It took a long time, but now it's finally here: The big EarlyGame Tier List for the Mid Lane. Check out some of the best champions you can pick.
The mid lane is arguably the most enjoyable one in the game, especially because you have easy access to every other part of the map. Oh, of course, there's one thing in the foreground: the damage. Good midlaners are the ones who can effectively roam other lanes while putting good pressure on their own opponent on the mid lane. Of course, you need the right champion and build to do that.
This list of Tier-S champions can be influenced by a number of things. Sometimes the meta shifts for no apparent reason other than player taste, but usually there's some kind of balance change behind it all. It can be difficult to keep up with the Champions of the Month, but don't worry, there's something for everyone in this tier list.
Today, we'll be featuring the best mid-lancers for Season 10 of League of Legends.
Twisted Fate
Pros
- Global Ultimate
- Flexible Item-Builds
Cons
- High mana cost
- Takes time to scale
Twisted Fate has become increasingly popular in recent weeks, although he has not received any significant improvements. High-Elo players have found some hybrid builds that make TF extremely strong, and more and more people are recreating them.While the most popular build is still very AP-oriented, the AD or the new hybrid build has also had great success.
Runes Build
The Spellbook is the heart of a good Twisted Fate rune. It gives access to several summoner spells, with which you can win lanes or save a wounded ally at the right time. There are other useful builds, but the most popular one focuses on the Spellbook.
The Stopwatch is carried along with Minion Dematerializer and Time Warp Tonic to help you during the laning phase and get through it unscathed. You can use the Dematerializer to kill Cannon-Minions before you go into base yourself or to thin out the waves without wasting too much mana. Time Warp Tonic is self-explanatory if you want to start with the Corrupting Potion.
The secondary rune tree, which is popular, is Resolve, so you are less prone to an early death. Demolish will help to tear down towers faster so you can snowball early. Bone Plating is taken to stand up to Assassins.
Ability Skill Order
The Ability Skill order of Twisted Fate is R > Q > W > E. The Q is the main skill that allows you to farm and poke opponents early on. You should aim to hit both the enemy wave and the opponent. This way you can secure an early lead and can snowball faster. The W is for the extra damage that should help thin out the waves in the game. E is mapped last, as Q and W are much more useful.
Game plan
You should use the Q early in the game to poke your opponent. If the jungler wants to get a gank, you should try to prepare the gold card so that you don't have to scroll through it while the jungler is chasing your opponent.
The goal in the early game should be to farm as well as possible and to rush your core items, depending on which build you choose. Once you reach level six, it's up to you to support the other lanes. As the game progresses, you can also use your ultimate to port yourself to the side lanes for split-pushing.
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Kassadin
Pros
- Has a low CD Flash with his ultimate
- Strong AoE damage
- Really good late game scaling
Cons
- Weak laning phase
- Melee
- Requires constant Jungler attention compared to Ranged AD champions
Kassadin is one of the best midlaners you can pick when you reach items and your Power Spike. While his weaknesses can be minimized with proper rune and item builds, he still takes time to scale and be effective. Once you reach level 16, you are nearly unstoppable.
Runes Build
Kassadin is flexible and can use all runes effectively. We recommend that you use this build as it is useful in most match-ups and doesn't require much modification.
The Precision Rune is strong on Kassadin. Fleet Footwork provides a lot of required sustain and a certain amount of movement speed to avoid ganks. Presence of Mind allows you to dominate team fights by giving you the mana to use Kassadin's Ultimate to the max. Coup de Grace grants extra damage to finish off enemies and Legend: Alacrity allows you to complete Kassadin's combo faster.
Domination as a secondary rune helps tremendously during the Laning Phase, giving extra healing abilities that are enhanced when you have a few kills.
Ability Skill Order
Kassadin's Ability Skill Order is: R > Q (Level 3) > E > Q (Level 5) > W. While the Q is the only ranged skill and allows you to farm individual minions or outmaneuver the opposing champion, the E is the primary tool for clearing the Wave. Instead, for a heavy AP-oriented opponent team, you can first maximize the Q, and for a heavily AD-oriented opponent team, the E. Regardless of the situation, the W should be mapped last, as the damage and benefits of Q and E far outweigh the damage bonus of the W.
Game plan
Kassadin scales well with items and experience. Before level six he is weak, so you have to pay attention to how you act. It's okay to let minions die without taking last hits, as long as you get the experience necessary to survive the Laning Phase. Once you reach Level 6, you can switch to an aggressive play style and use Kassadin's ultimate weapon to fight off enemies. But without his Ulti, you're a walking bait for the enemy jungler. The main goal should be to get Rod of Ages together with the Archangel's Staff as soon as possible. These two items are the necessary power spike for Kassadin to make it to level 16. A third important item is Zonyas Hourglass. You should use it to bait enemy ultimatums and come out unharmed to get rid of your enemies.
If the game is not going too well at the beginning, you should concentrate on reaching level 11 or 16. These levels allow access to the second or third level of Kassadin's Ultimate. At level 16, Kassadin usually never loses the game, as the mobility granted to him with the third of his ultimate can't be matched by most champions in the game. The damage on it is only a bonus for how powerful it becomes.
Cassiopeia
Pros
- Strong ultimate
- Strong single target damage
- Can cancel Dashes and other Escapes
- Good late-game scaling
Cons
- No shoes
- Dependent on skill shots
- Must be closer to do damage
Cassiopeia is the second midlaner in our list without mobility. She has a medium to high skill level and is one of the best champions when you master her. The more time you invest in her, the better you understand her kit. Having no shoes hurts towards the middle of the game, but this is compensated for later by an additional item slot.
Rune-Build
Cassiopeia is one of the best users of Conqueror and Ravenous Hunter. The runestone gives her the necessary ability strength early on and, in combination with the Domination Tree's, great healing powers. Presence of Mind gives her the ability to spam her E to quickly kill enemies in team fights, while Ravenous Hunter heals her both during the laning phase and in team fights.
Ability Skill Order
Cassiopeia's Ability Skill Order is: R > E > Q > W. If you maximize the E first, you can knock down your opponents quickly, while Q and W are used to hold or slow down your opponents. With Q-Max second, you can maintain your movement speed buff longer in team battles, which allows you to compensate for the lack of shoes in your inventory.
Game plan
Cassiopeia must rush the Tear of the Goddess as soon as possible. The Archangel's Staff is her core item. It enables her to be a terror in both professional and solo queue play. When the Archangel's Staff is transformed, you can also force plays with aggressive use of your ultimate. Cassiopeia does a lot of damage to poisoned enemies with her E-spam, so you should try to poison as much as you can.
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Talon
Pros
- Very few counters
- Low mana cost on abilities
- One of the best mobility spells in the game
Cons
- You have to know when to roam to get the maximum advantage
- Weak against tanks
Talon is one of the best attack damage-oriented mid-laners in the current meta. The meta favors early roams towards botlane to help ADC and Support extend their lead - leading to tower spikes and dragon control. His E is extremely powerful for roaming and helps him cover huge distances in the blink of an eye. Together with his assassin kit, which focuses on early snowballing, he fits perfectly into the current meta.
Runes Build
There are currently two common rune builds for Talon. This is the most popular one, which seems to be more successful. Precision gives access to Conqueror, which is extremely easy to stack on Talon. Once fully stacked, the damage increase combined with the healing granted makes Talon a nightmare even for tanks later in the game. Legend: Tenacity is used alongside Last Stand to be less susceptible to crowd control and to deal more damage if you get caught and have to defend against your attacker.
As a secondary rune, go for the Domination Tree, as it gives extra healing that helps you during the laning phase and increases team fight potential by making you harder to kill.
Ability Skill Order
The Ability Skill order for Talon is R > Q > W > E. While the W is your AoE skill and is intended to help farm CS in the Laning Phase against ranged champions, the Q is the main skill when you are in melee combat. In most games you will be up against melee champions, so it's a good idea to maximize the Q first, then the W, and finally the E.
Game plan
Talon is a master in the early to mid-game. He excels at pushing his lane further and further after acquiring Tiamat and every time his Ultimate is ready, he rotates to the top or bot lane to score kills. With Talon you are not a great laner and you should not only focus on the lane. If you sit in your lane and farm evenly, you will most likely lose later on. The goal should be to roam as much as possible and use the E as much as possible. Split-pushing is also crucial, especially in late mid- and late-game. Roam and push as much as you can! You can only stop Talon to a limited extent.
Want more tips and tricks about League of Legends? No problem, because our big EarlyGame Tier List Marathon is about to enter the next round. In the next part, we'll take a look at what Season 10 has to offer in terms of support diversity.
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