Are mages more difficult to play than bruisers?

Reynard the ƒox·Apr 16, 2015·1 votes·626 views

I routinely win 1v1 matchups top as AD bruisers, but when I try to go mid and lane as a mage, I lose almost every time.

Are bruisers just easier?

6 Comments

NoMonkuApr 16, 20153 votes

Its a difference in playstyle. Every champion plays differently. I mean I can probably go bot lane and dump on you when I'm playing ADC, but take me top lane against you and I will get wrecked(I suck at top). In most cases it is just knowledge and knowing what you can/can't do. Since you already know what you can do with your bruisers, it is very easy for you to get ahead and get advantages. With mages, you probably lack the experience you need to know that if you tried to go in, you wouldn't win. Just keep practicing and you will probably have enough proficiency in both lanes.

Stars ShaperApr 16, 20152 votes

It's a matter of play style. You probably are more confident in brawls rather than distance/burst fights. Or you probably still haven't found a mage you really like and can exploit his/her kit.

Reynard the ƒoxApr 16, 20151 votes

I really like, and have alot of games on, Azir, Orianna, and Syndra. I've noticed that I always lose lane or go even, very rarely do I get solo kills or come out with an overwhelming CS advantage. The problem is I just can't 1v1 in lane as mages, but I can teamfight with them really, really well. But not 1v1'ing isn't an option; I have to stumble and borderline-feed my way through the first 15 minutes before I can get to the part of the game I really shine at.

And then it makes me think that if I was worth anything as a player, I'd be good at both things, and then it makes me think what's the point in playing this game at all if I'm mechanically crippled at such an important aspect of the game.

Sorry to dump this on you, don't even know if you'll read it all. I'm supposed to play mid with my friends in a local tournament soon, and in all my practice games I got effortlessly destroyed by everyone I faced, so I'm feeling down and pondering even continuing to play this game at all.

Stars ShaperApr 16, 20151 votes

Mages aren't really good duelers to begin with. You need to balance poke and farm. I played a lot of Azir and some of syndra and I always noticed that the big advantage comes when you can punish your enemy when he tries to farm. build some advantage in terms of HP, forcing your eney to either recall or try his luck and set your kill with CCs while being careful of not being poked and keep your bushes warded.

Edit: It's fine :) I'd gladly help where I can.

ElkingtonAug 17, 20151 votes

I main bruisers. However, I find that mages tend to be more consistent/reliable.

In a game, being behind as most bruisers is a lot harder than being behind as a mage, simply because most mages offer more with less kit-wise. In addition, AP itemization is a lot more flexible in general compared to bruiser itemization, especially AD. It's very easy to simultaneously build damage and defense as mage, whereas most bruisers generally have pick between the two, sacrificing a portion of the game (early, mid, or late) depending on what they prioritize. Building a bruiser takes a bit more foresight since their itemization isn't too great.

In teamfights and skirmishes, very few mages have to commit to a fight. They blow their load and in the worst case scenario can just back off and wait for their cooldowns to refresh. In comparison, bruisers have to pick their fights much more carefully unless fed. They're melee and some don't even have a way out once they go in.

Then there's the fact that most mages have reliable waveclear, plus can farm somewhat safely, without having to build a particular item for it. Finally, Riot feels the need to always nerf defensive itemization, making it difficult for bruisers to do their jobs.

Taking everything into account, I would say that mages are more forgiving, even the ones with no escapes.