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How to deal with Ranged AP Champions as a Melee Champ

TehNACHO·10/9/2014, 8:13:33 AM·4 votes·2,438 views

Okay, so long story very slightly shortened, I pissed my friend off by playing Master Yi mid multiple times in a row against AP champs, snowballing the lane hard as hell, and then bragging to him while he loses games against other AP champions in top lane (Which I totally wasn't aware of at the time, I am not that much of a jerk).

I've explained to him the basics of how I manage to pull it off; play safe and focus hard on farming while I wait for the enemy to start using abilities. The moment they burn one of their more important abilities on a minion, or if I'm able to react fast enough with Alpha Strike if they aim at me, I immediately Alpha Strike to them, activate my E, and start wailing away while they can't fight back as hard.

The problem I realized is that Master Yi has his own tools for dealing with AP champions. He can negate a large amount of burst damage with well timed Meditates or even outright ignore it thanks to Alpha Strike. Furthermore, Alpha Strike works as a gap closer, immediately putting Yi on top of the enemy champion when they burn their abilities on minions. Not all champions have these sort of options however, so what may apply to Yi may not necessarily work for dealing with AP Champs in general.

So, Tips and Tricks board, I come to you. How do you deal with AP Champions as a Melee Champion? Are there any particular melee champions that you know special tricks with to deal with them? Are there any overall tips that can apply to multiple melee champions fighting AP champions? I'd like to have this point of reference to learn if I can improve my skills even further and help out my friend with his whole "I-hate-AP-Champs-in-top-lane-f-this" mentality he has.

4 Comments

Dunderflump10/9/2014, 8:22:13 AM3 votes

Spectre's Cowl, Merc Treads, and Hexdrinker are all extremely effective items to counter APs.

Facing AP champions as melee is simply a matter of thinking intelligently.

Is it worth taking a high amount of damage for 1 or 2 CS? No.

Am I capitalizing on their CDs?

Sometimes there's very little you can do; if you've picked Nasus into a high ranged harass top you're kind of fucked.

Spreek10/9/2014, 8:20:12 AM2 votes

  1. Know what CS to give up. You often won't be able to get every single CS in a melee vs ranged matchup. It's not worth taking excessive harass for one or two creeps (as you're going end up losing more by getting zoned or having to back).

  2. Abuse brushes. Melees can often walk into brushes and force your ranged opponent to get close to you (or waste their ward) to harass.

  3. Call for ganks. Ranged champs generally push the lane (since whenever they auto you, your creeps start attacking them instead of the enemy creeps) and they often are rather squishy which can leave them open to ganks.

  4. Look for good trades. If your opponent uses their spells on creeps or misses an important skillshot, consider going in. melees have better stats and typically higher damage if they can into range to use it. So look for the chance to allin or just get a favorable trade when the situation is right,

Sammander10/9/2014, 7:14:57 PM1 votes

Duelists with gap closers (Irelia, Aatrox, Jax, Tryndamere) Sustain champs (maokai, mundo) move speed or hp regen quints flask

all of the above work well

Zidaryn10/12/2014, 7:16:15 AM1 votes

Take advantage of your champs kit. For example, a lot of melee champs either have a gap closer or a poke skill. Also, move around a lot, never staying still so as to help avoid skill shots (most ap champs have a bunch of skill shots). Use your boots, and maybe a move quint. Another point is to play the right champ for the right lane. Don't take some one who doesn't have many tools to deal with ranged champs into mid lane. Use that champ in either top or jng. Good Luck.