Many people find Annie too squishy to play. these people obviously have a more agressive style of play and should be using champions that fit their style. However, this guids should teach you how to play an effective Annie and carry a team with success.

For the rune build, I have chosen magic pen marks, flat armor yellows, increasing per level ap blues, and flat ap quints. Magic pen is good for Annie because people will buy a magic resist item to sheild themselves from the carry, and with the 15% magic pen mastery, Annie still hurts! Increasing blues are better for ap because they match the flat ap runes at level 6 (where Annie becomes deadly) but the flat ap quints arent matched until later levels. Lastly, flat armor yellows will allow you to take more damage early game from the ranged carry against you in mid.

For mastery pages, I use 9/0/21. This is to get the magic penetration from the offensive page, and the Summoner spell cooldown in the utility page. Also, notice how I am not using clarity, but rather exhaust. This works well while you are playing mid against a defensive player. Also, an Annie with clarity should be laughed at due to her disintegrate spell. This spell can be used to farm minions with no mana cost if you land the last hit on the minion.

Item Purchases: The Dorans Ring fits annie well at level 1 because of the mana regen for missed last hits on minions, but you could also get an amplifying tome for the start at the kages lucky pick. this item is neccisary for gold generation especially when trying to get a rabadons deathcap. I am a fan of the rod of ages over Rylai's Crystal Scepter because if you get the rod of ages early game, it matches the ability power of Rylai's, gives you mana, and gives you more health. The only thing is that you dont have the slow of Rylai's when you land a spell. Archangles staff gives you the mana regen you need, and some ability power based on your max mana which is always good. Rabadons is necessary for loads of ap, zhonyas for armor (and ap), and the abyssal scepter gives you your magic resist (with ap). Lastly, people will be piling on the magic resist if you are doing well, so a void staff is a nice finish to this build. You will at this point sell the kage's pick to purchase the void staff and you are still rolling through champions like nothing. Once you begin to get better with Annie, I suggest a mejai's soulstealer over any item of your choice to try for the 20 stack late game.

The skill sequence shows a clear dominance for the disintegrate spell, this is because it is used to farm minions with ease, and will have a high damage output early game. Once you hit level 6 is when you should be agressive with Annie. Tibbers is feared by all at level 6 because while somebody may try to fight tibbers, the bear will shred any level 6 champion. As for strategising, maintain Annie's stun (after 5 spell casts) for when a champion tries to dive you or simply moves up too far. Land your disintegrate for the stun, this will give you enough time to use your incinerate spell and land tibbers before then are out of stun. Most champions will flash away in fear, the rest you WILL kill. This strategy obviously works best while you are playing mid. Also, do not underestimate the E spell, molten sheild. It returns auto attack damage back to the enemy champion.

I have taken Flash and Exhaust for the 2 summoner spells. Some argue that exhaust is rediculous on Annie and clarity is better utilized. This is not true. The disintegrate spell costs nothing if you get the last hit on the target. Use this to farm! This prooved clatiry is not needed. Once you hit level 6, push the enemy champion from your turret with flash, stun them with disintegrate, use incinerate on them, then land tibbers. After this, exhaust them. This will pretty much garuntee you a kill at level 6.

Whilea team fight is raging, stay back! If you get in the middle of a few champions you will die. This is because you will be targetted. The best thing you can do for your team is get your stun, and wait until the enemy team is clumped together. Then you will launch tibbers in there and hopefully get 3 or 4 stunned enemies. after this, target their carry with disintegrate and incinerate.

Since the cooldown on disintegrate is very low, you can easily farm with it because Annies auto attack will not cut it. Make sure you are last hitting as many minions as you can with this spell, and save the stun for an enemy champion! You will be refunded the cost of casting the spell if the target is slain.