Looking at any guide for how to climb the ladder, there will almost always be a tip on having fun with the game. A lot of people have fun different ways. One of these ways is breaking the meta and playing a champion in a different spot than usual. This can either lead to innovation or disaster. Breaking the meta is reminiscent of trolling, and I’m sure we all have horrible memories of a Nidalee “support.” But there is another way to successfully do this, and that is to choose a “cheese” pick. AP Sejuani was one of the popular ones for a while, her old ratios giving her surprising burst. But today we won’t be looking at her. We’ll be looking at one of the rarer picks: AP Alistar middle.

Almost all of Alistar’s moves scale off of AP, and both his W and Q have high AP ratios. His one true downfall is his high cooldowns, which mean that he is restricted to his initial W/Q combo for starting damage. But when coupled with his E and his passive, Alistar is capable of surprising damage, while remaining tanky because of his high health and his ultimate. So let’s dive into the skillset of the Cow and break down why he is a great cheese champion.

Passive: Alistar’s passive, Trample, is one of the few ways he can do sustained damage throughout a team fight. Whenever you use one of his moves, he begins to trample the ground around him, dealing 6 + (1 x Your level) with a 10% scaling on AP. Though it doesn’t seem like a lot, it can help farm and retreat through the minion wave if you end up poking the enemy laner. During fights, it can do damage to opponents around him.

Q: His Q is Pulverize, and is one of his most important moves. With a 50% scaling ratio and a small AoE knockup, this will be your main farming move, as well as one of your biggest impacts in teamfights. It activates your passive as well, so once you level it up a few times, clearing waves should be relatively quick and easy. While it is powerful on its own, it is even more devastating when used with his W, a combo which has come to separate the great Alistars from the bad Alistars.

W: This is his Headbutt, and it is one of Alistars defining moves. Ramming into an enemy, he deals damage and knocks them back. This move hits the hardest out of all of his spells, doing 275 damage + 70% AP scaling. It’s not an efficient farming tool, but it is his big gap closer and when paired with his Q, a good Alistar basically has a tiny Malphite ultimate in his back pocket all the time. The two moves paired together do a huge amount of damage. Along with his passive, many people are surprised by the sudden damage done to them.

E: Triumphant Roar contributes heavily to Alistars sustain. A decent heal, this move allows Alistar to stick in lane longer than other people. Since his W/Q combo is such an all in pair of moves, it leaves him vulnerable. This move helps soften the blow and you can walk out of trades healthier than your opponent with its 20% scaling. If clumped up with your team, it also heals allies, though the ratio is cut in half to 10%. Even if they end up doing more damage during the trade, this moves low mana cost makes it a pretty friendly move to use over and over.

R: Finally, Alistars ultimate is Unbreakable Will. If you W/Q into a team, using this move will make it so you can eat a ton of damage while remaining alive. It removes all crowd control on him, gives him extra attack damage, and reduces all physical and magic damage he takes by 70%. You can stand in the middle of the team and take a ton of punishment. This makes the AP Alistar cheese rather effective. If he finds himself in a sticky situation, he can usually make it out by ulting and walking off.

By looking at his kit, I’m sure many people would be skeptical about building him as an AP mid laner. Alistar has always been the tanky support, the one champ you do not ever want to pull. He can dish out damage even as a support, and he has been used internationally to pull out devastating, game winning combos. For those looking for a challenge, and a fun alternative to the meta, AP Alistar is a perfect option. His W/Q combo is difficult to pull off, and since that is the bulk of his damage, it’s beyond important to land it.

Cheese picks in solo queue are perfect ways to throw people off, and it easily puts people on tilt if their LeBlanc is suddenly losing to an AP Alistar. While you can’t see the chat, beating people with these sorts of picks can have an impact beyond your lane. There are plenty of cheese picks in the League, but there are few things as embarrassing as being beaten by an AP support that hasn’t been hit in the face with nerfs like Lulu and Soraka. The power of the Cow shouldn’t be underestimated.