The Laning Phase is a crucial part of the game. It is a core period that will serve as a setup for future events. The chances that you’ll win the game are greatly improved by doing well during the Laning Phase, so having the best Champions for it is a bonus.
That is where this list comes in, and it will help you understand the key Laning aspects of a Champion. We’ve spoken about the Laning Phase in two other lists. Namely, they are the best Laning Phase Supports and best Laning Phase ADCs.
If you’re an avid Bot Lane player, I highly suggest you check out those two lists as they contain some helpful information about Bot Laning Phase synergies.
With the introduction out of the way, let us begin with the 5 Best Laning Phase Mid Laners in League of Legends. (This list is in no particular order.)
1. Zed
Zed is one of the hardest Champions to deal with in the Lane, especially during the Assassin meta that has no end in sight. He is an energy-based Champion, meaning that he can poke and spam spells without it costing him too much.
The energy regenerates at a blazing fast rate, and there are even tools in his kit to speed the process up, making it abundant most of the time.
Zed has a ton of damage. It is high right off the bat and only gets stronger as the game goes on. His passive makes him one of the most satisfying Champions to Lane and farm with. The extra damage on low-health enemies turns farming into an afterthought. You will often see Zed players with insane CS by the time mid-game rolls around because of this powerful passive.
He has a lot of pokes and fighting capacities and is the best Assassin in the game (and the best Assassin Jungler.) This Champion goes beyond everything you’ve ever encountered, and it is fun to see him evolve with the meta.
I highly recommend you get on mastering Zed right now while the LP is still free with him.
2. Orianna
Orianna is among my favorite Mid Laners and, indeed, my favorite Mage. She has a great Laning Phase that will see her ramp up a lot of CS and even kills during it.
Orianna is a unique one because everything about her revolves around the ball she carries around. Her Q moves the thing about and serves as Orianna’s primary poke tool, together with her W.
She also has a great basic attack that does a lot of damage, allowing her to farm easily and even use it to poke a melee opponent if she happens to encounter one.
Her overall Laning Phase is straightforward and safe. It will revolve a lot around managing the ball’s position and poking your enemy to prepare for the level 6 all-in. After 6 you can begin roaming. Your wave clear will become a lot more powerful, allowing for often wave crashing.
Whatever your playstyle with Orianna, she’s a fantastic Champion that will only get stronger as the game goes on. In the Late Game, Orianna will become the deciding factor of team fights due to her incredible Ultimate ability, which you have to experience at least once in your life.
Also read: How To Counter Katarina
3. Katarina
Katarina is, like Zed, among the best Assassins in the game. Unlike Zed, though, she has no resource. Energy allows for a lot of ability spam, yes, but having no costs is a lot better, don’t you agree?
The sole fact that her spells cost nothing to use gives Katarina the ability to poke the enemy into oblivion right from level 1. She’ll mainly poke using her Q, a spell that becomes a real spammer during the Late Game.
Being a melee Champion, Katarina has a lot of dangers to face on the Mid Lane. Many Mid Lane Mages tend to be ranged, exposing Katarina to a lot of poking and harassing or even zoning if they manage to beat her at the start.
Katarina’s strong emphasis on roaming mitigates this, and she will be walking over to the Bot Lane before Laning has even ended. Picking up a few kills early on makes Katarina impossible to stop in the Late Game, as she has one of the strongest snowballs out there.
At any rate, she’s excellent on the Lane, no matter how you choose to play her. No two matches are the same, and your experience with her might differ.
I’d still play her, though, can’t go wrong with Kata.
4. Vex
Vex is the safest pick for a Mid Laner in the current patch. She can farm, poke, harass and do pretty much everything from a safe distance. There is no need for Vex to get any closer than she is, making her very hard to kill.
Her passive fills up slowly but surely, which eventually leads to a strong poke. Playing as a melee against Vex is impossible if she does everything right. Constantly dodging and evading her attacks is complex, and she will get you low enough for a full engagement after a few strong hits.
However, if she uses her spells too much, she’ll likely shove the Lane too far, and that’s the only downside to her playstyle. You can opt to farm with basic attacks exclusively, but you will miss out on poking the enemy laner with your otherwise powerful spells.
Roaming is a no-brainer with an Ultimate such as hers, and she will do it from the moment she hits level 6. The Laning Phase for Vex is just a time waste that she can’t wait to get out of, despite performing well within it.
She’s a real Late Game treat that everyone hates, and you should give her a spin to hate her even more.
Also read: Best Poison Champions in League of Legends
5. Annie
As one of the oldest Champions in the game, Annie is as simple as they get. Farming with her is straightforward. Using her Q, she can guarantee a minion hit, and her mana will be refunded. Repeat this process, and boom – you have an insane CS advantage over your opponent.
Once you stack up those 4 stacks, it’s time to divert that Q into the enemy Champion. The Q-W all-in at 4 stacks can do a ton of damage, making Annie one of the strongest level 2 all-ins. By the time you reach level 6 you’re going to be an insane burst damage caster that everyone will fear.
There is no player in the game that doesn’t know Annie and her bear Tibbers. I highly recommend avoiding these two when you see that purple bar filled up beneath her health bar. If she gets too close, well – let’s say you and Tibbers will be better acquainted.
Laning Phase, roaming, and the late game are Annie’s expertise. She can do it all and do it well, with lots of tools on her kit. I recommend trying her if you’re new to the Mid Lane, as she is very easy to play and learn.
Conclusion
As I’ve said at the beginning, the Laning Phase is a crucial part of the game that can determine the outcome by itself. Though there are exceptions to this rule, they are few, and having the right Champion to win the Laning Phase is paramount. The Victory screen and that positive LP increase are all we want to see, so be sure to study these lists well to ensure your success.
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