Mid lane is one of the easiest roles to carry in League of Legends, mostly because you have easy access to other parts of the map and can dish out a lot of damage.
Great mid laners can effectively roam into other lanes while keeping good pressure on their mid-lane opponent, and champions who excel at it are indispensable.
This list of top-tier champions can change depending on several factors. Sometimes, the meta shifts for no reason other than players’ tastes, but usually, it’s because of balance adjustments. It can be difficult to keep up with the flavor-of-the-month champs, so let us do it for you.
Best mid lane champions in LoL
Here are the best mid laners for League Patch 14.14.
- Zed
- Akshan
- LeBlanc
- Naafiri
- Sylas
Zed
Assassins seemed to be dead in season 14, and that’s still somewhat true. A lot are struggling to get over powerful mages and mobile, long-ranged AD carries in the mid lane. However, after his latest direct buffs to his Q and E, Zed makes a compelling case for himself as one of the strongest picks in the role at the time of writing.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Strong in solo fights – Mobile – Can shut down a lot of squishy targets – Massive carry potential in mid game | – Unplayable if he gets behind early – One-dimensional – Can be easily shut down if he overextends – Is extremely tough to navigate when behind |
The champion’s mechanics have remained unchanged ever since his release in 2012. He’s still a mobile assassin, whose main and only goal is to burst squishy enemy targets. With that in mind, it’s best to boost his damage and one-shot potential with runes from the Domination and Sorcery trees. You may see a lot of this specific rune combination in other picks below since it’s simply superior to other changes in Patch 14.14.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Zed |
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Domination – Electrocute – Sudden Impact – Eyeball Collection – Ultimate Hunter Rune two: Sorcery – Transcendence – Scorch Offense: Adaptive Force Flex: Adaptive Force Defense: Health |
| Best items | – Eclipse – Ionian Boots of Lucidity – Voltaic Cyclosword These three should give you enough damage to pose a threat to anyone else on the Summoner’s Rift. There are still plenty of options to bolster your damage and potentially gain some defensive qualities, however. These are Edge of Night, Serylda’s Grudge, Axiom Arc, Youmuu’s Ghostblade, and Guardian Angel. Each would fit in every Zed build, but they are entirely situational and should be picked depending on the enemy team’s composition and the state of the game you have found yourself in. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Ignite/Flash – Teleport |
| Best build path | – Razor Shuriken (Q) – Living Shadow (W) – Shadow Slash (E) Once you get level four, max Q first, then E, and W in the end. |
| Toughest matchups | – Garen – Nasus – Ryze – Qiyana – Galio – Aurelion Sol – Zoe |
Akshan
Akshan was never my cup of tea, but he’s currently one of the greatest mid laners if you can utilize his abilities properly. His unique kit requires some game knowledge and mechanical skills since you often go for lane skirmishes, flanks, and swings around the Rift.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Extremely mobile – High outplay potential – Strong in early and mid game | – Extremely mobile – High outplay potential – Strong in early and mid-game |
Akshan’s goal in most League games is to outplay your opponents by smartly navigating the Rift and using your abilities to deal as much damage. Since he’s an AD-based champion, going for such items and Precision Tree is mandatory if you want to win.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Akshan |
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Precision – Press The Attack – Legend: Alacrity – Presence of Mind – Cut Down Rune two: Resolve – Bone Plating – Overgrowth Offense: Attack Speed Flex: Adaptive Force Defense: Health |
| Best items | – Kraken Slayer – Plated Steelcaps/Mercury’s Treads – Blade of the Ruined King After completing these three, maximize your damage. Similarly to Tristana, your best picks are items like Infinity Edge, Lord Dominik’s Regards, Terminus, and Rapid Firecannon. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Ignite |
| Best build path | – Avengerang (Q) – Heroic Swing (E) – Going Rogue (W) Once you get level four, max Q first, then E, and W in the end. |
| Toughest matchups | – Pantheon – Vladimir – Galio – Lucian – Cassiopeia – Zoe |
LeBlanc
The mid lane is currently a mix of different champion types. Mages, fighters, assassins, and even tanks and AD carries are frequently picked in all ranks. When it comes to the former category, the best pick in Patch 14.14 is undoubtedly LeBlanc.
Make no mistake, though, she’s not the easiest one. To master LeBlanc, you have to put in some practice games. At least, we advise you to do so before you jump into the solo queue. Once you get the hang of her, you’ll discover how satisfying and powerful the champion is. If you have a proper vision and know how to use her combo in a few ways, you should be able to one-shot a lot of opponents.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Huge outplay potential – Strong burst – Fun to play | – Tough to learn – Needs a perfect combo to become a threat – Requires teamplay to win fights |
The Electrocute-Sorcery combo is currently dominating among the aggressive mid lane champions, including LeBlanc. There’s no reason to pick other runes in the current meta. Given you want to target single enemies with all your abilities, Electrocute will improve your damage, while the other runes will allow you to snowball. Combined with Mejai’s Soulstealer, a core item for LeBlanc in the current meta, it’s a match made in Summoner’s Rift heaven.
| Area of Interest | Best options for LeBlanc |
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Domination – Electrocute – Sudden Impact – Eyeball Collection – Relentless Hunter Rune two: Sorcery – Transcendence – Scorch Offense: Attack Speed Flex: Adaptive Force Defense: Health |
| Best items | – Luden’s Companion – Sorcerer’s Shoes – Mejai’s Soulstealer Once you get these three under your belt, you should go for AP-based items. To simply elevate your damage, Shadowflame and Rabadon’s Deathcap will be the best picks. There are a few alternatives that work better in specific scenarios, however. In case you’re a primary target for the enemy team, and they have strong crowd control or a powerful mage, too, getting Banshee’s Veil can save your life multiple times. The same goes for Zhonya’s Hourglass, which is almost mandatory in the late game. You can round up your build with picks like Void Staff or Cryptbloom. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Teleport/Ignite |
| Best build path | – Distortion (W) – Sigil of Malice (Q) – Ethereal Chains (E) Once you get level four, max W first, then Q, and E in the end. |
| Toughest matchups | – Ryze – Vex – Akshan – Cassiopeia – Ezreal – Viktor – Malzahar – Zoe |
Naafiri
The first typical assassin on the list is Naafiri, who’s also living her best life after recent changes in the game. Her straightforward gameplay makes her one of the easiest champions to master, so if you’re new to mid-lane and are looking to gain some ranking, there is no better option for you.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Easy to learn – Powerful in every period of the game – Annoying to play against | – Squishy – Tough to come back if fallen behind |
Naafiri has a simple “all-in” type of gameplay, like most of the assassins in League. Therefore, having First Strike to enhance your damage right as you engage in a fight is more than helpful.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Naafiri |
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Inspiration – First Strike – Magical Footwear – Biscuit Delivery – Cosmic Insight Rune two: Domination – Sudden Impact – Treasure Hunter Offense: Adaptive Force Flex: Adaptive Force Defense: Health based on level |
| Best items | – Eclipse – Mercury’s Treads – Profane Hydra If you find yourself playing Naafiri, there are a lot of build options to choose from. Almost every AD-based assassin and fighter item is viable for her, but the best ones to round up your inventory are Serylda’s Grudge, Edge of Night, and Opportunity. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Teleport |
| Best build path | – Darkin Daggers (Q) – Eviscerate (E) – Hounds’ Pursuit (W) Once you get level four, max Q first, then E, and W in the end. |
| Toughest matchups | – Garen – Ziggs – Lissandra – Cassiopeia – Malphite – Galio |
Sylas
Last but not least, we have arguably the most versatile pick in the form of Sylas. The champion has terrific abilities that allow him to win solo skirmishes and impact teamfights. Additionally, his ultimate makes Sylas a constant threat since he can steal one of the five ultimates from the enemy team.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Can counter almost everyone with his ultimate – Fun to play – Snowball potential | – Vulnerable early – Tough to master – Requires in-depth game knowledge |
When playing Sylas, you have a few possibilities, but it’s best to go for an aggressive, AP-focused build. With the champion’s burst, you should apply the same mix of Domination and Sorcery tree to elevate his potential. If you manage to get ahead early, which should be easy with help from your jungler, unless you’re heavily countered, you should be able to carry the game on your shoulders.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Sylas |
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Domination – Electrocute – Sudden Impact – Eyeball Collection – Relentless Hunter Rune two: Sorcery – Scorch – Transcendence Offense: Adaptive Force Flex: Adaptive Force Defense: Health |
| Best items | – Sorcerer’s Shoes – Lich Bane – Shadowflame Similarly to LeBlanc, there are several viable options for Sylas, though, some are better than others. These include Zhonya’s Hourglass, Rabadon’s Deathcap, Cryptobloom, and Mejai’s Soulstealer. If you are doing well early, you should get the latter since it’s an item made to snowball. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Teleport/Ignite |
| Best build path | – Abscond/Abduct (E) – Kingslayer (W) – Chain Lash (Q) Once you get level four, max E first, then W, and Q in the end. |
| Toughest matchups | – Annie – Taliyah – Galio – Naafiri – Malzahar – Kassadin – Swain |
