Mage is the umbrella term for all Champions who can inflict heavy or continuous damage using Abilities rather than Basic Attacks. Many of these Champions still fight using the regular method, but they are defined by what their Q, W, E, and R can do. Because of this, the ‘silence’ disability is their worst nightmare.
There are three types of Mages, each one is different by their range and the amount of damage they deal. Burst is mid-ranged with high damage output. Battlemage is a frontline unit, usually with DPS properties. Artillery is long-ranged but their damage output differs between heavy and light based on how frequent each ability is available.
Burst
Burst is often referred to as an ability that deals a lot of damage using abilities. For context, what is considered ‘moderate’ takes away 15-25% of a target’s maximum health but severe damage can amount up to half a Champion’s health bar or even more. Burst Champions begin dealing somewhere in between but leaning into the ‘severe’ side of the spectrum. To compensate for this, they usually have low defence, limited mobility, and Basic Attacks that are almost useless on their own. By Season 9, Riot Games have updated the list with crowd control-based Champions due to players who use them in an offensive role. Such examples include Annie and Lissandra.
The Burst, otherwise known as ‘nukers’, are mid to long-ranged Champions. This is counterbalanced by their innately weak defence and limited options of escape. An Assassin that gets too close can make quick work against this type of Mage. They are often found in the mid-lane and serve as the second carry of the team, the first being the bottom lane DPS which is usually a Marksman or a fellow Mage, the Artillery. Burst may also serve as support due to their high damage output. They will thin the enemies’ current Health then have the Marksman take the kill.
Ahri, the Nine-Tailed Fox
Region of Origin: Ionia
Race: Vastaya
Ahri spends the early-game poking enemies from a distance. Her relatively low Armour and Magic Resistance makes her easy to kill throughout the game. The damage she deals isn’t very impressive, either. They are moderate, at best, but she classifies as Bursts because she has a relatively low cooldown timer which allows her to cast them with little to no pause. Her only limit is her Mana pool. She shifts hard into a playstyle more similar to an Assassin once she gets her ultimate. This only allows her to dash twice for little Mana cost and low cooldown, but it functions well enough for her to get into position and land her barrage of Magic Damage against a high priority target.
Q – Orb of Deception
Passive: Ahri gains an Essence Theft stack each time he hits an enemy with Orb of Deception. Essence Theft stack maximum is at 9, but one cast of Orb of Deception caps the stack count at 3. At maximum stack, Orb of Deception turns green and heals Ahri for a small amount each time it hits an enemy.
Active: Throws Ahri’s glowing orb at a target direction and deals Magic Damage to each enemy it passes through. After reaching max range, it homes in on Ahri and inflicts True Damage to enemy units it passes by along the way.
W – Fox-Fire
Three fire spirits are conjured and circles around Ahri until they find an enemy. Each flame homes in on the closest target but they will prioritize the unit afflicted by E – Charm. Each flame deals moderate Magic Damage but units only take full damage from the first instance that hits them. Other instances of Fox-Fire hitting the same target deal only 30% damage.
E – Charm
Flings a heart-shaped energy projectile at a target direction, charming the first enemy it hits. It deals moderate Magic Damage and reduces the target’s Movement Speed while duration lasts. Charm lasts for 2 seconds or less and forces the afflicted to approach Ahri with no ability to attack, cast a spell, or move somewhere else.
R – Spirit Rush
Ahri can perform short dashes up to 2 times at any target location. Each dash releases up to 3 energy bolts, each homing in on its own target near Ahri. The second cast can be activated within 10 seconds after the first for no Mana cost.
Passive – Vastayan Grace
After hitting the same enemy Champion twice with any of her abilities, Ahri gains 3 seconds of 20% bonus Movement Speed
Annie, the Dark Child
Region of Origin: Noxus
Race: Human
Annie has the same limitations in terms of reach and defence as Ahri. The Dark Child also lack the Nine-tailed Fox’s mobility. However, what she lacks in all of those aspects, she makes up for in crowd control and high damage output. She is vulnerable like other Mages but she’s one target you’d rather deal with quickly using a Marksman, Artillery, or Bursts. She can melt through Tanks and Vanguards in no time while giving them only a narrow window of escape from her well-timed stuns.
Q – Disintegrate
Fires a fireball at a target enemy which deals moderate Magic Damage and triggers Pyromania. If the target dies, Disintegrate’s cooldown is reduced by half.
W – Incinerate
Anni releases a wave of flames that deals moderate Magic Damage to all enemies in a cone at a target direction.
E – Molten Shield
Annie envelopes herself and Tibbers with a fiery aura which grants them bonus Movement Speed for 1.5 seconds and reducing any damage taken for 3 seconds.
Enemies receive small Magic Damage if they attack Annie or Tibbers while Molten Shield is active.
R – Summon: Tibbers
Annie lobs her teddy bear at a target location which explodes in a blast of flames where it lands. Enemies in the area receive immense Magic Damage while the toy becomes Tibbers, the Great Shadow Bear.
While Tibbers is active, pressing R redirects Tibber’s attention and targets.
Passive – Pyromania
Each time Annie casts a spell adds 1 stack of Pyromania to a maximum of 4. The next ability she casts stuns all target enemies that deals Magic Damage to for more than a second.
Brand, the Burning Vengeance
Region of Origin: Freljord
Race: Human consumed by the Living Fire
Despite all of Brand’s abilities being offensive, he is not a carry Champion. The Burning Vengeance lacks mobility and defence, making him an easy target against ganks and assassinations. The role he plays is support. When somebody used the term ‘support’, most people would think of Catchers, Enchanters, and Wardens. Brand does not improve an ally or debuff an enemy. Instead, he can unleash a continuous stream of Magic Damage at a wide area to lower down their Health. By the time Brand has exhausted his options, enemy Champions in the clash would have already been easy enough to kill with a few Basic Attacks. He also has enough reach to poke and harass the opposing laners out of combat without having to move in.
Q – Sear
Fires a projectile in a line towards a target direction until it hits an enemy. The target receives moderate Magic Damage. They are also stunned for 1.5 seconds if they have a stack of Ablaze.
W – Pillar of Flame
Target area glows for a split second then bursts into flames towards the sky. Enemies caught in range receive moderate Magic Damage but effects are increased by 25% for units with Ablaze.
E – Conflagration
Causes an immediate burst of flame on a target enemy unit. Conflagration affects enemies right next to the target if the target has a stack of Ablaze.
R – Pyroclasm
Brand throws a massive fireball at a target enemy then it bounces onto nearby enemy units up to 4 times. Pyroclasm will try to stack Ablaze up to 3 so it will bounce onto a unit with 2 stacks then onto another unit. This may bounce on a target it has already passed through and deal another instance of Magic Damage and stack of Ablaze. If no other valid targets are present within range, Pyroclasm stops and refunds its cooldown and Mana cost.
Pyroclasm reduces the Movement Speed of units with a stack of Ablaze.
Passive – Blaze
Brand’s abilities inflict enemies affected with Ablaze which lingers for 4 seconds. This status deals Magic Damage per second scaling with the afflicted’s maximum Health. An instance can stack 1 Ablaze for a maximum of 3. The third stack consumes all Ablaze which causes an explosion within 2 seconds in a short radius from the afflicted target. Enemies caught in the blast receive Magic Damage which scales with each respective unit’s maximum Health. The explosion still leaves a stack of Ablaze on the unit.
Enemies afflicted with Ablaze take bonus Magic Damage for each stack from Brand’s abilities. If an enemy with Ablaze dies, Brand recovers a small amount of Mana.
Karma, the Enlightened One
Region of Origin: Ionia
Race: Ancient Ionian soul residing in mortal vessels
Similar to Brand, Karma is a high-damage output Champion who functions as a support. In the early-game, she pokes away the enemy laner to keep the place safe for her ADC. At the same time, she can function as an Enchanter hybrid by bestowing her allies’ Armour, Shields, and Movement Speed.
Q – Inner Flame / Soulflare
Fires a spirit projectile at a target direction which explodes on the first enemy hit. Enemies in the area of the blast receive moderate Magic Damage and lose 35% Movement Speed for 1.5 Seconds
[Mantra] The projectile can now explode at the end of its range if no enemies were hit. The explosion expands further and effects are more potent. Movement Speed reduction still lasts for the same duration.
W – Focused Resolve / Renewal
Karma tethers herself to a target enemy Champion. This lasts for 2 seconds and the initial connection deals moderate Magic Damage. Karma gains True Vision over the target while tether lasts.
After 2 seconds without the tether being cut off by range distance or death from either side, the target receives an even stronger Magic Damage and becomes rooted and revealed for a couple of seconds.
[Mantra] Karma now recovers Health equal to the target’s Missing Health after the connection and once again after the duration of the tether. Root and True Sight effects last for a slightly longer duration.
E – Inspire / Defiance
Target allied Champion gains a shield for 2.5 seconds and Movement Speed for 1.5 seconds.
[Mantra] Extends the duration of the shield and Movement Speed and increases the shield strength. Each allied Champion near the target gains 30% the shield strength but takes full effects of Movement Speed and Shield duration.
R – Mantra
Karma’s next ability within 8 seconds gain an additional effect on top of boosted stats.
Passive – Gathering Fire
R – Mantra’s cooldown is reduced by a few seconds each time she damages an enemy Champion. Abilities reduce more time from Mantra than Basic Attacks.
Karma begins the game with 1 rank in Mantra. Each upgrade increases the boosts it gives to the other abilities.
Leblanc, the Deceiver
Region of Origin: Noxus Prime, ages before modern-day Noxus
Race: Human in appearance but her true identity is unknown
Despite having the title ‘the Deceiver’, the most deceiving ability in her Arsenal is her passive, Mirror Image. This creates an uncontrollable illusion which can fool the enemies into targeting it rather than her. There are other Champions with the same ability, namely Shaco from the Slayer Class and Wukong from the Fighter Class. LeBlanc is more well known as a Burst Mage with Assassin-like playstyle. She can move in right out of the fog of war and completely delete the target before they even know what is going on.
Q – Sigil of Malice
Fires an orb towards a target enemy which deals Magic Damage and marks them for 3.5 seconds. The mark is consumed if the target was hit by another ability from Leblanc which deals the same Magic Damage as Q – Sigil of Malice’s initial effect.
W – Distortion
LeBlanc dashes to a target location and damages all enemies where she landed. That location is marked for 4 seconds, during which Distortion can be recast. Doing so immediately teleports LeBlanc to the mark she left.
E – Ethereal Chains
Flings a chain at a target direction which connects and deals Magic Damage to the first enemy on the way. This creates a tether between LeBlanc and the target for 1.5 seconds, during which LeBlanc gains True Sight over that unit. If the tether remains unbroken for that time, it deals Magic Damage again to the enemy and roots them for 1.5 seconds. True Sight lingers for that duration, as well.
R – Mimic
LeBlanc casted a mimicked version of one of her basic spells.
Passive – Mirror Image
Automatically triggers when Leblanc’s Health falls below 40%. She turns invisible for 1 second and then reappears with a clone of herself. Mirror Image has a 60-second cooldown.
Lissandra, the Ice Witch
Region of Origin: Freljord
Race: Iceborn
Lissandra is the anti-Assassin Champion among this list. Her high damage output and crowd control make squishy Champions avoid her at all cost. Her mobility and AoE range make her a formidable threat in a clash. Her ultimate makes her enemies’ attempts at an assassination futile. Any soil the Ice Witch stood and see is her territory.
Lissandra does have a problem against Tanks because she can’t kill them easily. She can deplete her mana and the brute will still stand strong, ready to deliver their response. Fighters tend to have disables which render Lissandra vulnerable for a short while. She has a fighting chance if she can find an opening for her ultimate, but veterans know how to stop that from happening.
Q – Ice Shard
Shoots a sharp block of ice towards a target direction which explodes if it collides with an enemy. Both the first target and the units in a cone behind it receive moderate Magic Damage. The unit which caused the Ice Shard to shatter receives a short Movement Speed reduction.
W – Ring of Frost
The ground surrounding Lissandra explodes due to a quick blast of frost. Enemies within the area receive moderate Magic Damage and they are all rooted in place for a brief moment.
E – Glacial Path
Lissandra conjures a block of claw-shaped black ice that tears through the soil from her towards a target direction. Reactivate E-Glacial Path to have Lissandra instantly appears where the claw currently is at the time. Glacial Path’s initial effect inflicts moderate Magic Damage to each enemy unit it passes through.
R – Frozen Tomb
Instantly freeze an enemy Champion from a short-distance from Lissandra. That target is stunned in place for 1.5 seconds and vulnerable to any attack. Frozen Tomb can be cast on Lissandra to put her in stasis for 2.5 seconds. For that duration, she is immune to any damage or foreign negative effects while healing herself for a large amount of health over-time.
Along with the black coffin which envelops the target, black ice spreads from its foot to a wide radius around it which lingers for 3 seconds. Enemies caught by the creeping frost receive moderate Magic Damage while those which stand in the already frozen foundation lose a large portion of their Movement Speed.
Passive – Subjugation
A Frozen Thrall minion spawns from a corpse of an enemy Champion who just died close to Lissandra.
Frozen Thrall
An autonomous allied unit that chases down the closest enemy Champion in-sight. It goes to an enemy minion or monster instead if there aren’t any valid targets within range. Each Frozen Thrall gradually increases Movement Speed as it runs then explodes in contact with a target or after 4 seconds. It deals moderate Magic Damage to all units in a short radius and inflicts Movement Speed reduction which lasts for a brief moment.
Lux, the lady of Luminosity
Region of Origin: Demacia
Race: Human
Most would consider Lux as the standard mould for a Burst Champion. She lacks mobility and defence but makes up for them in high damage output and control, just like Annie. What she has different from the Dark Child is her reach and utility which allow players to use her as a support Champion. Her crowd control is easy to apply in long-distance which saves her or her ally from a gank. The same abilities benefit her as a solo-mid Champion who needs to be aware of the two directions a jungler can come from.
Q – Light Binding
Shoots a brilliant orb towards a target direction which hits the first two enemies in the way. Both targets receive Magic Damage and they are rooted for 2 seconds.
W – Prismatic Barrier
Lux tosses her sceptre towards a target direction which bestows a shield on all allied Champions it passes by. Shield Strength scales with her Ability Power and lasts for 2.5 seconds. After reaching the maximum range, the sceptre travels back towards Lux and applies the same effects to new Champions. Units who already have the blessings from when it was thrown receive even more shield with the sceptre’s return but the duration is simply reset, not extended.
Lux receives the effects of Prismatic Barrier too. She triggers them when she first throws her sceptre and once again by catching it. The sceptre homes in on Lux so she can reposition and change the return trajectory.
E – Lucent Singularity
Lux sends a small orb of unstable light at a target location. Enemies that are within a short radius from it lose about half of their Movement Speed. After seconds or by recast of E, the orb detonates and deals moderate Magic Damage to enemies in the same radius as the slow effect. Detonation damage does not scale with channelling time. It may also be triggered while mid-flight which is handy if the enemy somehow dashed forward.
R – Final Spark
Lux floats as she channels her energy for a second then blasts a flash of light in a long line towards a target direction. Enemies caught in by the laser receive severe Magic Damage and the area of effect is revealed for Lux’s team for 1 second.
Enemies can see where Final Spark will hit while Lux is channelling and have 1 second to move away or endure its full effects.
Passive – Illumination
Lux marks all enemies hit by any of her abilities with Light Energy which lasts for 6 seconds. Attacking marked targets with a Basic Attack or Final Spark consumes Light Energy but deals bonus moderate Magic Damage that scales with 20% of her Ability Power.
Neeko, the Curious Chameleon
Region of Origin: Ixtal Jungle
Race: Vastaya
Neeko is a tricky Champion to challenge in a 1v1. She lacks defence and mobility but her crafty abilities allow her to slip under everyone’s noses. Just like LeBlanc, Neeko is more dangerous when she is unseen. This makes her perfect in the jungle where she can clear camps and roam in between lanes. Some wouldn’t even know that it is Neeko they are looking at due to her ability to transform into one of her allies. Ganks that are planned against a specific Champion will get thrown off once they realize they’re dealing with somebody else.
She can pop out of the wall and immediately delete her targets. Her wide but rather close-quarter AoE allows her to outplay and even kill several Fighters at once. Some players complain that it is difficult to find a counter against Neeko.
Q – Blooming Burst
Neeko lobs a seed at a target area which explodes on impact and inflicts Magic Damage all enemies in the zone. Blooming Burst detonates once again in less than a second if:
- It hits an enemy Champion
- It hits a large monster
- A small minion or small-medium monster dies from the first explosion.
W – Shapesplitter
Passive: Neeko stacks 1 Shapesplitter with each Basic Attack she deals. While she has 2, her next Basic Attack consumes all stacks, instead, and inflicts bonus Magic Damage and grants her 1 second Movement Speed starting from when her attack was launched.
Active: Neeko conjures a clone of herself running towards the target direction while they both simultaneously turn invisible for a split-second. Both Neeko and the clone gain bonus Movement Speed for 3 seconds.
The clone created by Shapesplitter takes the form Neeko currently has at the time. This means the clone is also disguised while Neeko is assuming the form of another Champion.
E – Tangle-Barbs
Shoots a spinning ball of energy at a target direction which roots and inflicts Magic Damage to each enemy it passes through. The projectile grows wider and the effects become more potent with each enemy it hits until it disappears in its maximum range which does not improve along with the other bonuses.
R – Pop Blossom
Neeko channels for 1.25 seconds and creates a zone in a wide radius surrounding herself. When the duration ends, Neeko gains a weak shield but strength scales with every enemy Champion in her zone and leaps into the air then slams back into the ground. The shield lasts for 2 seconds while her slam takes half a second and inflicts moderate Magic Damage and 1.25-second stun to all enemies still inside the zone.
Enemy Champions cannot see the conjured zone from the initial activation while Neeko is disguised. Neeko only breaks her illusion and morphs back to herself when she begins to leap upwards.
Passive – Inherent Glamour
Neeko can take the form of an allied Champion. She retains her own stats but she attacks in either melee or ranged depending on the Champion she copies. Taking damage from enemy Champions or using her Q or E abilities cause her to revert back to Neeko, putting Inherent Glamour on cooldown. Cooldown will only be 2 seconds if she chose to transform back and 2.5 seconds in-between morphing into allies.
Orianna, the Lady of Clockwork
Region of Origin: Piltover
Race: Golem
Orianna deals as much damage as Ahri but every move she takes hurts numerous enemies at once. With enough mana, she can perform all of her abilities to perform a quick succession of initiation, crowd control, and AoE burst in that order.
Q – Command: Attack
Orianna commands The Ball to dash from its current location towards a target location. The Ball deals Magic Damage to units it passes through.
W – Command: Dissonance
Orianna commands The Ball to create a zone in its current location that lingers on the spot for 3 seconds. Enemies in the area at the time the zone was created receive moderate Magic Damage.
The zone grants allied units a small bonus Movement Speed while inside it. It takes away the same amount of Movement Speed from enemies that enter the affected area.
E – Command: Protect
Passive: The Ball bestows bonus Armour and Magic Resistance to its current host.
Active: Orianna commands The Ball to accompany a target allied Champion. It deals Magic Damage to enemies it passes through similar to Command: Attack. The target becomes a new host and gains a strong shield that lasts for 2.5 seconds. The Ball stays on the host until Orianna is out of reach or commanded by either Q or E.
R – Command: Shockwave
Orianna commands The Ball to emit a wide-ranged magnetic field that immediately pulls all nearby enemy units right next to it. Each enemy affected receives moderate Magic Damage from the moment they were pulled.
Follow up Shockwave with Command: Dissonance to limit enemy movements for a longer duration.
Passive – Clockwork Windup
[The Ball] The Ball is a unit that initially accompanies Orianna but will remain stationary at a location until Orianna picks it up or leaves its range. All abilities cast by the Lady of Clockwork involve The Ball. Q and E make it travel from where it is while W and R apply its effects from its own location, not from Orianna herself.
[Clockwork Winding] Allows Orianna to deal bonus Magic Damage with each Basic Attack on the same target with each successive hit. Bonuses stack only twice per target and effects reset once she chooses another unit.
Sylas, the Unshackled
Region of Origin: Demacia but seeks for ways to destroy it.
Race: Human
One might wonder ‘what is a bruiser doing in the list of Burst Mages?’ Sylas fights like a Fighter, specifically a Diver. He will find his way right next to a target and in the middle of enemy lines, then continuously pummel them with a flurry of Magic Damage. His real selling point is his ultimate which allows him to steal an enemy Champion’s ultimate then uses it as his own. Investing in Ability Power is greatly rewarded by his R because anything he steals scales with that stat. This allows him to potentially inflict stronger damage than the original owner if he has the proper item build.
Q – Chain Lash
Sylas slams his chains from both arms at a target location, dealing Magic Damage to enemies lines from either side and lose Movement Speed for 1.5 seconds. Chain Lash will always hit the maximum range but how far apart the two lines spread is dictated by how close the target location is to Sylas. The target location is the convergence point, the closer it is to Sylays, the farther apart the end of each chain will be. The point where the chains intersected detonates on impact which inflicts stronger Magic Damage.
W – Kingslayer
Sylas lunges at a target enemy, deals Magic Damage, then heals himself. The amount of Health Sylas recovers is stronger if his current Health is lower.
E – Abscond / Abduct
[Abscond] Sylas dashes to a target direction. Within 3 seconds after Abscond, E becomes Abduct.
[Abduct] Whip both Sylas’ chains at a target direction which attach to the first enemy in the way. Sylas proceeds to pull himself towards the target and knock the affected unit airborne. The chains’ attachment inflicts Magic Damage and a stun which lasts until Sylas arrives next to the target.
R – Hijack
Select an enemy Champion in range and replace Hijack with that target’s ultimate. Sylas can keep this new ability for 90 seconds or until he uses it. If the ability he got requires Ammo, he gets to have maximum charges regardless of how many the unit has at the time. Stealing transformation and upgrade abilities replaces all of Sylas’ other abilities with those which comes with the stolen ultimate. Stealing an ability that requires a prop, like Orianna’s, triggers the effects around Sylas himself. Stealing ultimates that are designed to be spammable, having a low cooldown and Mana cost such as Kog’Maw’s, grants him only one instance of casting the ability.
Ultimates that scale with Attack Damage will instead scale with Sylas’ Ability Power.
Passive – Petricite Burst
Sylas gains a stack of Petricite Burst per ability he cast for a maximum of 3. As long as he has 1 stack, he gains 80% bonus Attack Speed. His next Basic Attack consumes all charges and attacks by spinning his chains around, dealing Magic Damage to all enemies surrounding him. Petricite Burst does not need to be at max stack to trigger this. Only one is enough, allowing Sylas to perform a combo by interchanging between abilities and Basic Attack.
Syndra, the Dark Sovereign
Region of Origin: Ionia
Race: Human
Syndra is all about damage. Don’t pause for a moment to look for ways to stop an enemy on his track because this Champion doesn’t care about that. She does possess such capabilities but such trifles are secondary to her initial objective: to hurt. All shall fall at the mercy of her dark powers. Everything else is collateral damage.
While Syndra has one of the highest damage output and the widest range coverage among the Burst Champions, she possesses the lowest innate defence and mobility. She can’t save herself from Assassins and Fighters like Lissandra so she needs to keep her distance. Luckily, one of her abilities is about pushing people away.
Q – Dark Sphere
Conjures a Dark Sphere at a target location which lingers for 6 seconds. Dark Spheres interact with Syndra’s other abilities. Conjuration deals Magic Damage to enemies on the spot it emerges from. The Dark Spheres lingering in the field are harmless unless they are being moved by Syndra.
W – Force of Will
Syndra grabs the closest Dark Sphere, enemy minion, or non-epic monster around her. This ability prioritizes distance only, not unit type. Units grabbed by Force of Will is put on stasis while held. A Dark Sphere grabbed by this ability reset its duration from the moment it was tossed.
Recast Force of Will to toss the grabbed object at a target location. Syndra briefly gains sight over the impact area after it deals Magic Damage to the surrounding enemies. Enemies in the area of effect lose some Movement Speed for 1.5 seconds. If the projectile was a grabbed enemy, it also takes both negative effects.
E – Scatter the Weak
Syndra unleashes a wave in a cone towards a target direction. All enemies caught by the pulse are knocked back and inflicted with moderate Magic Damage.
Dark Spheres caught by the same pulse of energy fly for over double the maximum range of the cone and hurt all enemy units they pass through. Each unit hit by a Dark Sphere is stunned for 1.5 seconds.
If the Dark Sphere hit enemies out of the range of the wave, they also apply the stun and inflict Magic Damage equal to Scatter the Weak.
R – Unleash Power
Target an enemy unit then Syndra picks up a maximum of 4 Dark Spheres near her and combines them with the 3 smaller ones that are orbiting herself. All 7 Dark Spheres are then blasted at the target unit, each dealing moderate Magic Damage. After inflicting damage, each Dark Sphere is scattered in the field near the target.
Passive – Transcendent
Each of Syndra’s abilities gains additional effects once they reach level 5.
- Dark Sphere – Deals 25% bonus total damage against enemy Champions.
- Force of Will – Deals 20% of its total damage in the form of True Damage to affected units.
- Scatter the Weak – Area of effect reaches further.
- Unleashed Power – The targetable range is extended.
Twisted Fate, the Card Master
Region of Origin: Serpent Isles
Race: Human
Though Twisted Fate can affect a wide-range in front of him, his damage output is best focused on a single target rather than spreading them thin across the board. In fact, his build once earned him the classification of Assassin. This is because he is meant to lock down on one enemy at a time. His wide-ranged volleys were designed to rack up on cash with creep kills. If not vying for a kill himself, he’s got other cards to play which lets him control the crowd in a clash. His ultimate is a powerful utility that not only prevents ganks but also allows the entire team to take out the scattered enemies one-by-one.
Q – Wild Cards
Throws a volley of three cards, each one travels in a straight line apart from each other towards the selected direction. Each one inflicts moderate Magic Damage to every enemy they pass through.
W – Pick a Card
The first cast makes Twisted Fate to cycle between three coloured cards in the order of Blue, Red, and Yellow. Recast to stop the cycle or wait for 6 seconds. Whichever card that appeared determines the bonus effect of Twisted Fate’s next Basic Attack. Each card deals bonus Magic Damage but the colour determines the new feature.
- Blue – Twisted Fate restores Mana. The value restored is more than Pick a Card’s casting cost.
- Red – Inflicts Magic Damage to enemies in a short radius from the target. All affected units lose Movement Seed for 2 and a half seconds.
- Yellow – Target enemy is stunned for 2 seconds or less.
After picking a card, Twisted Fate has 6 seconds to attack. If the timer ends, all effects will be lost and neither the Mana cost nor cooldown will be refunded.
E – Stacked Deck
Passive: Twisted Fate gains bonus Attack Speed.
Passive 2: Twisted Fate 4th attack against a non-structure enemy deal moderate bonus Magic Damage.
R – Destiny
Upon cast, Twisted Fate and his allies gain True Vision of all enemy Champions in the map. Within that duration, R becomes Gate.
R – Gate
Target a location 5,500 units away from Twisted Fate. Within 1.5 seconds, he teleports to that area. This can be interrupted by disabilities, displacements, and his own death.
Passive – Loaded Dice
Twisted Fate gains an extra Gold with each kill. Doesn’t matter if it is a minion, monster, or Champion. All that matters is he inflicts the killing blow. The value of the extra Gold ranges from 1-6 chosen at random.
Veigar, the Tiny Master of Evil
Region of Origin: Bandle City
Race: Yordle
Veigar is an infamous Champion who can isolate his target and delete them completely off the map without having to take a step closer. His extraordinary Ability Power stack is unique to him among the other mages but his damage output is hardly all that makes a Champion. He has zero mobility and defence. None of that matters if none of his enemies could come close, though. Take more than three hits from him and you’re out for a respawn.
Q – Baleful Strike
Passive: Death by Baleful Strike grants an additional stack of Phenomenal Evil. Large minions and monsters grant 2.
Active: Veigar shoots a beam towards a target direction which deals Magic Damage to the first two enemies in the way.
W – Dark Matter
Target a location to send a big bolt of energy which inflicts enemy units in the small area of effect. It first sends an indication of its exact point of impact before it sends the strike a couple of seconds later. This is a small window of opportunity for the enemies to step away but the delay is progressively lessened by each level of Dark Matter. In the meantime, it is best used against minions and camps.
E – Event Horizon
Conjures a five-walled cage in a target location which lasts for 3 seconds. Enemy units that pass by the wall are stunned for a few seconds but this only works once per unit.
R – Primordial Burst
Veigar sends a bright energy that homes-in on a target enemy Champion. It deals severe Magic Damage which increases in strength if the target’s Health is closer to zero.
Passive – Phenomenal Evil Power
Veigar gains a stack of Phenomenal Evil each time he hits at least 1 enemy Champion with an ability and 5 stacks when he kills or assisted in an enemy Champion’s death.
Veigar’s Ability Power increases by 1 point per stack. These stacks are permanent and have no maximum limit, which means he can still grow stronger as the match persists.
Zoe, the Aspect of Twilight
Region of Origin: Mount Targon
Race: Targonian Ascended
If there’s one Champion who was not designed for anyone new to the game, it’s probably the Targonian god of mischief, Zoe. The move set of the Aspect of Twilight will look unimpressive for most players who are used to winning with stats or AoE nukes. She is actually meant for people who have mastered the game in terms of positioning, timing, aiming, and ability combinations.
Zoe’s main speciality is her passive ‘Spell Thief’. This allows her to steal summoner spells and items’ Active abilities and abuse them. Her ultimate is neither an escape tool nor a high damage ability. It’s a temporary reposition ability that only works in tandem with her two offensive abilities, her main form of attack ‘Paddle Star’ and her single-focus disable ‘Sleepy Trouble Bubble’.
Zoe is an easy feeder if used by players without hand-eye coordination and the ability to adapt to situations. At the hands of pro players, she is untouchable and unavoidable.
Q – Paddle Star
Zoe shoots a small star in a line towards a target direction and stops if it hits one enemy or if it reaches the end of its range. If it did not hit anyone, it lingers on the ground for about a second. While the star is mid-flight or on the floor, Zoe can recast Q to shoot the same projectile onto another target direction until it reaches the maximum range. The new maximum range is based on Zoe’s position, not the lingering star so it can reach further.
Paddle Star deals Magic Damage to the first enemy it collides with then deals reduced damage to enemies within a short radius from it. The damage dealt scales with the distance the projectile travelled.
W – Spell Thief
Passive – Spell Thief: A Spell Shard will fall off an enemy Champion based on the Summoner Spell or Item Active they just activated around Zoe. She can then pick up one Spell Shard which turns W into an active ability that adapts the Shard’s effects. Spell Thief does not have a cooldown so Zoe can constantly pick up Spell Shards and spam those abilities to benefit herself or her allies.
Passive – Wheeeee: Zoe gains a brief burst of Movement Speed after using a Spell Shard. While running, she autonomously attacks nearby enemies with three Basic Attacks, prioritizing the unit she last attacked before this.
E – Sleepy Trouble Bubble
Zoe shoots a big bubble towards a target direction which lands on the maximum range and lingers for 5 seconds as a wide trap. If the bubble hits an enemy mid-flight or if someone stepped on the lingering trap, that unit becomes Drowsy for 1.4 seconds and gradually loses Movement Speed. After that duration, they fall asleep for 2.25 seconds. Sleep status provides the same disable as a stun except sleeping Champions will wake up after taking an attack. That attack will be received as True Damage. Damage from damage-over-time effects will not cause sleeping units to wake up.
R – Portal Jump
Zoe falls into a portal then pops up in another portal conjured at a target location. After 1 second, she will go back to where she first disappeared.
Portal Jump is not an escape or chase ability. It only helps Zoe dodge an enemy’s skillshot or reach a desirable range for her own. This can either extend the reach of Paddle Star or prepare Sleepy Trouble Bubble for a point-blank shot.
Passive – More Sparkles!
Zoe’s next Basic Attack deals bonus Magic Damage after every time she uses an ability or Spell Shard.
Battlemage
Just to clarify, Battle Mages are not Tanks. They do not have a high Defence or Magic Resistance. They dive in the middle of the crossfire then control the enemies by either harassing them off the lane or thin the herd for a massacre. Each Champion under this list has a unique effect on the battlefield because they serve as the offensive kind of crowd control. Whether the enemies are trapped or scattered depends entirely on how the Battlemage performed in a clash.
Anivia, the Cryophoenix
Region of Origin: Freljord
Race: Primal Demi-God
Anivia is a Champion with great range for crowd control and field sustainability. Her basic abilities have relatively low cooldown which makes them available at any given moment. Even her death allows her to limit the Movement Speed of numerous enemies at once. However, she is constantly hungry for Mana. Her Mana regen cannot keep up with her
Q – Flash Frost
Aniva shoots a slow-flying ice ball towards a target location. This inflicts Magic Damage and a 3-second Movement Speed reduction to each enemy it passes through. The projectile explodes once it reaches its destination but it can be detonated mid-flight by recast Q.
When Flash Frost is detonated, it deals the same Magic Damage to enemies in a short radius and stuns them for a second and a half.
W – Crystallize
Conjures a wall of ice at a target location. The walls are always created horizontally from Anivia’s relative position. It serves similar to a terrain which stops all units from walking through it but it does not create a fog of war for either party. Units from either team caught in the wall’s space on eruption are knocked airborne and moved to whichever side they are closest to.
The length of the wall increases with Crystallize’s ability level. Duration is only 5 seconds despite further point investment.
Be careful with this ability. It also affects allies so a poorly placed wall can either doom your team or let enemies escape. If used properly, the clash can be changed from a battle into a massacre.
E – Frostbite
Anivia fires an ice shard at a target unit which inflicts a relatively weak Magic Damage. Enemies still under the effects of Q – Flash Frost or R – Glacial Storm takes double damage from Frostbite.
R – Glacial Storm
Anivia conjures a cold storm at a target area. It begins to form for 1.5 seconds, during which enemies take weak Magic Damage and lose half of their Movement Speed for 1 second. Once the storm has fully formed, enemies in the area of effect take triple that amount in Magic Damage each second. Half of their Movement Speed is lost while standing in the area of effect.
Glacial Storm can last indefinitely as long as Anivia is in range and she has sufficient mana to keep the effects working. Press R again to deactivate Glacial Storm. Deactivation inflicts 1 more Magic Damage equal to 1 second of its effect.
Passive – Rebirth
After taking fatal damage, Anivia reverts herself into an egg and cleanses herself from all kinds of negative status effects. While in this state, she gains bonus Armour and Magic Resistance and generates a wide-ranged aura which gradually reduces the Movement Speed of enemies until she hatches. She also slowly regains her entire Health back. Enemies may attack and kill her in this state. Doing so will have Anivia proceed to the regular respawn.
Not all Health needs to be recovered for Anivia to revive. After 6 seconds, Rebirth ends to revive Anivia on the spot. She lives with what Health she recovered during those 6 seconds as an egg. If her egg form was not attacked, she would be in perfect vitality.
Mana does not regenerate while in Rebirth. She retains what Mana she had left before she took fatal damage.
Rebirth has a 4-minute cooldown so players know diving headfirst is not always an option. However, while in rebirth state, Anivia serves as wide-ranged crowd control.
Aurelion Sol, the Star Forger
Region of Origin: Outside of Runeterra but he serves the Aspects of Mount Targon
Race: Celestial
Aurelion Sol has a great range of coverage. He can easily travel between lanes and enter the fray with a big blast. None of his skills deals particularly large damage and his innate defences are borderline absent. He can keep his distance and slowly eats away enemies’ Health like a Marksman. How he is different from that other class is that he can affect several enemies at once.
Q – Starsurge
Launch the core of a newborn star towards a target direction which explodes after straying too far from Aurelion Sol. The explosion deals Magic Damage and stuns enemies in the affected area. Aurelion Sol can stay close to the core to nurture it. If he is faster than the core, it will travel faster to keep up. The core expands as it travels further which does not improve Magic Damage or stun duration, it simply affects a wider area.
Starsurge is a projectile that will not collide with walls or enemies. Only the explosion inflicts the effects of this ability.
W – Celestial Expansion
Passive: The stars from Passive – Center of the Universe inflicts stronger damage.
Active: After activation, the stars revolve Aurelion Sol from the Outer Limit. The stars begin to revolve faster but speed decays until they revert back to their normal orbiting speed or once retracted back. This state only lasts for 3 seconds and can be deactivated at any time.
Aurelion Sol gains bonus Movement Speed for 1.5 seconds after the stars have retracted.
E – Comet of Legend
Aurelion Sol flies continuously over walls towards a target direction. He can see over obstacles and will not collide with anything. His travel speed is fixed depending on the ability level but it is usually faster than his regular Movement Speed. While in this state, he cannot turn or attack. Most of his skills are also available besides Q – Starsurge.
Comet of Legend can be deactivated by recast until he reaches his max range which is half the entire map. Other things that can stop Aurelion Sol is by taking damage from enemy Champions and Turrets. Receiving stun will also stop him on his tracks but Movement Speed reduction will keep him flying.
R – Voice of Light
Aurelion Sol fires a beam at a target direction, inflicting Magic Damage and 2-second Movement Speed reduction against enemies in a line. Enemies are pushed to the Outer Limit if they are inside the radius.
Passive – Center of the Universe
Aurelion Sol will be orbited by 3 stars throughout the game. These disappear when he takes damage from enemy abilities or while stunned. A star inflicts Magic Damage to all enemies it passes through.
There is a set radius from Aurelion Sol. The edges of this radius are called the Outer Limit.
Cassiopeia, the Serpent’s Embrace
Region of Origin: Noxus
Race: Human altered by Shuriman curse
Cassiopeia can make it rain Magic Damage against enemies in a small area from a distance. The amount she inflicts is weak for each instance. That hardly matters because her abilities’ quick cooldown and cheap Mana cost allow her to spam between Q and E. Poke enemies off the lane in the early-game or kill a tank in mid-game.
Q – Noxious Blast
Creates a small explosion of poison at a target area. The blast inflicts Noxious Poison on all enemies in the area for 3 seconds. For the same duration, Cassiopeia gains bonus Movement Speed if an enemy Champion is afflicted.
Noxious Poison inflicts moderate Magic Damage per second.
W – Miasma
Cassiopeia sprays a volley of 8 liquid projectiles in a cone in a target direction. Each one ends at the maximum range simultaneously then all of them create a toxic cloud that lingers in the area for 5 seconds. Enemies are afflicted by Debilitating Poison while standing on the toxic fumes. The projectiles themselves don’t do anything.
While afflicted by Debilitating Poison, enemies receive weak Magic Damage per second and strong Movement Speed reduction. They may also not perform dash and leaps to move away from the area of effect.
E – Twin Fang
Cassiopeia fires a venomous projectile at a target enemy which inflicts weak Magic Damage on-hit. It deals bonus damage if the target is inflicted by any kind of poison and heals Cassiopeia for a small amount. If the target dies while Twin Fang is mid-flight or dies because of Twin Fang, Mana spent on this ability is refunded.
R – Petrifying Gaze
Cassiopeia winds-up then blasts a flash of light in a cone at a target direction. Enemies caught in the area of effect receive moderate Magic Damage. Those who are facing towards Cassiopeia at the time are stunned for 2 seconds but those who have their backs or sides lose Movement Speed instead.
Passive – Serpentine Grace
Boot items in the shop are not available for Cassiopeia. Her Movement Speed increases innately with her Champion Level.
Karthus, the Deathsinger
Region of Origin: Noxus but now he haunts the Shadow Isles
Race: Undead
Karthus does not really need mobility. He consistently detonates the area around him while preventing Champions from moving in or out of his space. If they are out of reach, he can smite every single one of them as long as he can see them.
Karthus’ Q serves as a quick lane cleanup and easy farm. Other times, it’s meant to harass the opposing lane from coming anywhere near him. In mid-game, he can consistently harass multiple Champions from coming near him. In a clash, leaving Karthus alone is a mistake, but diving towards him is an even bigger mistake. There is only death in the eyes of the Deathsinger.
Q – Lay Waste
Detonates a small area remotely. It deals weak Magic Damage to enemy units in the area but it inflicts double the normal amount if it only hits one target.
W – Wall of Pain
Creates a spectral wall at a target location which lasts or 5 seconds. The position is always horizontal from Karthus’ perspective. All units can pass through the barrier but enemies who do lose a portion of their Movement Speed and some Magic Resistance for 4 seconds. Karthus and his allies have vision over the area covered by Wall of Pain.
Length of the Wall and amount of Movement Speed reduced scale with the ability’s level.
E – Defile
Toggled ability which creates a harmful aura around Karthus. Enemies in the area of effect take weak Magic Damage per second. While Defile is off, Karthus restores Mana whenever he kills a unit.
R – Requiem
Karthus channels for 3 seconds then deals severe Magic Damage against all enemy Champions that are visible in the map.
Passive – Death Defied
After death, Karthus remains on the spot for 7 seconds. While in this state, he cannot move or attack normally. He can cast his abilities for no Mana cost through cooldown duration still apply. If E – Defile was learned, it is immediately activated from start to finish of Death Defied.
Malzahar, the Prophet of the Void
Region of Origin: Shurima
Race: Human but changed by the Void
Malzahar was once considered an Assassin before this official Champion Classification was created by Riot Games. This is because he can lock onto a high priority target and remove them from combat on his own. This style is still viable but he is best suited as a mid-ranged combatant. His allies against a wide number of enemies, Malzahar can still single-out a high priority target while he silences everybody else along the way.
Q – Call of the Void
Target a location and Malzahar opens up a portal perpendicular from the selected point. Both portals release void energy which inflicts Magic Damage to enemies in between the two openings. Units affected by Call of the Void are silenced for around 2 seconds.
W – Void Swarm
Passive: Malzahar gains a charge of Zz’Rot Swarm whenever he casts an ability. The maximum charge is 2.
Active: Consume all Zz’Rot charge to conjure a voidling for each stack. They spawn at a target location.
Voidling: Low-Health but nimble minion who attacks nearby enemy units. They will prioritize targets affected by either Nether Grasp or Malefic Visions.
E – Malefic Visions
Target enemy is afflicted by Malefic Visions which inflicts weak Magic Damage per half a second lasting over 4 seconds. Malefic Visions refreshes its duration each time the afflicted is hit by Call of the Void or Nether Grasp.
R – Nether Grasp
Malzahar tethers with a target enemy and he channels for 2.5 seconds. During this duration, the target is suppressed and receives weak Magic Damage per quarter of a second. While this is happening, Malzahar opens up a Null Zone around the target that lasts for 5 seconds starting from the moment that he began to channel. This also deals damage over time but it affects all units standing on the small area. The Null Zone inflicts the same amount of Magic Damage but only every half a second. The target also takes damage from Null Zone in addition to Nether Grasp.
Passive – Void Shift
Void Shift generates a barrier which protects Malzahar from the next attack he takes. While this is active, Malzahar takes significantly reduced damage from any source or negate crowd control effects. Receiving either damage or crowd control will put Void Shift on cooldown. Void Shift won’t take effect until a few 12 – 30 seconds without taking further damage or negative effects.
Rumble, the Mechanized Menace
Region of Origin: Bandle City
Race: Yordle
Rumble is the first Mage we have encountered in this list with a high defensive capacity. Regardless, his damage output is still his highest stat. Another anomaly he possesses is his complete independence from Man. He can spam his abilities like the other Battlemages but his limiter is the heat he generates per cast. At maximum heat, he is rendered almost useless if it were not for the bonus Magic Damage his Basic Attacks deal while in that state.
Q – Flamespitter
Flamespitter generates 10 heat. Rumble activates a forward-spewing flamethrower for 3 seconds. He can move normally while the flames are on. Enemies in the cone in front of Rumble receive weak Magic Damage per 0.25 second over time. Flamespitter deals 50% more damage while Rumble is in Danger Zone.
W – Scrap Shield
Rumble generates a shield which lasts for 1.5 seconds. Shield strength scales with his Ability Power and it increases by 50% while in Danger Zone. Rumble has bonus Movement Speed until the shield is broken or it expires.
E – Electro Harpoon
Passive: Rumble recharges 1 charge of Electro Harpoon every 6 seconds. The maximum charge is 2.
Active: Shoots a harpoon at a target direction which hits the first enemy in the way. It deals Magic Damage and reduces their Movement Speed for 2 seconds. Hitting the same target with another Electro Harpoon stacks the effects, that means more Movement Speed is removed and the duration is extended.
The Magic Damage, Movement Speed reduction effects and duration are 50% more potent while Rumble is in Danger Zone.
R – The Equalizer
Rumble launches a barrage of Rockets at a target location, each one right next to the other until they form a line. Impact does not do anything on the units in the area but each rocket creates a small fiery crater which inflicts Magic Damage every half a second to enemies in the area. These linger for 1 second and all enemies that pass through lose some Movement Speed.
Passive – Junkyard Titan
None of Rumble’s abilities cost Mana. Each of Q, W, and E, however generates Heat. At 50 Heat, he enters the state of Danger Zone which improves his abilities in some way. At 100 Heat, he enters the state of Overheating which disables all abilities but his Basic Attacks inflict bonus Magic Damage.
Heat is reduced by 10 points per second after 4 seconds of not casting an ability.
Ryze, the Rune Mage
Region of Origin: Kohm, a ruined village which once stood east of Noxus.
Race: Human
By lore, Ryze is the master of rune magic. In-game, he is one of the best Champions at the hands of master strategists. Unlike the rest of the Battlemages, Ryze has the potential to be a Burst Mage but he is more often played as the team captain who controls the situation rather than the ace player who takes the shot.
Q – Overload
Passive: Casting any of Ryze’s other abilities completely resets Overload’s cooldown and charges 1 Rune which lasts for 4 seconds.
Active: Fires an energy ball towards a target direction, inflicting Magic Damage to the first enemy hit. If the target is marked by Spell Flux, Overload deals bonus damage and hits other nearby enemies marked with Spell Flux.
If activated with 2 runes, Ryze gains bonus Movement Speed for 2 seconds. Casting Overload consumes all runes. Consuming just 1 does not give any benefit.
W – Rune Prison
Target enemy receives Magic Damage and loses Movement Speed for 1.5 seconds. If the target is marked with Spell Flux, it becomes stunned for the same duration instead.
E – Spell Flux
Marks a target enemy with Flux which lasts for 3 seconds. This deals weak Magic Damage in the process. If the target is already marked by Spell Flux, both the mark and damage spread to all nearby enemies then reset the duration of the target’s mark. This continues further with each instance if the surrounding units are already marked, too.
R – Realm Warp
Passive: Increases Overload’s damage against units marked by Spell Flux.
Active: Target an area then Ryze begins channelling and opens a portal on the ground. The portal takes 2 seconds to fully open by Ryze may move and attack after the first half-second of channelling, as long as he is still in the portal. The portal may be interrupted if Ryze is rooted or stunned.
While the Portal is Channeling, the team has vision over the area they will appear on. Minions and non-targetable allies can be transported by Realm Warp. After the 2 second duration, all allied units in the wide portal blink towards the selected destination.
Realm Warp is a short distance teleportation ability. The travel distance does not reach past the jungle. This is only useful to slip past the enemy front lines and corner the enemy ADC, escape through the jungle, or get allies into favourable positions.
Passive – Arcane Mastery
Increasing Ryze’s Ability Power also expands his Mana pool.
Swain, the Noxian Grand General
Region of Origin: Noxus
Race: Human but with demonic alterations
Swain is another Champion might want to add to the folders of ‘Mages you don’t want to approach’. Regardless, he can just pull you in from afar. He is fairly easy to face when he is alone but near impossible if he has at least two allies. It wouldn’t even matter which Class or how good those ‘allies’ would be because Swain can fit in most team compositions. He can also avoid gank because one of his abilities is instant, long-range reconnaissance.
Q – Death’s Hand
Swain fires red lightning in a cone towards a target direction. Each bolt stops at the first enemy hit but will pass through towards the unit behind if the first target died. This inflicts moderate Magic Damage but excess bolts hitting the same target inflict weaker amounts.
W – Vision of Empire
Target an area from a great distance from Swain. An eyeball will be conjured in that location to give Swain sight over the area. It then explodes shortly after but sight lingers for half a second longer. Enemies that are caught in the explosion receive weak Magic Damage and receive Movement Speed reduction for 2.5 seconds.
If Vision of Empire hits an enemy Champion, Swain gains a Soul Fragment per Champion that was affected. He also gains vision over the Champions for the same duration of the Movement Speed reduction inflicted on each of them.
E – Nevermove
Fires demonic energy in a line towards a target direction, it then returns from where it was fired in the form of a hand. The wave travels past all enemies and deals Magic Damage to each of them. The hand, however, stops at the first enemy it hits. It deals additional Magic Damage and roots that unit and every other valid target right next to it.
R – Demonic Ascension
Swain gains a wide-ranged aura which slowly drains the life of all enemies in range. This inflicts Magic Damage to all enemies per second while he heals for a fraction of that. While in this state, R becomes Demonflare.
R – Demonflare
Swain releases a wave of dark energy which inflicts moderate Magic Damage against all nearby enemies. The amount inflicted increases by 75% of the health he has drained during Demonic Ascension.
Passive – Ravenous Flock
Swain can collect Soul Fragments. Each one permanently increases Swain’s maximum Health by 4-7%. The additions are doubled if he collected Soul Fragments while in Demonic Ascension mode.
Whenever an enemy Champion dies near Swain, they leave behind a Soul Fragment which is promptly collected by a raven for Swain.
Once every few seconds, Swain can rip the Soul Fragment out of a still-living Champion. Right-click on a rooted or stunned Champion, this causes a raven to fly right out of their chest with a Soul Fragment. The target is pulled a little closer to Swain and is inflicted by a weak Magic Damage.
Taliyah, the Stoneweaver
Region of Origin: Shurima
Race: Human
Taliyah is the Mage with the best capability to gank. She can block off paths or manipulate the ground to limit enemy movements. She helps the team by dividing the enemies or closing off escape routes. She does not benefit her allies with buffs like an Enchanter, though. Her increased stats are solely related to her own Movement Speed. This allows her to quickly visit lanes. Despite her wide-area coverage, she’s fairly easy to master. One only needs to mind their footing.
Q – Threaded Volley
Threaded Volley turns the surrounding soil into Worked Ground for a long time but not more than a minute longer.
Activate out of Worked Ground: Taliya turns the ground into Worked Ground as she summons three shards of rock to orbit her. She then hurls them one by one in a target direction. While this is happening, she is free to move and cast other abilities.
Activate inside Worked Ground: Taliyah only tosses one shard of rock at a target direction by Mana cost is only 1 point and cooldown is halved.
W – Seismic Shove
Taliyah causes a boulder to abruptly erupt at a target location. Effects are delayed by 1 second to allow recast. If the duration ended, Seismic Shove launches the enemies in the selected area airborne. If recast, Seismic Shove tosses the enemies towards a selected direction.
E – Unraveled Earth
Taliyah scatters 18 small boulders in a grid in front of her. Their initial appearance inflicts weak Magic Damage to enemies in the area and reduces their Movement Speed while in the area of effect. After 4 seconds, all remaining boulders explode and inflict Magic Damage to enemies in a short radius from each of them. Enemies that dash through or are knocked over towards the planted boulders immediately detonate the ones in their way.
R – Weaver’s Wall
Taliyah conjures a thick wall of rocks which swiftly generates from her location towards a target location. This will always reach maximum distance. Weaver’s Wall serves as an impassable terrain for both allies and enemies. Units caught by the emergence of the wall are knocked to the sides but won’t take damage.
Before Taliyah releases the ‘wall’, she channels for 1 second. During this time, R can be reactivated which makes her surf along with the wall’s creation from beginning until the end. Press R again to hop off towards the cursor’s direction. Taliyah will be forced off the wall if she takes damage from any source.
Weaver’s Wall lasts for 5 seconds starting from the moment it reaches maximum range. Within that time, recast R to immediately collapse the wall.
Passive – Rock Surfing
Talyah enters Rock Surfin mode whenever she is near terrain and structures. During this state, she gains bonus Movement Speed but gradually slows down when she hasn’t touched a wall for a split second. Rock Surfing cannot be triggered until 2 seconds after Taliyah has left combat.
Viktor, the Machine Herald
Region of Origin: Zaun
Race: Human Cyborg
If you are looking for a fairly simple, yet versatile Champion with good damage and survival, then try one of the leading masters of techmaturgy. Viktor has the same limits in Movement Speed as Swain but he does not possess his reconnaissance ability. What Viktor does have are tools which perform the basics of a good laner. He has a shield, an AoE slow and stun, and two AoE damage dealers. His main feature involves ‘improving’ the quality of these so-called ‘basics’ with minor tweaks that can change his gameplay around mid-game.
Q – Siphon Power
Viktor grants himself a shield which lasts for 2.5 seconds, inflicts Magic Damage to a target enemy, then grants his next Basic Attack with Discharge for 3.5 seconds. An attack with Discharge inflicts bonus Magic Damage which may scale with Attack Damage rather than Ability Power.
Augment – Turbo Charge: Siphon Power also grants Viktor Bonus Movement Speed. Shield Strength is also increased.
W – Gravity Field
Deploys a large contraption at a target area which arms itself in a moment then remains for 4 seconds. Enemies who pass over the machine lose Movement Speed while in it. While under its effects, each enemy generates a stack every half a second. At stack 3, they are stunned for 1.5 seconds.
Augment – Magnetize: Viktor’s other abilities reduce targets’ Movement Speed for 1 second.
E – Death Ray
Viktor’s synthetic arm shoots a laser that traces a line from one target point to another. This deals Magic Damage to each enemy hit.
Augment – Aftershock: The trace singed by the laser explodes shortly to deal more Magic Damage to enemies still standing on it.
R – Chaos Storm
Conjures an orb overhead which frequently shoots lightning at the wide radius below it. It stays in position for 6.5 seconds to tase every enemy unit below it. Recast R to move the orb towards another target location. If the orb hits an enemy Champion, it will continue to pursue it until the target dies or escapes its range of sight. Chaos Storm does not reveal brush and stealth. The orb has its own Movement Speed which is quicker than most Champions, but it loses speed the further away it is from Viktor. The orb cannot be targeted or disabled once deployed.
Augment – Perfect Storm: Chaos Storm moves 25% faster.
Passive – Glorious Evolution
Viktor begins the game with an unsellable item named ‘Prototype Hex Core’. This item improves Viktor’s Ability Power and maximum Mana, though benefits scale with his Champion Level. Each upgrade changes the name of the item and increases the Ability Power and Mana it provides.
This takes up a permanent slot in the inventory. Upgrades can be purchased in the shop and each time Prototype Hexcore is upgraded, he may invest an Evolution Point to augment one of his three basic abilities. His ultimate is automatically augmented after all of his other abilities are done the same.
Vladimir, the Crimson Reaper
Region of Origin: Noxus
Race: Human
If Lissandra is an oddball for being an anti-Assassin in the list of Champions who are generally vulnerable to that class, then Vladimir is an oddball for being a tank-based Champion in a list of really squishy people.
What is unique about Vladimir is how he benefits greatly from the bonus Health he has. His abilities use Health to activate so he does not have Mana. He also gains Ability Power by investing in Health items. Likewise, he also gains Health by investing in Ability Power items. In battle, he is best placed right in the middle of the enemy defences like a Vanguard.
Q – Transfusion
Vladimir literally takes blood away from a target enemy. This inflicts Magic Damage against the target while Vladimir restores a small amount of Health. After a successful Transfusion, Vladimir gains a stack of Bloodthirst. 1 stack takes time to form after the ability was cast. At 2 stacks, Vladimir enters Crimson Rush and gains a slight bonus Movement Speed for half a second.
Crimson Rush
The next Transfusion deals increased damage and restore more Health than a regular Transfusion. Crimson Rush only lasts for 2.5 seconds but it is paused when he enters stasis, intangible, or non-targetable. Pausing Crimson Rush buys the player time to cast Transfusion at a better moment.
W – Sanguine Pool
Vladimir submerges into a pool of blood that circles around in the soil for 2 seconds. He can still move around in this state. Enemies above the pool lose 40% Movement Speed and receive Magic Damage every split-second. Vladimir heals himself simultaneously for a small fraction of the damage Sanguine Pool is inflicting.
E – Tides of Blood
The first cast marks a wide radius surrounding Vladimir for 1.5 seconds then slightly slows him down. Recast E or wait for the duration to end to have Vladimir fire a volley of blood bolts in all directions. Each projectile inflicts damage to the first enemy unit in the way. If wind-up took 1 second before detonation, enemies hit by a projectile lose some Movement Speed for half a second. Tides of Blood can detonate immediately if Vladimir was silenced or stunned during wind-up.
R – Hemoplague
Washes a target area with red liquid which infects all enemies in the area for 4 seconds. The swirling red liquid remains in the area for the same duration to infect more enemies that walk by.
Enemies infected by Hemoplague take increased damage from any source. After 4 seconds, infections on each unit detonates to inflict moderate Magic Damage and heals Vladimir for each detonation that occurred.
Passive – Crimson Pact
Vladimir gains more Ability Power if he has more Health and vice versa. Both bonuses calculate the increase given by his items and do not stack with each other. Invest in either Ability Power or Health and you will still end up with a tanky Mage.
Artillery
Artillery is a Mages who will always try to poke and farm from a distance or nearby any kind of cover. They are usually paired with Wardens when a clash starts but those Champions will prioritize the Marksmen in other moments. They have great sustained damage using their abilities, but their really weak defence makes them poor choices for the jungle, hence they are always found in lanes. The turrets also provide optimal protection for Artillery Champions in the early game. However, a surprising gank can easily kill them so they require more frequent visits from the ally jungler.
Jayce, the Defender of Tomorrow
Region of Origin: Piltover
Race: Human
I just wrote about ‘keeping one’s distance’ and ‘hiding behind allies and turrets’ in the intro. However, the first Champion in the list is someone who can fight in close quarters. Jayce’s only long-ranged ability is Shock Blast, but the detonation radius, potential distance, and low Mana cost plus short cooldown made him perfect for this Class. He is a toolbox Champion who can take care of himself which is why he is often found in the top lane as a solo.
He can cover great distances and inflict sustained damage against a target while in a cannon stance. In hammer stance, he can blow away or smash down enemy Champions who get too close. Other times, he can charge himself. This allows him to switch tactics under any situation.
Passive – Hextech Capacitor
Jayce gains bonus Movement Speed and ability to phase through units for 1.25 seconds after switching stances.
R – Transform Mercury Cannon/Hammer
Transform Mercury ability is available at the start of the game. The first point may be invested in any either Q, W, or E. Casting R allows Jayce to actively switch between melee or ranged. Cooldown is fixed at 6 seconds.
Mercury Hammer
Jayce becomes a melee Champion and his Basic Attacks inflict bonus Magic Damage which scales with Attack Damage. While in this stance, he gains bonus Armour and Magic Resistance.
Q – To the Skies!
Jayce lunges at a target location and smashes the ground, inflicting Physical Damage to enemies in a small radius. Affected enemies lose Movement Speed for 2 seconds.
W – Lightning Field
Passive: Each of Jayce’s Basic Attacks restores his Mana.
Active: Release a dome of static electricity which inflicts Magic Damage per second on all enemies surrounding Jayce. Effects last for 4 seconds.
E – Thundering Blow
Jayce swings his hammer at a target enemy, inflicting Magic Damage and knocking them back for a short distance.
Vel’Koz, the Eye of the Void
Region of Origin: The Void
Race: Voidborn
Vel’Koz can inflict a continuous stream of damage from a safe distance. He’s like a big boss in a retro video game who stays behind protective barriers while he shoots the protagonists from a safe place. This time, you play the villain. Vel’Koz is nowhere near a cowardly evil, though. He is simply designed to bombard the area like a weapon. That is what Vel’Koz is in both lore and gameplay design, a living weapon.
Q – Plasma Fission
Fires a bolt of void energy towards a target direction then stops at the first enemy in the way. Plasma Fission can be reactivated mid-flight. If reactivated, upon collision, or after reaching the end of its range, the Plasma Fission projectile splits into two new projectiles that fire in the opposite direction to the sides. The new projectiles stop at the first enemies they hit and inflict the same amount of Magic Damage and Movement Speed reduction as the initial projectile.
W – Void Rift
Passive: Vel’Koz gains a charge of Void Rift every few seconds. Maximum charge is capped at 2.
Active: Splits a fissure on the ground which stretches in a line towards a target direction from Vel’Koz. The process of opening inflicts Magic Damage on enemies in the affected area. After a split-second, the fissure detonates to inflict more Magic Damage.
E – Tectonic Disruption
Vel’Koz disrupts a target area with void energy. Enemies caught in the impact are briefly revealed and suspended in the air for less than a second. If the target area is close to Vel’Koz, enemies are knocked a short distance away, instead. Affected enemies receive Magic Damage.
R – Life Form Disintegration Ray
Passive – Researched: Detonation of the Organic Deconstruction stack marks the unit with another stack called Researched lasting for 7 seconds. Basic Attacks and abilities from any unit refresh the duration.
Active: Vel’Koz fires a laser beam towards a target direction and maintains this for 2.5 seconds. Recast to deactivate anytime. While channelling, the laser beam follows where the cursor is so hover your pointer over enemies you wish to target.
Life Form Disintegration Ray inflicts Magic Damage per quarter of a second and every instance applies Organic Deconstruction stack. This deals True Damage, instead, against enemies marked with Researched.
Passive – Organic Deconstruction
Vel’Koz’s abilities apply Deconstruction stack on each enemy that was hit. Stacks limit is up to 3 and duration ends in 7 seconds. Vel’Koz’s Basic Attacks can refresh the duration of already existing stacks. The third stack applied immediately consumes all existing stacks. Doing so inflicts bonus True Damage on the afflicted uni.
Xerath, the Magus Ascendant
Region of Origin: Shurima
Race: Shuriman Ascended
Xerath is the face of the Artillery Class. If anyone asks about a Champion who has long-range and great damage, veterans will quickly point at Xerath. By his design, he was meant to be a stationary sniper. He severely lacks defence and mobility. Getting too close to any enemy spells ‘death’ for this Champion. However, he can rain down distant locations with magic blasts. You don’t need to look for enemies. Pay attention whether your allies are fighting somebody, move towards that direction, then poke their opponent with lightning.
Q – Arcanopulse
Xerath begins to channel an orb of energy over his head. He can move around and aim in any direction during the charge-up but his Movement Speed is limited and he can’t perform any other attacks. Charge lasts for 3 seconds and letting the duration end cancels Arcanopulse. Cancellation refunds half its Mana cost.
Press Q again during charge-up to fire a flash of lightning in a line towards a target direction. The amount of time spent in charge-up extends the range of Arcanopulse. Enemies caught in range receive Magic Damage.
W – Eye of Destruction
Charges a small target area for half a second then strikes it down with lightning. Enemies in the area of effect are inflicted by Magic Damage and 2-second Movement Speed reduction. Units closer to the centre of impact lose more Movement Speed for the same duration than those closer to the edge.
E – Shocking Orb
Hurls a ball of dark, condensed magic energy in a target direction. It collides with the first enemy on the way and inflicts them with weak Magic Damage and short-term stun. The duration of stun is extended by the distance the projectile travelled. The shortest duration is half a second while the longest is 2 seconds.
R – Rite of the Arcane
Xerath begins channelling on the spot for 10 seconds. During this time, Xerath gains ammunition for Arcane Barrage. Rite of the Arcane level 1 gives 3 ammunition and further ability point investment grants 1 more until a maximum of 5. Rite of the Arcane ends at the end of the duration, when ammunition is depleted, or when Xerath is given a command to move. Taking crowd control effects such as stuns and silence also cancels Rite of the Arcane.
While Rite of the Arcane is active, Xerath can lob an Arcane blast at a target area in a distance up to half the entire map. The blast reveals the area for half a second and inflicts severe Magic Damage on enemy units in the impact area.
Passive – Mana Surge
Every 12 seconds, Xerath’s next Basic Attack restores some of his Mana.
Ziggs, the Hexplosives Expert
Region of Origin: Born in Bandle City but lives in Zaun
Race: Yordle
If Xerath has long-ranged but focused areas of effects, Ziggs has wide area coverage. Ziggs spends the early part of the game trying to explode wide areas from a distance. All he will ever do in the match is inflict damage against numerous enemies, similar to a marksman, but with better wave clear. Thus, he is often found in the bottom lane. By mid-game, his ultimate can bombard a great distance and inflict massive damage on numerous units at once. The only drawback is that his abilities, while broad, are easy to avoid and react to.
Q – Bouncing Bomb
Ziggs hurl a bomb at a target location which explodes on impact with an enemy unit or a wall. If it touches the ground, it bounces further up to twice until it collides with a valid target or reaching its max range. The explosion inflicts moderate Magic Damage against enemies.
W – Satchel Charge
Hurls a bag of explosives at a target spot. The small area around it is revealed to Ziggs and allies until it explodes in 4 seconds or detonated by reactivating W. Satchel Charge knocks back and inflicts Magic Damage to all enemies caught within its short range.
If Ziggs is caught in the blast radius, Satchel Charge blasts him away at upwards and at a fair distance enough to leap over walls.
Satchel Charge can instantly demolish a turret if it exploded on the target structure with less than a quarter of its maximum Health.
E – Hexplosive Minefield
Ziggs scatters a handful of small bombs in a target area which lingers up to 10 seconds. Enemy units detonate each bomb they walk on and receive weak Magic Damage and Movement Speed reduction per instance.
R – Mega Inferno Bomb
Ziggs can lob a huge nuke at a distant target area. The targetable location can be as far as half the map and the area of effect is wide. The bomb can take time until it reaches its destination. In the meantime, the area is revealed to Ziggs and his allies.
Passive – Short Fuse
Every 12 seconds, Zigg’s Basic Attacks inflict bonus Magic Damage against enemy units. Effects are doubled against structures.