When you have over 150 champions, each with their own abilities and interactions, you need a way to keep them in check. Riot determined that the best way to do that is by splitting them into different classes. That’s why we have supports, engagers, carries, and more.
Following that, players learned and evolved on how they should play the game. Nowadays we have standardized lanes and a specific set of champions that are usually played within those lanes and roles.
But, the game doesn’t necessarily have to be played that way. You can experiment with different picks and have fun doing so. We have compiled the list of the 10 best off meta Mid Laners. Some of the picks might surprise you, but I can say with personal experience that all of them can be played even in Challenger. Let’s begin.
Table of Contents
Varus
There aren’t many champions that can change their builds completely from one game to another, but Varus is one of them. He works either as an AP carry that will one-shot anything in his sight, as an AD poke champion that will pierce his opponents from two screens away, as an on-hit champion, or you can even build crit on him. The possibilities are endless.
This versatility is why he’s one of my favorite off-meta picks when I want to pull off something different. The two best playstyles for when you play him on the mid lane are AP and poke.
The AP Varus spikes after you complete the first item, Nashor’s Tooth. Until then, you are quite weak, especially if the enemy outranges you. Once you hit level 6 you have kill potential due to your tremendous burst that just keeps getting higher as the game progresses.
On the other hand, Lethality Varus has more consistent damage, but less burst overall. Your main job is getting enemy hp bars low so that they can’t contest any objectives and slowly bleed them out of the game.
ALSO READ: Best Varus Skin
Pyke
Pyke is a very unique mid lane pick. It completely ignores the usual methods and concepts of laning. He just does his own thing – executing enemies.
Pyke has no way to clear minion waves without items such as Tiamat to help him. That’s why whenever you see Pyke on mid they have a very low creep score. But Pyke doesn’t care. Because Pyke farms champions, not minions.
Being in the middle of the map allows you to permanently roam bot and top. While the enemy is desperately trying to hit your tower, you will simply kill his teammates. Every execution with your R, Death From Bellow rewards you with extra gold which negates any disadvantage you get by not farming.
Ornn
The concept of tanks in the mid-lane has been outdated for a while. But there are still some picks that can be effective. One of them is Ornn.
I have to start this section with a disclaimer. When playing tanks, you depend a lot on your team to carry. While Ornn has more damage than your usual tanks, he still needs a good team around him. That’s one of the reasons why you might be performing well, but still losing the games.
Depending on the match-up, you can easily adapt your runes and build. Ornn works great in both melee and ranged matches which makes him playable on the mid lane. On top of that, his ultimate ability, Call of the Forge God, is perfect for roaming or setting up the ganks.
ALSO READ: In-Depth Guide To The Mid Lane
Pantheon
If you are having a hard time getting used to the way Pyke is played then consider opting for Pantheon instead. It’s basically a simpler, more limited version of Pyke. However, unlike Pyke, you will still have to lane like a normal champion.
This is why it’s simpler and easier to play. Your stun is a point and clicks so it usually guarantees a kill whenever enemies are in your range. On top of that, he has a lot of consistent damage with his Q – Spear Shot.
Depending on the game scenario you can opt for a more assassin-style build and go full lethality, or even better, build him off-tank. That way you will still have damage but be able to survive the first burst of enemies.
Pantheon’s R is something enemies always have to be wary of and it influences the early game greatly. Make sure to keep an eye on the other lanes whenever it’s off-cooldown for potential plays.
Twitch
Even though Twitch mid has been rising in popularity over the last year, he’s still considered a very niche pick. He was popularized by RatIRL, undeniably the best Twitch player in the world.
Here’s what makes it work. Twitch can clear the waves by using the combination of Venom Cask and Contaminate. On top of that, Venom Cask is a great tool for zoning both in the lane and during the fights as the game goes on. The stealth that he gets through his Q, Ambush, guarantees consistent roams.
Lastly, he has one of the best scalings in the game and will never fall off. Any fight in which you manage to hit multiple enemies is practically won. There are just two things to pay attention to. Twitch is a very low range and he has no escape tools. If enemies manage to get on top of you almost always results in death.
ALSO READ: All Twitch Skins Ranked From Worst To Best
Graves
Whenever there’s a Graves in the game you expect only one thing – for him to clear the jungle over and over again. That’s the equivalent of what Graves mid wants to do to the minions.
He is great at clearing the waves and then moving into the jungle. While the enemy is struggling to kill the minions under their tower you will already be annoying their jungler.
Due to his good sustain, he’s not bothered by poke and the champions who outrange him. So why isn’t he picked more often? He doesn’t have a clear way of impacting the game and is surprisingly hard to pilot.
Cho’Gath
Cho’Gath used to be a contested pick in the meta of Twin Shadows and GLP, but those days are long gone. Today, only one trick ponies and nostalgic players pick Cho Gath.
Here’s what you need to know to play him successfully. First, decide if you want to deal more damage, or play the traditional tank way. AP Cho’Gath has a lot of kill potential, and a good wave clear, but is hard to team fight with. Your Q is hard to hit, and without it, you have no good way of entering the fight.
But the tankier version of Cho’Gath doesn’t have such problems. He can simply run down his enemies. However, you will rarely kill the enemy laner and you will struggle to keep control of your lane.
Nautilus
Nautilus is one of the most popular mid laners on this list. He was often picked by Doinb during FPX’s World Championship run in 2019. Since then, it became harder to play him successfully, but with these tips, you will be able to make it work.
First and foremost, the more fun version of Nautilus is going AP. You will be able to one-shot any squishy and have a lot of lane control. You need to use Nautilus’s ability Riptide to clear waves, but remember to activate his shield before getting close to the wave to mitigate enemies’ damage.
Nautilus is in a really tough spot once you complete his two core items, Nightharvester and Zhonya’s Hourglass. There’s no good third item for him besides Rabadon’s Deathcap which is quite expensive. That’s why many players opt to play a tank Nautilus instead.
The difference is that you will not be able to kill enemies on your own. But, you can still set up perfect kills and ganks with your ultimate ability Depth Charge.
If you want to learn more about how to play Nautilus on mid, we have a comprehensive guide here.
ALSO READ: Best Nautilus Skins
Nasus
Several years ago this pick would be considered trolling, but the recent changes to mid-lane champions have propelled Nasus to one of the best off-meta mid-lane picks.
Nasus’s sustainability combined with the lack of damage from mages in the game right now means that he can stack his Q (Siphoning Strike) uninterrupted.
There are two playstyles that you can choose from when playing Nasus mid. The first one, which is my favorite, is the classic tank Nasus that depends on his Siphoning Strike stacks. Enemy laners will never be able to kill you, however, they will have complete lane control.
On the other hand, you can play AP Nasus which relies on his ability Spirit Fire. With it, you can one-shot waves and roam to affect other lanes. But, this build path falls off in the late game.
Kayn
We are ending this meta mid laner list with a bang. Kayn is a champion that you have most likely never seen played in the mid-lane, but it works! He was even played once in the pro play by Caps in Season 7.
You almost always want to transform into a Shadow Kayn because it can roam and clear waves more easily. The only exception is if you are playing against a tank.
During the laning phase make sure to poke the enemy with your W so you can start collecting the orbs. You will have a very weak early game, but that doesn’t matter. Your real game begins the moment you hit your transformation.
ALSO READ: How To Freeze Any Wave
Conclusion
Due to the variety of different builds and the fact that they are getting updated constantly, I recommend that you follow the recommendations of a third-party website such as u.gg. You don’t have to be a meta slave to win. Instead, give one of these champions a try and I’m sure you will like it.
