With the launch of their new show on Netflix, Arcane — League of Legends has seen an influx of new players, alongside returning ones.
With all these new players joining the game, it might be easy for them to get lost in the huge character roster. With every new champion, LoL surges closer to 200 in its roster. At the time of writing, the total list is 157. With all those champions, it can be easy to get lost, so in this article, we’ll look at some good champions to get you started. This article specifically will focus on the MID role.
For a full Beginner’s Guide, see our guide here. We’ve also got a Support guide here and ADC here.
The mid laner is the go-to carry for the team. Often played by the most important damage dealing champions, mid laners will be an end game threat and an early game nuisance. While mid laners can be AD or AP, 90% of mid lane champions are AP, though we’ll focus on at least one AD champion below.
- Control – can keep the mid lane secure, using their pressure to control the game
- Carry – similar to the ADC hyper carry, the carry will be key to your end game
- Roam – A mid that’s best suited to leaving lane to assist others
- Attack Damage pick – Attack Damage mid laners are normally melee, and can help carry the AD threat if you have too many AP options.
Yasuo is a significant champion in LoL, and even had his own short film (shown above)
Control – Anivia
While not played as much as she used to be, Anivia is one of the very best champions at controlling the lane. From her stun + damage combo to her wall that can block off escapes, Anivia can turn the mid-lane, into the mid-alley with ease. Pair this off with her ultimate which slows and damages enemies, and she can add wave clear to her control, making her one of the best champions at this role.
Carry – Katarina
One of the most dominant mid lane carries in the game, once Katarina is able to get going she can become unstoppable. As an Assassin, she excels at taking down weaker targets, primarily ganking the enemy bottom lane. With a powerful kit, based on getting quick kills and resetting her abilities, Katarina is able to snowball an early lead and carry her team with her.
Roam – Twisted Fate
Roaming mid laners are best used when they leave their lane to gank other lanes. In the case of Twisted Fate, this comes at level 6 when his ultimate allows him to quickly get to any other lane and impact. The key to this style of mid laner is playing safe until level 6, then using your power to outnumber the enemy in their lane. This is especially useful if you head to the bottom lane, where a 3v2 can dish out incredible damage.
Support/Utility – Lulu
A role that’s appeared in recent seasons of LoL, the idea of other lanes carrying, and letting your mid laner be a support has gained traction. Lulu has been the most common in this area, normally used when you want your jungler to be the carry. There was a moment in the past when Lulu would actually give up her lane to her jungler, allowing them to snowball. Lulu’s kit is perfectly suited for the role, with her ability to shield her allies and polymorph her enemies, she can turn a fight in her team’s favour.
A utility mid will cause you to lose out on the kill pressure of a more offensive mid. The main advantage you get from a support champion in the mid lane is the speed in which they can afford their items, unlike when they play in the bot lane.
Attack Damage pick – Yasuo
Normally a risky pick, and often used to counter other AD picks, there’s really only one type of AD champion, and that’s the assassin. Yasuo is one of the better options in this role, while his playstyle takes some getting used to, he’s a very slippery mid laner to deal with, and with his Wind Wall ability, he can fair nicely against ranged mid laners. Yasuo players need to play around his power spikes, firstly his level 6 ultimate spike, then when you build your first item. Yasuo can easily snowball the game, though he’s an “all-in” champion, so be careful when, and who you engage with.
Honourable Highlights:
Mid lane isn’t like any of the other roles, in that, almost any champion can viably go mid. Below, we’ll list a few other champions you can look at. It’s important to remember that, mid lane is generally considered your team’s main carry, so making sure not to lose your lane is key.
Control – Annie, Lux, Orianna, Veigar
Carry – Cassiopeia, Kennan, Viktor, Ziggs
Roam – Galio, Talon, Aurelion Sol, Zed
Support/Utility – Morgana, Karma, Zilean
Attack Damage – Corki, Zed, Pantheon, Talon
You can find full character descriptions and ability breakdowns on the official League of Legends page.
