A Beginner's Guide to Mid Lane

Over the course of this article I am going to explain the following: Why mid lane is important, good picks for the current meta, what roles mid laners fill, and when it is a good time to roam.

Mid lane is the the very center lane on the map. Of course we all know this, but it is the most important because mid lane is the fastest route to the enemy Nexus. A good mid laner knows to keep up constant wards and watch other lanes as well as their own. Constant vision and keeping tabs on the other team's mid laner can keep the pressure off of other lanes.

A good way to prevent roaming is to shove the wave and keep 2 wards active on both sides of the lane, doing this can not only win the lane but also make the other laner lose out on gold and experience. If your jungler is busy helping other lanes or just farming up play more safe use your spells to pick up those waves and try to dodge instead or harrassing your opponent.

Try and get a deep pink if you can to keep tabs on the enemy jungler to know a good time to go all in and pick up a solo kill. Of course it's not all that simple you also need to take into account who you're facing and which champion you are playing. For the mid lane there are two very different roles. You can take the role of an assassin who excel in doing massive amounts of damage and being able to escape with as little punishment as possible.

Assassins typically roam more than mages though do not count out the roaming. While playing champions such as Xerath or Syndra, the key to avoiding an untimely death from roams is to keep vision and look at your map. Pinging that the enemy is missing if you do not know where the enemy is; even if they went back still ping because they might try to assist other lanes with a lane gank. If something like this happens, try to help that lane if you feel you could turn the fight for better. If you think you can't, use that time to push. Pushing hard down lane gives you an opportunity take their tower and shove the wave as I mentioned before.

Playing as a mage, your role is to provide as much damage in team fights with your spells. Using your abilities to finish off the team securing the game winning ace is one of many things mages bring to the table. For the next role we have Assassins; assassins excel at picking off the enemy team's carry quickly with burst damage and taking as little punishment as possible. Your goal as an assassin is to focus their damage and get picks on out of position players.

If you're still confused on mid as a role, I'd say go to Twitch and watch some of the pro mid laners. See how they build and eventually start your own mid lane strategies. I prefer to stay mid and farm up until I finish my 1st item and then look for a roam if Bot lane is behind. Some champions that are good mid right now are: Ahri, Nidalee, Annie, Xerath, Ziggs, Zed, Le Blanc, Orianna, and Syndra. So if you're looking for some champions to pick up those are some good buys. Remember to keep up vision, use your map, and try to weigh the pros and cons before going in.

Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you're all well and that I see you on the Rift!