[Top 15] LOL Best Mid Laners That Are Powerful (Ranked)

Updated:

06 Sep 2023

The mid-lane role is at the center of the map. The role is responsible for carrying the team alongside the ADC. Good map awareness is imperative to mid-lane because it is the only laning role with the freedom to roam either side of the map. Mid laners can also get ganked from either side so one must be cautious with stepping up. Mages and assassins are usually played in mid-lane. That means the role requires a fair amount of mechanical skill to pull off.

With the introductions out of the way. This article will showcase the top 15 most powerful mid laners to dominate your ranked games with. Whether you want to control the battlefield with a mage or burst the enemy with a fast combo on an assassin, there will definitely be a champion for you on this list!

#15 Qiyana

The Empress of the Elements, better known as Qiyana, is basically the Avatar of the League of Legends universe. She resides in the kingdom of Ixtal and is known as a cunning warrior. She is not afraid to use all the elements to get what she wants. Kind of ironic if you ask me since that is the behavior of a fire lord than one of the avatars. One must always be wary of Qiyana because under all that beauty is a fierce warrior who will not hesitate to kill to achieve her goals. If you are a fan of the Avatar franchise, the cartoon, not the blue guys, then you will love Qiyana.

Qiyana is not like any other assassin. She is also good in the late game but shines in the early and mid-game. The game plan should be to farm from distance with her Q “Elemental Warath/ Edge of Ixtal”. It deals damage based on the element equipped. Once you hit level three, you can look for an all-in on the enemy laner. Qiyana has one of the best all-in combos at level three in the game.

Once you hit level six and unlock your ultimate, you can either look for kills in the lane or look to shove the wave and roam. The key to playing assassins is playing out of vision. This keeps the enemies guessing and puts a lot of pressure on the map by simply not showing yourself. It is all a mind game.

The reason assassins struggle in the late game is due to the enemy team constantly grouping. Assassins struggle to make picks because if they go in, they will just be hit with CC and die before even touching their targets. This does not apply to Qiyana. Her ultimate “Supreme Display of Talent” sends out a shockwave that detonates what elements shit hits with it, stunning and damaging nearby enemies. This is a great form of engage which is not typical of an assassin class and it can stun the entire enemy team, given the right circumstances.

What makes Qiyana Strong

One good ultimate could win the game for her.
She is great in the tight spaces of the jungle. Since it's surrounded by elements, she can get ults off
She is lots of mobility which allows her to get out of sticky situations
She has burst damage on her Q which allows her to one-shot enemies if she is fed

See Qiyana in action

#14 Talon

The Noxus assassin is ruthless with his blades. His playstyle revolves around stealth which keeps his enemies guessing. He is a merciless killer who will strike without warning and escape into thin air. He has a brutal reputation in the Noxus region where he grew up on the streets. He had a tough childhood because he was forced to fight, kill and steal to survive. Luckily he was adopted by the Du Couteau family. He is now a pawn for the empire’s forces and his main job is assassinating enemy leaders, captains, and heroes.

Talon’s main focus should be getting kills on either the opposing jungler or in other lanes. You want to get yourself and your team ahead. However, do not underestimate his early game. Talon has the best level 2 spike in the game. He just needs two abilities and a passive to one-shot the enemy laner.

The game plan would be to get deep wards in the enemy jungle. This helps knowing where enemies are so that you can coordinate roams and or safely solo kill enemies. If you cannot solo kill your opposing laner then you should be constantly shoving with W “Rake” and looking for opportunities in either side lane. Preferably bottom lane because getting that lane ahead has a higher chance of winning the game. His E “Assasin’s Path” is a great tool for roaming because you can hop any wall no matter how thick it is.

His kit perfectly encompasses the meta which focuses on snowballing the early game. Games almost never go past 35 minutes these days so that’s why assassins are thriving in the current meta.

Why Talon is Strong

He has the highest amounts of first bloods in the game due to his level 2 spike. You will always catch people by surprise
He has great roaming potential because of his E. he can traverse the map insanely fast
Talon is good at making picks in side lanes or marksmen roaming alone. He can get in and out just like that!

See Talon in action

#13 Veigar

The short master of dark sorcery. A Lord Voldemort wannabe if you will. The mage from Bandle City has pushed beyond the limitations of yordle magic. Veigar is fascinated with the mysteries of the universe which is what led him to the arcane text that has been hidden away for thousands of years. He believes that he is truly evil but when one looks deeper into Veigar’s heart, that might not be the case

Veigar is one of the few champions with endless scaling. His damage knows no limits and that is what makes playing against him so frustrating. His E “ Event Horizon” summons a cage that CCs anyone caught by it, making him a great champion to play when teams start grouping around objectives. His E allows him to land his slow but devastating damaging spells.

Veigar is great in this assassin meta because his cage makes it difficult for assassins to kill him. So the game plan with Veigar is farming so you can get stacks on your passive “Phenomenal Evil Power”. Striking enemies and getting takedowns also grant him stacks so it is never a bad thing to look for trades.

His ultimate “Primordial Burst, deals more damage to low-health targets. The best part about it is that it is point-and-click, meaning you cannot miss it! With enough AP damage, you just need to land Q and ult enemies to one-shot them. It's a joy to see when Veigar is on your team but not when you are facing him.

Why Veigar is Strong

Infinite scaling on his passive makes him a menace in the late game.
Good at fighting in tight/closed spaces because he can land Q and W on multiple enemies
Good gank setup with E. Veigar CC’s the enemy and the jungler can finish them off in the early game.

See Veigar in action

#12 Ziggs

The explosives expert is the second yordle on the list. Ziggs has some serious skills and some seriously explosive weapons. The yordle from Piltover utilizes his extensive his knowledge of chemistry and mechanics to blow his foes to smithereens. The mad scientist knows his way around destruction and always uses bombs and his wit to take down enemies. If you are looking for someone with silly voice lines and a funny demeanor then look no further than Ziggs.

Ziggs can farm creeps from distance using his Q “Bouncing Bomb”. His passive “Short Fuse” occasionally empowers his next auto attack. His kit packs a ton of poking tools and is great in the ADC role. That makes Ziggs a nice flex pick if you’re into that. His ultimate “Mega Inferno Bomb” can be thrown a fair distance and results in, of course, a MASSIVE explosion in the area. His E “Satchel Charge” can bounce himself and enemies around similar to a blast cone. It is a great “get off me” tool or it can be used to go over walls. It also destroys turrets beneath a certain health which makes Ziggs excellent at sieging towers

Why Ziggs is Strong

Insane Wave Clear with Q
Great at poking and whittling down opponents.
Can displace enemies with W which is great at escaping dangerous situations
Great at sieging towers due to his W so enemies should always be wary of doing bad recalls

See Ziggs in action

#11 Tristana

This is starting to become scary. Yordles are taking over the mid-lane! The Yordle Gunner hails from Bandle City and uses her trusty gun to take down enemies. You will regret underestimating her. She packs a big punch in such a small frame. You know what they say, Dynamite comes in small packages. That joke should have been used in the Ziggs section. Nevertheless, Tristana is a marksman that dives head-first into enemies and blasts them till there's nothing left. That is definitely akin to her spunky playstyle. She is a great pick if you want to play a marksman in the mid-lane role.

Tirstana’s Q is an attack speed steroid that makes it easy to fully stack her E “Explosive Charge”. Her E is only of the only abilities in the game that works on turrets so if you see Tristana but a turret alone, it won’t be long till the turret vanishes.

Other than being good at taking down turrets, Tristana has insane damage-per-second in fights. This is due to her attack speed steroid and E. If she fully stacks her E or gets a takedown, her W “Rocket Jump” resets. This mechanic allows her to jump onto a squishy target, kill them, and jump away to safety.

Why Tristana is Strong

Her W slows targets which allow her to get kills easily.
Her E and Q shred towers which make it easy to get tower plates and snowball the game.
She can take care of herself because she has great self-peeling abilities which can get her out of sticky situations. She is one of the safest carries in the game even though she allows jumps in head first.See Tristana in action.

#10 Cassiopeia

She needs no introductions to the league community. This wicked snake has been a menace since her induction into the game. One minute she's charming and alluring, luring her enemies in with her sweet words. The next, she's striking them down with deadly precision. But don't let her cute little hiss fool you, she's not one to mess with. Cassiopeia's got a bite that's worse than her bark, and she's not afraid to use it. Just imagine a snake that can cast spells and you've got Cassiopeia in a nutshell. Slithery, sneaky, and always up for a good venomous battle.

Cassio is in the top 10 best tank killers for a reason. In season 13 tanks have been prevalent. The combo of Demonic Embrace and Radiant Virtue has been overpowered for some time now. Cassiopeia’s poison and damage over time is a nightmare for tanks to deal with. She also has a ton of crowd control (CC) in her kit which stops tanks from getting on top of her whilst she destroys them. That's what makes her dominate in this meta.

She is a control battle mage that relies on mana for damage. One of her core mana items Seraph’s Embrace recently got buffed. The item provides more ap and ability haste. The lifeline passive has also been added back. It provides a shield when a champion is close to dying. All these changes benefit Cassiopeia.

Why Cassiopeia is Strong

Great into tanks due to her dps
good at disengage and preventing enemies from getting away due to her speed and CC on her W which grounds enemies
You have an extra item slot because Riot Games decided that snakes can't wear boots even though fish like Nami can.

See Cassiopeia in action

#9 Yasuo

Yasuo is known for his lightning-fast swordsmanship and questionable fashion sense. With a flow so smooth it could make a river jealous and a haircut that's always on-trend, Yasuo is the epitome of cool. But don't let his suave demeanor fool you, he's got a chip on his shoulder the size of Mount Targon. Yasuo's been falsely accused of a crime, and he's not going to let anyone stand in his way as he clears his name. He'll slice and dice his way through anyone who tries to stop him, all while looking good doing it. If you're looking for a champion who can both look fly and cut down his enemies like a hot knife through butter, Yasuo's your guy.

Saying that he is mobile is an understatement. If Yasuo has a minion wave then he is impossible to touch. He can constantly dash on new targets and the cooldown is non-existent. If he or his allies knock enemies up, he teleports towards them and extends the knock up plus dealing damage.

Yasuo’s W Windwall is broken. ADCs and Mages will complain till the end of time about Yasuo’s windwall. Without it I don't think Yasuo would be as good as he is. The windwall blocks any abilities in front of him. So one would think you just to attack him from both sides right? Well, no. I good Yasuo player will manoeuvre either side of the wall at perfect timings to avoid projectiles from either side. You honestly can't be mad when a Yasuo player pulls it off because it requires a lot of skill to do.

Yasuo gains a shield whenever he moves. So he gains free shields for just playing the game! So to p[lay Yasuo correctly, you want to take trades whenever your shield is up because you will always do more damage to them than they can do to you.

Why Yasuo is Strong

When the enemy is pushed up and a new wave of minions approaches, this ability becomes extremely powerful. This allows him to use his E to catch up to his opponent's laner before knocking them out with his Q. Yasuo can also easily set up ganks with this tactic.
He can block crucial abilities and auto attacks with his windwall on W.
No one knocked up is safe around Yasuo when he is level 6 and has his ultimate. It provides armor penetration and extends the time the enemy is knocked up.

See Yasuo in action

#8 Jayce

With his trusty hammer and cannon, Jayce is one of the most annoying champions to face, and he has the intelligence to go along with his brute might. He is the Swiss Army Knife of the Fields of Justice—always equipped to handle any situation that arises. When it comes to creating new technology or experimenting with his weapons, Jayce is constantly trying to innovate and improve his creations. With his cannon and hammer, he will destroy his adversaries while still having time to determine the trajectory of their souls as they ascend into the hereafter.

Although Jayce has a great burst, his true advantage against other mid-laners is his extended damage during a 4–7 second window. You can deliver a lot of damage even when using only one of your six abilities or your AD power autos.

Jayce is the best of both worlds. He can poke people down but also dash into melee form to kill enemies off. Due to his poke, he is great at controlling zones around objectives. Whether you are zoning the enemy jungler from stealing an enemy objective or poking the enemy down whilst they are doing an object. It does not matter because he excels at both.

He recently got a buff to his base AD damage and damage scaling on his Q and W. This will make him stronger at all stages of the game. Especially once he gets his two core items.

Why Jayce is Strong

Jayce has a lot of poke damage and can constantly abuse the opponent before engaging in combat.
Because Jayce is a ranged champion, you can often bully and harass melee champions whenever they walk up to last hit.

See Jayce in action

#7 Akshan

The charismatic hero from Shurima fights evil with righteous vengeance. He is an expert at the art of stealth combat and can hide from his adversaries' gaze and reappear when they least expect it. He rights the wrongs of many scoundrels in Runeterra with a sharp sense of justice and a renowned death-reversing weapon while adhering to his personal code of ethics: "Don't be an ass."

It would be an understatement to say Akshan has one of the most overloaded kits in the game. His passive’s description alone is longer than some champion's entire kits! He has a two-hit passive that does bonus AD damage in the third hit. He can cancel the second auto to gain movement speed for a short period of time.

Akshan’s Q “Avengerang” throws a boomerang that deals damage to each enemy it, extending its range each time it hits an enemy. You can basically hit people on the other side of the map given the right circumstances.

Akshan’s most broken ability by far is his W “Going Rogue”. It allows him to see enemies that killed his allies. It grants him invisibility indefinitely as long as he is near any terrain. To top it all off, if Akshan kills enemies that killed his allies, the allies killed get resurrected immediately. This ability alone can change the course of the whole game!

Akshan is an extremely effective champion that may surprise opponents in the middle and late stages of a game. He has the ability to kill foes like the opposing Support or Mid laner who are alone in Summoners Rift.

Why Akshan is Strong

Thanks to his E “Heroic Swing”, He has tons of mobility. It makes it easy for him to traverse the lane and engage enemies in a flash.
If Akshan can slay the enemy that killed his companions, he will be able to bring them back. This is excellent, especially later in the game when there are lengthy death timers.
His W gives him the ability to escape difficult situations. If he stays close to a wall then he can remain hidden for a long time.

See Akshan in action

#6 Ryze

Ryze has more spells up his sleeve than a Hogwarts professor. His mastery of ancient runes and formidable magic makes him a daunting opponent. He is always experimenting with new incantations and brews. But don't let his bookish appearance fool you, Ryze is a powerful wizard who can unleash devastating arcane magic on his foes if he so wishes. Whether he's blasting his foes with bolts of energy or snaring them with his runes, Ryze is always one step ahead. Ryze is your pick if you are looking to outsmart and overpower enemies.

Ryze is notorious for being a hard champion for Riot Games to balance, He is either SS plus tier or complete garbage. He has had the most reworks of any champion. But luckily for you, this is the season or should I say patch where Ryze is the powerful wizard he was meant to be.

He has fantastic wave clear. He can clear minion waves in mere seconds which opens up opportunities for roams on the map. His ult can teleport him and his allies anywhere on the map within range. This can be used offensively and defensively. It is typically used to dive and gank bot lane. If you want to really ‘BM’ the enemy. You can fountain dive them with minions and your entire team to kill them.

His ultimate provides excellent utility as discussed above. But the CC he has in his kit makes it easy to pin down enemies. If Ryze has Everfrost and combines it with his own root then he can cc enemies for what feels like an eternity. Because Ryze does not have a damaging ultimate. All the damage is moved over to his normal abilities. With his short cooldowns and huge amounts of damage, Ryze is a raid boss in team fights because he can constantly damage enemies and CC them.

Why Ryze is Strong

During team fights, he can deal a lot of burst damage while moving around quickly.
Due to his Ultimate R "Realm Warp" , he has excellent objective control. It may enable him to go from being a Dragon to a Baron almost instantly. He can use this skill to open backdoors as well.
His CC is excellent at setting up kills for himself and his team.

See Ryze in action

#5 Syndra

Syndra was possess incredible magical abilities. She is not scared to use her magic to bend her enemies to her will. Her self-confidence can sometimes come across as arrogance but she is still a fearsome opponent who won't hesitate to crush her enemies. Whether she's lifting her enemies into the air with her powers or blasting them with her infamous dark spheres, Syndra will always be in control. Syndra is a champion that resonates with people that want to intimidate and decimate their enemies.

She is a long-ranged mage who specializes in creating and controlling spheres to damage and displace her opponents.Once she plays to her strengths, she can dispatch opponents with ease while sustaining no damage. Her CC is great for teamfights because it may quickly change the course of battles. Since Syndra is motionless and prone to being leapt on, positioning is crucial. You will pay for lack of awareness and poor positioning.

Syndra’s combo carries heavy burst damage and can basically one-shot carries. Her R “Unleashed Power” and E “Scatter The Weak” can CC the entire enemy team if they a grouped up nicely. If see someone out of position. Instantly use your Q “Dark Sphere” and E to deal damage and CC them. Then use your R to finish them off since it is an execute after the rework.

Why Syndra is Strong

Great burst damage.
Her R and E combo can displace and CC entire enemy teams in the right conditions.
Great zone control with E which makes it difficult for opponents to get onto her.

See Syndra in action

#4 Anivia

The Icebird or as she is officially known the “Cryophoenix” has a unique and tragic backstory. Hailing from the ice region of Freljord, Aninivia is the embodiment of the frozen tundra’s unforgiving nature. Anivia stays true to her phoenix nature of enduring countless cycles of reincarnation. Anivia may look scary but she is actually a guide that protects the tribes of the harsh north. These tribes see her as a symbol of hope. In every battle, she fights without holding anything back. She is willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good, knowing that she will be reborn into a new tomorrow.

Anivia is an interesting champion because she seems simple on the surface but she one-trick type of champion. Meaning that one has to invest tons of hours to reap the rewards. But boy oh boy, if you plough enough seeds with her, the harvest will be legendary!

One of the unique things about Anivia is that she has a lifeline passive. If she dies then she turns into an egg and can be reborn with full health. Zac is the only other champion with a similar passive. This passive makes you incredibly difficult to kill in the early game since champions do not have the damage to kill you ‘twice’ yet. It also allows her to play aggressively in the lane and in team fights.

Her Q “Flash Frost” summons a sphere of ice that stuns all enemies hit. This is great for setting up kills and stunning a bunch of enemies. It can also be used to control zones. Well, almost all her abilities are good at zone control.

Her W “Crystallize” is the best ability in her kit. It summons an impassable wall of ice which blocks all movement. It can be used to block off escape ways or can interrupt enemy abilities. But it is mainly used to set up her combo on enemies.

Her E “Frostbite” just does a bunch of damage to a target and that damage is doubled if they were hit by her Q or R. Anivia’s R “Glacial Storm” summons a driving rain of ice and hail that slows and damages enemies caught in it. This ability is great for wave clear and taking objectives.

Why Anivia is Strong

She excels in all stages of the game
She has lots of zone control abilities
Her burst damage and damage over time are insane so you better use it
Her W is so versatile. It can block escape paths, set up kills, and interrupt enemy ability channels.

See Anivia in action

#3 Vex

The latest yordle added to the game. Vex comes from the Shadow Isles and is a lonely yordle who roams through the spectral fog and bathes in misery. Although she is small, she packs a powerful ‘shadow’ punch. She is all about doom and gloom and finds the “normie” world revolting. She hates color and happiness and will always try to stop it if she sees any sign of it.

Vex’s passive is what makes her a good pick for Season 13. “Doom ‘n Gloom” empowers Vex’s next ability to fear enemies and interrupt dashes. Whenever an enemy uses any form of mobility, Vex can apply a mark that can be consumed for bonus damage which also reduces the cooldown of her empowered abilities. In simple terms, Vex counters champions with dashes and these days almost every champion has a form of a dash.

Vex’s Q “mistral Bolt is just a missile that deals magic damage to enemies hit. It is good for wave clear and poke damage. It is also good for finishing enemies off after a full combo or sniping low-health targets.

Her W “ Personal Space” grants her a shield and damages nearby enemies. This ability is good for people who jump on you. You can instantly fear them and shield their damage. It also setups up her combo against melee champions.

Her E “Looming Darkness” summons a damaging and slowing zone that applies Gloom to enemies. This is your main form of fearing enemies and trading.

Her best ability in my opinion is her R “Shadow Surge” which fires a missile that marks enemy champions. You can recast it to dash towards them and deal damage. The ability also rests if you kill enemies within a certain amount of time. This allows her to dash all over team fights fearing enemies and dealing tons of damage. It can also be used across the map to make picks on lonely ADCs.

What makes Vex Strong

She counters champions with dashes
She can act as a control mage and an AP assassin
Her ultimate resets off kills so you can get crazy pentakill montages
She is an ADC’s worst nightmare

See Vex in action

#2 Irelia

A champion that makes mid and top lakers rage alike. A female warrior with some serious moves… and some seriously sharp blades. Residing from the nation of Ionia, Irelia is a skilled warrior who knows her way around a battlefield. She has faced and defeated some of the toughest foes the League of Legends world has to offer. The way she makes her look like a ninja on steroids, slicing and dicing in the blink of an eye through eh enemy team. Although she is a scary opponent to face, she has the biggest heart and a strong sense of justice. She has the skills to match her personality and that's what makes her a fan favorite on the Rift. She fits people that want to style on opponents perfectly.

Irelia is definitely a style-type champion but unfortunately with style comes mechanical skill. Saying she is difficult to pull off is an understatement! I suggest playing normal games till you feel comfortable with her. If you cannot dominate in normal games then you definitely will not in ranked games. On to her abilities.

Her passive “Ionian Fervor” grants up to 4 stacks which give her bonus attack speed. At maximum stacks, she gains bonus damage on hit. That is why on hit items such as Blade of The Ruined King and Wits End are so good on her. Her Q “Bladesurge” is her most well-known ability. She dashes on targets, healing herself in the process. If the target is marked or dies to Bladesurge, the cooldown refreshes. This allows her to dash all over the place. Watching players utilize this ability to its fullest is honestly an art form. It's beautiful to watch.

Her W “Defiant Dance” is what makes her so tanky. On cast she takes reduced physical damage and deals more damage the longer she charges it. This ability is great to use when you know enemies are going to unleash all their strong abilities on you. Her E “Flawless Duet” are two blades that she summons and if enemies get caught in between it then they are stunned and marked. So if enemies are grouped up or in a line, she can stun the entire enemy team.

Lastly, Irelia’s R “Vanguard’s Edge’ fires a lot of blades and explodes outwardly. Enemy champions hit get damaged, marked and slowed. This allows her to get on top of pesky mages and marksmen.

What makes Irelia Strong

She deals a ton of damage with a fully stacked passive.
She can perform a lot of outplays with her Q and passive healing. It allows her to fight multiple enemies single-handedly
Her E can stun multiple enemies which can be used to chain CC targets. It also allows her to dash onto targets with Q without it going on cooldown.
Her ultimate prevents targets from escaping and allows her teammates to land their own cc on slowed enemies. It can also be used as an initiation tool

See Irelia in action

#1 Kassadin

The Void Walker Kassadin is a traveler mage who ventured to the very edges of the universe. He hails from the desert lands of Shurima but by his attire you would find it hard to believe. His iconic black and purple outfit make him seem mysterious as he is powerful. He is always slipping in and out of the shadows, leaving his enemies guessing what hit them. Kassadin is the epitome of edgy because of his looks and cool demeanor. However, Kassadin is on a path to save the universe from the destructive powers of the void. I know it is hard to believe judging from how he looks. There is a good guy under all that doom and gloom after all.

Kassadin is the ultimate AP counter. His passive grants him a ton of magic resistance. His weaknesses can be reduced with proper rune setups and itemization. He is relatively weak in the early game and he takes time to scale. But given the chance, he becomes an absolute monster. In league, you will always hear that if Kassadin reaches level 16, the game is over for his enemies.

Now that you know Kassadin scales well with items and experience, the game plan should be to play safe in the early game. Avoid taking unnecessary trade and focus all your attention on farming. You need to survive the laning phase at all costs. The fun begins once you hit level six. You can now switch from a passive playstyle to an aggressive one. His ultimate “Riftwalk” allows him to teleport to a nearby location and deals damage to nearby enemy targets. With this ability, you are basically ungankable because of its short cooldown.

Your main aim of the game should be to farm enough for his core items, Rod of Ages and Archangel's Staff. These items combined with hitting level 16 will allow Kassadin to take over the game. These items grant him more mana, health, and damage so that he can use his ultimate more and do insane damage to enemies.

Why Kassadin is Strong

He has a ton of mobility in the form of his ultimate
His weaknesses can be negated with good runes and itemization
He counters AP champions which is good since they are the most popular champion in the mid lane
One of the best scaling champions in the game. It is almost a guaranteed win if Kassadin reaches level 16.