Best Midlaners in LoL Patch 13.11 are some of the best playmaking mages out there – with some unfamiliar faces sprinkled in.
Even though the League of Legends 13.12 patch releases next Thursday, we still have some times left to enjoy the meta of the current update! After the best toplaners and junglers, it’s time to look at the centrepiece role of the Summoner’s Rift, the midlane – and the champions which you can find the most success on. While the midlane is typically home to mages and assassins, some other types of heroes can make it to the top. One even made it to our top 5 list!
Best Midlaners in LoL Patch 13.11 to climb the Ranked ladder with
Neeko
Neeko received her mid-scope update in the 13.9 patch, and has been on a roll ever since. The Curious Chameleon became a staple in the midlane meta in casual, ranked and even professional play, as the midlaner of MSI runner-up team, Yagao has already done some memorable plays with the help of Neeko’s passive. Other than the ability to turn into basically anything on the Rift, Neeko got some buffs to her abilities as well, especially her Ultimate, which let’s her knock the whole enemy team up, CC-ing them for several seconds.
Other then her great potential and sneaky plays, Neeko has some incredible waveclear and setup, two strengths that are incredibly valuable in a midlaner. For Runes, your best bet is taking Electrocute with Ravenous Hunter, Eyeball Collection and Ultimate Hunter for that extra AH on your R, while also picking Transcendence and Manaflow Band. While it is tempting to take 2 Adaptive Force fragments, the Attack Speed on Neeko feels really nice thanks to her W Passive.
In the items department, Neeko does best with the Hextech Rocketbelt, which lets her close the distance before ulting. Pair that up with a Shadowflame and a Rabadon’s Deathcap for a huge damage boost, while picking situational items for your last two slots like Zhonya’s Hourglass, Banshee’s Veil or Morellonomicon – and don’t forget to max Q!
Cassiopeia
While the second sister of the Du Couteau family is classified as a mage, she plays more like an ADC, as you have to constantly kite while spamming your E for the maximum damage output. If you manage to get high enough APM, Cassiopeia can become unstoppable on the Rift – no wonder she has an almost 53% winrate according to stats site Lolalytics.
For abilities, maxing E is key, as it not only increases the damage of Twin Fangs, but also boosts the HP it restores. While Miasma is an incredibly useful ability, it’s better to max it last, as it gives the Grounded effect on both the first and the fifth ability levels.
For Runes, your best bet is Conqueror as Cassiopeia can stack the Keystone up incredibly fast, further strengthening herself. Presence of mind and Manaflow Band all help with her mana issues, while Legend: Tenacity and Cut Down let’s her mow down even the toughest foes.
For items, Tear of the Goddess is a great start, but in tougher matchups, you can take Doran’s Ring or even Corrupting Potion. Everfrost is the most popular Mythic choice, as the extra CC let’s you dish out even more damage on a still target, but Rod of Ages can help you scale faster if you need to get to your strongest point. Archangel and Rylai’s Crystal Scepter will be the rest of your core, as both of those items help you survive in fights, while Scepter also makes it easier to chase down enemies – or get away from them. Afterwards, you can build situational as well.
Ivern
While he only has a 0.37% Pick Rate, I had to include the Green Father in this list. Ivern didn’t get his mid-scope update, but he did receive a number of buffs in 13.11, which helped him immensely in all of his roles – which is mainly jungle, but his support, top and mid performances also shot up, as he currently sits at 56% winrate in the latter.
If you want to deal huge amounts of damage, don’t pick Ivern, as he still functions best as a supportive champion, maxing E to shield himself and his allies, and calling for Daisy when the going gets tough. He’s still the best with the Summon Aery keystone paired with Manaflow Band, Transcendence and Scorch, alongside Revitalize and Second Wind for the extra sustain. His most popular – and best – build is Echoes of Helia into Imperial Mandate and an Ionian Boots of Lucidity with some other support items, like Ardent Censer and Staff of Flowing Water.
But his looks can be deceiving, as he’s capable of trading very effectively, disrupting whole teamfights and soloing enemy champions of need be. Triggerseed has a surprising amount of damage, as do Ivern’s auto attacks with the buff from Brushmaker, while Daisy is a menace with her updated AI and damage. Ivern can hold his own against most of the top midlane picks, and while the ADC items have changed, Marksmen are still very strong, so a support in the midlane can work wonders!
Annie
Annie has been a staple in proplay since her mid-scope update, and for good reason: she has huge burst (although not as high as she did before her changes), can still solo opponents after level 6, and has really good setup, which is almost a must for any midlaner. Thanks to her Passive changes, she can start with Q instead of W or E, so she can last hit very effectively from the first levels, and maxing Q gives her a huge damage boost, especially when used in conjunction with her W and Tibbers.
For Annie’s Runes, a similar page to Neeko’s would be the best, changing Ultimate Hunter to Relentless Hunter to make up for the lack of mobility the Dark Child has. For secondaries, take Transcendence and Gathering Storm – you don’t need Manaflow Band as you can just farm with your Q which refunds mana on a kill.
Annie has many different choices regarding of her build, but generally, you don’t want to take Everfrost, as you have enough CC to lock down a priority target for an ability rotation or for your teammates. Rod of Ages can be built on her, but Liandry’s Anguish and Luden’s Echo helps her out more, while you can build Hextech Rocketbelt against more slippery targets. Afterwards, you can go a standard mage build, so Shadowflame, Rabadon’s and Zhonya’s, building situational afterwards.
Pantheon
But what if your team has more than enough Magic Damage, and you’d need to help your ADC out in terms of dealing some Physical Damage? Then you could pick Pantheon, who has been a good pick before, but with the Assassin item changes of 13.10, he leaped to a new height.
Going all out in offense, you should take Ignite instead of Teleport or Ghost on the Unbreakable Spear to put as much pressure on your opponents as you can. You can starts Q or W, the former for farming, the latter for harder lvl1 matchups, but always max Comet Spear first as it is your main source of damage.
For Runes, you can take Conqueror for tankier opponents, as you can stack it really fast with your empowered W – but the same is true for Press the Attack, which lets you one-shot enemy carries with ease up until the super lategame. Triumph, Alacrity and Coup de Grace also helps you take out priority targets, while either Domination or Resolve can fill in for secondaries.
In terms of your build, Pantheon makes great use of Eclipse, as you can damage an enemy twice incredibly fast if you weave your abilities right, but the reworked Youmuu’s Ghostblade is strong as well, while also making your roams with Grand Starfall more potent. Black Cleaver should make up your core alongside a Plated Steelcaps or Mercury Treads. You can go in many directions from here depending on the match, but don’t dismiss the new Prowler’s Claw, which strengthens your burst potential after Shield Vaulting even further beyond.
While there are a lot of Champions for the midlane that are viable, the stats and the meta prove that these 5 picks are among the best of the best – so if you want to climb until the end of the first split in July, your safest bet would be these picks.
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