What is a Mage's Role in a Match Exactly?

Meep Man·Feb 16, 2016·2 votes·3,559 views

Fighter- Front Line DPS Tank- Front Line Crowd Control Assassin- The Knight (ignores front line to pick off back line with strange movement) ADC- Back Line DPS Support- Back Line Crowd Control/Utility Mage- ???

What does a Mage bring to a team? These days just saying "They bring magic damage" isn't usually a good answer since Fighters, Assassins, and even some ADCs can bring decent magic damage to a team.

NOTE: This isn't a "Mage Need Buffs" thread, this is a thread to start conversation about Mages, perhaps even helping with the Mid Year Mage Update.

12 Comments

SeargentAnusFeb 16, 20166 votes

What mages offer

High wave clear
Medium-High Utility (anything from stuns, knockups, shields, heals, taunts, invincibility etc)
High AoE damage (either burst or sustained)

A mage must have strong wave clear to be relevant (tend to rush CDR/ManaRegen for waveclear). You pick a mage because your team wants to hold the game out for a bit longer, so hyper carries (which some mages can be) can carry the game.

coeurloyalFeb 16, 20161 votes

^ Nailed it.

RebonackFeb 16, 20164 votes

AoE burst damage, typically. Depending on the Mage, they also bring single target CC, lockdown CC, or zone control.

The Mage's job is to chunk the whole enemy team so the sustained damage dealers can finish individual targets off.

BluePolarizerFeb 16, 20164 votes

Back Line Burst/CC

Original QuitterFeb 16, 20163 votes

FFS.... EVERYONE Knows the reason there are mages in the game is to feed the enemy AD assassin.

Noobs.

[zombie-brand-facepalm]

Paladin 0f LifeFeb 16, 20163 votes

I used to main mages mostly mid some top. Mages are either used to poke or protect the ADC and/or find out of position picks. Basically a secondary dps support role. That's why zilean and lulu are popular in pro

ModWulf HelhammerFeb 16, 20162 votes

Wave clear, sieging, CC, and burst from a mile away

BoulderoxFeb 16, 20161 votes

I'd say mix of aoe for the most part. Not many roles have aoe like mages do

5050BSFeb 16, 20161 votes

They are a mix of DPS and CC

ZeichiVosFeb 16, 20161 votes

I would argue that many immobile mages are perfect for wave control, poke, and extended siege. For many reasons, siege and long drawn out pre fight poking isn't happening much right now.

Besides that, low mobility mages should typically provide decent AOE burst and/or utility.

Classic examples would include Ziggs, Orianna, Veigar, Lux, Anivia, Malzahar, Karthus, Xerath, Lissandra, and Old Gragas when his barrel was fantastic poke