User blog:AlexHawks/Challenge the meta - Support in the MID lane

Hello, it's me, AlexHawks.

I'm going to talk about Challenging the Meta with unconventional picks for mid lane, particulary in this case, supports. Keep in mind that this will be only PART 1, since I can't write everything in one post that quick.

I guess it's rather obvious that some potentional supports (,  ,  and even ) can go mid and perform very well. However though, practicly all supports can make an awesome performance at the MID lane.

I was presented to "Support in a mid" idea by a friend a year ago, and it took me awhile to really get used to it. Supports in mid have their owns advantages and flaws, so lets get moved to it.

Nunu is quite well known mid laner to some people, but alot of people haven't discovered it yet. Nunu has consistent damage output thanks to his, which also slows, and makes a good synergy with his . It allows to catch up to opponents pretty quick, but keep in mind that Mid is a really short lane, and you can't expect long chases to happen there. Playing in Top lane, you need stillness, stability and consistency, while in Mid quick reaction and concentration on little things bring you to the victory. Keep in mind, that  has a great passive for Mid lane, called . ( After 5 autoattacks, Nunu's next spell will have no mana cost.) Which can allow you to have a sustained harrassment with his , and provide sustain in lane allowing him to use his  more oftenly. You should obviously be maxing  first. People often undervalue Nunu's damage output, while they shouldn't. Why? has a 100% AP scaling, while his ultimate,    has 250% AP scaling. So, when you think that you can't kill the opponent, you most likely can.

Who is  good against in the mid lane?

You should pick him against squishy short range champions, who don't have consistent sustain in lane, like  or   . Thanks to the damage of his, you should easily be able to harass them and deny their CS.

'Who should you avoid while playing him Mid?'

Champions who can outrange/outharass you. You're going to have hard time against ,  or . Also, you should play safely against champions who have stuns/silences or similar disables that can interrupt your ultimate. In example:  or . However, later on, you might considering getting a  later on, to prevent this.

'What should you buy as a Mid Nunu?' 
 * Or 2 is always good on ',' since it provides him alot of early power, and helps to regenerate his mana faster.
 * Is also a great item for ', 'since his  slows his opponent.
 * Can be used to keep on chasing opponents more, or to lock them in his ultimate.
 * Obviously, cause of his great AP scaling.
 * To keep him more safe while channeling .
 * To increase the damage output even more.

My personal favorite support in the Mid lane, S oraka is a great Mid laner overall, since her passive,  gives her additional Magic Resist. Whitout that, she also has her, which reduces opponent's Magic Resist every single time he gets hit by . Even though her  can't be used to restore mana for herself anymore, it silences the opponent, which is really good at the Mid lane. To crown everything at the end, she has two really strong heals from her  and . She is generaly squishy though, and has no escapes, so when playing Soraka Mid, you have to do two things at the same time, be aggressive, and play safe and the same time. A couple of wards can also help obviously. You should be maxing  your  first, while her second spell is rather situational, if you're doing very well, max, and if you're a bit behind, you should consider leveling up your  instead.

Who is  good against in the mid lane?

You should pick soraka against short ranged AP champions, like ,  ,  or, and she also is quite good against mid range casters, like .

'Who should you avoid while playing her Mid?'

AD casters like  or  should be a problem, 'cause your bonus magic resist won't help that much, and both of them have gapclosers. Keep in mind that with the recent buffs of, while fighting against this item, her power is greatly reduced.

'What should you buy as a Mid Soraka?'
 * An early  will help you to have more mana on lane, also, you will charge it up pretty quickly with your
 * should be built from, it will help you with your mana, and provide you with an extra shield.
 * Is great on Soraka, since it will help you to keep opponents in your  range.
 * Will help you to reduce opponent's Magic Resist to minimum even faster.

Is an extremely good mid laner, since he's naturally tanky, and has quite nice ammount of magic damage. provides alot of extra AP (and armor) and makes his late game very strong. (Later ) passive alows him to constantly harrass his lane opponents, while making him able to lasthit more easily. His  can clear minion waves really quick, which makes him a great mid laner. He has a 100% AP scaling on his ultimate,, which is great to improve your damage output. You should max your  first 'cause it provides alot of wave clearing potential, and  passive will be transfered to . should be maxed second. Even when not dominating your lane, you can still farm thanks to your AA range, and you can collect the Souls from  by throwing your . Also, your teammates can click on your  to dash to you, so Mid lane ganks can become quite easy, if you do it properly.

Who is  good against in the mid lane?

He is godly against AD casters, like  ,  ,  or . He has a huge ammount of CC and he gets bonus Armor from his passive .

'Who should you avoid while playing him Mid?'

Champions with high mobility and range can easily outharass you, and dodge your spells with their mobility. In Example:   , .

'What should you buy as a Mid Thresh?'
 * Double  (Yes, ) are great on thresh, it provides him more sustain in lane, and also increases his harrassing potential.
 * Is great on , since his every damaging spell interrupts opponent's movement.
 * Should also be bought, it gives you more spellvamp/lifesteal, while producing you with a slowing active.
 * gives you alot of damage, and helps you to sustain against bursty mid champions.
 * Is great on Thresh, since you'll be getting even more AP from your passive.
 * and  are also quite good, but very situational, and if bought, should be bought together. (You won't need  anymore)

Typical reaction when players play against perfectly executed support in a Mid lane.
NA:

(01:05)Opponent: WTF soraka mid? are you a troll lol?

(12:37)Opponent: omg this is so retarded, going to feed

EUW:

(00:58)Opponent: soraka mid jajajaja idioto

(09:22)Opponent: per queeee? p*ta el madre!

SEA:

(01:00)Opponent: □□□□□□ □□ □ □□□□□□□□□ □□□□□□ □□

(11:45)Opponent: □□□□□□□□ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□ □□ □□□□□□ □□□□□

Possibly included in the upcoming parts.
Part 2 - , ,

Part 3 - , ,