Four Essential Mastery Pages for Preseason Mid Laners

With the Preseason changes upon us, there's probably a few confused summoners out there as we don't know what's strong, what items to choose, which champions are better/worse or overall how we need to play the game. Through this article I'll try to clear up some little bits for the players who are still unclear in the mid lane. There's multiple options for the mid lane right now so I've focused on 4 archetypes that you can use and adapt to your own playstyle.

AP Assassins/Burst

In this particular category, we're looking at champions who have considerable burst and can potentially 100-0 a squishy champion in a few seconds. LeBlanc, Ahri and Diana are prime examples of this. Your aim is to amplify this burst through the mastery tree.

Ferocity: 12 Points

Tier 1: "Sorcery" is a standard AP mastery which increases your spells' damage. You take this in all instances of AP champions in the middle lane as first, the Resolve tree offers you nothing for the role and secondly, you're aiming to kill with abilities, so this is a no-brainer.

Tier 2: Either option is okay at this point to take. You can aim for the small sustain in "Feast" which can help in particularly bad match-ups or if you aren't confident in your laning. Alternatively, "Double-Edged Sword" increases your damage which is always helpful with this style of play. This boils down to personal preference but when talking about Assassins, you generally want there to be as much damage as possible.

Tier 3: In Tier 3, you have the option of sustain versus damage increase again, so I guess this counts as personal preference too. For this decision though, I think "Natural Talent" has more to offer then "Vampirism". Level scaling AP will help you keep relevant and scale better with items dealing higher damage. 

Tier 4: "Bounty Hunter" and "Oppressor" have about equal worth but one has higher risk while the other is certain. "Bounty Hunter" can amplify your damage by 5% if you kill every unique champion but that's not going to happen every game. The damage amplification that Oppressor brings is a certainty, so for a more dependable effect, Oppressor is the better choice.

Cunning: 18 Points

Tier 1: If you have issues with farming minions then the opposing mastery "Savagery" could be of a higher benefit but in this archetype, you ideally want to roam. The increased movement granted through "Wanderer" helps your Assassin get to their intended targets faster.

Tier 2: Though this is personal preference, the extended duration of buffs such as blue buff that "Runic Affinity" brings has higher worth then extra sustain. Reducing your cooldowns and not having to worry about mana sustain can increase the potential of a kill. 

Tier 3: Out of the options in this mastery choice, this is basically a no-brainer. "Merciless" increases your damage on targets that fall below 40% health.  This is your goal as an Assassin and having this mastery helps accomplish that goal.

Tier 4: Another no-brainer, "Bandit" doesn't bring any kind of benefit unless you're playing Support. Now, Support LeBlanc is a thing but that's a different article. "Dangerous Game" heightens your survival rate after you've gotten the kill. Always better to be alive then dead, unless you're Karthus.

Tier 5: The increased CDR cap sounds amazing in "Intelligence" but due to you putting 18 points in the Cunning Tree instead of Ferocity, having the level scaling hybrid penetration in "Precision" has better overall properties. The choice helps your damage be more effective on a higher range of foes, from squishy ADCs to full tanks.

Tier 6 (Keystone): "Stormraider's Surge" is the optimal mastery to take at the end of this tree when playing your AP scaling assassin. The granted 35% movement speed you get from destroying a champion's health bar adds high mobility to either follow up or escape from other enemies. Catching that straddler becomes easier or running from your doom after a potential flank which turned into the whole team being there.

The choices in masteries here aim to make you mobile while dealing as much damage as possible in a short time. You do have an alternative option where instead of putting 18 points in the Cunning Tree, you look at putting the extra 6 points in the Ferocity Tree. Taking the "Piercing Thoughts" mastery for increased base penetration which then leads into the "Deathfire Touch" Keystone Mastery that helps you finish of them low health targets that you were close to killing off.

AD Assassins

This category is similar to the previous but instead we're looking at the AD scaling champs who can 100-0 you in a matter of seconds. Zed, Talon and Kha'Zix are good examples so try to imagine playing these champions when going through this section. 

Ferocity: 18 Points

Tier 1: "Fury" is the more optimal path to take when starting the Ferocity tree. With AD scaling champions, while you might rely more on your abilities to do damage, the damage from your auto attacks will increase as well. Increasing your attack speed helps you achieve a higher damage output.

Tier 2: For the same reasons you pick it on a magic damage scaling assassin, "Double Edged Sword" provides you a route to deal higher damage in a smaller window of time. If you are unsure of a match-up or not confident in your laning, then "Feast" is a viable option due to its sustain.

Tier 3: We're going to see a similar rationale for the AP and the AD choices in the mastery trees. "Natural Talent" increases your damage scaling throughout the game. If you're unsure of a matchup or lack confidence in your skill, then the sustain from "Vampirism" can be a good idea, but in this instance, Natural Talent's properties shine higher.

Tier 4: This is where things start breaking off and I believe we see the main mastery differences between an AD and AP Assassin. The choice is purely optional as both help you deal damage as the game goes. "Bounty Hunter" being a higher risk based choice while "Oppressor" will have higher consistency. The change here is that not many AD Assassins have high amounts of crowd control while a higher amount of AP Assassins do so Bounty Hunter ranks a little bit higher.

Tier 5: This is one of those no brainers really. You're doing AD damage, so the magic penetration in "Piercing Thoughts" is practically useless. "Battering Blows" is the obvious choice as it gives you a base armour penetration from the start of the game.

Tier 6 (Keystone): "Fervor of Battle" can add between 8 to 64 bonus physical damage to your attacks, depending on your level. When sticking to your intended target, you'll be weaving in between your auto attacks and abilities. Having a reward that builds up your damage for doing that correctly is extremely beneficial in this instance. The mastery makes it easy to win trades against opponents and increases the likelihood of you killing a target.

Cunning: 12 Points

Tier 1: This one is more one sided towards the "Wanderer" mastery as you'll have an easier time farming and last hitting minions with being an AD champion. The Wanderer mastery will allow you to roam locations a little bit quicker which can sometimes be the difference between a good and bad gank.

Tier 2: For the same reasons that you take the extended buff duration from "Runic Affinity" on AP Sssassins. Having lower CDs and the applied red buff slow and true damage can really increase your pick potential and overall kill potential.

Tier 3: 3rd Tier "Merciless" is a damage amplification when a target falls below 40% health. You're looking for that 100-0 so anything that helps you accomplish that goal in the masteries is something you should consider. The mana regeneration that the opposing mastery brings can be good if you have problems with overall mana control though.

Tier 4: You shouldn't be taking "Bandit" unless you're playing Support as you will be farming your own minions. Getting "Dangerous Game" gives you that small percentage health back after you jumped into the back line. Helping you survive whatever the enemy focus give you after the kill on their ally.

There are a few masteries in these trees which are optional but one of the stronger routes have been outlined here. Optimizing your damage so you can burst opponents and give your team the number advantage. You can again decide to change up your Keystone Mastery if you believe it suits your playstyle better. Taking "Deathfire Touch" is the second option as the extra magic damage it deals over time can help you finish of those priority targets.

  Damage/Control Mages

Mages are your consistent damage dealers who normally scale really well into the late game. They rely on long range poke that ramps up its damage as the game goes longer. Examples of these champions are Viktor, Azir or Xerath. When playing these champions you need to know your match-ups and recognize when you are weaker/stronger.

Ferocity: 12 Points

Tier 1: You're taking the standard AP scaling mastery. Apart from the odd few champions who use their auto attacks as a Mage to deal damage like Viktor, you're looking to primarily use your spells. Tier 1 "Sorcery" is the natural starting point here.

Tier 2: This is a 50:50 here as both choices aren't the most effective options. "Feast" can help sustain some of the bad match-ups while the other gives you more damage. Damage is always nice.

Tier 3: You’re looking for the late game in most of the champions in this category. "Natural Talent" gives you little bit of AP to add onto your late game build with items. It only adds a tad, but something is better than nothing.

Tier 4: "Oppressor" is a key mastery point to take for the Control Mage. Champions like Viktor, Azir or Kog'Maw really succeed when grouped up with the rest of their team and rely on having allies use their crowd control and peel so they can set-upt for your damage.  The mastery helps you in these scenarios as it provides a damage amplification while they’re stuck in place.

Cunning: 18 Points

Tier 1: Mages have a playstyle that generally keeps them in their lane farming and only looking to roam during optimal time frames. "Savagery" helps you clear those waves quicker, racking up the gold and creating larger times frames to roam when the wave is pushed in.

Tier 2: "Secret Stash" is especially beneficial since the Preseason removed mana pots from the game. Getting health as well as mana back over time really helps you stick in the lane and keep scaling. "Runic Affinity" is always a good alternative though, as it provides really good mana sustain and lane control.

Tier 3: While there will be points in the game where you can blow up your opposing foes, the types of Mages in question will have to use their mana pool consistently to output their damage. "Meditation" is nice in this scenario as it acts like a smaller version of “Chalice of Harmony", regenerating your mana at 1.5% rate that’s missing from your mana pool.

Tier 4: No point in taking "Bandit" as a mastery unless you're playing in Support. "Dangerous Game" provides sustain and survivability in riskier and deadlier situations.

Tier 5: The lower the cooldown of your spells, the more consistently you output damage. As part of the back line, you want to cast as many spells as possible. Having your CDR cap increased to 45% by the "Intelligence" mastery means some champions like Anivia now have a 2.75 second cooldown on her E, "Frostbite" (Here's a list of the effects of how all champions are affected on Reddit).  This gets consistently stronger as the game goes on as your spells become stronger and the CD shrinks to practically nothing.

Tier 6 (Keystone): For the Keystone Mastery, you're looking to use "Thunderlord’s Decree" here. "On the third basic attacks or spell, it will deal a small AOE that deals damage for 10% of total attack damage and ability power". When combining that with the "Intelligence" mastery, your constant access to spells means this will be activated repeatedly, dealing consistent damage. Fulfilling that goal as the back line damage dealer with wave clear and high damage poke.

This selection of masteries aims to keep you alive throughout the laning phase and get you through the rougher parts of the game. The offensive mastery choices help you deal relevant damage while scaling well with the high cost AP items like Rabadon’s Deathcap. If you want to take another route, look into taking 18 points in the Ferocity tree instead of Cunning, taking "Piercing Thoughts" and "Deathfire Touch" as the Keystone Mastery. The base penetration makes damage stick to opponents earlier while the keystone adds a small DOT to every spell. This choice gets better as the DoT scales off your total ability power by 20%. 

Utility Mages

Utility Mages are playing to buff allies and make them deal the damage for them. They facilitate and optimize their allies damage through shields, heals and other damage amplifications. Lulu, Orianna, and Morgana are examples of this type of Mage. With varied scaling and different weaknesses, they have the ability to save allies and make them a lot scarier.

Ferocity: 12 Points

Tier 1: "Sorcery" is the standard mastery choice to take when looking to play an AP scaling champion. In this case, the AP scalings don't just improve their overall damage but also improve the utility in their kit, doubling its effectiveness.

Tier 2: Utility Mages aren't aiming to win lane and win game. Their focus is to get through their weaker phases of the game and scale to the late game with their utility. Taking the sustain in "Feast" instead of the damage amp from "Double Edged Sword" helps achieve that safer laning phase.

Tier 3: For the same reasons you're taking Sorcery in Tier 1. With higher AP, your champion will have access to more damage and utility. "Natural Talent" grants this with levels, heightening your abilities' effects.

Tier 4: "Bounty Hunter" looks for you to roam across the map and aim for kills across the enemy team. The aim of a utility mage is optimize her allies’ damage and help them carry the game for them. "Oppressor" fits better as champions in this category generally have CC. This mastery helps keep their damage a little relevant in the game.

Cunning: 18 Points

Tier 1: We have to start the tree somewhere and neither of these masteries really help utility champions. When choosing between "Wanderer" and "Savagery" though, the latter grants you additional damage against minions when can be helpful in the early farming phase which leads into more gold.

Tier 2: "Secret Stash" is equally beneficial to Utility Mages as it is to Damage/Control Mages like Viktor and Lissandra. Converting your potions into biscuits which help you deal with the removal of mana potions from the game. The dual sustain keeps you in lane for longer, getting you more gold which turns into a higher flow of items.

Tier 3: The choice of "Meditation" here reigns supreme over its counterpart here as you're looking at a lower chance of you being able to outright kill your lane opponent. Meditation keeps your mana flow strong so you can continue to support your team. 

Tier 4: Here's the no-brainer again. You're playing a solo lane where you'll be aiming to take the farm and get the gold flow. "Bandit" optimizes players who won't be, aka. Supports. Take "Dangerous Game" as it’s the better alternative.

Tier 5: Cooldowns become increasingly important for these types of Mages as their strength flourishes when they have all the abilities in their arsenal. The best example here is Lulu. By continuously having her abilities off cooldown, she can speed-up, shield and heal her allies more often. Increasing the CDR cap on her to 45% with "Intelligence" means she can aim to do this more often.

Tier 6 (Keystone): The crème de la crème of all utility based champions. "Windspeaker's Blessing" makes all shields and heals be 10% stronger in effect and increases their resistances by 15% for 3 seconds. When combined with champions who are building AP to increase the effect of their utility, the percentage increase nearly doubles/triples in its overall impact. Try and avoid Soraka in soloQ for a while, she's a little annoying.

These are some starting points for you to think about when re-making your mastery pages this pre-season. There are multiple considerations to take into account when making these that delve further than the champion archetype. Think about:

- Your individual play-style. Are you more aggressive or defensive? Do you roam or sit yourself into lane?

- Your match-up in lane. Can you win the match-up? Do you need to win the early game? Do you scale better than your foes?

- The team composition. What's your role? What phase of the game are you playing for? What phase are they playing for?

There are some individual masteries that differ from champion to champion as well. When playing Yasuo, you need to be taking "Warlord's Bloodlust", as the keystone mastery gives critical strikes sustain and is too good for him to pass up. As Azir, in Tier 1 of the Ferocity tree, the attack speed mastery "Fury" can be of higher benefit due to his auto-attack based kit. If you ever play Galio, look into the Resolve tree instead of the others as he scales with defensive stats.

I hope this small article helps you create any mastery trees you're having a hard time with while in mid lane. Hope to see you on the Rift. 

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