The best mid lane champions in League of Legends

These are the best mid laners in Patch 13.22.
Kassadin League of Legends
Image via Riot Games

Mid lane is one of the easiest roles to carry in League of Legends, mostly because you have easy access to any other part of the map and can dish out a lot of damage. Great mid laners can effectively roam into other lanes while keeping good pressure on their own mid lane opponent, and champions that excel at it are indispensable. 

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This list of top-tier champions can change depending on a number of things. Sometimes the meta shifts for no reason other than players’ tastes, but usually, it’s because of balance adjustments. It can be difficult to keep up with the flavor-of-the-month champs, so let us do it for you.

Here are our top mid laners for League’s Patch 13.22.

Best mid lane champions in League of Legends Patch 13.22

Orianna

Star Guardian Orianna
Star Guardian Orianna. Image via Riot Games

Pros

  • Buffed in past patches
  • Great teamfight carry potential with ultimate
  • Fares well in the most matchups

Cons

  • Relatively immobile
  • Not the easiest champion to pick up

Orianna has been a sleeper OP champion for the past few patches, having received a streak of buffs from the devs. Now that people have finally caught up on her potential, her play rate is steadily above the average five percent, increasing at the higher ends of the ranked ladder, according to U.GG. If you’re looking for a solid champion to play consistently, Orianna is definitely a pick you should consider.

Orianna item build

Orianna rune setup
Orianna rune setup. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Orianna is one of the few mid laners who bases her damage on a chain of small trades to gain advantages. With that in mind, run Summon Aery to increase the amount of damage the enemies are dealt each trade. It can also be useful defensively since Aery can also amplify the shield she receives whenever she casts her E, Command: Protect. 

Considering she chooses Sorcery as her primary tree, go for Manaflow Band, Transcendence, and Scorch for the minor runes. It’s the best combination that gives all the stats Orianna needs during the laning phase. 

For the secondary rune tree, Orianna players opt for Inspiration with Magical Footwear and Biscuit Delivery. They are standard rune choices for mid laners but if you don’t think you need the extra mana from the biscuits, you can get Cosmic Insight instead for lower cooldowns on the summoner spells. 

When it comes to her build, Luden’s Echo is her main Mythic item, followed by Archangel’s Staff and Shadowflame. The goal is to stack as much ability power and mana as possible, considering Orianna is a mana-intensive champion. Get two items between Zhonya’s Hourglass, Rabadon’s Deathcap, and Void staff to further increase her damage output. 

Ability priority

Orianna’s ability priority is always R>Q>W>E. Her Q, Command: Attack, is the main ability that allows her to quickly move the ball for trades and wave clearing. Since Command: Protect is a situational spell, max it last after her W, Command: Dissonance. Her ultimate, Command: Shockwave, should always be leveled up when possible. 

Game plan

When playing Orianna, your goal is to scale up while neutralizing the enemy’s aggression early on. Thanks to the strong wave clear, Orianna can guarantee lane priority in favorable matchups and avoid being pressured in tricky situations. The champion gains increasing power in the late-game teamfights and once she gets at least two items.

Stay in the backline and watch for your allies’ moments: be ready to follow up with your combos on engages and burst down the targets. A great trick is to always have the ball in the middle of the fight and move it constantly so that it becomes harder for the enemies to position around it. If you’re able to land consistent ultimates, you shouldn’t be far away from victory.

Sylas

Freljord Sylas. Image via Riot Games

Pros

  • Works well against most meta champions
  • Steals ultimates
  • One of the best mid lane carries 

Cons

  • Tough to master
  • Struggles against particular matchups 

With short-range mages like Orianna making it back to the meta, Sylas is also rising in popularity. Not only does the champion fare well during the laning phase thanks to his gap closers, but it can also hijack the powerful ultimates and use them to his own advantage. 

The champion is performing well above expectations, having over 52 percent at the highest Elos with a nearly 10 percent pick rate, according to U.GG

Sylas item build

Sylas rune setup
Sylas rune setup. Screenshot by Dot Esports

While Sylas has quite a few different rune setups, high Elo players have started using First Strike as his main keystone rune. This is because it allows him to generate more gold in the mid-game, create bigger gold leads and widen the item gap. As long as you can consistently proc the rune in games, you should run First Strike on Sylas. 

When it comes to the minor runes, he chooses the ones you see on most mid lane champions: Magical Footwear, Biscuit Delivery, and Cosmic Insight. Never change any of these, as it’s the most efficient combination from this rune tree.

For the secondary tree, go for Resolve with Second Wind and Unflinching. The former is incredibly valuable during the laning phase to survive incoming poke and harass, while Unflinching is strong in the teamfights when crowd controls will be applied. If enemies have little to no crowd controls, run Revitalize to maximize the healing instead.

Build-wise, Sylas always runs Everfrost as his Mythic item, but before that, he builds Ionian Boots of Lucidity for the increased ability haste. Everfrost works fantastically with his combos, as the root or slow from the item’s active makes it easier for him to chain up the other abilities.

On the other hand, though, the item gives less ability power compared to other Mythics so you want to make up the loss by doing Dark Seal and then upgrading it to Mejai’s Soulstealer. As long as you don’t die, you will guarantee yourself a big increase in ability power. Get Zhonya’s Hourglass after, as well as Rabadon’s Deathcap and Shadowflame. If the enemies are stacking a lot of magic resistance, swap one out for Void Staff to get extra magic penetration.

Ability priority

Sylas’ maxing order is always R>W>E>Q.  That said, you want to start with E, Abscond/Abduct,  because it can be great for potential level one invades and deals more damage than the other spells in early trades. After that, however, max in the correct order. 

Game plan

Sylas’ goal mainly depends on the matchup and what kind of role he needs to fulfill in the game. Generally speaking, Sylas should be able to win matchups where he can easily close the gap and fight the enemy. If that is not possible, stick to farming and find opportunities to roam and help your jungler invade or set up dives onto the side lanes. 

Thanks to the healing from his W, Sylas shines the most during the mid-game skirmishes, where he can also start stealing ultimates and using them to his own advantage. Ideally, you want to look for flanks and burst down the squishiest targets: play with the fog of war and find ways to get onto the backline. 

Syndra

Spirit Blossom Syndra splash art
Spirit Blossom Syndra. Image via Riot Games

Pros

  • Counters several meta champions.
  • Scales well in the late game.
  • Overall solid pick at all stages of the game.
  • Incredible burst damage.

Cons

  • Mechanically tough to master.
  • Reliant on landing abilities.
  • Doesn’t scale as well as other mages.

In a meta where front-to-back team fights are the way to go, control mages always rise up as crucial picks to have and Syndra is one of the best in this class. 

Her kit is designed specifically to counter most short and mid-range mages while offering multiple tools to deal absurd AoE damage in skirmishes. The champion is recording positive win rates across most Elos, with the numbers going above 51 percent at the top ranks of the ladder, according to U.GG. If you want to carry games as a mid laner, Syndra is a solid and consistent champion to count on.

Syndra Item build

Syndra rune setup
Syndra rune setup. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Syndra is a mage that scales particularly well into the late game. For that to happen, however, she needs both the stacks on her passive, as well as lots of gold to buy items and boost her stats. 

This means most Syndra players always run First Strike as her keystone rune from the Inspiration tree. Thanks to the gold-generating effect, she can speed up the scaling process without necessarily getting takedowns. All Syndra has to do is hit her abilities and deal as much as damage possible with every First Strike proc.

The minor runes are Magical Footwear, Minion Dematerializer, and Cosmic Insight. This combination of runes further improves Syndra’s economy since Magical Footwear prevents Syndra from spending 300 gold on boots while Minion Dematerializer allows her to get secure cannon minions. 

When it comes to the secondary tree, instead, take Transcendence and Gathering Storm for the additional ability haste and ability power. 

Syndra has a fairly standard build path compared to other mages. She always gets Luden’s Echo, followed by Sorcerer’s Shoes and Shadowflame. This trio of items ensures the best burst damage thanks to the magic penetration while also offering enough ability power.

Once she gets these three, move on to Rabadon’s Deathcap and Voidstaff to get the maximum damage output. If you’re well ahead of the pack, getting a Mejai’s Soulstealer early is a good way to extend your lead. Round off the build with a Zhonya’s Hourglass or Banshee’s Veil, depending on which resistances you need most. 

Ability priority

Syndra’s most efficient ability order is R>Q>W>E. The Q, Dark Sphere, is Syndra’s main source of damage to farm and harass the enemy laner. Moreover, the spheres are the core element of her kit since the other abilities are designed to manipulate them. Max W, Force of Will, second to lower its cooldown and increase the slow. Since E, Scatter the Weak, is a situational ability, max it last.

Game plan

Syndra’s game plan is fairly straightforward: Play safely during the laning phase and focus on hitting your spheres to proc First Strike and stack the passive. You have a good setup with Scatter the Weak so you can also set up ganks for your junglers. Otherwise, just wait for your level six to burst down the enemy with the ultimate. 

Syndra has a lot of wave clear so use it to your advantage to get lane priority and move first to skirmishes or objectives. During the fights, use your range to poke the enemies and find picks with the stun from your E. If you manage to catch someone one, blow him up with the rest of your combos. Ideally, you always want to stay close to the backline and block any incoming threat.

Keep up the poke and delay the start of fights: The more damage you will be able to deal, the harder it will be for the enemies to force an engage. 

Naafiri

League of Legends champion Naafiri as it appears in official splash art.
Naafiri classic skin. Image via Riot Games

Pros

  • Great all-in potential.
  • Spikes heavily in the mid-game.
  • Perfect to carry in solo queue.

Cons

  • Lacks crowd controls.
  • Weak early game.
  • Squishy.

Now that Naafiri has been out in League of Legends for four months, players have gotten used to her kit and started dominating solo queue games. Despite the repeated nerfs, including the latest one in Patch 13.17, she’s still holding strong in the mid lane boasting strong win rates according to stats site U.GG. If you’re looking for a good AD mid laner, she’s the one to go for now.

Naafiri item build

Naafiri rune setup
Naafiri rune setup. Screenshot by Dot Esports

There are two common rune setups for Naafiri, but the one that uses First Strike is more popular, as it allows her to generate more gold in the mid-game without necessarily getting kills. As long as she can consistently activate the rune, she’ll get more value than if she chose Electrocute. 

Remember the First Strike rune is abusable by champions that spike in the mid-game because of their high damage output, which means they’re able to generate more gold with each combo. The other runes from the Inspiration tree are fairly standard: Most champions in the game run Magical Footwear and Cosmic Insight, and Biscuit Delivery gives Naafiri extra sustain and mana in the laning phase. 

For the secondary rune tree, you have two choices: Sorcery with Transcendence and Gathering Storm or Treasure Hunter and Sudden Impact from the Domination tree. The latter is accessible earlier and helps you snowball, while Sorcery guarantees better scaling: choose based on your liking and matchup. 

When it comes to her build, Eclipse is her main Mythic item, with Black Cleaver and Serylda’s Grudge forming the core trio. This guarantees the highest amount of armor penetration, which leads to more damage output for Naafiri, and in turn, fuels her gold generation with First Strike. Finish off the build with two defensive items between Edge of Night, Guardian Angel, and Maw of Malmortius, depending on which you need most.

Ability priority

Naafiri’s ability priority is always R>Q>E>W. Her Q, Darkin Daggers, is her main harass and sustainability, giving her more health to survive the laning phase. After that, you max E, Eviscerate, for the higher AoE damage. Since W, Hounds’ Pursuit, is a situational single-target ability, max it last.

Game plan

When playing Naafiri in the mid lane, your goal is to wait for the right item completions and abuse her power spike as much as possible. Whether it’s picking up kills or getting several activations of First Strike, you want to farm gold and create an item advantage over your opponents.

With the additional stats and damage, you will be able to one-shot most squishy targets with one combo rotation. It can be highly beneficial to roam around the map and help your side lanes snowball if you have a lead.

As an assassin, your goal is to take down the enemy threats at the start of a fight. With that in mind, make sure to always play with the fog of war and look for potential flanks to surprise your foes. Since Naafiri’s dash can be easily stopped by enemies, don’t use it unless your target is completely isolated or you’re guaranteed to get the kill.

Kassadin

Cosmic Reaver Kassadin splash art
Cosmic Reaver Kassadin. Image via Riot Games

Pros

  • Impressive scaling, super strong after level 16.
  • Many building options.
  • Great both in split-pushing and teamfights.

Cons

  • Weak early game and can be shut down easily.
  • Tough to play against some champions.

Kassadin is one of the better-scaling mages in League. With his kit, players can shred through enemies’ health bars in the late game in seconds while being almost untouchable, thanks to his ultimate. Having said that, his scaling is balanced by his weak early game, so understanding how to get through that phase safely is key to having success on the champion.

Kassadin item build

Kassadin rune setup
Kassadin rune setup. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Kassadin’s gameplay relies on going in with his ultimate, unleashing the rest of his abilities, taking a step back for a while, and repeating all this over and over. Therefore, the best major rune for Kassadin is Electrocute, which allows him to deal additional adaptive damage once he hits a champion with three separate attacks or abilities. With that under your belt, you will be able to maximize your all-in potential.

Other runes that are worth picking from the Domination tree for Kassadin are Sudden Impact, Eyeball Collection, and Ultimate Hunter. The former increases Kassadin’s damage after he uses his ultimate, which is the basic mechanic of his kit. The other two runes are helpful in terms of maximizing Kassadin’s scaling potential. 

As far as the filler runes go, your best options would be Presence of Mind and Coup de Grace. With those two under your belt, you will have some additional, much-needed early mana and additional damage when finishing off the low-health targets. 

In terms of items, Kassadin should build Rod of Ages as his Mythic item, followed by Tear of the Goddess first so that he can stack it before purchasing Archangel’s Staff. Once you get these items under your belt, pick Zhonya’s Hourglass, Rabadon’s Deathcap, and Void Staff to get the highest damage output. If you need extra magic resistance, Lich Bane can be a great alternative. 

Ability priority

When it comes to abilities, Kassadin’s path is very simple: R>E>W>Q. Your goal is to maximize his damage. Force Pulse (E) is an AoE ability that deals admirable damage and slows down enemies, making it a perfect choice for early-game skirmishes and wave clearing. Down the line, it’s sensible to choose Nether Blade (W) since it restores mana and is helpful in solo encounters. 

Game plan

As Kassadin, your main and most important goal is to get to level 16. At the same time, you don’t want to fall immensely behind: if you reach that milestone minutes after your enemies do, you will still be too far behind.

In the early game, Kassadin players should just take the safe route. Simply clearing waves and gearing up is the most reasonable way of playing Kassadin in the first 20 minutes. Your damage isn’t high enough to go for many solo fights, and long cooldowns will make it hard for you to engage in neutral objective skirmishes. Furthermore, you don’t want to fall behind early, and due to your late-game potential, enemies will aim to take you down a bunch of times.

As you reach the late game, your gameplay should be simple. Go in, put your abilities to good use, get out, and repeat. Sometimes, though, there will be enemy team compositions that will make it hard for you to go in, especially those with many targeted CCs. In that case, try going around for some flanks and target enemy squishy targets.

Xerath

Dark Star Xerath splash art
Dark Star Xerath. Image via Riot Games

Pros

  • Longest-range mage in the meta.
  • Incredible scaling with First Strike.
  • AoE damage across his whole kit.

Cons

  • Highly immobile.
  • Struggles against particular matchups .

After being off the radar for several seasons, Xerath is back to dominate the ranked ladder with his arcane power. With the meta favoring mostly mid or short-range champions, Xerath is the perfect candidate to abuse them both during the laning phase and in team fights. 

Despite being a mechanically intensive champion due to his kit having so many skill shots, Xerath still boasts a positive win rate in most ranks according to U.GG. His ban rate has also gone up compared to the previous patch, proving most players have realized how annoyingly and powerful he is.  

Xerath Item build

Xerath rune setup
Xerath rune setup. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Unlike his support rune setup, Xerath wants to run First Strike in the mid-lane. This is because he can activate the rune on cooldown in most scenarios with his abilities, giving him a substantial gold lead even before the mid-game. The combos are fairly easy to hit, especially if you’re able to stun your target or apply a slow with his W, Eye of Destruction.

He uses minor runes that you see on most mid-lane champions: Magical Footwear, Biscuit Delivery, and Cosmic Insight. Never change any of these as it’s the most efficient combination from this rune tree.

For the secondary tree, opt for Sorcery with Manaflow Band and Scorch. The former further increases his mana pool, which always comes in handy for a champion built around spamming spells. Scorch, instead, increases his harass and poke damage during the laning phase and also synergizes with First Stirke when it procs. 

Build-wise, Xerath always runs Luden’s Echo as the main Mythic item, followed by a Dark Seal and Mejai’s Soulstealer. Unless the enemies have multiple threats to shut you down, Xerath will be able to pick up stacks left and right and gain additional ability power, which in turn fuels his damage. 

After that, get Shadowflame for the magic penetration and Rabadon’s Deathcap for the maximum ability power increase. Round off the build with Zhonya’s Hourglass or Void Staff, depending on whether you need defensive or more offensive stats.

Ability priority

Xerath’s maxing order is R>Q>W>E.  That said, you want to start with W, Eye of Destruction, because it deals more damage than Q at level one and it’s easier to hit. By using it at the start of the laning phase, you will gain a decent health advantage off the bat. After that, max his abilities in the above order. 

Game plan

Xerath’s goal is fairly straightforward: use the range advantage to bully out the enemy laner and farm as much gold as possible by hitting abilities. Once you get his first core items, you will deal significant damage and halve most enemies’ health bars with two casts of Q. Keep pressuring and poke enemies before the start of the fight. If they fall low, finish them off with your ultimate.

The most important thing when playing Xerath, however, is the positioning: it’s imperative that you don’t get caught and there are no enemy threats to shut you down when you cast your ultimate.


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Author
Davide Xu
Davide is a League expert with nearly 10 years of experience and knowledge. Once a young talent that wanted to go pro, he now enjoys talking about the game and competitive scene. @Dovi_X on Twitter