Anivia Build Guide by Infectious Lepar

WARNING!

GUIDE WILL BE ARCHIVED AS OF APRIL 15TH 2012!
IF YOU WANT TO ACCESS THIS GUIDE AT A LATER DATE, PM ME FOR A LINK

Welcome!

Pros & Cons: The Ups and less-Ups of your Bird of prey

This sections is essentially the reason why you are playing this champion and the things you are willing to put up with to play as Anivia.

+ Quite possibly the best passive ability in the game. Rebirth + A double damage harrasing poke, with a stun! Flash Frost + A multi-use Utility ability. Crystallize + An Area of effect ultimate that applies slows to movement speed and attack speed. Glacial Storm + A great set of combo abilities centered around your nuke ability. Frostbite + Amazing ability to control the momentum of the enemy team by using crowd control combinations. + An exceptional fight starter with the combination of Flash Frost for poking and Rebirth for baiting. + Can easily be switched to fit both Ability Power Nuke and Support depending on the needs of the team.

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- Although you have Rebirth it is actually very weak early game. - Very hard to farm minions early game with auto attacks. - Using abilities early game without mana regeneration items or a large mana pool will leave you helpless. - Even with mana related items, you may still find yourself out of mana without receiving the blue buff. - An extremely slow champion even with boots. - TAKES A LOT OF TIME TO MASTER FULLY - Easily countered and eliminated with crowd control. - Rebirth Can be wasted without the help of teammates.

Runes: Grab your stones!

When it comes to runes and masteries it is good to remember that they are the most important factors in the early part of the game. If you don't agree, look back to the days when you were a low level summoner playing against a level 20+ summoner. It always seemed like they were invincible. When you look at the stats you can see that each rune section comes close to a first tier item. I'm sure you can begin to understand what I'm talking about. I am a firm believer that you should build your runes and masteries for early game and let your items and levels take care of the rest of the game. So on that note...

Start off Anivia's runes right by making them "potent."

I've selected the runes of potency in their most proficient groups, leaving marks for magic penetration. This way you will start the game off with an extremely powerful set of abilities. At levels two and three your Flash Frost - Frostbite combo will be overwhelmingly strong.

Mana is always a problem with Anivia, the regeneration per level will help with this constant issue.

By keeping your marks aimed at ensuring magic damage penetrates your target, all the starting ability power you have will be more effective. It is very hard to even consider another type of mark.

Alternative Rune Substitutions

greater seal of knowledge greater seal of vitality

greater glyph of knowledge

greater quintessence of knowledge

Pick from this list if you are finding that your game needs a boost in any of these categories. Go ahead and give them a try! I'm not going to tell you that one rune is always better than another, because runes and masteries are something that you need to select to fit the way you play your champion. This list is however, the only runes that I would say are worth considering.(All of these are "primary" runes)

I'm sure a few of you have noticed that I did not include Cool-down reduction runes; the reason being that since you have such massive control over the speed of an enemy, you shouldn't need to worry about your ability's cool-downs that much.

Masteries: the other pre-game preperation.

Masteries
4/1	4/5	1/1	3/5	4/1	4/	1/	1/5	3/1	1/1	3/5	1/1

Masteries
4/1	4/5	1/1	1/5	3/1	1/1	3/5	1/1	4/5	1/1	3/1	1/

Summoner Spells: Oh, what to do - what to do...

Flash: The tiny little jump that saves and condemns the most lives in LoL, A very important spell when you happen to be using one of the slowest champions. This is going to come in handy very often for landing finishing moves, re-positioning after Rebirth, or for jumping walls of ice you have created.

Ignite: A reasonable "coup de gras" for any opponent in a one versus one fight. This should be used offensively and to finish an opponent, with a maximum damage of 70 - 410 true damage it is practically another ability.

Clairvoyance: When playing a support champion this does so much, so often, that you can't help but have it. Stop face-checking those bushes and save some lives!

Teleport: Since you stand the chance of playing the utility role, you might be asked to help hold a turret with that area of effect slow of yours. This is an important spell for getting to the front lines as soon as possible.

Ghost and Exhaust: These are essentially opposites of each other. So do you want to go fast, or do you want them to go slow?
Heal and Cleanse: Assure survival especially for such a slow champion.
Clarity: As far as I am concerned this is the most under-rated spell in LoL. This is something I believe is necessary for almost all begining Anivia players. The massive ability sustain it gives you at early levels will save the lives of you and your team while ensuring extra spamming of abilities. (A great utility that many people discount) Do you want to be able to use 3 - 4 abilities? Not to mention allowing your teammates to do a few more abilities as well.

Skills: The what, when, and where

Time to learn all those nifty little tricks that come along with the Cryophoenix

This is probably going to be the most challenging ability for most beginning Anivia users to master; however, Crystallize can be an extremely useful utility to the prepared summoner. Crystallize creates a large perpendicular ice-wall that can block the path of any summoner who does not have the ability to flash or jump.

Here is a picture that can explain the angles that Crystallize can and cannot be used.
The blue represents the angles that you are able to use Crystallize and the red represents angles that you cannot use it. Basically, anything perpendicular to a line running straight out from Anivia is a possible wall placement.

Something else that needs to be mentioned is: Crystallize reveals Fog of War around where it is placed. If you are playing in lane and fear the gank of an enemy, don't feel bad about using it to reveal what is hiding in a near-by bush. At level five, this ability grants an extremely large field of vision.

BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE! The cold icy dynamite that will kill when timed perfectly. This is Anivia's nuke ability; when used after a "chilling" ability it will do double damage. (No, Frozen Mallet and Rylai's Crystal Scepter do not "chill" enemies; neither do other champions with slows, for example: Ashe or Nunu) So, if the damage of this ability is doubled when combined with another of Anivia's offensive abilities, why would you ever want to use this ability alone? When this move deals double damage it is one of the strongest one-click abilities in the game.
Here is an example of a combo you could try using. It is a bit tricky because your timming has to be perfect, by launching Frostbite at an opponent and using Glacial Storm right before it hits; you have a rather surprising amount of damage for a low amount of mana used.

Another easy combination is to stun your enemy with Flash Frost and while they are motionless hit them with Frostbite.

With massive Area Of Effect damage combined with a slow and "chill" effect, this is going to effect the flow of the game in your favor. With this ability you can decide where fights happen and where your enemies will move. This Ability is great for pushing lanes, and for momentary slows and damage. You will find this is also the easiest way to set up a combo with your nuke ability Frostbite. Try not to leave this ability on for an extended period of time as it drains a pretty hefty amount of mana. I find that it works best when toggled on and immediately off in many situations.
Here is a video of a full ability combo based on the slow/damage of this ability used right after Rebirth

Anivia has a rather long-ranged basic attack. Although it is weak, don't be afraid to pester enemy champions or last-hit minions with it.
Don't focus so much on minion kills, your quarrel is with the enemy behind them. Last hit with basic attacks, but save those abilities for a game changing combination of death.
Don't waste Glacial Storm on minion waves until about level twelve, that way you will have high enough ability power and mana to justify its use.
Be very careful about your positioning in fights. Over-extending will get you caught thanks to your slow movement speed and keep you out of range for help. Hiding in the back of a fight will only make your abilities useless for your team.

Items: More then just ways to use gold

Each of these items has their own particular place in this build, so here is the run-down.

Sorcerer's Shoes: With speed and Magic Pen, these boots will help you to get around and allow you to take down squishies as if they had no magic defense at all.
Rod of Ages: By picking up catalyst the protector early game, you will be able to sustain yourself every time you level up. This item is a huge mana, ability power, and health boost when it is at its full capacity. (725 mana, 80 ability power, and 630 hitpoints) The fact that this item grows in strength over the next ten minutes will make you more of a threat as the game continues.
Rabadon's Deathcap: This is almost always the base item for ability power nukes. With the highest flat ability power boost, and the 30% jump on overall ability power; this is an essential item for this item set.
Will of the Ancients: If you feel like you just cant go back to base to heal, go ahead and pick this up. It will give you some quality sustain and assist your team as well. A solid item to help the team.
Deathfire Grasp: By purchasing Kage's lucky pick early in the game, you will get a casual gold boost during the game. The end thought behind this item is it's active ability. Use this item as another ability to match the effectiveness of Frostbite. When I use the item I place it in the "5" slot, this will be the easiest location for your finger, since you tend to "dump" your abilities in combination with your "R" move Glacial Storm.
Void Staff: A percentage based magic penetration is always nice when you have very high magic defense enemies to deal with. This item gives you the edge over most enemy champions.

shurelya's reverie

All these items are peticularly set around keeping this support bird in the fight as long, and as effective, as possible.

Boots of Swiftness: While running support anivia you are going to want to be all over the place helping teammates. These boots will keep people from catching you regularly. Combined with the active of Shurelya's reverie you should never get caught.
Rod of Ages: As mentioned before, this is a great all-around item for your frozen bird. In this build it is helping to add to the hit-points and mana without sacrificing ability power.
Archangel's Staff: This will be the main source of damage output for this build, we want to keep Anivia filled with mana so she can stay usefull to her team, without making her abilities damage-less.
Banshee's Veil: Helping to boost her survive-ability and sustainability with mana, this item will help to keep the previously squishy bird from dying to simple enemy abilities. The shield will stop initial crowd control, helping her to escape normally fatal situations.
Frozen Heart: With a massive mana and and cool-down reduction, this will greatly aid in the spamming of abilities. The combined armor of Frozen Heart and the magic resistance of Banshee's Veil will give Anivia a reasonable defence in and out of Rebirth.
Shurelya's reverie: This item will give you great gold bonus the longer you hold onto philosopher's stone and a great team bonus with the item's active. The over-all regeneration effects of this item late game will be a nice buff to an already beefy item build.

Items: Try it before YOU buy it

Many of these items are reasonable changes depending on your play style, I would consider replacing only one or two of these with items in my personal build, but how you play determines your actual item choices.

Abyssal Mask: Good abiltiy power and magic resist with decent aura; great for a tanky Anivia
Haunting Guise: A medium effect item with a reasonably decent amount of magic penitration, a good early to mid-game item.
Moonflair Spellblade: If you are looking to keep up ability power and grab some tenacity, this is a good choice.
Lich Bane: An expensive but very well rounded item that works great with Anivia's range and ability power, the added movement speed is a great bonus.
Rylai's Crystal Scepter: Yes, you already have a slow, but why not add another 15% to them. The added hit-points and ability power are a nice touch for your squishy bird.
Zhonya's Hourglass: A strong ability power item combined with reasonable defense, and an active ability that passes off aggression to your teammates for 2 seconds. You already have Rebirth so try to make your reason for buying this item its ability power+armor.
Morello's Evil Tome: The cheep combination of this item's stats is a nice boost all-around for Anivia.
Doran's Ring: Designed for early game, this item does not build into anything, but can be a nice over-all boost to start the match. I am not a fan of Doran's items for a few reasons: I don't like the lack of advancement, and the unnecessary hp on a bird that can Rebirth. However, some will argue that stacking a few of them can fill all of Anivia's needs. As for me, I try and pick items that build into something long-term.
Mejai's Soulstealer: The potential for very high ability power and possibly high cool-down reduction is always nice. However, this is a high risk item that you should only use once you are comfortable as Anivia. If you plan to be in every team-fight this will probably work out for you on a regular basis. Playing safe will have its advantages. If you are highly aggressive or use you Glacial Storm for area of effect slows, this might pay off big.

hextech sweeper

Guardian Angel: If you are dead set on being forced to die three times or simply have a well-rounded defense, this is probably your best bet.
Thornmail: Great armor with a very usefull passive. I only advise using this when the majority of the enemy team is low-health/high attack damage.
Soul Shroud: A great item when playing the support role, the combination of utility and health is a nice advantage for you and your team.
Leviathan: If you play it safe, this can only make you tankier.
Warmog's Armor: Tons of health, but a rather plain item. When it comes to Anivia I personally find this item lacking over-all.
Hextech sweeper: A great Dominion item for dealing with pesky invisibility outside of turret range, this works great with your large area of effect when using Glacial Storm.
Odyn's Veil: A decent all-around item for Anivia in Dominion. A great replacement for Banshee's Veil.
Force of Nature: A very strong magic resist item with a large amount of health regeneration. Great when running a very health tanky build; on that note, I don't think that a pure health tank Anivia is a great build idea.
Mercury's Treads: A great set of boots for the bonus magic resist and tenacity. However, they should only be used when playing a very tanky build, since they are rather expensive as far as boots go.

Laning: Where does your bird fly?

Before we blindly fly down a lane and take charge, let's learn the difference between lanes as they pertain to Anivia. First, what champion and play-style goes where?
Green: Middle lane - Solo. 1v1
Yellow: Top Lane - Solo or duo. 1v1, 1v2, 2v1 2v2 (changes when you have a jungler)
Blue: Bottom Lane - Duo. 2v2
Pink: Ward locations, vary depending on what lane you are in. (see color inside of ring) If you are playing offensive Anivia, let your jungler or support ward as often as possible. If you are playing support Anivia... It's your job! ward your lane and others when possible.


So, now that you know the number match up possibilities; let's break down what you can expect in each of those lanes.

Your pride and joy.
This lane is probably going to work best for you. You can expect to get tons of minion kills, a few kills on the enemy mid laner, and maybe even a tower if you play your game right. Your goal is to stay safe by dodging enemy abilities and wait for your moment to strike. Watch for your opponent to get lazy, if they sit still send out Flash Frost and follow up with a Frostbite.
After level six try and position them in a place where it will cost them to re-adjust to get to where they want. Try and work your way above or below them and sweep behind them. That way they will be forced to walk back through Glacial Storm, throw down a Crystallize to keep them from going farther away from you. When they are slowed by the Glacial Storm stun them with Flash Frost to keep them inside the area of effect and throw down Frostbite to finish them off. (Ask jungler for blue buff as often as possible)

This is your fit.
When playing a supportive role there will almost always be 2 bottom (unless someone is up to something). Your role is to control the movement of the other team with Flash Frost, Crystallize, and Glacial Storm. Use Flash Frost and Glacial Storm to zone enemies and make them an easy target for your laning partner. When you are worried about the enemies hiding in the bushes, throw down your Crystallize to remove fog of war to expose those sneak little kiddos. Don't expect much from yourself as far as damage is concerned, your role is to maintain your mana so that you can spam crowd control abilities.

In Conclusion: It had to end some time

These builds are tried and true for me, but obviously they may not work for you. Don't condemn me for a difference in play style between us. Don't play with the build once and make a final judgement. These builds are not finalized either; I want to continue working on them. I have put a lot of time into this and I hope you can help me figure out more effective ways to work this build: runes, masteries, item selection, and item purchase timing.

Too long; Didn't Read: Shame on you. I took the time to create an in-depth guide for you with eye-catching coding, media, and formatting. If you disagree, please explain why. I don't wana see any dumb comments saying: "Too wordy," "needs more coding," or simply "This build is stupid." In fact, I want to actually see how many people read through the whole build before commenting. If you read this please type "Cryophoenix" at the end of your comment. For the sake of humor I will keep count of the number of commenting people who have actually read this in the first comment box. If you did take the time to read and still have some advice for me, I will GLADLY take it into consideration. Good builds are never done.


Thank you very much for considering my Guide. I'm glad I could help you master a new Champion.

When giving this guide a Vote, please wait to see a response from me beforehand. I don't want pre-emptive + or - both are bad in my opinion. Also, don't be afraid to give me a little Rep if you think that I deserve it.

Special Thanks!

JhoiJhoi: you have been a great support for me and many others thanks for all you have done!