Anivia Build Guide by Dark Riolu

Laning Matchup ToC

• Akali
• Ezreal
• Fizz
• Karthus
• Kassadin
• Katarina
• Kayle
• Zilean

Introduction

Hi everyone, I've been playing League for a couple of years now, and the highest rank I've reached is Plat IV in Season 5 before taking a break and decaying back to Gold. I wanted to make a guide for Articuno Anivia because she's so strong, yet not very well known, and I feel that she deserves to be played more - and played right. I have been an Anivia main every season so far, and have often been promoted multiple divisions solely due to playing her. Whenever I'm tilted, playing a couple games with her always puts me back on track <3. I'm making this guide so that more people can have a champ that they feel comfortable playing while also being able to climb the Elo ladder. I haven't put in enough Ranked games to advance past Plat, but I have played hundreds of Anivia games in Ranked and out, and I've never stopped climbing with her. Read on for an in-depth guide on every aspect of Anivia, including my analysis of every champion I have laned against as her. Anivia is fun to play for beginners and really strong for the experts, so everyone should try her! Hope this information is inspiring and useful! :D

League Slang

Most League of Legends players will skip this section, but I want my guide to be for both beginners and pros, so I've defined some League-specific terms in the spoiler below. Within this guide, these terms will be linked back to this chapter, so click on any unfamiliar word/phrase and it may be explained here.

Pros and Cons

Pros Lots of CC Extreme burst Can get kills while being ganked Crystallize: Most versatile spell in the game Snowballs easily Excels in teamfights Can easily help teammates escape/chase Easy to gank with Long-range AoE damage Confidence-inducing passive Best skin in the game!!!

Cons No mobility Very mana-hungry Smart ganks will shut you down Crystallize: Easiest and most dangerous spell to mess up Getting behind can negate most of your impact in the game Hard CC and silence cancels Glacial Storm and delays Flash Frost detonation Long Flash Frost cooldown can leave you defenseless EXTREMELY difficult to farm with (in my opinion)

Note: Blackfrost Anivia is the only Anivia. B)

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Anivia is the queen of CC. She has an AoE stun that slows, an Aoe slow that applies constant damage, and a wall that can do things no other champ can (e.g. stopping Kog'Maw's Icathian Surprise or Olaf's Ragnarok). Her high burst can often result in a kill or two while being ganked, and Rebirth allows players to be less afraid of dying. This confidence leads to better plays, more kills, and fewer deaths - as we all know that playing scared results in a loss. Ganking is easy as well: Being in mid lane, Anivia can roam either Top or Bot at any time. When she gets there, Glacial Storm and the single-target Frostbite will do major damage. She can also use Flash Frost and Crystallize to prevent escape.

As much as I hate to admit it, Anivia does have her weaknesses. She's one of the slowest champions in the game, and lack of a blue buff will often leave you crying for mana. A good jungler won't let you delete them and will zone you off their Mid, which will lead to your death and can put you way behind. A poorly placed Crystallize can save enemies or give them kills, and missing Flash Frost during fights often results in a lost kill or your death.

Summoner Spells

Flash and Teleport are great Summoner Spells for Anivia. Flash is important for escaping or securing kills. Anivia is the least mobile champ in the game, so getting caught in unfavorable situations will almost always lead to death unless you can Flash out. It can also be good for flashing onto unsuspecting opponents to get a quick Glacial Storm + Frostbite combo off for an easy kill.

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After testing, Teleport has my highest recommendation for Anivia. When I choose it over Ignite, I'm actually able to CARRY instead of getting fed and falling just short of a win. I wouldn't use it in every situation, though; when my opponent is someone who will snowball if they get the first kill - like Zed] - I take ignite for insurance, especially if they can kill me in egg form. If you're comfortable fighting the other champ or they're difficult to kill even with Ignite, Teleport is highly preferred. Because mid turrets are closer to base than others, I don't use TP to get back to lane unless there's a huge minion wave. It's better to wait for game-making plays; saving your teammates while scooping up extra kills. Keep an eye on top and bot lane in case someone ganks them. If your laner isn't going to die in three seconds, Teleport behind the enemy. You can stun and take both (or all three) of them through good use of Glacial Storm and Frostbite, or at least deny them a kill. If the enemy retreats after seeing your Teleport, cancel it if they're too far to chase. You still saved a life or two, and TP goes on a reduced cooldown. Teleport is often used for split pushing. If your team's taking dragon, don't be afraid to push top. Make sure you have vision, but if the other team manages to ambush you, there is a chance of escaping. When the enemy comes in from all sides, Teleport to one of your turrets. If you die, your egg will continue to TP and you'll be reborn. Just remember that hard CC, along with snares and silence, will cancel your Teleport. Split pushing can sometimes prevent the enemy from realizing that the dragon's being taken, or it baits them into a fight inside the dragon pit. Teleport there when the fighting starts to provide huge amounts of surprise CC and damage. Try to delete their jungler to prevent the Smite steal.

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Ignite is recommended for beginner Anivia players, and against champs that may snowball off you. It's not just for offense, however. While I more often use it to finish someone off, it can turn the tables HUGELY in your favor. Lane opponent about to kill you? Flash Frost + Frostbite and Ignite them. Laugh as you sit there in egg form, watching the last of their health slowly tick away. You live and they don't, instead of the other way around. Got caught by their Jungler? Pick whichever opponent is easier to kill (probably the laner) and perform the same combo. Say bye-bye as you either Flash out or trigger Rebirth, forcing all but heavy AD Junglers to either retreat or eat the same thing - just when they were expecting scrambled eggs. Didn't get caught by their jungler? Heck, go in anyway. Their appearance will bait the enemy Mid into helping them out, leading to an easy Flash Frost stun as they walk straight towards you.

Runes

FullfAP/Magic Pen Runes might seem uncreative, but it's really the perfect set for Anivia. Her cooldowns are just about perfect - not spammable, but low enough to get kills. The only extra stats Anivia needs are Ability Power and mana, and Rod of Ages takes care of the mana problem. The scaling runes also make a bigger difference than I would have expected. These Seals and Glyphs give the same AP as flat runes at level 6 and 7, respectively. That's when Anivia's trading/kill ability spikes, and there's practically no difference beforehand. Late game, they do significantly more damage than the flat - you can really tell the difference.

Masteries

When setting up Masteries for Anivia, some are obvious choices, but I'll explain my picks for anything that could be ambiguous. Anivia is not meant to be aftanky champion - she's all about damage. Therefore, ignoring the Resolve branch is a pretty easy decision to make. In Ferocity, I chose Feast over Double Edged Sword because Anivia doesn't need any extra damage, and there's no reason to receive additional pain. However, 20 health restoration can be a boon in lane. I wouldn't even consider Vampirism , as Anivia has no need for spell vamp - only mana and damage. Oppressor vs. Bounty Hunter is more of a personal choice. Since your targets will always be slowed, Oppressor gives a permanent 2.5% damage increase. If you have trouble in lane or can win without the extra help, you probably want to think late game and roam to stack Bounty Hunter damage.

In Cunning, I wouldn't choose Savagery . I know it's hard to farm as Anivia, but that just means practice is required so you don't lean on Masteries for cs. I personally have a decent amount of trouble keeping up in my creep score, but I always say that Anivia farms champs, and that's usually how it goes. On the other hand, Anivia is one of the slowest champions out there. Period. Wanderer will prevent you from lagging behind, and allow you to get back to lane so you don't lose cs or experience. Being a mid-laner, Assassin is a free 2% damage boost, allowing you to snowball so that you're ready for teamfights. Unless you're overly conservative with mana, Meditation is a necessity. Merciless may seem attractive, but in reality: If your squishy lane opponent has less than 40% HP, they're either dead or out of range. I would only risk taking Merciless if the other Mid is tanky - but you'll still probably need Meditation to spam your spells against them.

The keystone for Anivia isn't completely obvious, but I would only recommend Thunderlord's Decree . Deathfire Touch seems like it should be viable - especially late game - but I haven't noticed it doing any extra damage, especially since most of Anivia's damage is Area of Effect. Thunderlord's Decree will proc if you hit your full Flash Frost + Frostbite combo, and if your Q only hits once,fAA to get the extra damage. Conversely, Deathfire Touch won't help you against nimble melee champs[/goto] that you need to harass (like Fizz), whereas Thunderlord's helps early game, and that's when you need kills to snowball.

Abilities

In this section, I'm going to explain exactly how Anivia's abilities work, including the specifics that most databases don't include. I'm also outlining combos and when/how to use each ability.

Rebirth. Anivia's passive. I love this passive way more than any other I've seen. Nothing to add to the description, except that I wish you could choose not to trigger it when you know you're dead either way. Good for fearless dueling, surviving when the enemy turret-dives, and lasting longer in teamfights. Especially good for baiting - since no one ever remembers what her passive is :p

Flash Frost - Anivia fires an ice chunk in a straight line. I'm quite sure that this is THE slowest skillshot in the game, and the actual detonation range is slightly less than indicated. Cannot be detonated at will if hard CC'd or silenced. Be careful using this, as it can easily be dodged and will leave you relatively defenseless. Great for free trades, stopping/turning on someone chasing you (or your teammate), or stealing dragon :). It's usually not worth it to use it at level 1, especially since it's so easy to dodge. Wait 'til you get Frostbite unless they're getting too close and you want them to back up. Hitting a squishy with this will allow you to use Frostbite and ult them, deleting half their HP. In teamfights, use it to peel for your ADC if the opposing team has a strong frontline. The better option is to shoot it straight towards their squishy carry, who won't see it because of all the chaos. Fly towards them and R + E to make it a 5 v 4.

Note: The carry will not quite die if you aren't decently fed. Nonetheless, this combo may still force them to retreat.

Crystallize... the infamous Wall. Has a huge variety of uses, most of which are almost impossible to pull off. The coolest thing to do is to put a wall in front of your Vayne or Poppy and have them get a stun off of it. Can be used to prevent escape or chasing. In the jungle, a well placed wall will make it completely impossible for units to pass without using an ability, while using it in lane will make the other Mid have to walk a little farther, as well as making their movements easier to predict. Additionally, it can:

• be used at an angle to trap opposing champions in a "V" making for easy pickings
• sandwich a champ between another wall rendering them completely immobile
• cancel an enemy's jump/dash
• separate one or two enemies from the rest of their team and set them up to be slaughtered
• block the path of an enemy at extreme range, allowing your team to catch them
• separate a melee enemy from you or your teammate, creating some breathing room
• be placed near the end of your ult to force the enemy to stay in it longer
• interrupt an enemy channel quickly even if far away
• push a hard-CC'd ally out of the way of a skillshot (yeah, good luck with that one)
• and of course, block in one of your teammates with the entire opposing team

As you can see, there are a ton of uses for Crystallize, but many of them are HARD to pull off. It will require practice to become a pro Waller; even so, doing these things correctly is intensely gratifying.
NOTE*** Your teammates WILL flame at you whenever you miss a wall. Just ignore them while they think that everyone's a robot and that everything they do is perfect (usually while feeding, of course). Remember that your wall is powerful and will help more often than hurt - or if not, now's the time to practice. Then, when they're in base, trap them in with Crystallize to stop them from feeding. :)

Tip: To make sure you don't help an enemy escape, constantly press W with your cursor just in front of them. That way, the wall will block their path if you catch up enough, and it won't go off behind them if you don't.

Frostbite: The most painful spell in the game. Just don't use it by itself. Does a ridiculous amount of damage which enemies often underestimate, and a quick Q or R + E will get rid of about half of a squishy's health, or more if you're fed. Use it on an unwitting ADC to 100-0 them before they realize that they should be scared of you. Remember that Anivia's Glacial Storm was nerfed and now only applies its slow for one second after they exit the vortex. Because of this, an enemy can jump away from your ult and it will take so long for Frostbite to reach them that it won't do double damage. This spell should almost never be used when an opponent hasn't been slowed by your Flash Frost or Glacial Storm, but there are certain opportunities. If a combo leaves your lane opponent with less than 200 health, follow them until your E comes up and use it with a couple of AA's. Also, because its cooldown is about half of Flash Frost's, it can be used in between Q's and still be up the next time you stun someone.

Glacial Storm has a long range and a large radius. It will be canceled if you move too far from the vortex. A blue exclamation point will appear over Anivia's head if you're almost too far away. Like Crystallize, it can be used to slow down a fleeing enemy who is already far away, and then 6 seconds later you can slow them again and get them into Flash Frost range. Keep in mind Zhonya's Hourglass will stop your ult, so plan for the loss of damage and CC - but better that than trigger Rebirth and have it ended anyway. Glacial Storm does damage and drains mana every half second, and can be ended immediately after one round of damage is done to do one more, even though it hasn't been a full half second. The extra damage won't take extra mana, so try to end it early every time to be conservative. This trick can be useful for last-hitting a minion before it's killed by something else, or to finish farming a smidgen before you could otherwise. Just know that you can't end Glacial Storm until after one second, so don't try using it to quickly last-hit a couple of minions if you're low on mana. Getting hard CC'd or using Zhonya's Hourglass will end your ult immediately, even before a second has passed. Glacial Storm can be canceled without interrupting recall.

Farming is hard with Anivia. Period. Post 6, I'll use my ult for 97% of CSing, and to push my minions under my opponent's turret to make them lose farm. If you have trouble in a lane, stay back and don't trade until level 6, then hit your adversary with a quick Glacial Storm + Frostbite for an easy trade with a huge amount of damage. When they try to respond, fire off Flash Frost in their face to prevent the retaliation. The cooldown for Glacial Storm is low, but it's not a toggle, and you must plan your usage accordingly. In teamfights, try to place it under as many enemy champs as possible, but don't always end it if they leave. Only try and change location if it's clear the whole fight is moving away from the initial spot and won't be coming back.

Items

Start with the basic build for any mage: Doran's Ring and Health Potions. Catalyst of Aeons is what you want next. The health makes it so you're not totally squishy, and the mana allows you to cast three or four extra spells in lane, while the passive gives sustain. The quicker you can get Rod of Ages, the quicker its passive stat boosts will start stacking. If you're facing a high AP opponent and they get an early kill on you, Chalice of Harmony might be your first item instead. The MR will make it so they can't kill you with one combo, and the mana regen makes your spells more spammable. Chalice sacrifices a whole lot of damage, so don't get it unless you're behind, and don't build it into the full Athene's Unholy Grail. On the other hand, Tear of the Goddess sucks early, but gives 166 AP when upgraded to Seraph's Embrace, not to mention plenty of mana. If you think the game's going to run longer than 30-35 minutes, Tear's a good buy early. Just make sure not to waste too much mana trying to charge it.

Next will either come Liandry's Torment or Zhonya's Hourglass. If you're not providing much damage and/or you're dying a lot, buy Zhonya's and rely on your teammates to win fights after the enemy blows every spell on you. Even if you're ahead you should grab it if they have assassins, and then you can keep your killing spree alive. If you're more fed than your teammates and only you can do anything (this happens reasonably often) buy Liandry's as quickly as you can and roam around, securing easy kills with your R + E + Q. Try to let your laners get the kills so they can get ahead. Not sure which one to buy? The default is Liandry's Torment. That's your damage item, and makes your enemies cry about 30% more than other items. The passive is super nice because your opponents are always slowed when you hit them.

When losing to an AD assassin (which is completely possible) Zhonya's Hourglass is a must. However, Rod of Ages is still more important. The extra health will let you survive their combo so you can farm safely when you have full health. If they get so far ahead that you think they can still kill you in one shot, delay Rod of Ages and rush that Zhonya's like your life depends on it.

Do make sure to buy Rod of Ages second in this case, then Liandry's Torment.

Playing Anivia

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Anivia is the worst at farming. EVER. If your opponent pushes their minions under your turret, you'll lose at least half of them. I know it's tempting, but don't rely on your spells to help you cs; your mana will be gone in two minutes. Use constant AA's to lower the health of the enemy minions so that you can finish them before they come under turret fire. If your adversary is melee, focus more on harassing them with AA's and keeping them off cs, simultaneously starving them of farm and preventing them from pushing. Anivia's low attack speed can make it difficult to be the one to kill a minion if you're constantly attacking it, so I just attack those with high health until one is ready to be finished. I also find farming at max range a little bit easier since the timing is consistent.

Always start the game with Flash Frost since it has both damage and CC, which neither of your other spells have; Frostbite needs Flash Frost to do real damage. Then get Frostbite and you can fight. If your opponent won't punish you for trading, try hitting them with a Q. Then follow up with E and an AA if needed to proc Thunderlord's Decree . Back off and they can't reply since they were stunned the entire time. One of these combos does approximately 1/2 of any squishy champion's health. That means that if they have less than half health, fly towards them so you can get close and land an easy Flash Frost. Use Frostbite and if they're low enough, hit them with Ignite and a couple AA's. If they still have a hundred health left, remember that your E does some damage on its own. Follow after them until Frostbite comes back up, then use it and AA's to get First Blood. Try to stay in lane until you hit level 6 and you can farm freely.

Once you get your ult, try not to back until you have at least 1200 gold for Catalyst of Aeons. If you're out of mana or low on health, just retreat and buy what you can - it's not worth staying in lane and dying while the enemy free farms... and then you won't get the gold anyway. Hit level 6, and unless your opponent is farming at range, now's the time to crush them. Get within Frostbite range and simply R + E. Half their health just went bye-bye. Feel free to keep Glacial Storm up as long as they're in it or end it to save mana. Neither option is inherently better than the other. If they're trying to retreat, using Crystallize in front of your enemy will make them have to walk even farther through your ult. Flash Frost will also be easier to hit once you see whether they go left or right. Even if they dodge it, that means more time spent in your ult.

Hitting 6 is also when it becomes far easier to roam. Beforehand, missing with Flash Frost would mean you provide no CC and do about 200 damage over the entire gank. Once you have your ult, use it to clear an entire minion wave mid, then roam while your opponent is trying to farm under turret and can't see that you left the lane. Go behind Baron or Dragon since there's almost guaranteed to be no wards - except maybe in the tri-grass, and if they see you at that point it's too late for them. Start off with Glacial Storm and Frostbite on the champ you want to kill first (if there are multiple). Then chase until your E comes back up, hit them with Flash Frost and finish 'em off with Frostbite. If needed, you can also put up Crystallize to slow them down or cut off an escape route. Try to let your laners have the kills so they can assist you during teamfights - unless they're so bad that they'll just waste them. When I'm at full health, I'll sometimes go through the jungle and behind the enemy's turret to dive them, even if there are no allied minions taking its aggro (this works especially well Bot). You're only going to take about three turret shots as you stroll along and go "oh look! A wild Jinx has appeared!" Dead. If R + E isn't enough to wipe them off the map, have your laner help you dive, or Ignite them and fly away.

If you're not feeding, grab the 3rd blue buff and on... or steal it from the other Mid :). You don't need help killing the Blue Sentinel, but if your jungler refuses to let you have it, you CAN live without it. Rod of Ages gives you enough mana to get by, but you'll still find yourself running out if you don't recall for a while. If convenient, explore the enemy jungle to see if their blue is up. Drop a ward outside (below the Blue Side's buff or above the Red Side's) to make sure no one sneaks up on you. It usually takes exactly five seconds to clear the camp, so you're safe if no one comes into view the first couple seconds.

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So, you've crushed your lane opponent and made two of the other team ragequit, and now you need to teamfight. Or maybe you didn't win lane - you can still destroy them all! If there's an enemy carry with no defense items, your job is to kill them. If their front line is not going to kill or hard CC you, shoot Flash Frost through the tanks to stun their ADC/APC right in the face, then walk a little closer and Glacial Storm + Frostbite + Ignite (if you have it) to make it a 5 v 4. More and more often ADC's and APC's are getting Sterak's Gage or Banshee's Veil, so this doesn't always work. If they have Banshee's, try to have someone on your team nullify its shield by poking before a fight starts. You can also beat the shield yourself if you hit it with your initial Flash Frost, and then reactivate it to stun them! After an engagement is made, stay back and peel for your carry while doing lots of damage yourself. Stay alive until the tanks are gone so you can clean up the real threats. Unless the tanks are stupid enough to walk right by you, in which case you can destroy the back line, making good use of Zhonya's Hourglass.

Try not to fight in the jungle since your team has no idea how you work. You'll put up a wall to cut off two enemy champs for easy pickings, then an ally will jump straight to the other carries and get crushed. Your team will often become separated and vision is low, neither of which is good for you. Communicate with your team to try and get a 5 v 5 by pushing one lane, or use Crystallize before the fight starts so that neither side can engage. Crystallize is useful in teamfights, but not for much more than making someone have to walk a bit farther, so it's ok if it's not up when a skirmish happens. Remember to put Glacial Storm under as many opponents as possible and only shut it off if you're pretty sure the fighting has moved away from that spot and won't be coming back. Definitely use Zhonya's Hourglass before your passive is proc'd, or you'll die before you get reborn. (Sometimes Zhonya's can be activated while in egg form... I'm not completely sure if this bug has been fixed.) As long as you trigger Zhonya's at a decent time, you shouldn't get egged until enough champs are dead that the survivors can't finish you off.

Laning Matchups

Alright, I've dedicated an entire chapter to each opponent Anivia might face. I've noticed on many other guides that the matchup section is incomplete, unhelpful, or just plain wrong. I've rated each champion on how hard it will be to win the game laning against them - not how hard it is to lane against them. Notice the distinction. If you crush a champ in lane but can't stop them from roaming, they can get their other lanes fed and make it difficult for you to carry. I will go in depth and discuss every possibility I can think of, including things like when to roam and what to do when being ganked (or how to avoid it).

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AP Ezreal isn't very prominent anymore, but I still see him here and there. Stay behind your minions since Ezreal's Mystic Shot will be blocked but your Flash Frost won't. Try to dodge his Essence Flux, which can hurt a bit with AP scaling. Feel free to try and land Flash Frost then hit with Frostbite; just make sure you don't run out of mana. Ezreal's Arcane Shift will make it easy for him to dodge your Q, but perhaps not all of it. If it hits him once but doesn't stun, still follow up with Frostbite and it will do double damage. Can't even seem to hit him once? Wait for him to use Arcane Shift before firing Flash Frost, or farm until 6 for a combo you can't miss. If Ezreal doesn't have Trueshot Barrage, he probably won't be able to kill you when Rebirth triggers. Keep your eyes out for his jungler, but otherwise you should be able to play without fear while his ult is down.

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I had a hard time giving Fizz a threat rating. As user HoboMcJoe pointed out, the skill of the other player strongly affects how scary Fizz is. On average I'd say he's a 7, but he can definitely be a 9 or 10 in the hands of some people. Use levels 1-5 to test how good the other player is; if they keep wasting Playful / Trickster or can't dodge Flash Frost, the lane should be pretty easy. If they destroy you pre-6, stay under tower, farm with your ult, and buy Zhonya's Hourglass quickly, maybe even before finishing Rod of Ages. A simple Null-Magic Mantle can also help you survive with just a tiny bit of HP.

Torture Fizz early game with autoattacks and DO NOT poke with Flash Frost, or he will simply jump over it and engage. I cannot emphasize this idea enough. That's why most Anivias fail against Fizz; if you wait to cast it until he engages you, you will win. Fizz will either get in range with his Playful / Trickster and use Urchin Strike, or try to get close and use Urchin Strike, then retreat with Playful / Trickster.

In the first scenario, watch where he will land and stun him with Flash Frost, then use Frostbite to destroy half his HP. Fly away so that he's forced to either retreat or Urchin Strike into your turret/minion wave. If Fizz engages with Urchin Strike then wait for him to use Playful / Trickster, stun him with Flash Frost, and use Frostbite. Even if he lands on top of you, you'll still do more damage and win the trade. If you're a skillful Anivia player or playing against a Fizz who's smart enough not to jump until you use Q, shoot your Flash Frost backwards when Fizz uses Urchin Strike. He will come out on the other side of you, so you can land a guaranteed stun + Frostbite. Killing him once or twice will put him behind and prevent him from taking you out even with a full combo until mid-game. Build Zhonya's Hourglass after Rod of Ages to prevent all damage from Chum the Waters and survive his attack.

The biggest problem for anyone laning against Fizz is his strong ability to roam and turret-dive. Make sure to ping MIA if you can't see him for three seconds or so. Unfortunately, there's not much more you can do - Fizz will destroy Anivia out of lane due to the constant damage of his Seastone Trident. You should usually just push lane and damage his tower while you can. Depending on the circumstances, you could roam the opposite direction and get your other laner a free kill if their opponent is pushing, or help them dive turret. You can also try to countergank or clean up after Fizz tries to dive your team, but make sure not to follow him too closely. If he sees you coming he WILL ambush and kill you. Either take a different route or follow him from a safe distance, making sure to know where he is at all times, and keeping an eye on whether he uses Playful / Trickster and/or Chum the Waters.

Make sure that your minions don't push or you'll be an easy target to gank. However, it's more likely that Fizz will be pushing, so don't be afraid to repeatedly AA so that you don't lose cs to your turret. Make sure to stay out of his Urchin Strike range while farming. If he then tries to zone you, use AA's at low levels or Glacial Storm post-6 to harass him and make him back off. If Fizz uses Urchin Strike on a minion to get close to you, just fly away. If he retreats, he just wasted mana. If he uses Playful / Trickster to jump on you, stun him and hit with Frostbite to win the trade. Always wait until Fizz jumps to use Flash Frost, never before. Stay under turret if you don't have Zhonya's Hourglass or enough health to survive his ult combo. Use R + E, and stay far enough away that he can't Urchin Strike you - then he'll be forced to jump. If he jumps away, Frostbite and Glacial Storm come up much faster than Playful / Trickster, so hit him with the same combo. If he jumps towards you, back off and look for a stun opportunity – like while he’s using his Urchin Strike.


**Tip** Using Crystallize under Fizz while he's performing Urchin Strike will cancel it, but this trick is unreliable and difficult to pull off.

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Karthus isn't usually difficult to lane against, but he's often annoying and boring. As with all champs that can practically farm from the other end of the lane, he should stay well out of Flash Frost range, while farming and poking with Lay Waste. If you risk going within his Defile, he can easily get away by slowing you with his Wall of Pain and hit you with a few Lay Wastes to boot. Pretty much the only thing to do is farm from a distance, but not getting kills can be dangerous for Anivia, as she's often a snowball champ. It's also hard to CS when Karthus can zone you with a hundred or two damage every second from a long way off.

Definitely take Teleport in this lane, as you won't be getting many kills. Even if you can kill him, he's so squishy that he'll almost always die without being Ignited. On a side note, if you take him out from close up and Death Defied is about to kill you AND Rebirth is up, you might be able to Flash out - or you can TP out guaranteed (as long as Karthus is the only one attacking you). As long as you start teleporting while alive, your egg will be whisked away to safety. More often, Teleport will be used for ganks and getting back to lane when Karthus pushes hard. The usual strategy is to farm as best you can for the first 5 levels, then wave-clear with Glacial Storm and roam. Karthus can clear just as quickly as you can, but at least he won't know for sure which way you're roaming - or even if you left lane at all. The biggest thing in this lane is to not stand around and farm all game. Karthus will probably out-cs you and he'll definitely get kills with his ult, so you need to keep up or get your laners ahead. You can cancel his ult with Flash Frost or Crystallize, so do that whenever possible. Keeping this in mind, if you get away with a small amount of hp, consider staying near karthus so that you can interrupt him if he ults you.

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I cri evrytiem I have to face Kass as Anivia. He's basically impossible to win against as he counters her kit in every way. He's never deletable thanks to his passive, Void Stone, which mitigates magic damage. Your only chance to get kills here is to hit a few Flash Frosts before he becomes level 6. Even then you won't always win trades, since he can use Null Sphere to both hurt you and shield him. After he gets Riftwalk, you can't do anything. He can blink out of any Q you throw at him, and if you're close enough to use Frostbite then you're close enough for him to kill you. Start off with Chalice of Harmony every time you go against a Kass that doesn't completely suck. You may even need Athene's Unholy Grail if his kill potential on you is high. Get Tear of the Goddess next so that you can be relevant late game. Always take Teleport since Ignite won't get you more than possibly one kill.

Null Sphere makes it even easier for him to kill you as it interrupts channels. Glacial Storm? Gone. You can't even TP away while Null Sphere is up. Besides Flashing under your tower, your only possible escape from Kass is to TP after he uses Null Sphere. He will still kill you, but your egg will continue to teleport and you'll be safe. Otherwise he's guaranteed to kill you twice in a row. You can't stop Kassadin from roaming, but make sure your team knows when he's missing, and preferably in what direction he went. If you can, the best strategy is to clear a wave with your ult and then roam yourself, but if he follows then you will die. Always be looking for good TP opportunities, keeping in mind that Kass will interrupt you if he can see you.

Basically just try not to feed, and don't feel too bad if Kass carries x.x

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Katarina may be a pain to play against, but Anivia is one of the best Mids to stop her from destroying your team. Laning against Kat will likely be annoying, but it shouldn't be dangerous. She doesn't have much of an advantage at level 1 with her Bouncing Blades, but trying to trade with her is often pointless, since Flash Frost won't do much damage even if you manage to hit her. At level 2 there should be no reason to trade. She can easily dodge Flash Frost with Shunpo, leaving you defenseless. She can also engage, and with the speed boost from sinister steel it will be hard to stun her even when she's right on top of you. This is definitely a 'farm until 6' lane. Stay away from her so that you don't eat too many [bouncing blades]] and can't be ganked. You shouldn't have to worry about her bursting you down, even if she has Ignite, since she'll get no resets when Rebirth kicks in and won't be able to kill you as Eggnivia.

Katarina may be used to a huge power spike when she hits 6, but she'll be brutally disappointed in this lane. She's a very nimble champion... except while ulting. You'll also be able to finally use Frostbite - and she can't dodge that. With Glacial Storm, you can easily zone Kat off of farm. Use the standard R + E combo and she'll be too low on health to CS. Try not to get hit by Bouncing Blades ricochets as she uses it to farm from a distance. Now what's she gonna do? Jump right to you and stand in place? If she engages and uses Death Lotus, just stun her. Ult + E and you can kill her unless she had nearly full health. Kat should be smart enough to not use Shunpo until Flash Frost is on cooldown. No biggie. Crystallize can't usually stop her from escaping, but it can certainly stop her channel! This is the key to winning games against Katarina. Anivia's Q is so slow that in teamfights, she'll have killed your ADC and jumped to someone else by the time it reaches the spot she used to be. However, Crystallize is long-ranged and immediate. You can be on the front lines and still be able to stop Kat if she manages to reach your squishies. Stopping her ult prevents Voracity from giving her resets and makes her an easy target, leading to an almost guaranteed win.

Katarina will often become frustrated in lane and make use of her strong ganking ability. Make sure to keep both sides of the river warded to see where she's going and to prevent ganks from enemies trying to snowball Kat. Unlike Fizz, Katarina has no CC and it's easy to follow her. Make sure to hold on to Flash Frost until her Shunpo is on CD, and you'll be able to kill her and her laners, or at least make them retreat. Remember that if she gets so fed that she can kill your carries without ulting, it will be nearly impossible to stop her. DON'T LET HER GET FED.

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It's pretty easy to beat an opponent that has to walk right at you to try and trade. I'll sometimes take Ignite to finish her off after she uses Intervention, but this lane is so easy it's better to bring Teleport for easy ganks across the map, especially since Kayle can't interrupt your TP. Unless she were to build tanky (tank Kayle? Really?), she'll never outscale Anivia, so there's no problem with leaving lane - just make sure to ping MIA if she leaves as well. In lane, when she comes for you, shoot Flash Frost straight at her. Quickly use Frostbite and back off before she can hit you with Reckoning. Kayle thrives in medium-length trades while you're a burst champ, so getting hit with a few Righteous Fury attacks will really hurt. If you miss Q then just back off, and hopefully the time it took Kayle to dodge will mean she can't catch up to you. If she does and hits you with Reckoning, Crystallize may be enough to stop her from getting off Righteous Fury, but only if she already used Divine Blessing. Don't worry too much about her killing you, as she will almost never be able to take out your egg, and you can stun her when you revive.

Level 6 is usually when Kayle gets an advantage, but not in this lane. She's anti-burst, but Anivia has DoT and CC - Kayle's two weaknesses. She can only ult once a minute or so, whereas you can use yours plus Frostbite every 6 seconds. If she's within range to trade, she's close enough to lose half of her health in half a second. If you stun her before she uses Intervention, place your ult and kill her with Frostbite before she can cast anything. If she ults first, stun her so that she can't do anything. Then, when she becomes vulnerable, Glacial Storm and Frostbite will be more than enough to out-trade her, if not kill her outright. Not to mention that Anivia is one of the only champs that can stop the dreaded Intervention + Ragnarok combo. (With Crystallize, I mean. But you knew that.
...Right?)

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#Neverdie. Well, at least you'll never die... Zilean will often die twice at a time. Zilean's bombs may be annoying, but Time Bomb is his only damaging spell. He'll need both bombs to have a chance at triggering your passive, and then he's got nothing. Even if he has CDR and can put a bomb or two on your egg, that won't be enough to kill you again. Since Zilean doesn't have any other sources of damage, there's no reason not to move towards him to dodge, essentially giving you four directions to avoid his bombs. Dodging towards him may also put you in Flash Frost range. You shouldn't have problems farming; just focus on dodging his bombs and looking for Flash Frost opportunities. It will be difficult to land because he can speed away by using Time Warp, but you don't have to worry about Flash Frost being on cooldown unless his jungler comes. To be safe, you should back off while it's on CD unless you have vision on both sides of your lane. After level 6 he's basically screwed. Try to get close enough for your Glacial Storm and Frostbite combo, or stand on his minions and deny him farm. Just don't constantly eat Time Bombs while you try to get close enough to use E. Zoning him may not be as good as killing him, but it's better than nothing. Even if you can't do that... Zilean's basically worthless unless he ults someone scary, and it doesn't matter how fed he is when he does that.

Zilean's speedup might make him difficult to hit with Flash Frost, so rely on your ult to chill him for Frostbite. Save your Q for when he uses Chronoshift on himself and dies. Cancel your ult if it's not still underneath him, time Flash Frost so that it hits him just when he comes back up, then use Frostbite and Glacial Storm. Zilean's so squishy that your full combo will often be enough to delete him. Remember that sometimes it's better not to kill him when he uses his ult; instead wait for it to run out before you deliver the final blow.

Other Possible Matchups

So as not to present any false information or bad tips, I'm including the champions I haven't played against recently in this section. I have a lot of insight about fighting these champs, but please don't hesitate to question any- and everything here!!!! Feedback on this section would also be great - I'd love to know about anything you think is incorrect or extra tips you may have!