I’m here to tell you about the great Anivia: the cryophoenix and eternal protector of the Frejlord, who just happens to have an uncanny resemblance to Articuno. She unfortunately also happens to be one of League of Legends least played champions.
Although Anivia saw a slight rise in popularity after Froggen showed her off at Paris All-Stars 2014, she still stands in the bottom 10. Players complain she’s just “out of the meta” and gets countered and ganked very easily. According to Froggen, however, her kit is one of the strongest in the game. So let’s explain.
Her passive skill, Reborn, allows her to rise from her death. When killed, she reverts to an egg that has to survive a six-second cooldown. It’s good if you die under tower and help is on the way, but if you’re stranded mid lane, you’ll probably die. Rule to win #1: don’t die.
Her Q, Flash Frost, launches a long-ranged ice orb that travels in a straight line. At maximum range it will detonate, but you can detonate it manually by pressing Q again. Targets struck by Flash Frost are ‘chilled’ for three seconds, slowing their movement speed by 20 percent. You want to grab this skill first.
Her W, Crystalize, creates a solid impassible wall of ice for five seconds. With proper wall placement, you can successfully lock an opponent away from a team fight, cut off a retreat or utilize it to escape. Don’t pick this up until lvl eight, unless you find yourself being aggressively ganked, then I would pick this up by lvl four. Because she is slow, a gank is likely, so it wouldn’t hurt to grab an extra ward when possible. Stay mini map aware and stay on the look out!
Her E, Frostbite, fires a shard of ice at an enemy champion. It deals double damage to those who are chilled. Use this right after landing Flash frost. Q-E is your combo, so use it! Pick this up at lvl two and three, and max it by lvl nine.
Her Ultimate, Glacial Storm, is a toggle skill that creates a polar vortex in a target 400 radius area. Enemies inside the storm receive magic damage every second they are inside, and remain chilled one second thereafter. Remember to use your E on chilled enemies. Their movement and attack speeds will also be slowed by 20 percent. This skill is also great for clearing waves of minions. Use this to farm.
BUILD:
Start off with a Doran’s Ring, one Health Pot, one Mana Pot and a Warding Totem. Remember that Anivia is one of the most mana hungry champions in the game, so rush Chalice of Harmony. You will eventually build this into Athene’s Unholy Grail. She’s slow, so grab boots, and if you have enough, a Stealth Ward for extra vision to avoid ganks, which Anivia is prone to. Next, start building Rod of Ages and upgrade to Sorcerer’s Shoes. Boosting AP will provide more slows and damage. Rabadon’s Deathcap should be a part of your core build as well. If you’re doing well late game, grab Void Staff, as is gives you 40 percent magic pen. If you want to go defensive, buy Guardian Angel. With her passive and Teleport, it’ll be like she’s immortal. For your second Summoner Spell, get Flash or Heal, as this gives her a better escape.
For runes, we suggest nine Marks of Magic Penetration, nine Glyph’s of Scaling AP, nine Seals of Scaling Mana Regeneration and three Quint of AP. As for masteries, 21 Offense and nine Utility as shown. Make sure to get Runic Affinity, as your Jungler will most likely give you blue buff and this extends the duration of that by 20 percent.
Remember, she is one of the best punishers in League of Legends. She can capitalize on any mistake the enemy makes fairly easily, but is also one of the easiest characters to get punished when an error is made on your part. Due to her unpopularity, Anivia match ups are few and far between. Use other players’ limited knowledge of her skills to your advantage.
As always, GLHF <3
