League of Legends: 3 reasons why you should play Annie right now

Annie received buffs on Patch 10.10 that have seen her climb the mid lane tier list with an excellent 52.32% win rate. Here’s why you should add her to your champion pool right now.

Annie has gone from complete irrelevance to becoming one of the strongest mid laners in solo queue as a result of her Patch 10.10 buffs. The Dark Child currently boasts an incredible 52.32% win rate on the current patch, the fourth highest of any mid laner, dwarfing her 50.47% win rate from just one week ago.

In earlier League of Legends seasons, Annie was forced away from the mid lane and into support as her low damage ratios and lack of mobility saw her outperformed by a number of different options in the role. Since then, she’s become a very niche pick in situations that require strong, instant engage with Summon: Tibbers or as a strange counter to Gnar in the top lane.

So, what changed? How has this forgotten champion suddenly flown up the tier list and established herself as one of the strongest mid laners in solo queue?

Well, her Patch 10.10 buffs didn’t do any harm. But these changes did more than just improve Annie’s kit, they reminded players why she was so strong in years past and have allowed her to shoot up in popularity, mainly due to these 3 reasons:

1) Annie’s Patch 10.10 buffs have had a big impact

Obviously, Annie’s Patch 10.10 buffs are the primary factor behind her meteoric rise to the S tier of mid lane as they’ve both improved the numbers in her kit significantly and raised her play rate on the current patch. Here’s a look at the buffs Annie received on Patch 10.10:

"E – Molten ShieldDamage Reduction: 10/13/16/19/22% -> 13/17/21/25/29%"

Molten Shield now blocks 13% of all incoming damage when activated which is pretty huge if timed correctly, especially when up against burst mages with high damage abilities, like Lux’s Final Spark or LeBlanc’s Distortion.

"R – Summon: TibbersTibbers Aura Damage: 10/15/20 (+10% AP) -> 20/30/40 (+12% AP)"

If Summon: Tibbers wasn’t already a highly destructive spell in team fights, it will be now. Increasing both the base damage and AP ratio of Tibbers’ aura means Annie can simply control the pet to walk in range of enemy carries and slowly burn their health bars to cinders.

2) Annie is one of the easiest mid laners to play

There’s a reason why LS, aka LastShadow, a highly regarded League of Legends commentator and analyst, advises players to play Annie in the mid lane when trying to learn the game. Her kit is basic, her laning phase is very forgiving, and she has the ability to one-shot enemy squishies with a single spell rotation.

What Annie lacks in escape tools and mobility, she makes up for with an easy to land stun that can stop any engage or gank attempt in its tracks. Not only that, but the Dark Child can farm the mid lane wave without issue as killing a minion with Disintegrate refunds the mana cost of the ability and halves its cooldown.

3) You can dominate team fights with Annie’s ultimate

By far the most critical aspect of Annie’s kit is Summon: Tibbers and how its used before or during a team fight; the difference between weak and strong Annie players is their use of her ultimate ability.

Simply put, if you want a champion that can start a team fight and wipe out squishy opponents in an instant, Annie is the right choice for you. Even if you fail to one-shot opponents with the initial cast, the aura damage Tibbers provides could prove deadly in a close, grouped up team fight.

Annie is an excellent champion to add to your pool whether you’re a novice or expert mid laner. While she may be subject to nerfs on the upcoming Patch 10.11, she’ll always be a popular choice and high utility pick in certain scenarios due to how easily she can start up and dominate a team fight with Tibbers.