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Cassiopeia Build Guide by Keondre

Cassiopeia - The Deadly Du Couteau Sister ❤

Cassiopeia - The Deadly Du Couteau Sister ❤

Updated on July 22, 2012
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31
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League of Legends Build Guide Author Keondre Build Guide By Keondre 31 7 40,782 Views 78 Comments
31 7 40,782 Views 78 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Keondre Cassiopeia Build Guide By Keondre Updated on July 22, 2012
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Spells:

LoL Summoner Spell: Ignite

Ignite

LoL Summoner Spell: Flash

Flash

Introduction

Introducing Cassiopeia! xD

Hello everyone! I am Keondre and I am going to explain Cassiopeia. She is the sister of Katarina. I personally think that they make a perfect combo for bot or top lane due to their ultimates. Cassiopeia uses Petrifying Gaze on them and then Katarina uses Shunpo to teleport in and uses Death Lotus. But other than double laning, Cassiopeia is the PERFECT mid-laner. She has amazing damage potential and has great burst damage. I really don't know why she isn't that popular. Cassiopeia will destroy anyone mid-lane, even Annie if you build Cassiopeia right!
A lot of people underestimate Cassiopeia's damage potential. She is capable of shutting down any AD carry. People that think that she isn't a very viable champion is wrong. She has amazing AoE damage and an awesome ultimate. I play mostly AP carries, but Cassiopeia is probably the most fun due to her damage. She can fill almost every role in a team. She is perfect for ranked. Her CC is amazing, and she can burst down almost everyone, all depending if they are fed or not. I've put a lot of effort into this guide so please like it. I am open to comments and critiques, just be gentle as this is my first guide :D!


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Pros/Cons


spaaaaaaace
Strong Pros


+ Amazing farmer!
+ Awesome AoE damage!
+ Perfect laning partner!
+ Extreme burst damage!
+ Fun to play!
+ She's a snake?!?! xD
+ Not very mana-dependant!
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Bloody Cons


- Very squishy... =(
- Focused in team fights
- Easily countered
- Not very noob-friendly
- Hard to master
- Gold dependant.
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Runes




  • Greater Quintessence of Ability Power: By using these quints, they will increase your damage immensely. These runes will add up to around 15 AP early game. That is equal to the damage of Doran's Ring. With other runes and masteries, at the beginning of the same, you would be at 46 AP.
  • Greater Mark of Magic Penetration: This is one rune that packs a HUGE punch. These will increase your burst damage all throughout the game, but it will mostly be noticeable early game.
  • Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power: These runes are amazing. It takes only about 5 levels to out-scale flat AP runes, so these are pretty good. They will help you throughout the game, the AP will be noticeable... believe me.
  • Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration: I cannot tell you how much I love these runes. These runes help you stay in lane longer. You won't be OOM as much as you would without it. You won't really need blue buff unless you are really aggressive and want to harass them as much as possible.



Pretty decent runes. You already get a lot of magic penetration from Sorcerer's Shoes and Greater Mark of Magic Penetration, but you can take these if you want more magic penetration. I don't take it because Greater Quintessence of Ability Power gives you ability power which is more helpful, IMO.

Amazing runes. Since you will be up against AP champions mostly, you will be taking a large amount of damage from their harass. This will reduce their damage a lot so these are helpful. I just prefer ability power per level, so get this if you want to reduce their damage. This prevents their harass from making you recall a lot.

More health. This will allow you to stay in lane more because you will have more health. You could just grab Ruby Crystal sometime and then build that into Philosopher's Stone to stay in lane more. Math time: 5.35 x 9 = 48.15 health. 48.15 is an abundant amount of health, so grab these runes if you feel that you are too squishy for your own good.




This is how your rune page should look like. The cost is at the bottom right hand corner. Note that these are the runes that I decided to take, which are the ones I recommended in this build. I actually took Greater Glyph of Ability Power because I prefer that, but Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power is better.
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Masteries




I am NOT going to go over every mastery, but just the ones I feel need to be mentioned.
  • Mental Force will give you 3 ability power. Helps you farm and do more harass. Can be replaced with Brute Force .
  • Sorcery is a perfect mastery for an AP carry. Who wouldn't mind some CDR?? CDR allows you to spam your moves more. More spam = more harass! CDR is perfect on any AP carry, even if your cooldowns are extremely low, like Lux's ultimate, Finales Funkeln.
  • Swiftness is an amazing mastery. Early game movement speed is very important. Movement speed allows you to chase enemies quicker, return to lane quicker, gank quicker, etc. They are just so useful that no one can live without it!
  • Expanded Mind is awesome. This adds more Mana. The more mana, the more abilities can be used.
  • Runic Affinity is an EXTREMELY helpful mastery. Runic Affinity gives you 20% more duration of buffs. This also means blue buff. The more duration on blue buff, the more spam, the more harass, the more damage, the more kills.
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Items



Item Sequence

Rylai's Crystal Scepter 2600
Will of the Ancients 2300
Rabadon's Deathcap 3600
Zhonya's Hourglass 3250
Banshee's Veil 3100

  • : These boots are perfect for Cassiopeia! It gives obviously movement speed, and magic penetration. Magic penetration is extremely noticeable, especially when you are spamming Twin Fang on an opponent. It will bring down their life faster then you can say PEEEAAANUUUTT BBBUUUTTTEEERRR!
  • : Will of the Ancients gives you a lot more sustain in lane. It provides spell vamp, which allows you to gain life back while using your abilities. Because Cassiopeia has Twin Fang, you will be full life in no time. I will explain more about spell vamp later on in the guide, this is just an introduction to Will of the Ancients.
  • : This item provides a lot of things that benefit an AP carry. Rylai's Crystal Scepter provides an awesome passive, health, and ability power. This also will make you a bit more beefy. Cassiopeia is so squishy, that she needs this extra health. You will get almost a PERMA-SLOW due to her abilities. Thanks JhoiJhoi for pointing this out.
  • : This hat looking thing increases your damage output by A LOT! Rabadon's Deathcap gives you 140 Ability Power. It's passive will increase your ability power by 30%. Every AP carry needs it, so I am not going to go more in-depth on this item.
  • : I think that Zhonya's Hourglass is a perfect item for any AP carry. This helps against really annoying AD carries, like Xin Zhao or Master Yi. This also helps you if someone used Ignite on you, and you are extremely low on health. You won't die because of Zhonya's Hourglass's active. It's active makes you invulnerable for 2 seconds, but unable to move at all. I cannot tell you how awesome this item is. It also makes you literally immune to Karthus's ultimate, Requiem!
  • : Love this item. Pretty cheap for the stats it provides. Banshee's Veil is a strong item against magic damage, but is most valued for its ability to prevent crowd control. As such it is highly recommended to build Banshee's Veil when you are being focused by crowd control effects, or when the enemy has initiation or pulling abillities like Enchanted Crystal Arrow and Rocket Grab. Really helpful against those fed AP carries or that Ashe that is focusing you. I'd say it is one of the best items available in the game. Really powerful against Varus and his ultimate, Chain of Corruption.
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Skill Explanation






Deadly Cadence: This is one hell of a passive. After casting a spell, any subsequent spellcasts will cost 10% less for 5 seconds. This stacks up to 5 times. For example, if you cast Noxious Blast, and then cast it again, it won't cost the same amount of mana as it would if you casted it for the first time. You can harass a lot while the passive is active, so take advantage of it while it is up. When you are 1v1ing someone, then you have a less chance of going OOM while 1v1ing them.



Noxious Blast: This is a high spammable ability, like Karthus' Q ability, Lay Waste. You can keep spamming it again and again because it has a low mana cost. It costs 35/45/55/65/75 mana. It deals 75/115/155/195/235 (+80% of current ability power). If you hit an enemy champion, you are granted a 15%/17.5%/20%/22.5%/25% movement speed buff.

Tips and Tricks
  • You can lead enemy champions to the blast to gain the movement speed buff.
  • When getting ganked, predict where the enemy champion will go next, and cast Noxious Blast there so you can get the movement speed buff to get away.
  • You can cast Noxious Blast from the opposite side of a wall to harass an opponent without them knowing where you are.



Miasma: Miasma is your farming bread and butter. You will be doing most of your farming with Miasma, in combination with Noxious Blast if your Miasma is Rank 1. Miasma is a damage over-time spell. It will do a lot of damage when casted in a team fight, so make sure to shoot it in the team fight to the SQUISHIEST champion. Cassiopeia releases a cloud of poison, lightly damaging and slowing any enemy that happens to pass through it. Cassiopeia releases a growing cloud of poison that lasts for 7 seconds. Any enemy that passes through it is poisoned for 2 seconds dealing 25/35/44/55/65 (+15% of current ability power). Continual exposure renews this poison. Miasma also slows enemy units by 15/20/25/30/35%.

Tips and Tricks
  • Take a point in Miasma early to increase your cs immensely.
  • Shoot Miasma in team fights on their ENTIRE team.
  • The slow stacks with Rylai's Crystal Scepter's passive, so make sure to make use of the slow when getting ganked.



Twin Fang: Cassiopeia deals 50/85/120/155/190 (+0.55) magic damage to her target. If the target is poisoned then Twin Fang's cooldown is reduced to 0.5 seconds. The refresh part is extremely useful. This will do a lot of damage if your enemy is stunned and poisoned. If they are, they are basically dead the moment they got double-****ed. Here as some Tips and Tricks on using Twin Fang.

Tips and Tricks



Petrifying Gaze: This ultimate is probably better than any other ultimate there is, IMO. Cassiopeia faces her opponents and deals 200/325/450 (+0.6 per ability power). If her opponent is facing her, they are stoned (stunned). If her opponent has their back turned to her, then they are just slowed, rather than stoned.
Tips and Tricks
  • Using Flash to blink in front of an enemy to proc the stone (stun), rather than the slow, is not very a predictable by opponents that aren't very familiar with Cassiopeia.
  • Use Petrifying Gaze in team fights to stone (stun) your opponents so your team can damage them.
  • Use Flash to blink over a wall, to an unsuspecting opponent. Use Petrifying Gaze and then finish them off with the rest of your combo.
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Noxious Blast first?




Description: After a brief delay, Cassiopeia blasts a small target area with an explosion of poison. All targets hit are poisoned and dealt magic damage over 3 seconds. Cassiopeia is granted a movement speed boost for 3 seconds if she hits a champion with this spell.

Statistics: Cost: 35 / 45 / 55 / 65 / 75 mana
Total Magic Damage: 75 / 115 / 155 / 195 / 235 (+0.8 per ability power)

Magic Damage Per Second: 25 / 38 / 52 / 65 / 78 (+0.27 per ability power)

Movement Speed Boost: 15 / 17.5 / 20 / 22.5 / 25%



Q. "Kat, why do you max Noxious Blast first?"


A. Cassiopeia gets a nice little movement speed so that helps a lot when you are getting ganked. Also, I grab this because it is really spammable. It is more spammable than Twin Fang, excluding the poison refresher.
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Situational Items




Situatuonal Items are items that can be bought to fit the current situation of your game. I am going to explain a lot of items that can be bought to help you live against AD Carries and other AP carries.


  • : This can be extremely useful against annoying AD carries like Master Yi or Vayne. This item gives you 100 armor. UNIQUE Passive: On being hit with basic attacks or abilities that apply on-hit affects, returns 30% as magic damage. This means they are basically killing themselves when they go against you.
  • : I personally LOVE this item. It is extremely useful against Master Yi when he has activated Highlander. The passive and aura on this item is awesome. Frozen Heart also gives you 99 armor and 500 mana. UNIQUE Passive: +20% CDR. UNIQUE Aura: Reduces the attack speed of nearby enemies by 20%. I get this a lot, so I do recommend it. I only get it when the situation fits, that is.
  • : These boots can replace Sorcerer's Shoes. I get this when I am against a champion that does a lot of burst damage or a team that is heavy on CC. I always take these boots when I am against LeBlanc, Morgana, Anivia, Lux, Annie, Leona, Sejuani, Lulu, and Sion.
  • : I only get this item when the team is focusing me in team fights, which they mostly do because I am the AP carry, it comes with the job. I basically get this item like almost every 3 games. I get it almost every 3 games because usually in one of those 3, there is that ****head that wants to piss me off, and keeps on focusing. This makes Cassiopeia beffier, which she really needs. Rod of Ages provides enough health, IMO, to keep you alive in MOST games.
  • : Force of Nature is extremely helpful. It provides magic resistance, health regeneration, and movement speed. Magic resistance is always helpful if you are up against that fed Annie. The health regeneration comes in handy if you are defending your tower and you are low health, you will be back full health in no time xD! Hey, who doesn't want more movement speed? More movement speed = faster chases, faster ganks, return to lane faster, etc.
  • : Doesn't really need an explanation. The more CDR the more spam, the more harass, the more kills. Ionian Boots of Lucidity can also come in handy to reduce the cooldown of your summoner spells (I think it affects summoner spells). Like every other thing, the CDR has a cap, it caps at 40% CDR. Well get it if you want, I put it in here because it is possible to work with on Cassiopeia. It also reduces the CD on Twin Fang when it refreshes from poison, so that will come in handy when you are 1v1ing someone.
  • : I don't get Rod of Ages because it takes WAY TO LONG to build. In general, when you get Rylai's Crystal Scepter, you don't get Rod of Ages with it. This is very useful for lane sustain, and is bought by many Cassiopeia players. I personally think that this is only useful when you are up that really experienced Ahri, and you keep recalling because you are in dire need of health, mana, pots, etc. Get this if you want, whatever suites your fancy.
  • : Only get this item when you are doing EXTREMELY good. That means that your opponents suck hairy balls and can't even kill your AP Vayne (she has nothing that scales of off magic damage). Make sure that you don't die so you don't lose your stacks. You have to have at least 8 stacks for this item to be worth a slot.
  • : This is a very useful item. It gives you 70 AP, and 57 magic resistance, and an awesome aura. The aura reduces the magic resistance of nearby enemies by 20. Your support should get this, but you can get it too to help you in those 1v1 situations. Lower magic resistance means more danage from Twin Fang. Don't get this if you are getting Void Staff.
  • : This gives you 350 mana, 80 AP, 30 magic resistance, and a bonus of 7% movement speed. Lich Bane has an active that is extremely helpful, but mostly helpful on Orianna. Lich Bane's passive gives your next basic attack, after you use an ability, a bonus. Your next basic attack will do physical damage that is equal to your AP. There is always time for basic attacks between Twin Fangs.
  • : This item is extremely helpful if you are having trouble controlling your mana. Chalice of Harmony is also helpful if you are harassing your enemies HARD. Chalice of Harmony's passive gives you 1% Mana Regeneration for each 1% mana you are missing. This item also gives you a Magic Resistance boost, so it is very helpful on any AP carry, especially Cassiopeia. If your jungler is greedy and won't give you blue buff, definitely grab Chalice of Harmony.
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Summoner Spells




New Cassiopeia: Teleport + Flash
Experienced Cassiopeia: Ignite + Flash


New Cassiopeia explanation: I chose Teleport for a new Cassiopeia player because you will be needing to recall more to heal up and buy items. I don't recommend these for an experienced Cassiopeia player because you won't really need to be recalling a lot because you should be harassing your opponent, not vice versa. Obviously, you are going to need Flash to escape ganks, or close gaps between enemies, chase enemies, etc. When you feel like you are experienced enough, upgrade to the "Experienced Spells".

Experienced Cassiopeia explanation: I recommend Flash and Ignite because you are most likely going to be a bit more aggressive than new Cassiopeia players. If you are going to be more aggressive, like you should be, then grab these. If you are experienced, but play defensively, grab Teleport + Flash. If you are aggressive, then you are going to need these to combo them with a bit more burst with Ignite. Of course, Flash is a utility spell, so it can be used defensively and offensively.

*THE SPELLS CHOSEN ABOVE ARE FROM PERSONAL PREFERENCE!*



Viable Spells

Ignite: This is an awesome spell. It gives you that extra kick if you need it. For some reason, there is ALWAYS that one Orianna that gets away with 10 hp. This will ensure that they will die if they don't fall to your combo.
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Flash: This is an awesome spell. Even though it has been nerfed, it is still so useful. Flash is probably the most OP spell, behind only Ignite, IMO. By the way, "IMO" = In my Opinion, in-case you didn't know. Flash can be used offensively or defensively. One of the things that I love about Flash is that you can BLINK over walls!
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Teleport: This is very useful for any laner. I only take Teleport if the champion I am playing has an escape method, like Janna. All her abiities allow her to escape ganks, or anything else for that matter. Vayne can escape pretty easily because of Tumble, Condemn, and Final Hour, so I take Teleport with her if I feel the need to.

Maybe Spells

Heal: For some reason, I see some Cassiopeia's taking Heal. I personally only take this for the same reason as I take Teleport. Heal is so helpful when you are 1v1ing someone, and you need the extra health when you are losing the fight. I cannot tell you how many times I have towerdived and wished I had this spell. A very good choice to take, but I just don't like to take it as she has no escape methods.
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Ghost: This spell can be very useful. Ghost is a utility spell, so it helps a lot. Helps you chase down enemies, run away from enemies, or just simply use it as a last resort if you don't have Teleport or it's on cooldown, to return to your lane. I personally don't take Ghost unless I feel like it, sometimes I alternate between Flash and Ghost as they are very useful.
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Exhaust: This spell is extremely useful! I personally don't take it, that's why I put it in the "Maybe Category", but this is all just personal preference. Exhaust can be used offensively and defensively, just like Flash. If you get tower dived by Wukong with Cyclone, or being chased by Master Yi, Gangplank, Xin Zhao, etc. If you are getting chased by Master Yi, it won't slow his movement speed if he has Highlander on, but it will reduce the damage he does on you by 70%.
No, just no!

Clarity: I really don't feel like explaining, but Clarity is a waste of a slot, IMO. "Ohh, but Cassiopeia is so mana hungry, why shouldn't I take Clarity?" Well, for all of you that have those kinds of curious, but aggravating questions, here's your answer. From Doran's Ring, your masteries, and Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration, you will be able to spam your moves without going OOM.
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Promote: -.-". No, just no! Leave this for someone else to take. This is probably only useful for farming and pushing, but with Cassiopeia's abilities, you won't need Promote.
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Clairvoyance: No, just no, AGAIN! Leave this to your support. You don't need it, you just don't, don't you even THINK of taking Clairvoyance on an AP carry.
CAUTION

Okay, I am having some people annoying me about the spells. Remember, I am just explaining these spells from my preference. This is just because my play style, people have different play styles, but these spells I think are explained well enough so you know what to take, and what not to take. Take whatever you want to, just don't take the ones under the "NO, JUST NO!"
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Farming





Farming is easy with Cassiopeia. Just use Miasma on the caster minions and blast the caster minions with 1 Noxious Blast. That should get rid of them. Spam Noxious Blast on the melee minions after the caster minions are dead. This will allow you to get the most out of one wave. Because of Deadly Cadence, Doran's Ring, Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration, and Expanded Mind , you will be able to spam Noxious Blast. Try to get 150-200 creep kills by around 30 minutes. You should be farmed up by mid-late game. You probably will have the most cs. Farming is a breeze on Cassiopeia, just like it is on Orianna. You will be pushing EXTREMELY hard, try not to push too far, especially if they have a jungler, and especially if that jungler is Shaco, Rammus, or Nocturne. IMO, they are 3 of the strongest junglers, including Riven. But because Riven only has 2 ccs, you should be able to escape from the MS buff from Noxious Blast. Flash should always be on CD if you feel like you are going to get ganked. Miasma will be able to slow them, but not enough for you to slither away. Just farm up, push a bit, back off, then repeat this process. Alternatively, you can just last hit which is really easy. If you don't already know how to last hit, go into a custom game and try to last hit every minion.




The above photo illustrates the zones that are there when you are farming and pushing. With Cassiopeia's abilities, you will be pushing pretty hard. Make sure to stay within the "Relatively Safe" zone so you do not get ganked.
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Laning Opponents




Introduction: Okay everyone. I wanted to put up a section on who you will be most likely facing against mid-lane. These are just my personal experience on who you will be against. Enjoy this section :D!


Orianna


I am doing Orianna first because she is EXTREMELY powerful. She has a breeze farming, just like you. Just stay back, try and stay even with her in cs. She is very strong, ask for ganks when you see a successful gank being possible. Try and get your jungler to gank as soon as possible. If your jungler is Shaco or Rammus, try and get them to gank as soon as possible, more emphasized on those 2 junglers. Just try and avoid getting harassed by Command: Attack and Command: Dissonance.


Cassiopeia


Mirror laning isn't very difficult. Obviously you have the same ability ranges as the enemy Cassiopeia does. ALWAYS try to make her recall and you need to make sure that you stay ahead in cs. She has the same combo as you, so try and get more gold than her. Mirror laning isn't difficult, so just follow these guidelines and make sure to keep the enemy Cassiopeia from pushing too much.


Annie


Annie is soo annoying. Her passive, Pyromania, allows her to stun you every 5 stacks she gets. She will be getting these by last hitting minions with Disintegrate. Try to harass her as much to force her to recall. When she has Summon: Tibbers try to avoid getting stunned. Her combo starts with stunning you with Disintegrate, then leading into Incinerate, then Summon: Tibbers and then probably Ignite. You will be dead, if you aren't, fight back. Fight back starting with Petrifying Gaze then poison her with Noxious Blast AND Miasma. Then keep Twin Fanging her to death. Obviously you will spam Noxious Blast while she is stunned too, but Twin Fang is your main damage. Ignite her as well to maximize your damage. If you have Exhaust, Exhaust her to prevent her from getting away. Just farm up and use these tips.


Teemo


Teemo is a strong lane opponent. His harass is amazing because of Blinding Dart and Toxic Shot. The good thing is, is that Blinding Dart doesn't make you miss your abilities, but it does with basic attacks. Since you don't rely on basic attacks, you will be okay. Harass him as much as possible or get a gank from your jungler. Get Vision Wards and place them in the grass next to mid lane. I will show you where to ward later, just make sure to get Vision Wards so your teammates aren't caught sneaking in the grass by Noxious Trap, waiting for the right moment to gank. Remember, HARASS HARASS HARASS!


Ziggs


Ziggs has a superior range than you do. Try to dodge Bouncing Bomb as much as possible. If you are on EXTREMELY low health, he will probably throw Mega Inferno Bomb. This is where Flash comes in handy. Flash the hell out of the Mega Inferno Bomb's range. The good thing is that the Mega Inferno Bomb provides a warning sign before it hits the ground. Make sure that you are awake and aware of this, or you will feed this little *****. Make sure to make him recall as soon as possible.


Fiddlesticks


Fiddlesticks is completely annoying. Don't even waste your mana because he is just going to be back at full health with Bountiful Harvest. Only harass him when he is OOM. When he is OOM, he won't be able to gain his life back. Make sure to take advantage of this. Crowstorm can be really annoying. If he is MIA, make sure you have wards in the bushes. Fiddlesticks will use Crowstorm and if he isn't close enough, he will Flash in and use Reap, then Terrify, Bountiful Harvest, and probably Ignite if he has it. His passive, A Harmless Scarecrow reduces your magic resist by 10. Deadly passive, make sure just to stay back, farm, and get ganks from your jungler.


Sona Janna Lulu

Occasionally, you will meet those people that like to go mid lane with these 3. I personally LOVE going mid lane with these 3. They have high damage, and people underestimate them. I am going to explain each of them in the 3 paragraphs below. Sona and Janna will probably take Teleport and Clarity. I take these spells on them, but that's because they need it to stay in lane more. Lulu will probably take Flash and Ignite.

Sona: Sona is a strong mid laner, believe it or not, she is. Sona will be harassing you with Hymn of Valor. If she has casted Hymn of Valor three times, make sure to be aware if there is a blue thingy floating around her, like Annie's passive, Pyromania, when it has reached 5 stacks. Sona's passive is Power Chord. It gives an extra thingy to her abilities to make them even more OP. Power Chord doubles Hymn of Valor's damage when she shoots her basic attack to you. You WILL take a lot of damage from it. Harass her, but not too much, because she will just keep healing with Aria of Perseverance. If she is OOM, she will just use Clarity and keep healing. If you are low health, make sure you don't get caught with Crescendo, or you will be dead.

Janna: Janna has high damage. Her Howling Gale is completely OP because it increases in damage the longer it stays on the ground. You can dodge it pretty easily, but if she is in the bush, make sure to stay away from it. Howling Gale has a long range, so dodge it. Zephyr has high damage. If she has a lot of AP, it will take out like half of your life, so make sure that she doesn't get fed. I mean it seems like a fed Janna would be useless, but its not. Don't ever underestimate anyone, everyone, even "supports", can own you.

Lulu: Lulu is extremely OP. Glitterlance will be doing a lot of damage at Rank 1. At Rank 5, this will do A LOT MORE damage. Even her Help, Pix! will allow her to snipe you if you are low health. If she uses Whimsy, try your best to run away before she executes her full combo. Lulu will most likely start with Whimsy, then Help, Pix!, and then Glitterlance. If you are close to dying, she will probably Flash in front of you and use her ultimate, Wild Growth. This will prevent you from escaping. She will most likely Ignite you to make sure that you die. She will typically use Help, Pix! on a full life minion and then shoot Glitterlance to you. This is very predictable so when you see a shield around one of her minions, or owl eyes on one of yours, back off so Glitterlance won't hit you.

I personally play all 3 of them, and use these techniques. Counter them the way I explained. Make sure to dodge whatever they throw at you, and you will do fine.


Kennen


Kennen does a high amount of burst damage. Stay behind your minions and farm because he will be shooting Thundering Shurikens at you. They do a high amount of burst. If you aren't behind minions, make sure to try your best to dodge it. Lightning Rush gives him flat out more movement speed. Don't chase him because he will most likely just use Lightning Rush and then just run away. Lightning Rush allows him to mark you and your teammates in team fights. After he uses Lightning Rush on you, he will most likely use Electrical Surge, and then his ultimate, Slicing Maelstrom. If he is in the bushes, DO NOT FACE CHECK! Just don't do this. He will most likely use Slicing Maelstrom and kill you with his high-spammable moves. Make sure to ask for a gank from your jungler, and make him recall as soon as possible.


Karthus


Karthus has a high amount of burst damage. I recommend starting with Boots and 3 Health Potions. I will explain some starter item choices in the next section. I want you to start with Boots and Health Potions because of his Q ability, Lay Waste. He will constantly harass you with this, make sure you dodge them to the best of your ability. When he hits Level 6, make sure to tell your teammates so they know to stay above 400 health. Tell them when he hits Level 11, for the same reason. DO NOT FEED THIS *****! Just don't feed him, its a bad idea. I recommend getting Zhonya's Hourglass because of it's active. He can constantly harass you with Lay Waste because of his W ability, Defile. Defile's passive lets him get mana back if he kills an enemy unit. If he gets a gank from his jungler, make sure to Flash so you don't get caught by Wall of Pain because it does slow you, by 40/50/60/70/80%. Lay Waste is is exactly like Noxious Blast, so you should be able to dodge it. Just dodge Lay Waste and you will do fine.


Viktor


Viktor is so annoying! He will probably be able to kill you, but you should be able to kill him faster. The good thing is, is that his passive ( Evolving Technology) fills a slot in his inventory. Power Transfer allows him to damage you and take that damage and turn it into a shield. It does a lot of damage, so make sure to back off when he is walking towards you. His W ability, Gravity Field, slows you and then stuns you. Death Ray is an annoying spell. He will be able to poke you back and forth until he gets OOM. His ultimate, Chaos Storm, is a damage over-time spell. Viktor summons a storm to do damage to you, and it silences you. It deals a lot of damage when it is summoned, and when it is still on. Here is his usual combo: Gravity Field, Power Transfer, Death Ray, Chaos Storm, Ignite, and then he repeats starting with Power Transfer. Stay away from him and make sure to HARASS HARASS HARASS, and FARM FARM FARM. Force him to recall so you can push.

Caitlyn


Caitlyn will be able to kill you with basic attacks. The reason I put Zhonya's Hourglass is to help you against AD Carries, and annoying ultimates. Caitlyn's ultimate, Ace in the Hole, can be intercepted by an ally. If no ally is around to intercept the bullet, activate Zhonya's Hourglass when the bullet is shot. It will block it, and most likely save your tail, literally. If she is harassing you with Piltover Peacemaker, then stay behind minions because it does less damage the more targets it hits on the way to the end of it. She can "hop" over walls with 90 Caliber Net, so don't chase her unless you know you can get her. Prevent her from farming as much as possible. Even if you haven't fed her, she can get fed on minions. And a fed Caitlyn is a *****y Caitlyn. Stay ahead of her in CS when laning against her.


Fizz


This little slick fish will be able to evade your ultimate pretty easily. He can use Playful / Trickster to dodge anything. Fizz will be able to burst you down if you don't burst him down first. " Fizz is OP, I can't burst him down before he does me!" YES YOU CAN! Just do your basic combo, but if he gets you with Chum the Waters to begin his combo, you're screwed. If he starts with Chum the Waters he will just use Playful / Trickster to catch up to you, then activate Seastone Trident, use Urchin Strike, and most likely Ignite you. Don't even think of chasing this little ****er because he will be able to run away from you soo easily. If you get stuck in minions, he will just walk right through them because his passive ( Nimble Fighter) allows him to ignore unit collision. IF YOU FEED THIS LITTLE ****, YOU'RE SCREWED! Try to dodge Chum the Waters as it is a skill shot. If he doesn't get you, then you most likely won't die. Call your jungler to gank as soon as possible. Harass him and force him to recall so you and your jungler can push the turret.


Morgana


This little **** will get on your nerves. She can snare you with Dark Binding and then combo you. She has high burst damage, not as much as LeBlanc tho. Don't bother harassing her because her passive, Soul Siphon, gives her 35% spell vamp. She will mostly heal by spamming Tormented Shadow. Her combo: Dark Binding, Tormented Shadow, Soul Shackles (her ultimate), Black Shield, and then finally Ignite (If she has it). If she gets Will of the Ancients then don't even THINK about wasting mana on her. She will stay in lane the entire time, only going back for items. Get your jungler to gank as soon as possible, you can't make her recall, so just stay behind minions so she cant get you with Dark Binding.


Leblanc


This ***** will piss you the **** off. She will constantly harass you with Distortion and Sigil of Silence, and then teleport back by using Distortion again. She will burst you down faster then you can say *****, GET OFF MY ***! She will harass you mostly with Sigil of Silence, which is her primary damage ability, excluding her ultimate, Mimic. Just harass her, farm up, and get your jungler to gank as soon as they can. Consider grabbing Catalyst Protector or Giant's Belt early to keep you in lane more. If you can survive her burst, she is in dead water.


Lux


Okay, same with LeBlanc and Morgana. This little **** has more range than you, like Ziggs. She will harass you with Lucent Singularity and Light Binding. To dodge Light Binding stand behind AT LEAST 2 minions. You should start with Boots, and 3 Health Potions so you can dodge Lucent Singularity and her ultimate: Finales Funkeln. Don't chase her because she has a shield, her W ability, Prismatic Barrier. Don't tower dive her because she will just use Light Binding and snare you at the turret to die. Her combo: Light Binding, Lucent Singularity, Finales Funkeln, Prismatic Barrier, and then Ignite (IF she has it). Don't get your jungler to gank until top lane has been ganked at least 2 times because you should be able to kill Lux no problem. Just HARASS HARASS HARASS, and FARM FARM FARM. Force her to recall.


Anivia


Anivia has a lot of burst damage. I always take Mercury's Treads when I am against a *GOOD* Anivia. She has a high amount of CC with Flash Frost and Glacial Storm. Consider starting with Boots and 3 Health Potions so you can dodge Flash Frost. Anivia can burst you down easily. She will harass you with these 3 abilities: Flash Frost, Frostbite, and Glacial Storm. Her harass from levels 1-5: She will shoot Flash Frost, and if it hits/stuns you, she will throw Frostbite that does double damage if you are frosted, which you are. Harass from 6-18: She will throw down Glacial Storm to proc the frosted effect, then shoot Frost Bite to proc the double damage. NEVER EVER TOWER DIVE HER IF SHE HAS HER PASSIVE AVAILABLE TO HER! Her passive, Rebirth, will allow her to go into an egg, and come back to life if the egg isn't killed within 6 seconds. Only tower dive her if someone is tanking the turret for you, or you are sure you can kill the egg and live. Get your jungler to gank Anivia as soon as possible. Only harass her when Rebirth is on CD. Force her to recall so you and your jungler can push the turret.



READ THIS!

Okay, I have explained a lot of the mid laners you might encounter. I feel like I have talked to much in this section so go take a break and come read the rest of my guide after your break.




The above video shows you how to zone enemies and everything you need to know about zoning!
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Starting Items



Boots and 3 Health Potions
Doran's Ring
  • I start with Doran's Ring on mostly all of the AP carries I play. These provide everything an AP carry needs: Health, Mana Regeneration, and Ability Power (DUHH)! Well, now that I revamped and tested some stuff, it's better to start with Boots and 3x Health Potions.
Regrowth Pendant and 1 Health Potion
  • I only start with Regrowth Pendant and 1 Health Potion if I am for some reason solo top. I do think that ranged does better at solo top because they can farm easier than melee solos. She is a GOOD solo top laner, but she should be in mid. Cassiopeia can fill in most roles, so she can be placed at solo top. You can start with this even if you are mid lane. It's all just your personal preference, you can start with this if you feel like you need more sustain. Just build it into Philosopher's Stone and then into Shurelya's Battlesong (IF you don't want to sell Philosopher's Stone).
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Ability Ranges



Noxious Blast
Range: 850


Miasma
Range: 850


Twin Fang
Range: 700


Petrifying Gaze
Range: 850 ; Cone Angle ≈ 83 degrees
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Warding



Reasons to Ward:

  • Warding prevents ganks. If they have a jungler or someone MIA, then this is extra important.
  • Keeps jungle under YOUR team's control.
  • You can steal Dragon or Baron Nashor .



Vision Wards provide vision of The Stealth (i.e. Shaco, Evelynn, Twitch, etc.) This can come in handy if the enemy team has a stealth. "Why buy these when you can just buy an Oracle's Elixir?" Well, these will catch the stealth enemies more by surprise than having an Oracle's Elixir. Also, if you purchased an Oracle's Elixir, then the stealth enemy will tell his/her team to FOCUS YOU, so you can lose that Oracle's Elixir, as it is lost upon death. Don't be cheap, if they have a stealth, buy these. Don't buy Sight Ward because you don't want to spend more. Buy these, prevent ganks, prevent stealth, and WIN!


Sight Wards

These wards will come in handy, but not as much as Vision Wards do. These can be placed anywhere, but NEVER place a Sight Ward at Baron Nashor or Dragon. "Why?" you ask, well because the enemy team most likely placed a Sight Ward there. If you are getting Dragon or Baron Nashor, they can easily steal it from you. So place these only at the places I showed you to in the picture at the beginning of this section.


READ ME!

Most likely you will have your support (i.e. Janna, Sona, Soraka, etc.) buying the wards. Help them out by buying wards too. They don't have infinite gold to keep buying wards. If you don't have a support on your team, just buy the wards to help your team out. I'm sure someone else will be buying wards as well, but you can do the same. Supports ARE suppose to be buying the wards, but just be courteous and help them out. Don't be a ****head and let them buy all the wards. Try your best to help out your team, even if it means spending 75 gold or 125 gold.
Remember: HELP YOUR ****ING SUPPORTS!
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Closing Words




Thanks for taking a look at my guide. I worked really hard on it, so comments are appreciated. If you liked it, comment, and REP me please. This is my first guide, I tried to make it as professional as I could. Again, thanks for taking your time to read it. I hope this build works for you. It isn't for everyone, just for those who have the same play style as I do. I am going to be posting guides soon, so keep an eye out for them :D!
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Credits


I'd like to thank everyone who helped me.

List below:
  • Thanks to jhoijhoi for reviewing my guide, giving me her permission to use her guide on making guides which can be found here. I'd also like to thank her for the picture of the zones in mid lane which can be found in her Malevolent Morgana guide.
  • I'd like to thank CasterMaster for reviewing and helping me a lot with the introduction banner.
  • I'd like to thank albableat and Pluckin Penguin for their reviewing.
  • I'd like to thank Xaioli for helping me with the masteries and stuff. And her helpful review :D
  • I'd like to thank GrandMasterD for his review and tips.
  • I'd like to thank LaCorpse for the neon line dividers.
  • I'd like to thank A Chubby Baby for her review and her suggestions to my guide.
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Change Log

  • April 6, 2012 - Created guide.
  • April 8, 2012 - Added Chalice of Harmony to "Situational Items" section.
  • May 09, 2012 - Deleted pictures on photobucket / deleted spell vamp section so I can revamp it / Revamped Masteries and Items.
  • May 10, 2012 - Added chapter banners / Revamped credits section.
  • May 11, 2012 - Revamped Runes / Edited Abyssal Mask in the "Situational Items" section / Added "Noxious Blast?" section.
  • May 12, 2012 - Added zoning tutorial / added neon line dividers / Added optional runes and rune page picture.
  • May 13, 2012 - Edited Mejai's Soulstealer explanation / Removed Shurelya's Battlesong from the "Situational Items" section.
  • May 25, 2012 - Fixed some typos.
  • June 18, 2012 - Cleaned up the cheat sheet. / Redid the masteries / Redid the "Masteries" section.
  • July 22nd, 2012 - Fixed some coding errors in the "Summoner Spells" section.
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