After my first Anivia build got trolled to death, I took a step back and made a few adjustments to the original guide. I ended up making a huge number of changes and basically have created a new guide. One that will replace the old and cover more details and be better all around. Basically this is a do-over of the first one.

NOTE: This is what I call a dynamic build (I still act on that).
Basically I will look read and evaluate any comments and if they hold merit, I will include it in my build. Example, I had multiple people make suggestions on the original build, so I still have those included and you will see a shout out to them.

Somethings are best left the way they are.
I still have provided answers to common questions.
1. Why this build?
I am an experienced Anivia player who has tried a large number of builds and would like to share what has worked best for me.

2. Why should I play Anivia?
Anivia is not for those who want an auto-win button. The easiest thing about Anivia you will find is picking her in the champion select. She can drop huge amounts of damage with two spells. can hit twice and can hit for double damage. Her is an amazing spell that can change the tide of any battle if used correctly.
In conclusion, Anivia is a high-skill cap champion who can dominate as a potent nuker.

3. Do I follow this build exactly as presented?
No, this is what I have found to work best for ME. This does not mean that it will work for everyone. I will provide alternatives that have also proven successful.

4. Nothing is set-and-stone. I am open to other ideas and critiques. I only have one rule, if you do see something you do not like, tell me what it is, why you hold your position and what solutions/alternatives you suggest. This also applies to concepts that you find strong in this build. Information is power and the more feedback I have the better guides I can make.

So lets begin. I am going to be covering a lot of ground, so I will assume most of you know the skills well enough to just need a refresher.


Skills

Q - Flash frost: Sends a slow-moving projectile in the direction of your cursor. Press Q after launch to make the projectile burst. Slows on impact and stuns if target is hit by burst. Will damage twice if the target is hit by the projectile then the burst.

W - Crystallize: Creates a wall at the desired location. Angle depends on relative position between you and the cursor.

E - Frost Bite: Sends a shard of ice at your target. If target is already affected by ice, will do double damage.

R - Glacial Storm: An AoE spell that deals damage per second and slows move and attack speed of anyone in it.

Rush Catalyst the Protector or
You will get the other item right after boots. The reason we get both is to make Anivia less dependent on always having blue buff. This will allow her to stay in lane until she can get the buff or until her build is finished.

Then get Kage's Lucky Pick. This will help you earn gold a bit quicker and it is needed for . Only get this item if you are doing well. If you find that you are too squishy, then you should opt out of .

Now get your . You may want to get a before upgrading your boots if you find that the laning phase is taking longer.

Now we get our first core item . If you got before upgrading boots, then you are good to go. If not, then you may want to buy , return to the battlefield and then buy .

Then comes . You already have items to help mana issues and you have some AP. Now we need some protection from smart players who focus you. Even if the enemy is not focusing you, is so helpful that I am ashamed that I did not include it in my original.

Now you have two choices if they are stacking MR or if they have less than 100 MR. You will get both at one point, so don't think it is a "only this or only that" choice.

The last item (learn to use it) is . I have found that this helps with tanks and cool down reduction. It is key that you use this when your target has full HP. This item is very controversial, so I have included a section with the logic behind it.

So not many casters will get and rightfully so. However I have found that in Anivia's case, it is worth it late game which is why I get it last.

Let's assume our target has 0 MR. Both items are affected exactly the same by MR so we can eliminate that variable. Both also have 15% CDR so we can eliminate that comparison.

Mejai's gives 20 AP + 8 per stack. So max it would give an additional 180 AP. Now let's say you have , the 180 AP is boosted by 30% to 234 AP. So with your abilities, and deal an additional 234 damage each if you are able to proc them twice. So with two skills, fully stacked mejai's will deal 468 additional damage.


The active deals 1/3 of the current target HP and provides 60 AP. Also remember that the damage increases by 3.5% for every 100 AP. Late game we have 400+ AP, so we add (4)3.5% = 14%, add it to 30% and we have a grand total of 44%. So lets assume on average most champions have 2k health. 2000 * 44% = 880 then add 60 more damage to both and . Total damage dealt would then be 940 magic damage to a target with 0 MR.

So based off damage alone, given the same builds, does more damage than .

The one thing that keeps me using DFG over Mejai's is the fact that you can't unstack DFG. Basically it's a permanent full-stacked mejai's that you have to use like a spell.

So if you haven't noticed, I have provided two builds. The second one is for a tankier Anivia and also provides an example of an alternative build.



The first two items listed can be replaced by any of the items in the second build. If you want more armor, trade for . The active from hourglass will provide your skills time to CD. Or if you want more MR, would be a nice addition. Also helps by lowering MR by a flat amount. Perfect for anyone not stacking MR above 100. If you want both, replace both and . Just be careful, VS will make sure you break everyone. It might not be wise to replace it.

If you want more AP, but still need some more bulk, will fill that nicely. Before it's buff, it was highly overrated. Now since it has the new passive, this is a wise investment if you want more bulk. It also helps be more effective.


Another option if you want higher AP is to keep
Catalyst the Protector until level 18. At this point it no longer is much use to you so you can sell it and buy another AP item. Radon has a good idea to substitute the item for Archangel Staff.

Suggestions are welcome! All I need is a good reason why you think XYZ item should be considered! These suggestions will go into the ITEM POSSIBILITIES section until fully tested and reviewed.




Item Possibilities

These are items that I have considered including in my build. However the ideas I have are still in the prototype stage and haven't fully been tested. Once I test them I will either place them in the alternatives list or leave them here.

Good if the enemy has heavy AD, might consider this over RoA or BV.

Kind of on the border with this. The majority of Anivia's skills already slow, but the extra HP boost is something to consider. I would be cautious with this, it's a lot of gold for a passive you basically already have.

Now this one I initially dropped completely. is basically a for attack. It would help survivability, but consider that has a very short CD at max level. This would allow you to auto-attack once, hit them with frost bite, drop your wall and glacial storm, stun them with flash frost and then hit them again with frost bite. Just a thought. It is fun against bots I will say that.

Compared to seals and marks, glyphs give the greatest AP boost.


You are one of (if not the) most mana hungry champions in the game. These runes will help your mana stay sustained.

Like glyphs, marks have the highest magic pen when compared to glyphs and seals. Since flat magic pen stacks (unlike which gives diminishing returns if stacked) I have 9 of them to make my spells early game hurt considerably more.

I know this doesn't give you the greatest AP possible, but flat AP is nice to have early game. It allows you to have strong spells without needing your first item AP booster like
or .

I love flash, most people use it as an escape mechanism, but I prefer to use it as a offensive maneuver. Flash in range of your glacial storm and throw down your wall. A great way to catch the enemy by surprise.

Minimum time spent losing experience and gold? Yes! The longer you lane the better, but the longer you lane and less time spent walking is even better. Late game it helps you be able to move around the map quicker.

Another useful skill early game, but not necessary if you play smart. If you have issues managing your mana, go for it.

I've seen it work, I have used it, just nice all around. I would trade teleport for this if I am in a 3v3.

Who doesn't like a skill that is the bane for DPS champions? Also include the fact that glacial storm drops attack and movement speed.

A common spell, helps with chasing and escaping.


After reviewing a fellow Anivia build, I suggested that he included some research in his guide. I gave him an example that I find you help in this area. So thanks to Rayjax for encouraging me to do some research on runes vs summoner spells. Go check it out sometime.

Level 1:
Clarity will give 190 mana every 153 seconds.
Seal of clarity would give you 27.54 mana in 153 seconds. (if you have 9)
S. of replenishment would give 112.914 mana in 153 seconds. (also if you have 9)

Level 9:
Clarity: 430 mana every 153 seconds
S. of clarity: 247.86 mana every 153 seconds
S. of replenishment: still 112.914 mana in 153 seconds

level 18:
Clarity: 700 mana every 153 seconds
S. of clarity: 495.72 mana every 153 seconds
See above for replen.

So it looks like clarity (the summoner spell) is better, but you are not going to be casting it every chance you get. So lets say you only use it every other 153 seconds cause you don't need it very often. Well then it is still better at low levels but then is much less effective late game.



Should I say it again? Sure. Suggestions are welcome! Just make sure you explain why you think XYZ summoner spell would work well.

Somethings are fine just as is. The only thing that is different about Anivia is her ult's initial mana cost.

First of all don't use your ult to farm until level 11. I am going to say this again below but just to make sure I get my point across, you ult is mana hungry. by rank 3 can clear all three of the mage minions if you can land the spell both times.

Practice last hitting. Anivia's auto-attack projectile speed is very slow. You will need to learn the timing of it to last hit effectively. Anivia's range also makes it a bit harder as you will need your attack to land within a specific time that your minions are attacking. Last hitting then takes extreme focus to do properly as you have to know which minion you will kill first and last and how quickly all the others are dieing.

There is still a lot you should not do as Anivia. This pretty much sums up the big issues. Same as before with one minor tweak on combo order.

First things first, this guide is not compatible with MacLaren's pro method of playing Anivia. Very few builds are so here's a video of a style that is NOT recommended for this build.

So apparently there is an unknown embedded type... so here is the link.
MacLaren's Pro Player Anivia Pro Guide Pro

Yes... I know all of you are truly disappointed. But we must move past this unfortunate lost.
The list of what not to do is pretty simple.

1. Do not let be the last spell you cast. It has a very short cool down and the sooner you cast it, the sooner you can cast it again. However make sure that the enemy has been hit by some other ice move. Also cast before you ult if you plan to use the E+R combo. This will ensure that you will get the double proc.

2. Don't waste mana early game. If you can use and get some minion kills and harass, go ahead. Don't use it to harass alone due to it being very simple to dodge.

3. Don't abuse your ult early game. When you hit level 6, it is very tempting to use . The only time when you should use it is when attacking an enemy champion, making an escape, or getting the last 1-2 hits on minions. At it's first level will spend more mana than it's worth farming a wave. If you are good with you will find that it can farm minions just fine by level 3-4.

4. Don't be in the front lines! Yes Anivia has her egg, but mid and late game it is very easy to kill. Stay in the rear of the team dropping spells. Early game this is more important than usual. You have negative armor until late game if you are egged. So if your team is dead and you get egged, expect to die.

5. If you have little or no mana, it would not be wise to avoid in a team fighting unless it is at a tower. One well placed wall or stun can stop a push.

6. Don't avoid blue buff! You are a caster, a very mana-hungry caster. If you don't have a jungle, have someone help you get blue buff early game. Mid-late game, try to always get blue buff if it's free. Extra mana regen and cool down reduction helps *insert some adverb that makes the buff seem very helpful*!

Should I... why not? Suggestions as to what NOT to do as Anivia are welcome! (We might get some funny things out of this)

This still hasn't changed. But I will by making it a new color!

TEAM WORK IS VITAL!! IT IS SO VITAL IN FACT THAT ALL OF THESE WORDS WILL BE IN CAPS TO STRESS THE POINT!
ANIVIA HAS A TENDENCY TO ONLY BE AS GOOD AS THE TEAM! SHE IS A TEAM RELIANT CHAMPION IN MOST CASES. IF YOUR TEAM FEEDS THEN DO NOT EXPECT TO BE CHANGING THE GAME ANYTIME SOON! IT CAN BE DONE HOWEVER BUT IT IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT!
KNOW HOW YOUR TEAM WORKS, ADAPT THEN ACT. IF YOUR TEAM TANK IS NERVOUS OF INITIATING, USE FLASH FROST TO STUN A TARGET OR TWO TO HELP THEM OUT. IF THE ENEMY TARGETS YOUR CARRY, HELP THEM OUT. YOUR WALL, ULT AND STUN WILL BE MOST WELCOME!

BE A POSITIVE FORCE FOR YOUR TEAM! I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY GAMES I LOST CAUSE TWO OF MY TEAMMATES WERE FIGHTING WITH EACH OTHER AS THE REST OF US WERE TRYING TO WIN A 3V5 TEAM FIGHT!

Anivia in a ranked game is a scary sight for both teams. She is one of the only champions who can truly kill your own allies with misplacement of .

The line between decent and good Anivia's is very hard to cross over. With the right skills you can effectively hold off 3-4 guys on your own as Anivia late game. However since it is ranked and the skill is much higher you must be on your best game as well.

is almost always a must. Many people in ranked know that Anivia can be a devastating mid. However Anivia is very simple to harass so you must play very carefully. If you have low health but you have enough money to buy your next item and is up, go ahead and recall and get your item then teleport back up.

The single most game changing skill at any champions disposal is Anivia's in my opinion. It can stop someone from running, can split an enemy team in half, give you the perfect set up for and provide a means for escape. Master this first and you will be loved by your team. I actually miss the bug where you could make a champion be stuck in your wall, I got quite good at doing it so it was basically to me a snare so then I can stun them with FF.

Stay in proper positioning. Ranked players are often much smarter than others and will focus you down if they get the chance. Do not give them that opportunity.

Take out high priority targets. These are targets that if left alone will rip your team apart. Members of these groups include (but not limited to)...
Yi
Tristana
Ashe
Sivir
Warwick
Corki
Akali
Annie
Other Anivias
Evelyn
Fiddlesticks
Jax (note: whenever you face an enemy Jax, kill him. His greatest weakness is the presence of a caster and will destroy anyone else that isn't.)
Katarina
Kennen (make sure you hit him from long range)
Malzahar
Miss Fortune
Pantheon
Teemo
Twisted Fate
Xin Zhao

Your combo for killing champions should be as follows,
E -> R -> Q -> W -> E
Then just wait for CD and repeat.

Also be careful for champions who have no problem in killing you. This includes anyone with an easy silence (Kassadin or LeBlanc) or ignore your damage until late game (magic tanks and specifically Olaf).

In conclusion, just play smart and you will do fine.

READ!! READ!! READ!! READ!! READ!!
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Like stated at the beginning, this is a DYNAMIC BUILD. So please post ideas and suggestions so that I may enhance the build to include those ideas. No build is the perfect build, hence why I want you to share your ideas.

I will be posting pictures and videos to make it easier to understand how I play her.
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READ!! READ!! READ!! READ!! READ!!