Mid-Lane Meta: Control Champions

This might potentially be a relatively comprehensive series of posts (starting with this one for now) each focusing in on the Mid-Lane role (the role that I main), and each describing the break-down into the different champions, their playability, and how they function in-lane as well as late-game. The focuses of the champions will also be discussed, hopefully giving a good idea of what to expect for those who are either new to the mid-lane competitive meta-game, or simply want to step their game up a bit.* I want you to also keep in mind that the things I discuss are 100% up for debate, so if you think I'm wrong about something or I should change something I say, please respectfully bring it to my attention and tell me what you want to say!* Thanks again, as these threads will be targeted at helping players understand the champions used mid-lane as well as the role itself.

What are Mid-Lane Control Champions? As the name implies, Control champions are champions designed to embody a powerful "control" aspect which is the ability to essentially control the battle field in which they fight. Things like zoning, crowd control, and heavy damage are common among mid-lane control champions and they usually make up their core kit. These champions excel at various team-comps particularly those requiring heavy AOE CC and Disruption.

Mid-Lane Control Champion Characteristics The characteristics of a mid-lane control Champion tends to be comprised of the following traits.

Powerful Zoning Ability

Powerful CC (Crowd Control) abilities

High Damage Output

Low to No Mobility

Minimal Defensive Capabilities

Good Team-fighting Ability

Who are the Mid-Lane Control Champions? Mid-Lane Control Champions tend to have a composition of the previous traits. The skill-level of control champions tends to be towards the higher level of play, as they require excellent positioning of the champion and their abilities to accomplish their goals effectively in a team fight. This is mainly due to the fact that these champions are low-mobility which means that if you stay too far out of position, you could easily get caught out with the champion and have minimal ability to escape aside from the CC the champion might (should) have. The primary factor in determining a Control Champion, is the AOE CC and High Damage. This Category consists of a lot of Champions and quite a lot of variation inside the Category too. The following champions tend to be Mid-Lane Control Champions.

: Anivia: She is an excellent Control Champion who combines heavy AOE damage/slowing CC, a powerful AOE stun, and an excellent passive capable of dealing with one of the primary counters to mid-lane control champions which are all-in assassins (champions like Zed) who tend to be popular with the current meta whether they be mid or in other lanes.

Cassiopeia: She fits many of the common traits I discussed prior, while also combining a sub-trait and that is her Hyper-Carry potential. She simply does so much damage once he gets to the late-game that if she gets ahead, it can be devastating for the enemy team to try and deal with. Her AOE Ultimate combines a powerful stun/slow with her high burst damage which can be extremely powerful in a team fight. Cassiopeia also has extremely good zoning potential similarly to Anivia which can be good against other less consistently mobile champions.

Galio: Though he is much tankier than the standard Mid-Lane Control Champion, he still has a powerful set of CC, combined with his Resolute Smite ability that is excellent for zoning and wave-clear. Although he is played less due to Braum's hard-counter presence in the meta, he is still a good pick, and a bit more unique in comparison to other champions in his category. He does have a minor mobility advantage with his Righteous Gust ability, and also a good anti-poke shield almost putting him in the category of a tank, but looking past the moderate survivability bonuses he has in his kit, he still performs many of the same functions that fit this category. He is excellent in team fights if the opponents lack Braum as his ultimate can be just as devastating as Amumu's and can turn the tide of battle.

Heimerdinger: Although though he has a bit of an odd champion-design that doesn't really mirror any other champion, he certainly fits many if not all of the previously discussed traits. His Zoning is absolutely excellent, his grenade stun is extremely powerful especially when augmented with his upgrade, and his damage output is among the top. One of his biggest downfalls is his squishier item build tendency, and he has absolutely no natural mobility that can really help him escape or reposition if needed. However, once he sets up in a good location, he can really alter the course of a fight with the powerful consistent damage and heavy augmented grenade CC, or even the powerful consistent AOE slow CC and damage from his augmented Turret.

Karthus: Another excellent example of the Mid-Lane Control Champion combining high damage, AOE CC/Damage abilities, powerful zoning ability, with absolutely extremely poor mobility and defenses. His Passive makes the enemy team think twice about focusing him off the bat in a team fight, as it might not prove too effective, though if they don't deal with him quick enough, he can really put out a lot of damage. His ultimate is an extremely unique one capable of harassing all enemies on the map during laning phase, executing enemies, and changing the course of fights on the rift without even being there. He is a pretty powerful champion, yet his defensive capabilities are so poor, that it's unwise to roam about by himself late-game or he could easily be picked off.

Kennen: He doesn't fit the exact set of rules, but he does have the most primary factors which would be his amazing AOE CC, and his high damage output. He is a lot more mobile than most other Champions in the Category, yet this is compensated by his rather sub-par zoning and early wave-clear potential in comparison to these other Champions. When it comes to a team-fight though, you won't make any mistake about how Kennen is certainly a Control Champion. He has extremely powerful AOE CC potential with his Slicing Maelstrom and Electrical Surge abilities. He can be a potentially good pick if your team is going for heavy AOE CC.

Lissandra: Though she isn't played much anymore, she still tops the list for AOE CC heavy champions. She has some powerful poke for zoning in-lane, as well as a unique mobility aspect (essentially a teleport) which tends to be rather absent from other champions in her Category. Her AOE Ultimate and Ring of Frost abilities can be extremely devastating to an enemy team that gets caught up in a CC chain. She also has quite good survivability potential combing a Zhonya's Hourglass with her Ultimate to survive most of the burst of the fight until she can output more CC or retreat to safety for further poking and such. She is really not a bad champion, but due to her relatively sub-par damage in comparison to other champions of the category, she tends not to be picked, because she requires some of the greatest skill out of the champions in this category to truly be successful with. Positioning and smart engaging is quite key to playing Lissandra well.

Lux: A very solid pick that can change the course of the team-fight with her double snare Q. She can be built a little more tanky for better survivability in fights, or built more towards heavy poke damage which can really set up a fight for your team's victory, force the enemy to retreat, or even finish off squishies who try to run away. She has a bit of an above-average ability to survive and aid your team with her shield which can really help in a lot of situations. She's a very excellent well-rounded Champion.

Malzahar: Malzahar is an interesting champion. He has excellent wave-clear, zoning, and damage ability, but he lacks defenses all around. This weakness is heightened even more when you realize that his ultimate leaves him completely open to the enemy team, which really almost seems contrary to his kit. He has rather average CC ability, as his only AOE CC is his silence, which is still good, but his ultimate as previously stated really lacks cohesiveness with his play-style (a squishy mage). Malzahar's ultimate however, can still be a powerful suppressive CC tool which can lock down marksman and high priority targets given he has the chance.

Orianna: An extremely popular champion, and for good reason. She has quite excellent mobility for a Mid-Lane Control Champion, and good survivability/poke with her shield (returning flight on her orb can poke for a bit of damage). Her auto attacks offer good poke with her passive which can help weaken your laning opponent for an all-in. Her CC is pretty amazing with Dissonance, and her Ultimate being one of the best displacers in the game. She has quite the large AOE on her CC too, and dissonance + her Shield lends aid to her allies too. She is a very well rounded team oriented Mid-lane Control Champion, and certainly one of the best there is.

Syndra: She's one of the best Champions in this Category, as she has extremely good AOE CC in a team-fight, and she has really good damage that can be quite devastating. Her real weakness is her low mobility, but she more than makes up for it with her excellent range, and she remains extremely useful in team-fights all game.

Veigar: With one of his abilities being a ranged dedicated AOE stun that really surpasses a lot of the CC in the game, he can be really good in a team fight. Veigar has a similar sub-trait to Cassiopeia being an AP hyper-carry. He has extremely high single-target damage, moderate AOE damage with his Dark Matter ability, and can burst down most squishies with extreme ease. He has excellent farming, and his wave clear gets very good towards mid-game.

Vel'Koz: A rather moderate Champion in the Category. He has pretty standard AOE CC ability and rather good damage, but he has some of the best range out of the champions in the Category. The only Champion who can really beat him in the range game is Xerath. His Zoning ability is moderate, and his late-game carry potential is pretty decent too. He's a pretty average champion in this category.

Xerath: He's got pretty good CC, good zoning ability, and rather high damage, but what really sets Xerath apart is his consistently long-ranged abilities. He's really one of the best at poking from afar, but does require rather higher skill than others in the category considering that all of his abilities are various types of skill-shots. He's quite good if you need a champion that has very long-range yet satisfies the CC/damage requirement your team might need.

Ziggs: Probably one of the best mid-lane champions despite his nerf, and the nerf on Athene's Unholy Grail. He still has some of the best, if not the best wave clear out of mid-lane Champions, an extremely powerful Long-Ranged AOE Ultimate, and really good zoning ability. He is unique in having some of the Best mobility of the Champions in this Category, but his CC is pretty average. He's an excellent well-rounded Champion.

Zyra: The last on the list, but certainly not the least. She has an amazing multitarget snare, great zoning, and one of the best CC Ultimates in the game. If your team wants heavy CC, she is certainly one Champion to consider. She has pretty good damage, but she suffers from a major lack of mobility and defenses. Building tankier on Zyra is probably a good idea to better round out these weaknesses, but don't compromise too much damage if you can help it.

The Basics These Types of Champions tend to excel at zoning/poke and have really powerful CC. If you cannot manage your laning opponent alone, try requesting a gank from your jungler as with your CC, you should be able to burst them down without any problem if they leave themselves open. Farming also tends to be a strong-suit amongst these champions, so try using your wave-clear to farm up gold for items you'll need later in the game.

Thanks again for reading and feel free to leave constructive feedback, thanks!