5 Most Picked Mid Laners in Professional League of Legends
Professional Mid Laners have the deepest champion pools in the game. They need to know so many champions inside and out, and if they don’t play meta champions, they may struggle a little bit.
Many pro players got into high ELO by one tricking a champion, although many had to give them up when it comes to playing professionally. Something you may have noticed by watching LoL is that you see many Mid Laners over and over again.
Do you know who the most popular Mid Laners are in professional play? No? Let’s break down the 5 most picked Mid Laners in LoL history. But before we begin, if you’re interested in finding more information and stats for any of these champions, why not sign up for a free Mobalytics account!
All the stats in this Esports series of guides are taken from GOL.GG. The filters we are using are all seasons and all roles.
5 Most Picked Mid Laners in Pro League of Legends
1. Orianna
Orianna has always been a consistently picked Mid laner in LoL. Back in the day, she was picked or banned and saw soo much play. Unfortunately, she hasn’t been played a lot lately, but she is still a consistent champion.
She has a lot of wave clear and can prevent the enemy from pushing her into her tower with the Q and W combo. In team fights, her Ultiamte is very useful and she can use it in combination with other champions engage or CC to take enemies down. It is also a great pick tool.
I think Orianna is good, but she isn’t played too much in the current meta. She is always consistent but not very strong, unfortunately.
Quick Tips
- Use poke combos to chip away at the enemy’s health bar, but be aware that you’re an easy target for ganks, so don’t go overboard when trading.
- Play for team fights. Stay in the backline and keep your ball on the champion who is most likely to engage and set your R up.
- Prioritize farming well and making safe coordinated plays. Orianna doesn’t have the luxury or the survivability compared to other mid laners, so smart plays are important.
2. Azir
The second champion on our list is Azir. While you never see Azir anymore, he was very popular at one time in professional League of Legends. There are many reasons why he was good, but for the most part, it was for his poke and wave clear.
Azir has lots of poke and can bully and harass the enemy from afar. He also has good pick potential with his Ultimate which he can use to push enemies into his team. Thanks to his Passive, Azir can also place a turret that will help his team in a variety of ways including clearing waves or preventing further pushes.
I don’t think there is any point in playing Azir right now. There are much stronger champions in the Mid lane, and champions that are so much easier to play. His learning curve is so high, and the champion is so unique it will be hard for you to do well on him.
Quick Tips
- Stand at the maximum distance possible when playing against melee champions so they cannot get on to you. Use your range advantage against these champions to keep them low.
- Use your Ultimate as a defensive tool rather than a tool to engage with if it’s not necessary. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be the playmaker all the time.
- You can build a replacement tower in the middle lane after taking the tower and then look to roam.
3. Ryze
Ryze is on his eleven hundred and thirty-third rework, and almost all of those were because of his strength in pro play. Funny enough, Riot cannot balance Ryze. he is either really weak or really strong. If they buff him, he gets picked in pro, but if he remains weak, then he doesn’t ever get played.
There are a few things that make Ryze strong. The first is his Ultimate which he can use to sneak objectives with his team. This utility tool allows them to move across large distances very quickly and either take objectives or get picks. After he has completed his first item and once he has some levels under his belt, Ryze’s wave clear is very strong, and it can be hard for enemies to siege.
I don’t think Ryze is a bad champion and I think you could play him. However, you will probably find more use in playing a champion who has more kill pressure at level 6 and has a useful Ultimate.
Quick Tips
- Ryze is very weak in the early game and needs time to scale. Avoid spamming your abilities until you’ve got your Tear otherwise you’ll be forced to recall early and may miss out on getting this item.
- Remember that your level 6 is far weaker then most champions as your Ultimate is a utility tool and deals no damage. Play respectfully if the enemy is stronger than you at this time.
- Your goal throughout the early and mid-game is to scale. Avoid falling behind by playing safe and respectfully until you have an item or two. Once you get into the late game, you’re going to be much stronger and have an easier time playing.
4. Syndra
Syndra is the fourth champion and one of my favourite Mid laners in the game. Syndra is a very versatile and strong pick for pro play thanks to her poke, wave clear and pick potential. A Syndra on the enemy team can be extremely deadly.
She can hold her own regardless of how few or many kills she gets. Her wave clear is quite remarkable even with 1 item, which allows her to total negate any team from pushing. Once she hits level 6, her kill pressure intensifies, and she can start getting solo kills.
Syndra is definitely one of the best champions to play if you want to learn how to play Mid lane. I would recommend anybody to play her if you’re new to Mid.
Quick Tips
- Delay a team fight for as long as possible while poking the enemy with your Q and W. Having balls placed will also allow you to set up a fight with your E.
- Try to get as many balls placed before activating your Ultimate on the enemy to increase your damage output and the chances of you killing the enemy.
- Set up picks for your team by placing Dark Spheres inside bushes and using your E to knock them into the enemy. Stunning them will result in easy pickups for your team.
5. Leblanc
The final champion on our list is Leblanc. Leblanc is a good champion who can assassinate squishy targets that are moving around Summoners Rift alone. However, there is a lot more that makes her very strong.
In pro play, Leblanc has a lot of wave clear which makes it hard for any enemy team to siege objectives. As Leblanc is an assassin, she can pick off targets that are sieging: her W allows her to get in and out and survive and skirmish. She is a very strong champion with a lot of kill pressure throughout the game.
Leblanc is a good champion to play, but you need to be pretty good on her to perform well. Master her ability combinations, and you’ll do just fine. You will need to learn how assassins and mages are played if you want to play Leblanc.
Quick Tips
- As an Assassin, Leblanc should look to assassinate isolated targets that are moving through the river alone in the mid to late game.
- Refrain from instantly recasting your W after trading as it may set the enemy up for a good turnaround kill. You can wait briefly before reactivating your W to return to your original Distortion.
- Leblanc is a very good roaming champion. If you’re not able to get much done in the mid lane, try and roam to help your side lanes out.
Final Thoughts
The Mid lane has the deepest champion pool, and theres not really anywhere you can find out how to play against every champion who is played there… Unless you check out Mobalytics which has every matchup and tips and tricks on how to counter each and every one of the champions on today’s list.
