We have covered Marksmen and Assassins, this post will cover League of Legends Mages. In the game, this class of champions is known by the type of damage they deal; Magic damage. Before I go further, let me explain the types of damage in League of Legends.
Physical Damage: Also known as Attack Damage (AD). Marksmen deal this type of damage mainly through AutoAttacks (AA). Armor items and abilities counter attack damage.
Magic Damage: Also known as Ability Power (AP). Mages deal this type of damage mainly through their abilities. Magic resist items and abilities counter ability power damage.
True Damage: This type of damage is different from the other two. It has no specific class of champions and cannot be countered. Magic resist and Armor items do not counter true damage.
Now, that we understand the type of damage that Mages deal, let’s continue. In League of Legends, Mages are commonly found in the mid-lane. However, some play in the jungle, support, and top lanes. While they generally have burst spells/abilities, you will also find champions who excel at DoT(Damage over Time) and DPS (Damage Per Second).
League of Legends Mages: Strengths
Abilities
All of the damage that Mages deal come from their abilities. This attribute allows them to excel at dealing serious damage to enemies. Since their abilities range from burst damage to zoning or even crowd control depending on the champion, this class offers variety.
Also, Mages generally have low cooldowns and this lets them dish out steady damage.
High Damage Output
With low cooldowns and huge damage outputs, some Mages are capable of filling in as a team’s Carry. This role is known as Ability Power Carry (APC). Champions like Ryze, Cassiopeia, and Ziggs are examples of this strategy.
Strong Against Marksmen and Bruisers
Mages excel at bursting down targets with quick spells executed in quick succession. With the squishy nature of Marksmen, Mages find it easy to kill them. While Bruisers aren’t squishy, Mages can handle them when played right.
Also, Mages like Ryze, Velkoz, and Cassiopeia are capable of chewing through tanky lineups especially with items like Liandry’s Tempest and Demonic Embrace.
League of Legends Mages: Weaknesses
Fragile
Just like Marksmen and Assassins, League of Legends Mages are generally squishy. However, Tank Mages like Amumu are exempted from this weakness.
Need Proper Positioning
While positioning is important for every champion, for champions who fall under the Mage-Assassin or Enchanter category, it is crucial. The reason is that these champions are not forgiving of bad positioning.
Weak Against Assassins
Since League of Legends Assassins have kits that help in gap-closing, burst damage, and escape, they counter Mages heavily.
League of Legends Mages: Playstyles
While this section is not an in-depth guide, it will give an idea of how to handle a Mage in the mid-lane.
Early Game
Farming and Trading are two mechanics that have to be utilized during the early game. However, do not forget to try to put yourself in a position to help your Jungler at scuttle if needed. Also, if you are up against a champion that counters you, it doesn’t hurt to play safe and look for opportunities to put your team ahead; your time will come.
Mid Game
For Mages with long-range abilities like Velkoz, Xerath, or Lux, always stay behind the frontline in every team fight. This will provide some degree of safety while you deal damage. Also, the enemy will have to bypass your team’s frontline to get to you.
However, a Mage-Tank like Galio will always want to be in front as his playstyle revolves around being in the enemys’ faces.
Late Game
Champions like Syndra, Veigar, and Orianna excel at zoning the enemy, guarding the team’s flanks, and controlling choke points. These abilities are important especially in the late game when fighting for objectives.
Champions like Ziggs, Xerath, and Anivia shine during laying a siege against the enemy.
Wrapping Up
That will be all for League of Legends Mages, I hope you learned a couple of things from this post. In case you have other insights to share, feel free to post them in the comments section.
