The former allows you to smash your way through virtually any enemy (total Hulk vibes), while the latter allows you to flashily outplay your opponent from a smugly safe distance. Although many find themselves drawn to one of these playstyles, if you’re anything like me, you probably struggle to pick between the two. But what if I told you you don’t have to choose between them? There’s a lesser known playstyle out there that combines the best of both worlds: The battlemage. As a battlemage, you can dive right into the action and dish out hefty AoE damage, while still having high survivability. If this playstyle sounds like your true calling, keep reading! I’ve ranked the best battlemages in League of Legends, season 11.
5. Rumble
Small but deadly, Rumble’s a battlemage that blazes his way to the victory screen. Literally. His Flamespitter torches his opponents, while his AoE wall of flames burns their health bar to a crisp. Besides his love for fire, this fierce Yordle also has a thing for electricity. He uses an Electro Harpoon to slow his enemies and reduce their magic resist, leaving them vulnerable to his attacks. Sadly, although overall a viable and fun pick, Rumble isn’t the strongest battlemage in the current meta. His overheat passive is also tricky to master. If you time his abilities incorrectly, you’re pretty much welcoming the defeat screen.
4. Swain
Swain might be old, but he’s still got style (and power). He’s a demon-summoning battlemage with a kit that’s designed to bring Armageddon to his opponent’s laning phase. If his opponent mispositions and steps even a little too close to him, he can pull them in, root them and slaughter their health bar with his decimating ultimate. Even if they stay back and give up their lane pressure, they’re still not safe from Swain: he deals an almost unfair amount of harass. To top it all off, he also commands a flock of deadly, shadowy ravens which heal him. Seriously. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of this battlemage.
3. Cassiopeia
Ssslithering into third place is Cassiopeia, the Serpent’s Embrace. Cassiopeia isn’t the easiest battlemage out there, but once you master the art of snake charming and figure out how to control her? Her fangs are deadly. With damage-dealing poison AoE, movement speed and tons of CC, she’s a cold-blooded menace in teamfights. And if ahead, her E ability is a total game-changer – she can easily 1v3 thanks to it, since it ups her damage output by tenfold and grants her phenomenal sustain. So, sacrifice the boots; tails are the new in.
2. Anivia
Anivia might not be the most popular champion, but she is an im-peck-able battlemage. Her Q (Flash Frost) allows her to stun and thwart anyone in her path, while her E (Frostbite) sends out a blizzard of damage. Plus, her W is the epitome of “you shall not pass.” She can use it defensively to block out any enemy that dares to get close, or use it offensively to trap them and send them to their icy demise. Anivia’s passive, Rebirth, is also eggcellent. It literally gives her a second chance at life. So yep, your fatal misplays will no longer haunt your dreams after every game. Well, at least some of ‘em won’t.
1. Vladimir
Taking first place is Vladimir, a blood-thirsting battlemage that will suck the LP and will out of your enemies. Vladimir honestly has everything you could possibly want in a battlemage (and more). He deals an ungodly amount of damage and can harass his enemies from afar and up close. He can even turn into an untargetable blood pool to evade ganks or escape from a losing battle. Vladimir is also one of the easiest battlemages to play. But what makes him deserving of the #1 spot? The fact that even if he goes 0/3 in lane, he’s probably still going to come out on top. Vlad has ridiculously good scaling – the one-shotting kinda type – thanks to his AoE ultimate and stat-boosting passive. And once it hits late game, Vladimir becomes a full-fledged vampire: lethal, monstrous, and unkillable. Note: this content was created under Riot Games’ “Legal Jibber Jabber” policy using assets owned by Riot Games. Riot Games does not endorse or sponsor this project.
