Best AP Mid

[quote=GrandmasterD][quote=Temzilla] [quote=GrandmasterD] [quote=Djlynx] Xerath hands down. His range, crowd control and burst make him an excellent choice. His price sure is high though. (Don't forget his awsome dance moves and design) [/quote] I'm an avid Xerath player; in fact I main Xerath. Xerath gets shit on by [[Kassadin]] after level six, nothing you can do about it. Silence shuts Xerath down; completely! [/quote] How? Kassadin's R+Q is shorter range than Xerath's Q with W... [/quote] Kassa Q range = 650 Kassa R range = 700 ==================== + Total Range = 1350 Xerath Q Range = 900 Xerath W Incr. = 400 ==================== + Total Range = 1300 I don't see it :P. Also, Kassadin can also use his [[Force Pulse]] and as [[Xerath]] you might be able to pull off one [[Arcanopulse]] which is no were near Kassa's damage. Also, [[Kassadin]] does not die to [[Xerath]]'s burst due to [[Void Stone]] and the fact that Kassa just builds [[Rod Of Ages]]. Additionally, [[Null Sphere]]'s silence just shuts Xerath down completely. [[Locus Of Power]] cool down is higher than the cool down of Kassa's entire burst. I've played the matchup; it is unbearable.[/quote]

[quote=Lugignaf][quote=Temzilla] [quote=GrandmasterD] [quote=Djlynx] Xerath hands down. His range, crowd control and burst make him an excellent choice. His price sure is high though. (Don't forget his awsome dance moves and design) [/quote] I'm an avid Xerath player; in fact I main Xerath. Xerath gets shit on by [[Kassadin]] after level six, nothing you can do about it. Silence shuts Xerath down; completely! [/quote] How? Kassadin's R+Q is shorter range than Xerath's Q with W... [/quote] Free flash to dodge the ult, free flash to jump in and silence the rooted Xerath. Xer loses pretty bad IMO.[/quote]

[quote=GrandmasterD][quote=albableat] @GrandmasterD, how many people do you think would do that? It's a huge sacrifice, if you will look at broader picture. I mean, I usually play LeBlanc as solo top or at bot if I'm ever up against Talon in mid or I build tankblanc... All these are ways to outsmart the counter, but it's not a good choice, because besides that Talon, everyone on enemy team benefit because that Kass/LB can't do what they would normally do such as bursting people down. Isn't it clear? <.< [/quote] Yeah you do got a point right there; more people will do it once I release my guide :P. Nah the point of maxing out [[Rake]] is because you can deny kassa hard if you have range. If you have to walk towards him pretty much 80% of the time to deal damage, he is not gonna feel the denial that hard. Especially, if you play the matchups the way I do.[/quote]

[quote=Sept]a master swain can destroy anyone at mid in secs, period-[/quote]

[quote=Xaioli]I'm confused why there's so much discussion about Kassadin in a "best AP mid" thread. He's not terrible but he gets smashed by A LOT of champions. I never see him in ranked, "high elo" streams, hell even on that guy's "500 elo stream".[/quote]

[quote=CasterMaster][quote=Sept] a master swain can destroy anyone at mid in secs, period- [/quote] Make exceptions to [[galio]], [[fizz]] and a few others[/quote]

[quote=Lugignaf][quote=CasterMaster] [quote=Sept] a master swain can destroy anyone at mid in secs, period- [/quote] Make exceptions to [[galio]], [[fizz]] and a few others [/quote] Agreed. His counters are far and few but, he's certainly got them.[/quote]

[quote=CasterMaster][quote=Xaioli] I'm confused why there's so much discussion about Kassadin in a "best AP mid" thread. He's not terrible but he gets smashed by A LOT of champions. I never see him in ranked, "high elo" streams, hell even on that guy's "500 elo stream". [/quote] I've never seen a reason why [[kassadin]] was always banned. He is clearly not the best AP mid. In fact, he's only in par with other champions at level 6. All that makes him strong is his ability to burst and gank all lanes at once. [[sight ward]]s are enough to stop that. Being a strong anti-caster however, he lacks something that makes value; a [b]stun[/b]. I managed to randomly play against a [[kassadin]] as [[brand]] in a ranked game. Best way to shut him down was taking [[cleanse]]. The silence was deadly but I was able to [[cleanse]] out of it and kill him with my full combo. As for [[xerath]], [[kassadin]] is a known counter to him. Look at my current guides and how they revolve. [[xerath]] counters [[swain]], while [[swain]] deals with [[kassadin]] easily as much as [[kassadin]] deals with [[xerath]] easier then most. However, no amount of pure advantage comes from the champion themselves. It comes from [b]the person playing the champion[/b]. It matters not whether you get counter-picked (it obviously puts you at a disadvantage though) or not, if you can play sensibly and "better" than your lane opponent, you will be better regardless of items. Items are boosts. They help make your champion stronger (making you and your gameplay a lot stronger as well). However, with a supreme skill level, I'd say even if you played [[ahri]] with an [[archangel's staff]] versus an [[anivia]] who builds standard [[rod of ages]], skill will win. Items give advantage if bought right, but playing tactically and strategically is the way to win. (In other words, I could run a semi-legit build against a complete perfect build and still win due to overwhelming skill level and use of the champion even with items that may be 4 [[archangel's staff]] and a [[rabadon's deathcap]] VS [[rylai's crystal scepter]], [[zhonya's hourglass]], [[rabadon's deathcap]], [[deathfire grasp]] and whatever). For the answer of the best AP mid, there is none. There will never be a champion that is impossible to counter. With any luck, the player knows what they're doing, then that player will win the lane. This is my response.[/quote]

[quote=Xaioli][quote=CasterMaster] [quote=Xaioli] I'm confused why there's so much discussion about Kassadin in a "best AP mid" thread. He's not terrible but he gets smashed by A LOT of champions. I never see him in ranked, "high elo" streams, hell even on that guy's "500 elo stream". [/quote] I've never seen a reason why [[kassadin]] was always banned. He is clearly not the best AP mid. In fact, he's only in par with other champions at level 6. All that makes him strong is his ability to burst and gank all lanes at once. [[sight ward]]s are enough to stop that. Being a strong anti-caster however, he lacks something that makes value; a [b]stun[/b]. I managed to randomly play against a [[kassadin]] as [[brand]] in a ranked game. Best way to shut him down was taking [[cleanse]]. The silence was deadly but I was able to [[cleanse]] out of it and kill him with my full combo. [/quote] I like you. no homo.[/quote]

[quote=albableat][quote=GrandmasterD] Yeah you do got a point right there; more people will do it once I release my guide :P. Nah the point of maxing out [[Rake]] is because you can deny kassa hard if you have range. If you have to walk towards him pretty much 80% of the time to deal damage, he is not gonna feel the denial that hard. Especially, if you play the matchups the way I do. [/quote] Ummm, yes, theoretically, it's true. But [[rake]] is one of the easiest skillshots to dodge, honestly. The range is not that that large and it's quite predictable. + as I said, W is what makes for all those mana/getting ganked problems. Maybe it's more of my playstyle, but I prefer lane freezing over aggressive pushing while I'm in the lead. Both are methods of denial, one is for getting gank opportunities yourself, another one is for winning the lane completely, but leaves your opponent with an option to go out and try to gank. Kass, surely is a good ganker, but I'll quote Caster for the truth, [quote=castermaster]All that makes him strong is his ability to burst and gank all lanes at once. Sight Wards are enough to stop that.[/quote] So as long as other lanes do not have brain issues and ward the map, you're safe to freeze the lane even against Kass.[/quote]