As a player who has played most of his ranked career in Gold/Platinum, this post is mainly aimed at Bronze-Gold players who want to improve their standings in the ladder. If you play any champion long enough you’re going to improve with it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re always going to gain ELO.

In this contradictory infomercial, I will tell you how the nine tailed fox could take you to new heights. Contradictory? Yes, for me anyway, because after 50 games and a 72%-win rate, Ahri is barely picked or banned. Should I have kept that a secret? Although Ahri is a fan’s favourite, a go-to for cosplayers, and sports a versatile kit, her appearance on the Rift dwindles compared to other midlaners.

(I took this at MCM in London, 2014)

The Statistics:

At the time this post was written, statistics ranked Ahri 20th for most played champion in the game with an above-ratio win rate of 53.3%. She is behind midlaners like Zed (18th/49.5% win rate), Irelia* (15th/50.1%), Lux (12th/51.8%), and Yasuo (4th/50.3%). See those numbers? Ahri’s win rate is not only the highest for all midlaners, it’s the second highest of all 141 champions, only behind Nami, who currently wins 53.6% of her games.

Ahri’s kit:

TL;DR - Ahri heals, has a charm as deadly as Blitzcrank’s grab, and three Flashes built into her ultimate.

Q) Orb of Deception: Ahri’s Q throws a returning orb in front of her, meaning if correctly placed it can hit your enemy twice. Every 9 spell hits (maximum 3 per cast) her orb turns green and will heal you for every enemy you hit. If you’re good at avoiding poke, this spell will keep you in lane for longer than your enemy. I max this first.

W) Fox Fire: When used, three Fox Fires are released, surrounding Ahri. After a short delay, they lock onto enemies and damage them. The Fox Fires do prioritize champions, but the second and third fires will do reduced damage if hitting the same champion. If you’re chasing a low HP champion, your W can be a great way to deal that Kill Securing damage, even if you miss the skill shots. I max this last.

E) Charm: One of my favourite spells in the game. If you get good at landing these at the start of your combination, you’re going to rake the kills in. Landing an E causes the enemy champion or minion to walk towards you without the chance of doing damage, allowing you and your team mates unleash hell on your target. Oh, and did I mention, the target hit by your charm will take 20% more damage from Ahri for five seconds, like 100% was not enough. I max this second.

R) Spirit Rush: The multiple Flash spell with added damage. Great to escape, great to get into a team fight, perfect to make your enemy go crazy. Dashing around the Rift is helpful when dodging enemy abilities, the speed of the consecutive dashes can overwhelm some players, making them easy pickings. If you’re about to die and have both flash and your ultimate, chose the ultimate. It has a shorter cooldown than Flash and can really get you to safety.

Items:

Builds are situational, but there are some items I always buy.

On first back into base, I aim to afford boots and Lost Chapter, aiming to build Luden’s Echo first followed my Sorcerer’s Shoes. The added mana from Luden’s allows you to dish out more spells for increased chance of getting early kills.

Regardless of opponent, Ahri thrives as an assassin, so AP & Magic penetration items are vital. After Luden’s, I go for Rabadon’s Deathcap followed by Void Staff for the reasons specified above.

Situational items:

If you’re versus a full Attack Damage champion in lane and are taking your fair share of damage, I recommend buying Seeker’s Armguard early. With its 30 base armour, 20 ability power and its unique passive that allows you to stack an extra 15 AP & armour, this item can save your life. Upgrading to Zhonya’s Hourglass even more so.

In the same vein, when I’m having a rough start against an AP midlaner, Null-Magic Mantle’s 25 Magic Resistance will help reduce damage intake. Building it into Banshee’s Veil will still give you 75 AP, with the added safety net of 60 MR, 10% Cooldown Reduction and a game changing spell shield every forty seconds you don’t take damage from enemy champions.

Another interesting item is Liandry’s Torment. With 75 AP and 300 extra Health Points, you definitely feel a little safer. Liandry’s passives are great against tankier opponents so don’t prioritise it. As the game develops and if the enemy team looks to be building those healthbars, Liandry’s will help dealing extra damage to the big boys and girls.

Morellonomicon. For an extra 80 AP and a little health (300hp), this item is great for shredding through Magic Resistance. With 15% Magic Penetration and Grevious Wounds from AP Damage as passives, combined with Liandry's, you will fare better against Magic Resistance heavy opponents whilst still doing great damage to carries & co.

Her opponents in lane:

Lux: Lux's combination can be devastating, but her lack of mobility makes her an easy target throughout the game. Your movements are key. Never run into her in a straight line, opt for side to side movements. When she burns her Q it's time to strike. Remember to communicate with your jungler. If her Flash is down early on, get a gank, land that E, and kill her.

Yasuo: This guy's a little trickier. He has a lot of mobility when your minions are around and a big ol' wall to block your combo. Keep an eye out for the white bar under his HP bar really early on. Pop that with a basic attack then follow with a Q. Keep poking him but make sure not take minion aggro and try to keep the distance from his Q.

Malzahar: Always remember Malz's spell shield. Work with the space in the lane to stay away from his ranged poke. He's a difficult one to beat. Focus on your farm, don't go all out in the first minutes. I enjoy playing aggressive early on but with this purple boy, I make an exception. Call for a gank, but always E when his spell shield is down.

Katarina: She hurts. Remember she can jump to her dagger when it's on the ground, use that to your advantage. If the Kata predictably jumps to her sword every time, have the charm ready. She's another one that can escape easy, you have to close the distance, make your charms and combinations count. If she ults and you're in trouble, use your charm to stop her then dash away with your ult.

Fizz: Again, basic attacks are useful here. Keep your distance, use your Charm after he uses Playful/Trickster to minimise mana waste. Choke him early, try to take his HP down and strike for the final blow when opportunity presents itself.

Zed: A lot of Zed players in lower elo love splashing out the spells as Zed is not mana dependent. Keep an eye on his energy bar and when it's low, it's your time to strike for some unreturnable damage. Farming minions with Zed is easier than with other champions. Poke him and keep your farm up. You don't want to arrive into the late game with 50+ farm discrepancy.

Any others?: I'm here to answer questions on other match ups if you'd like. Message me here or on Instagram @mceloroauthor, I'd love to help.

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