Wind walls, gigantic teddy bears, and wait a second… were those flying rocks? Mid lane boasts the broadest champion pool in the game, beating out jungle by a very thin margin. Being home to the current singular inductee of the Hall of Legends, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, mid lane is the home to many that aim for glory.
High damage combos, rapid combos, and flashy moves make the mid lane a point of pride for many players. Make sure not to let those complexities deter you, though, as this role has some of the highest carry potential. League’s most notable player Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok calls this lane home. If you enjoy being the central focus of your team, having opportunities to help other lanes, taking out enemies with crazy burst, or sporting insane amounts of lane control, mid lane might be for you.
A lane entirely to yourself can feel scary at first, but only needing to outplay one opponent instead of two can ease that tension. Mid lane champions focus on early farming (killing creeps/minions for gold) and trading damage to earn gold. They often rely on item powerspikes, whether from raw damage/ability power or unique effects like Liandry’s Anguish burn. Several champions are called “mana hungry,” struggling with mana costs early on. Taking the time to master these quirks makes mid lane an incredibly rewarding experience.
Three primary playstyles—Burst, Control Mages, and Duelists—call mid lane home. There are still one-off exceptions, like the occasional player bringing Garen mid, or some champions that do not fit squarely into one of these categories. Champions often primarily fit into one of the three but may have some abilities that splash a bit into the other two.
If your favorite part of playing any damage-based role is seeing the damage numbers climb or sending someone to half HP after one attack, burst Champions might be just your style. Their biggest strength is their ability to wreck the back line (the Champions staying behind the tanks, ADCs and mages). The damage they have cuts deep!
Both Assassins and Burst Mages focus on obliterating opponents with quick outputs of high damage. Key differences include Burst Mages’ limited mobility and Assassins’ requirement for close quarters combat to be effective. Burst Mages also have hard forms of crowd control like stuns, knock-ups, or roots while Assassins have a slow at best.
Common Assassin champions include Zed, Talon, and Akali. Each of these three champions has dash or blink abilities, letting them escape from danger after diving the back line. Their abilities shred through people with low health pools, and they almost always have a way to slip away from team fights unscathed.
When people think of Burst Mages, characters like Veigar, Annie, and Syndra come up. Veigar stacks Ability Power infinitely by killing minions with his Q or hitting enemy champions with any of his abilities. Eventually, he’s able to kill enemy ADCs with two or fewer abilities! Annie’s bear Tibbers is the source of much of her damage. You would be hard pressed to find players who haven’t gotten flash-ulted by Annie.
Reading opponents, making predictions, and keeping them on the edge of their seat are key for mid laners specializing in lane control. Their ability to take command over their domain is a huge advantage during teamfights, stopping enemies in their tracks. If you enjoy maintaining power over your opponents, Control Mages might be for you.
Champions in this camp focus on maintaining power over their lane through zoning abilities and a consistent threat of crowd control. Their abilities have long ranges, and high risk to those hit by them. Their opening move is a setup for a combo that will force the enemy to lose any pressure that they had in lane.
Some frequently played control mages include Orianna, Anivia, and Taliyah. Their abilities can hit from at least halfway across the screen, leading into devastating combos for anyone unfortunate enough to get hit. Orianna’s ball (puppet) mechanic forces her opponents to keep eyes on two units, rather than just the champion herself. Her abilities can hit from anywhere within the range of the ball, sending enemies into slow fields or a huge AoE knock-up, changing the tide of the team fight.
Anivia has a wall (W) ability to interrupt regular movement along with a large stun (Q) and gigantic slow field for her ult that both allow her E to deal increased damage. Taliyah’s Q, while hitting only in a straight line, can be used from halfway across the lane and will slow when empowered, giving her a substantial amount of pressure.
Quick autos, extended trades. These characters stick to their enemies and survive lengthy duels despite not being tanky themselves. If you enjoy sustaining through long combats and chasing town a good fight, Duelists might be your new home!
These Champions are often viewed as playmakers, the feast-or-famine gurus of mid lane. They need to play aggressively and capitalize on how difficult it can be for other champions (especially mages) to fight in close combat. Many Duelists love items that give them sustainability, like life steal. Duelists deal plenty of damage but are not as burst-heavy compared to the other categories.
Common Duelist Champions you’ll see in mid lane include Yasuo, Irelia, and Yone. All three Champions have abilities allowing them forward (or backward, in an emergency) mobility. Yasuo and Irelia can dash through minions, catching their opponents off-guard and taking away the commonly “safe” zone inside of their minion wave. Yone also has the ability to pick his moment. Between his Q3 (third active Q hit) dash, his ghost form, and his ultimate ability allowing a lengthy forward-sweeping knock-up, he has plenty of versatility for entering or exiting combat.
Mid lane is full of a plethora of awesome Champion choices, creating a very satisfying balance between skill expression and carry potential. The Champions here allow you to head into every matchup with a new game plan, new strategies, and a hunger for greatness. From your office chair to the World Championship stage, mid lane players aim for an adrenaline rush with every queue popped. Whether you love casting destructive spells, want to relive your Assassin’s Creed days, or just crave putting the entire team on your back, you will find a Champion that makes you feel right at home in mid lane!
