The Top 5 Best Mages in League of Legends

Mages are a popular choice for mid laners and supports in League of Legends because they provide magic damage, which is great for damage balancing in a team that usually involves a large number of physical damage dealers. With the game being around for more than 10 years now, let’s talk about who we think have been the best mages in League of Legends history in terms of their performance throughout the years.

The Best Mages in History

There are different types of mages in the League of Legends champion roster with each of them creating their own unique identity. Today, we’ll be ranking the best mages in the game according to their performance in the lane and their consistency as a reliable pick for the different roles and how flexible they can be depending on the meta. Who do you think will be the champions that will be included in this list?

To rank the different champions, we only have a few criteria: relevance throughout history, pick rate, role flexibility, and overall standings as a mage. We won’t be talking about their strength in the lore, because we already talked about the most powerful champs in according to their stories in Runeterra. We also won’t be basing it solely on the current meta since we’re looking at their standing throughout history.

5. Ziggs

Ziggs is the first name on our list and deservingly so. He’s one of the very first mages that beginners have played when they first tried out League of Legends and has been a top pick for solo queue throughout the history of the game. The part that makes him such an excellent mage is that he’s one of the only champions that can consistently compete in the bot lane against traditional AD carries because of his unique design as a sieging mage champion.

The power of Ziggs lies in the fact that he is able to deal consistent damage from a safe distance, making it annoying for enemies to play safe. He has high burst damage and mobility, making it very difficult to get near him if he’s able to identify where the enemies might come from. This is something that most mages struggle with, so it’s a good bonus point for the champion. Unfortunately, he’s still a bit too slow of a champion for a mid laner.

4. Twisted Fate

Twisted Fate is a prominent pick throughout all the different League of Legends ranked divisions because of his simple playstyle. Despite having a basic kit, his champion potential is very high and allows for the most skilled players to make game-breaking plays. He has been a dominant pick not only in ranked games, but also in esports where players can make more coordinated plays that can influence the game.

Twisted Fate isn’t a champion that has powerful burst damage since his main strength lies in the fact that he can pressure the map with powerful global presence and lockdown that makes it impossible for a champion to get out of once they’re tagged by a Gold Card. This means that as long as an allied champion is nearby, Twisted Fate will almost always guarantee a kill whenever he has his ultimate active.

3. Syndra

Syndra is the most powerful burst mage on the list with her abilities being able to decimate opponents with one combo. She is a very complex mage that has a lot of flexibility in her kit, making the possibilities on how to use this champion almost endless. Advanced Syndra players are able to deny resources from opponents while being able to consistently push them away from the lane, making her one of the most annoying mages to deal with in the mid lane.

The thing that makes her one of the best mages in the game is the fact that her ability to burst enemies will always be relevant. In higher ELOs, players are able to solve her one weakness, which is her low mobility, by using her Scatter the Weak ability to push enemies away when they try to get near. Throughout her existence as a champion, she’s always a champion that players have always loved to play.

2. Ryze

We can’t have a list of the best mages in League of Legends if we don’t include Ryze. This champion has been around since the beta stages of the game and is the namesake of one of League of Legends creators. However, those are not what makes this champion so good since he had to go through countless reworks since he was always shifting from being a completely overpowered champion to a useless one and vice versa.

In recent years, Ryze has been pretty balanced but not completely so that he wouldn’t be a top choice for most mid laners. He has a powerful global presence with his ultimate, similar to Twisted Fate, but he actually does a ton of damage in teamfights. Additionally, the champion scales well into the late game, making him relevant throughout the different stages of the game which is something that a lot of mages don’t really have.

1. Orianna

Orianna is undoubtedly the most powerful and most influential mage in League of Legends history with one of the most iconic ultimate abilities in the game that is able to give enemies nightmares for days. As a matter of fact, pro-players like Faker are renown for having at least one Orianna ultimate that has become an unforgettable moment in esports history. She is the perfect mage champion in terms of all-around kit balance.

This champion is a control mage that is able to provide powerful CC to the allied team while being able to deal a high amount of burst damage. She’s able to play both support and carry, which means that she’s flexible whether she’s behind or ahead in terms of the game state. This champion is one of the very few units in the game that is able to change the outcome of a game with one ability, making her deserve the title of being the best mage in LoL.