The preseason for Season 11 in League of Legends is bringing many big changes to the game item-wise. The shop getting an upgrade and the items getting a visual update just to name a few. However, the biggest change comes in the form of brand new mythic items. These items radically change how you approach the game. Each mythic item offers something to the table, whether it’s burst damage, tank busting or sustain, there is a mythic item for you in the match you are in. They also shape the rest of your build and how you approach building your champions’ stats. Today, we’ll be looking at the ability power mythic items and go in detail on what they offer and who they are best against. We will also be looking at the new Legendary items in the game for AP users. Let’s begin!

Mythic Items

Luden’s Tempest

Let’s start with something that is very familiar. Luden’s Tempest is basically the same as Luden’s Echo from previous seasons, but with a few added tweaks. The Tempest offers 80 AP, 10 magic penetration and 600 mana. Furthermore, it offers 10 ability haste. Ability haste is essentially the cooldown reduction from past seasons with one big change. There is no longer a 40% CDR cap, meaning that you can stack as much ability haste as you want. The goal for this was to give players more flexibility with builds. Now, back to Luden’s Tempest. It still retains the Echo passive from the past, with an added 15% movement speed bonus for two seconds. Finally, the Mythic Passive, a passive that all mythic items grant towards the rest of your build, grants all legendary items an additional 5 magic penetration.

This item worked well for burst mages in the past and that still holds true today. Champions like Syndra and Zoe benefit a lot from this with their burst damage being extra powerful. Ahri benefits from this item too, not only because of the burst damage Luden’s Tempest offers, but also the bonus movement speed helps a lot given that her W, Fox-Fire, gives her a 40% decaying movement speed.

Liandry's Anguish

Keeping up with the theme of familiarity, here we have Liandry’s Anguish, the big bad brother of Liandry’s Torment. Unlike Liandry’s Torment, this item offers no health bonus, but a mana bonus of 600, with 80 ability power, 5 more then previously, and 20 ability haste. The passive remains the same, burning champions for max health damage, but instead of dealing 0.75% increased to 1.25% max health damage, it now deals 15 + 1.5% AP damage ratio and +1% max health damage for four seconds. Furthermore, you also gain 5% magic penetration against burning targets, maxing out to 25% magic penetration, with the Mythic Passive giving all other items 5 ability haste.

This item works wonders against tank heavy comps, as their health bars would drain faced with the Torment passive. Ideally, this item works really well with champions like Cassiopeia, who can rapid fire damage onto a single target and delete their health bar. It also works well with Brand, amplifying his passive burn up to an eleven with this item in his kit.

Hextech Rocketbelt

The final AP mythic item that should be familiar to long time League fans, the Hextech Rocketbelt is the Hextech Protobelt’s long awaited upgrade. This item gives 80 ability power, 250 additional health, and 15 ability haste. This item does have a new passive, where instead of Fire Bolt, it’s Supersonic. With this new passive, you still dash in a targeted direction, unleashing missiles. However, these missiles are upgrades to the Fire Bolts, where now they deal 175-250 magic damage, plus a 15% AP damage ratio. You also gain 75% move speed when you are heading towards an enemy champion for two seconds, with this item’s Mythic Passive similar to Luden’s Tempest’s, granting subsequent items 5 magic penetration.

This item works well for AP assassins, whom along with their AD brethren, are dominating the rift in the mid lane right now. Champions like Diana and Akali work well with this item, with their movement speed and gap closing abilities becoming much more potent and much more dangerous for their lane opponent. This item also works well for Kennen, who can gap close and set up a nasty Slicing Maelstrom.

Everfrost

Now we move onto the newest items to grace the Rift, leading off with the Everfrost. This mythic item grants 80 Ability Power, 200 health, 600 mana, and 10 ability haste. The active for Everfrost, Glaciate, deals 100 + 30% AP ratio magic damage in a cone, which slows enemies trapped in that cone by 65% for 1.5 seconds. If they are trapped inside the center of said cone, they are rooted for the same duration. The mythic passive this item grants is an additional 15 ability power, making this item a strong choice for building raw ability power.

This item works really well for champions that have good CC, like Ryze with his Rune Prison, Twisted Fate with his Yellow Card, and Morgana with her Dark Binding. These champs will make any laner's day a nightmare, as the CC they are trapped in will be extended thanks to Everfrost’s active.

Night Harvester

Next up, we have the Night Harvester. This item grants champions 80 ability power and 250 health, with 15 ability haste. The passive for this item, Soulrend, damages champions for additional 125-200 + 15% AP ratio damage, while also granting a 25% movement speed bonus for 1.5 seconds. The mythic passive on this item grants 5 ability haste for the rest of your legendary items.

This item works well for champions that are good teamfighters and those that deal Area of Effect damage. Some of the champions that can use this item well is Kassadin, Leblanc, and Swain, as their AoE abilities and extra move speed burst allows them to gap close, kite, and make a quick getaway if need be.

Riftmaker

The final mythic item for all those magic champions out there, Riftmaker is one that excels in long fights. This item grants 80 ability power, 150 health, 15 ability haste, and 15% bonus Omnivamp. Omnivamp is a new defensive stat that converts all the damage you deal into health. Omnivamp stacks additively and benefits from heal power as well.

As previously said, this item works well for those champions that are made to engage in long duration fights. Champions like Vladimir, Katarina and Akali use this best, as they play for the long fight and not for the quick burst fight that other AP champions excel at.

New Legendary Items

With new Mythic items added to the game, Riot also added new legendary ability power items into the game. While not as drastic as Mythic items, these new legendary items still bring new things to the table for AP champions.

Chemtech Putrifier

The Chemtech Putrifier is basically a different version of the Morellonomicon, but with less ability power at 45 and 15 ability haste. However, this item makes up for that with a +100% base mana regen, giving champions for time to deal more damage with their abilities on the Rift before backing to fountain. The item’s passive, Puffcap Toxin, is almost exactly like Morello’s, but with one big change. While the 40% Grievous Wounds passive still applies whenever you deal magic damage, the 60% Grievous Wounds come from immobilizing champions, instead of when the target is below 50% max health.

This item works well for AP support champions like Zyra, Brand and even Vel’Koz, as they will be at a good distance to deal damage and not have to worry about being dove on. This item works well for other AP champions that have good CC, like Ryze and Morgana.

Cosmic Drive

The Cosmic Drive is basically a light version of the Night Harvester mythic item. The Cosmic Drive grants you 75 ability power and 200 health, with a whopping 30 ability haste, double that what the Night Harvester would offer. What makes this item much like Harvester is the passive, which grants you bonus movement speed for 4 seconds.

This item, like the Night Harvester, is great for champions that benefit most from that burst of movement speed to keep up with their lane opponent and continue to be in range for attack. Champions like Kassadin, Vladimir and even Syndra benefit most because of their lack of mobility being given a slight boost thanks to the Spelldance passive.

Horizon Focus

This AP item is brand new to the Rift and on paper, it does not have much to offer stat wise, giving you only 100 ability power. However, its true power lies in its passive, Hypershot. When you damage a champion with a non-targeted ability over a fixed range or by simply immobilizing them, it reveals them and increases the damage they take from you by 10% for six seconds.

This item works extremely well with poke champs and those that have good, hard forms of crowd control. Champions like Lux and Neeko with their roots work wonders, but Zoe and her Sleepy Trouble Bubble will make the most use out of this item, with her ability to 100-0 a target becoming more and more potent.

Conclusion

These new items will change the way mages play, now that some items like the Hextech Gunblade, Twin Shadows, and Hextech GLP-800 are out of the picture to make way for these new items. Each one brings their own flavor of playstyle to the rift and will make no two builds the same with the stats they offer. Good luck and see you on the Rift summoners!