try to avoid engagements that would be very even and down to the wire. Even if you win, can be the death of you.

Kassadin

Okay, so basically, 's kit is a big "HAHA **** YOU" to yours. You will be alright before he hits level 6, so try to deal as much damage as you can before then. You'll outrange him so just harass and farm and engage if you can. After he gets you should probably just roam. He'll ult into range and silence you so you can't get off or , and then burst you down or slow you so you can't get away. There's not much you can do, so I would try to avoid fighting him 1v1. Roam as much as you can after you hit 6, but keep up with your lane if possible.

Katarina

sinister steel

is a lot harder to deal with than she seems like she would be. You outrange her (and all of her other abilities), so stay back and harass and farm. If she does jump to you, try to her (PRE-LEVEL 6). You can then pull off your combo on her and be alright. After level 6, save your Charm for when she uses Death Lotus. If you don't it'll really bite you in the butt.

Kennen

outranges you, but there isn't all that much to worry about. If he uses to you, him once he comes out of it and pull off your burst. Stay behind your minions and harass him from there so he can't harm you with . You should be totally fine when you harass from the safety of your minions while farming and engaging after he uses .

Kha'Zix

is generally a terror for mid-laners, but not so much for . outranges you, but is easy to avoid if you stay behind minions. If he s to you, him and pull off all your abilities. Every engage he tries to force will most likely turn in your favor. Stay back so the only thing you have to worry about is , which can be avoided if you hide behind your creeps, farming and harassing.

LeBlanc

sigil of silence

is a single-target, heavy burst assassin. You have a lot of burst, but taking down a single target isn't your strong suit. Don't force an engage on her if you don't have to. If she uses to get into range, her and take the cake with your combo. You outrange her, so stay back and harass. Punish her for falling out of position or for trying to engage on you. You should probably rush MR and roam after she hits level 6, because on sigil of silence hurts. Really bad.

Lux

is my least favorite matchup of all time. Her range is incredible and her damage is on par with yours. Her shield can be negated by , but if she knows what she's doing, she will harass the **** out of you with . It can easily zone you out of CS and there isn't a safe place to farm from, either. I'd suggest tower hugging and sustaining yourself with by doing the best you can with farming. Don't focus on harassing. Stay behind your minions. If she gets off a and moves towards you, her and try to combo her. Leave ASAP, though. is terrifying, but you can easily out of it. Roam whenever possible.

Malzahar

is easy for you to deal with, but your main concern is stopping him from farming. You can generally dodge his skillshots and stay out of range of , but the farming potential of makes him a menace. him and combo him whenever you can, and you'll be able to deal a whole lot of damage to him. Just make sure he doesn't farm. Shut him down in lane by harassing as much as you can.

Master Yi

is relatively easy to deal with. He has but and easily counter it. All he has, really, is , so try to avoid it if you can, but him once he comes out of it to open up your combo. You can easily keep up with him when he uses by using , so remember that. You don't have to stay behind your minions really, but be safe. Harass him as much as possible.

Mordekaiser

seems like he would be harder than he is. can obliterate his shield with a single cast, and the returning true damage is the real kicker. Engage on him once his shield is down and he won't be able to retaliate. I would take either or against him. for and to negate all the spell vamp he'll build. You out-range him, so use this to your advantage. Harass him as much as possible. Don't group up with your creeps because of all his AoE. So yeah, just engage after eradicating his shield and you'll be unstoppable.

Morgana

is more annoying than anything else. She has great range and spell vamp, but she doesn't have much heavy damage. Harass her as much as possible while avoiding . can counter your if she has good reflexes, but doesn't work to well on you since you can out of range. is also really annoying, but all you have to do is stay behind your minions.

Orianna

is harder to deal with than she seems to be. She'll sap your mobility with and outrange you with . Her shield can be dealt with, but will really hurt you. is a very manipulative champion, and that's hard to deal with for . Farm, but don't focus on harassing. She'll send the ball to your position and hurt you with W, or harass you with autoattacks. After you hit 6, your best plan is to roam.

Pantheon

won't be much of a problem if you stay out of range. You don't have to keep behind your minions or anything like that, but make sure to use your range to your advantage. Harass him from afar. You'll be able to take his health down a lot if you stay at your max range. He won't be able to touch you because you'll be far out of his. might cause a problem for you, but out of it if necessary. If he's coming towards you to land his stun, and combo him. If he has stunned you, him as soon as you come out of it and try your best to retaliate.

Ryze

You outrange by a whole bunch. He should be 0 problems for you as long as you stay back. The only thing that can cause you trouble is , but you can easily him from it and combo him that way. His spell vamp might get annoying, but there's nothing else you really have to worry about. Harass him from max range and farm.

Sion

should be pretty easy. Stay back and harass him as much as possible, but stay at max range. Don't get hit by and you'll be perfectly fine. His shield might be bothersome, but can take care of it. is going to be a really annoying ult, but an should help you out to decrease healing effects. If you stay at your max range and fight him from there, you will be totally fine and win your lane.

Swain

has annoying sustain, but so do you. It's almost impossible to be trapped by with your mobility, and you outrange him. Stay back and harass him, and be sure to punish him with and your combo whenever possible. You'll be able to do incredible amounts of damage to him and he won't be able to keep up.

Syndra

is really hard to deal with. She has pretty high range and cc that can shut you down pretty hard. She's another one of those manipulative champions that is going to struggle with. The best thing to do is dodge her abilities. She is skillshot based other than her ult, so use your mobility to your advantage. Her stun can be lethal, so watch out for . Her ult is targeted, but you outrange it. Stay back, harass her, dodge, and farm. Roam whenever possible.

Talon

mercy
cutthroat

You and are essentially even. Once he hits level 3, be very careful of his burst. He's going to start opening his combo on you. Make sure you stay back. You won't be in range of cutthroat if you stay at max range. If he runs towards you, him if you can. If you can't, try to and combo him as soon as your silence wears off when he uses cutthroat. is going to be really annoying, so just wait until he shows up from stealth. Don't waste by hitting air, and don't use your ult since you won't be hitting anything. Take a for the middle of your lane and you should be fine.

Twisted Fate

Fighting is a skill-based matchup. You should be able to dodge easily with your mobility, and is well below your range. Stay back, harass as much as possible, and punish him for falling out of position. You should try to let your team know whenever he is missing or if you see him using . If he uses to you, him ASAP and combo him down. It won't be that hard to deal with.

Veigar

is bothersome because his damage to you increases as your AP increases. You outrange him for the most part, and is easy to dodge. Just make sure to not touch the walls of . A stun like that from someone like is going to be lethal. Stay back and harass him and use with your combo as often as possible. STAY AT MAX RANGE and don't let him catch you in his stun, and you should be alright. Make sure he doesn't farm . Try your hardest to deny creeps from him.

Viktor

is a menace for anyone who is caught within his range, but fortunately for you, you're not one of these champions. Abuse your range hard. Harass him very, very hard and + combo as much as you can. is a champion you can really press your advantage on. You can out of if you need to, so don't worry about it all that much. All of his skills can be easily dodged and you will never be in range for . Stay back and hit him hard.

Vladimir

You're going to outrange him, but he's going to have a dumb amount of sustain, health, and AP. Your chances of getting him from 100-0 aren't very likely, but he might not be able to do that to you, either. Stay back and harass him as much as possible while farming. Use and your combo whenever you can. His ultimate is the most annoying thing and can really hurt in teamfights. Pick up for him or . These things negate his ult. Abuse your range and harass him as hard as you can.

Xerath

ascended form
locus of power mage chains

is another champion that really has a hard time dealing with. He is going to outrange you with everything, and it's going to hurt. Try as hard as you can to stay out of range of his stun, so stay at your max range. His ult and will probably be the death of you, so you really need to try as hard as you can to dodge them. Buy boots and upgrade them as soon as possible to have the most movement you can for dodging. You can also use to escape from . Try to harass him if possible, but don't push it if he's destroying you with . Roam as much as you can instead of trying to stay in lane.

Zed

is going to make laning hell for you, and you probably won't be able to kill him. He'll damage you and do all of his stuff from his shadow clone, so, you will most likely be unable to him. If you do, he'll probably clone away before it hits him. His ult makes him almost invincible and does a ton of damage to you, so I would really suggest just staying back and farming. You can harass when you can, and try to combo him if you see an opportunity. I would roam post-level 6 more than anything else.

Ziggs

outranges you and has a lot of manipulative abilities that can hurt you hard. He has a slow with and an ability that can move you around (). His can hop over creep waves and explode on you, which is really something you can't deal with. Since he outranges you so much, farming should be your main focus. Do not focus on harassing him, and try not to trade to near-death. Even if you escape, his ult goes a pretty long way, so you might not be able to avoid death. out of it if you have to. You might have to roam more than stay in lane.

Zyra

deadly bloom

outranges you and can stomp on your mobility with and . And even after you kill her, is a huge threat to you, so near-death trades aren't a very good idea. Your best bet is to stay back and farm and combo her when you get the chance, but don't focus on harassing her. Kill her plants as fast as you can and avoid being rooted. You should be fine if you play safe. You should probably just roam after you hit 6.

Screencaps

Submitted by Scarletal

Not many since I didn't plan too hard on making this guide, but I'll get some. No worries. :)

Conclusion

Thanks so much for reading my guide! I hope I helped you learn how to play one of my favorite champions, and helped you to appreciate her unique mechanics. Let me know if I need to fix anything with this guide, too. I have a few other guides: one for and one for . If you wanna check those out, here's some links!

I especially want to thank LiLStormcloaK for letting me use his Matchups layout!

Update Log

06/11/13 - Guide released! Itemizing chapter revised to include information from the Mpen Oriented Build.

06/13/13 - added, greater mark of hybrid penetration added. Skill Sequence where is maxed first has been added.

06/14/13 - Added a screencap!

07/07/13 - Removed Pros & Cons brackets and Rune Page image.

A h r i ❥ Your Soul is Mine // Mid Lane

A h r i ❥ Your Soul is Mine // Mid Lane

Choose Champion Build:

Recommended Items

Spells:

Flash

Ignite

Items

Ability Order

Essence Theft (PASSIVE)

Orb of Deception (Q)

Fox-Fire (W)

Charm (E)

Spirit Rush (R)

Recommended Items

Spells:

Flash

Ignite

Items

Ability Order

Essence Theft (PASSIVE)

Orb of Deception (Q)

Fox-Fire (W)

Charm (E)

Spirit Rush (R)

Introduction

Pros & Cons

Masteries

Other Options

Rune Page

Runes

Other Options

Summoner Spells

Initial Choices

Other Options

Abilities

Skill Sequence

Gaining Order

Maxing Order

Alternatively

Combos

Itemizing

Starting Items

Early Game

Alternatively

Mid Game

Alternatively

Late Game

Alternatively

Magic Resist

Armor

Other Options

Gameplay

Laning

Warding

Ganking

Teamfighting

Tips & Tricks

Matchups

Akali

Anivia

Annie

Brand

Cassiopeia

Diana

Evelynn

Fiddlesticks

Fizz

Galio

Gragas

Heimerdinger

Karma

Karthus

Kassadin

Katarina

Kennen

Kha'Zix

LeBlanc

Lux

Malzahar