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Runes:











+1-10% CDR (lvls 1-18)
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+8 Magic Resist
Spells:

Flash

Ghost
Items
Ability Order
Threats & Synergies






Cassiopeia



My in-game name is snu***z and I've been playing league since season 2. I'm currently in Platinum Elo on the NA server, but I will be in Diamond very soon ;)
I've haven't played a ridiculous amount of Ryze mid in the past, but I've watched many challenger level solo que games (link to challenger Ryze game), and read all the good Ryze guides on Mobafire and decided I should make a guide of my own and share the insights I've picked up from playing and what I've learned from others.
The reason I love Ryze mid is because he has a lot of carry potential due to his insane damage per second and pick potential with his ultimate. There's a reason why Ryze is so often banned in pro play.
My mission with this guide is to cover the most important bits of information that will help you succeed when playing Ryze mid. The early, mid, and late game sections will tell you exactly what you should be doing at all points during the game in order to win.
Let's get on with the rest of the guide!
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"Ryze was just a young apprentice when he first learned of the arcane powers that had shaped the world."
"His master, a sorcerer named Tyrus of Helia, was a member of an ancient order whose mission had been to gather and protect the most dangerous artifacts in Runeterra. Ryze overheard Tyrus speaking in hushed tones with another mage, discussing something called “World Runes.” When Tyrus noticed his apprentice, he abruptly ended the conversation, tightly clutching the scroll that never left his side."
"In spite of the order’s best efforts, knowledge of the Runes began to spread—few could even begin to understand their importance, or the sheer power held within them, and yet all saw them as weapons that could be turned against their rivals. Ryze and Tyrus traveled between the various peoples of Valoran, trying to quell paranoia and encourage restraint. But over time, their missions became increasingly precarious, and Ryze could sense his master’s growing desperation. Finally, in the Noxii territories where Ryze was born, the first cataclysmic blow was struck in what would eventually be known as the Rune Wars."
"Two nations were pitted against one another, and tensions were running high. Tyrus pleaded with their leaders in parley at the village of Khom, but he saw this conflict had already escalated beyond his ability to mediate. Fleeing into the hills, he and Ryze bore horrified witness to the destructive power of the World Runes firsthand."
"The earth fell away beneath them, the bedrock itself seeming to retch and squeal, while the sky above them recoiled as if mortally wounded. They looked back upon the valley where the rival armies had stood, and beheld insanity—destruction on a scale so massive that it defied all physical sense. The buildings, the people, all were gone, and the ocean, once a day’s journey to the east, now rushed to meet them."
"Ryze fell to his knees and stared into the great hole torn in the world. Nothing remained. Not even the village he once called home."
"Open warfare soon raged across Runeterra. Ryze felt compelled to join the conflict, to pick a side and lend his magical strength to the cause, but Tyrus stayed his hand. The two of them had to guide others back toward peace, and pray there was anything left of the world by the time it was all over."
"Wherever they met those who held the World Runes, Tyrus pleaded for restraint. Many were deeply sobered by the threat of total annihilation—indeed, those who had already suffered most bitterly in the war might have agreed to turn over their Runes to him, and yet none of them wished to be the first to do so."
"As time passed and the conflict spread, Ryze noticed his master growing more distant. While Tyrus attended clandestine meetings with great leaders and archmages, he sent his apprentice on errands that seemed of little importance, often for many weeks at a time. Eventually, Ryze decided to confront him and, to his horror, discovered that Tyrus of Helia had secretly come into possession of not one Rune, but two."
"Bitter and angry, the older mage insisted that common mortals were like reckless children, toying with powers they did not understand. He would no longer play diplomat to ignorant power-mongers. He had to stop them. Ryze tried to reason with Tyrus, but it was no use—before him stood a flawed man, susceptible to the same temptations as those he decried. The allure of the Runes had left its mark upon him. Where once he desired only peace, now he had the means to bring about the end of all things. Ryze had to act, even if it meant destroying his only true friend and ally in the world."
"In an instant, he unleashed all the magic he could muster. A moment later, Tyrus’s corpse lay smoldering on the floor."
"Ryze trembled as his mind struggled to process what he had done. If these deadly artifacts could corrupt a mage with the strength and integrity of Tyrus, how was Ryze to handle them? At the same time, he knew he could not entrust them to any other living soul..."
"Soon, the greatest civilizations all but destroyed one another, ending the war. Ryze now understood the task he had inherited—as long as any World Rune remained unsecured, Runeterra was surely doomed. This knowledge was to become a lonely burden indeed, for ever since that day he has scoured the world in search of the last remaining Runes. He continues to reject the promise of power within each one, choosing instead to bind them in secret locations, far from prying and greedy eyes."
"Even with his life abnormally prolonged by the magic he is exposed to, Ryze cannot afford to rest, for rumors of the World Runes have begun to emerge once more, and the peoples of Runeterra seem to have forgotten the price of wielding them."
https://lol.gamepedia.com/Ryze
Pros
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+ Super high damage per second (one of the best in the game late) + High carry potential + Tanky once he gets items + Excellent waveclear + Great split pusher + Creates a lot of map pressure with TP & level 11 ult + Has a really cool sounding name :) |
Cons
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- Weak early - Runs out of mana quickly without items - Low mobility/gankable without Phase Rush & without ult - Low range so he's often in a dangerous position when dealing damage - Effective ult usage requires team coordination - High skill cap champion (takes a while to master) |

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OVERLOAD (Q): "Passively, Ryze's other damaging spells reset Overload and begin to charge a Rune that can be used to empower Overload. On cast, Ryze throws a charge of pure energy in a line, dealing damage to the first enemy struck. If a Rune is fully charged, Ryze also gains a shield and Movement Speed. Passive: Rune Prison and Spell Flux reset Overload's cooldown and charge a Rune for 4 seconds, up to 2 Runes. Active: Unleash a runic blast, dealing 60/85/110/135/160/185 (+45% Ability Power) (+0) magic damage to the first enemy struck. Any active Runes are discharged.If 2 Runes are discharged, they Overload, shielding Ryze from 0 (+60% Ability Power) (+0) damage and increasing his Movement Speed by 25/28/31/34/37/40% for 2 seconds." This ability confused me at first but it becomes easier to use once you practice it. Whenever Ryze uses his W or E his cooldown for Q is reset, which allows Ryze to cast a lot of abilities very quickly and makes his damage insane. Each time you cast W or E you will store a rune for 4 seconds (maxed at 2 runes, W & E are each worth 1 rune), and if Ryze uses Overload with 2 runes stored he gets a shield and bonus movement speed. This is important to use when you want to chase someone down, need the extra tankiness, or want to run away. |
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RUNE PRISON (W): "Ryze traps a target enemy unit in a cage of runes, damaging them and preventing them from moving. Instantly root an enemy for 0.75 second and deal 80/100/120/140/160 (+60% Ability Power) (+0) magic damage." This ability is very simple, it's a point and click ability (not a skillshot) that roots the enemy for between .75 to 1.5 seconds. If the enemy is affect by Spell Flux when you root them then the root duration is doubled to 1.5 seconds. |
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SPELL FLUX (E): "Ryze releases an orb of pure magical power that damages an enemy and debuffs them. Ryze's spells have additional effects against the debuffed enemy. Apply Flux to an enemy, dealing 70/90/110/130/150 (+30% Ability Power) (+0) magic damage. Spells consume Flux for bonus effects:Overload: Deals 40/50/60/70/80% more damage and spreads to nearby enemies with Flux. Rune Prison: Root duration is increased to 1.5 seconds. Spell Flux: Spreads Spell Flux to nearby enemies, dealing 50% damage.Spells that kill enemies affected by Flux spread Spell Flux to nearby enemies." This is another ability that confused me for a while but made sense after some practice. This is another one of Ryze's point and click abilities. It does damage and applys a special effect to the target that allows for additional effects to occur depending on which ability you cast next onto that target, including casting Spell Flux again on that target. If you cast Spell Flux on an enemy with Spell Flux then Spell Flux will transfer to nearby enemies doing full damage to the target you casted on and 50% damage to the nearby enemies. If you kill a minion/champion with Spell Flux (either with an auto attack or ability) then Spell Flux will transfer to nearby enemies. If you cast Overload on an enemy/enemies with Spell Flux you will do Overload damage plus bonus damage to the enemy hit and all other enemies affected by Spell Flux. If you use Rune Prison on an enemy with Spell Flux the root duration is doubled, only one target is affected. |
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REALM WARP (R): "Ryze creates a portal to a nearby location. After a few seconds, allies standing near the portal are teleported to the target location. If Ryze becomes unable to cast or move, Realm Warp is cancelled." This is Ryze's ultimate ability and it has a lot of uses. One cool thing about Realm Warp is that it will teleport not just allied champions but also allied minions so when ulting into a fight, or when taking a tower, you can bring a big wave of minions with you to help you kill the enemy or take out a tower. You will sometimes want to use your ult to get back to lane quicker, to roam around the map for kills on enemies, to initiate team fights, or to help your allies escape from getting killed. Be aware that if you get CC'd while channeling your ult it will get cancelled. |
*Q>E>Q>W>Q>E>Q
*This is the full damage combo if we want to dish out the maximum amount of DPS possible. This is not the best combo to use in all situations but it will do the most damage if we can land it and survive while doing it.
*This combo will trigger your Phase Rush, which should allow you to get within range to use your W. If you miss one of your Q's try auto attacking the enemy champion to trigger Phase Rush so that you can get within range to land your root.
*Q>E>W>Q
*Using this combo will give us a shield and extra movement speed for 2 seconds, as well as triggering the extra movement speed from

*E>W>Q or E>R>W>Q
*The first combo will trigger your shield/speed up and

*The second combo will allow you to run away as long as the enemy doesn't have any abilities that can stop you from moving or casting like stuns, silences, suppressions, or roots. If you know via the mini-map, or are just quick enough when you see the enemy (or can run into a bush at the right time) you can use your ult to teleport to safety, or to your teammates if they are coming up to help you.
*W>E>Q or E>W>Q>AA
*Starting with W will hold your enemy in place and let you land your E, and Q (if no minions are in the way). This combo will trigger your shield/speed up, and trigger

*The second combination will root them for longer so that you can throw in an extra auto attack.
*AA>E>Q or E>E>Q
*For the first combo (usually at lower levels & without mana items), use auto attacks to get the first minion low on HP, E will apply flux and kill the minion, thus spreading flux to nearby minions. You can then use Q to deal damage (plus bonus damage) to all the minions that are affected by Spell Flux and quickly do a bunch of damage to the minion wave.
*For the second combo, you use E twice and then Q on the cannon minion if it's a cannon wave, or on a melee minion if it's not a cannon wave. This will allow you to clear the wave quickly and then roam around the map.
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Don't use your abilities very often early unless you have to push waves because you will run out of mana very quickly. Once you get your

Expect the enemy jungler to try to gank you since Ryze is weak early and not very good at avoiding ganks. For this reason, try not to push your lane, you ideally want to try to freeze your minion wave nearer to your turret than to theirs. Do this by not auto attacking your minion wave or using abilities unless the enemy mid laner does. If the enemy mid laner has good waveclear they will often try to push as fast as they can to force you to farm under your tower and miss CS/gold. If they are pushing hard you'll want to match their push by constantly auto attacking the wave and using your AA+E+Q & E+E+Q waveclear combos. If you do have to farm under your tower you can kill the caster minions easily by auto attacking the first caster minion that get hits by the tower and then using E to last hit it, this will cause flux to spread to the other caster minions making them last hitable by 1 auto attack after the tower hits them.
Although you have a weak early game you will want to abuse melee champions with your auto attacks, especially at level 1 (like


Try to always keep a ward in/near one of the bushes in mid, and try to hover towards the side of the lane your ward is in, that way if the enemy jungler comes for a gank on the side you have warded you'll know and you can run away, and if they come for a gank on the side you don't have warded you'll have more time to run away.
Pay attention to the mini-map! If your jungler starts a fight with the enemy jungler you'll want to get to the fight first to swing the tide of the battle in your favor. An early kill on the enemy jungler, or just securing the scuttle, will make a massive difference in the eventual outcome of the game, as small leads early turn into big leads by the end of the game. (I repeat, early kills are more important than a few missed CS in the mid lane!)
Now let's move onto the mid game.


Once Ryze gets his first two items he should be able to 1v1 most champions in the game, and because of this Ryze wants to be very aggressive so that he can get kills and snowball out of control.
Push waves and look for fights whenever you can. Ping the lane you want to roam to to let them know you are coming and ult in behind the target/s you want to pick off (even better if you can bring your jungler with you for the gank). Once you & your team get a pick or two push that lane and get a tower and/or go for an objective like a dragon or baron.
Ryze is a good duelist with good waveclear and map control due to his ultimate, this makes him a very good split pusher so don't be afraid to take a side lane, shove hard, and play aggressively to get a kill or tower. Try to maintain good vision in the enemy jungle so that you can run or ult away if the enemy team sends multiple members to gank you for pushing.
Now let's move onto the late game.
Ryze works well as a team fighter or as a split pusher. You can split push or you can group up with your team to fight, it just depends on your team comp, the state of the lanes (where the waves are at and which towers are up/down), and whether or not you have TP.
I'd recommend split pushing bot only if you have TP so that you can join the fight with TP if a team fight breaks out. You can split push top if you have your ultimate up so that you can run away or join a team fight if needed. You can stick with a few teammates mid and push and then use your ultimate to flank and kill their split pushers. Ryze's ult gives himself and his team a lot of options if used correctly.
During big 5v5 & 4v4 team fights Ryze wants to delete enemy squishies, but he can also melt tanks if he has to. Ryze doesn't want to get too close to the enemy team because he is vulnerable to getting deleted if he isn't careful because while he is tanky he isn't a full tank. Because of Ryze's shorter range he's best utilized in front of his back line but behind his front line. That way he can sometimes get within range of their carry's while still being somewhat protected by his own front line. Diving into the enemy front line to get at their carries is a surefire way to get yourself killed before you're able to dish out your amazing damage.
In summary, Ryze has a lot of options in the late game due to how powerful he is individually and how much utility/mobility he brings to the team with his ultimate. You'll want to play a lot of games with Ryze so that you can learn what works best in different situations.
Don't forget to hit that like button at the top of the page if you learned some useful information here :)
Try out

If you have any additional questions, or want to see me play live, come join us on the stream.
That's it guys, peace!
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