Best Midlaners in LoL Patch 13.23

While the best midlaners in LoL Patch 13.23 are all AP, all 3 of them has a different playstyle, so everyone can find their champion from the top picks!

Even though the changes for Patch 13.24 have already been revealed, there’s still some time left of the current update of League of Legends, Patch 13.23! After the toplaners, let’s look at the champions that reign the centremost lane of Summoner’s Rift – who are the best midlaners of League of Legends currently?

Best Midlaners in LoL Patch 13.23

Sylas

The Unshackled has remained incredibly potent for a few weeks now, hovering around the top of tierlists and stats sites again. He took the first spot not long after the release of the update, boasting an over 53% win rate in Emerald and above. He also has multiple playstyles, so he can fit any teamcomp, and his ultimate is the best tool to counteract strong R’s from the enemy team.

Sylas Runes

Primary: Conqueror, Presence of Mind, Legend: Tenacity, Last Stand

Secondary: Second Wind, Unflinching

This rune setup is for the Kingslayer build, when you want to be in the thick of the fight, lifestealing while dealing damage. Conqueror is just the rune for that, with Legend: Tenacity and Unflinching letting you fight CC heavy opponents as well. Presence of Mind let’s you stay in lane longer, while Second Wind is also mandatory, as Sylas is one of the few melee midlaners. Last Stand is the most synergistic with his kit, as the lower health you are, the more damage you deal – coincidentally, the lower HP you have, the better your W is.

Sylas Abilities

Ability Priority: R>W>E>Q

Staying on the path of the Kingslayer build, the most important ability of Sylas is of course the W (after his Ult), then your E to help you reposition while also deal more damage. While the Q is the bread and butter of Sylas’ First Strike poke build, its just a farming and engage tool with this playstyle.

Sylas Build

Core: Everfrost, Sorcerer’s Shoes Shadowflame, Zhonya’s Hourglass

Everfrost works great as it makes sure you can land all of your combo, as well as letting you start a second rotation when you have Abilit Haste later in the game. Shadowflame is still just a great item, while Zhonya’s can mean life or death, as Sylas has to get up in his opponent’s face. From your core, you can branch out to items such as Rabadon’s Deathcap, Void Staff, but Sylas can make use of tankier items if you desperately need it, such as Spirit Visage.

Sylas Tips

Try to be conservative in the early game, as most mages outtrade you simply by being ranged. After level 3, you can start trading with your full combo as it’s devastating, especially if you land your Q slow before following up. Try to roam if to lanes with strong ults that you can steal to snowball your lead!

Syndra

Syndra is a champion that excels in ranged combat and can initiate from almost a screen away with her Q-E combo. She also gets exponentially stronger as the game goes on thanks to her passive and great scaling, and she becomes a lategame powerhouse, capable of deleting multiple champions in a few rotations.

Syndra Runes

Primary: First Strike, Magical Footwear, Biscuit Delivery, Cosmic Insight

Secondary: Manaflow Band, Transcendence

As Syndra has great range and can cast her Q while moving, she can activate First Strike easily. In the Inspiration tree, I focused on runes that help her scale even better, while Biscuit Delivery keeps her healthy in lane. Combine that with Manaflow Band, and she rarely runs out of mana, while Transcendence synergizes well with her.

Syndra Abilities

Ability Priority: R>Q>W>E

Rank up Unleashed Power whenever possible, but your Q is your main damage source. After you get enough stacks on your Passive, you get a 2^nd charge of Dark Sphere, and you ideally want to have almost maxed by then. While Scatter the Weak is a great initiating tool, it can be levelled last, as Force of Will’s true damage is nothing to laugh at.

Syndra Build

Core: Luden’s Tempest, Sorcerer’s Shoes, Shadowflame, Rabadon’s Deathcap

Luden’s cranks Syndra’s burst up to 11, while also granting her stats such as Ability Haste and Magic Penetration. Shadowflame has the same reasoning as Sylas (it’s just very good), but Rabadon’s Deathcap is a bit higher up the list as Syndra can keep her distance and deal damage from afar. However, after your core, you can get Zhonya’s, but more damage never hurts, so consider items as Void staff as well!

Syndra Tips

Getting your fast Q-E combo down is crucial to play Syndra. Don’t forget that you can pick up your Dark Spheres as well as Jungle Monsters and Minions with your W. After your ultimate upgrades, you get an execute, so try to focus targets down with your full combo! However, try to be sparing with your E, as a miss can often mean a missed kill, or even your own death.

Orianna

Even though she is the same class as Syndra, Orianna is much more focused on trading constantly and DPS-ing rather than bursting enemies – but she is certainly capable of doing so. Orianna is also one of the best teamfighting mages out there, as Shockwave can turn the tides of any battle.

Orianna Runes

Primary: Arcane Comet, Manaflow Band, Absolute Focus, Gathering Storm

Secondary: Presence of Mind, Coup de Grace

Orianna has a few different keystones she can use, such as Phase Rush and Summon Aery, but Arcane Comet is the most universal as she can land it every time she trades with Q-W. The rest of the runes are pretty standard for mana sustain and extra damage.

Orianna Abilities

Ability Priority: R>Q>W>E

After Shockwave, Command: Attack should be the next skill to max, as it’s lower cooldown provides more DPS. Afterwards, max Dissonance, then Protect – and don’t forget to use your abilities on allies!

Orianna Build

Core: Luden’s Tempest, Sorcerer’s Shoes, Seraph’s Embrace, Rabadon’s Deathcap

Get an early tear, then finish your Luden’s Tempest before building your Archangel’s Staff, which hopefully wont take that long to upgrade to Seraph’s. Deathcap is also a great second pickup for Orianna, but she greatly benefits from Void Staff, and Zhonya’s can help you take riskier fights to your enemies, using Command: Shockwave on yourself instead of using your ball to position it into the enemy team.

Orianna Tips

Never underestimate the auto attacks of Orianna! The damage of her Passive ramps up incredibly quick, and when you use it in conjunction with your W, you can really chunk enemies – especially ones that have a lower range.

Using QWE fast can be devastating to your opponents while also eliminating their chance to fight back thanks to Protect’s shield. And don’t forget, try to find them all with your Shockwave as Faker!

Of course, there are a number of strong picks currently, such as Talon, Swain, Xerath, Taliyah and even Riven has crept up to the top on some stats site. I encourage you to be creative, but if you want to maximize your potential, these three champions are the strongest at the moment!