Champion Guide

Mel Guide

By LoLSuggest

Mid

Mel is a long-range control mage built around reflecting and executing. Radiant Volley fires a barrage of projectiles that explode around a target area, Rebuttal reflects enemy projectiles back at their casters while protecting her and speeding her up, Solar Snare roots enemies at its centre and slows and burns those around it, and Golden Eclipse strikes every enemy marked by her passive, no matter the range. Searing Brilliance gives her next attack extra projectiles after each ability, and every hit applies Overwhelm, which executes the target once the stored damage is high enough. Mastering Mel means controlling waves and enemy positions, choosing what to reflect, and knowing exactly when an enemy is in execute range.

Recommended Setup

Our recommended Mel build

Our recommended runes, summoner spells and items. Compare build win rates on the stats page.

Items

Core Items

Situational Items

The most efficient build is Blackfire Torch, Sorcerer's Shoes and Shadowflame, whose penetration stacks up for the best possible execute plays, then Rabadon's Deathcap, or Horizon Focus if Deathcap is too expensive, with Void Staff late against magic resist. Liandry's Torment fits against tanky teams, and a control build of Archangel's Staff, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Horizon Focus, Liandry's Torment, Rabadon's Deathcap and Cryptbloom also works against tanks; Zhonya's Hourglass against assassins, Luden's Echo for early burst and wave clear, and Rylai's Crystal Scepter against melee teams are other options. Run Arcane Comet with Axiom Arcanist, Transcendence and Gathering Storm, plus Legend: Haste and Cut Down, with the attack speed shard because she weaves attacks between abilities; Manaflow Band, Scorch, Presence of Mind and Coup de Grace make a more poke-focused alternative. Take Flash with Teleport. Max Q, then E, then W. As a support, Mel builds Zaz'Zak's Realmspike, Shurelya's Battlesong, Sorcerer's Shoes, Shadowflame and Cryptbloom and takes Flash with Ignite.

Runes

Primary Tree

Secondary Tree

Summoner Spells

Skill Max Order

Strengths

Exceptional long-range poke and wave clear that free her up to roam, ward or invade.
Rebuttal turns key enemy projectiles against them, and the mere threat of it makes many projectile matchups easy.
Overwhelm and Golden Eclipse execute enemies below the threshold, tanks included.

Weaknesses

No dashes or mobility, so she is vulnerable to ganks and positioning is crucial.
Galio, Pantheon and other champions with non-projectile abilities or anti-magic tools counter her kit.
Mana-hungry and cooldown-reliant: once she is out of mana, or has had Rebuttal baited out, she is very exposed.

Laning Phase

Mel's lane is about control: shove the wave with Radiant Volley, poke and zone the enemy, and turn your advantage into tower pressure or roams, all while keeping enough mana. Weave attacks between abilities to save mana and add Overwhelm, and learn the minion glows: a faint glow means stacks are applied, and a brighter glow with a symbol means the next hit executes it. Use Rebuttal only on dangerous abilities, such as Ahri's charm or Lux's Light Binding, and sometimes not at all, because the threat of a reflect stops enemies from using their big projectiles; in champion select, count the enemy abilities you can reflect and rank them by threat. Respect the fog of war and keep vision up, since she has no escape from ganks.

Mid & Late Game

After one or two items her wave clear frees her to roam, place vision or invade. Before fights, poke from long range and look for Solar Snare roots that set up your team. Enemies within Golden Eclipse's execute range show the Medarda sigil above their heads; the sigil does not count extra damage from Arcane Comet, Axiom Arcanist, Scorch, Shadowflame or Cut Down, so with those ready you can cast a little before it appears. Her crowd control and burst also make her good at peeling for carries and winning small skirmishes, but she struggles when several enemies collapse on her.

Key Tips

Golden Eclipse hits every enemy marked with Overwhelm, no matter the range.
Axiom Arcanist gives you about one extra second to cast Golden Eclipse after the execute sigil disappears.
Overwhelm also executes jungle camps and epic monsters, so hit a contested dragon or Baron just before it dies.
Enemies will try to bait Rebuttal with a minor ability, so save it for the projectile that really matters.

Matchups

Matchups and synergies

Our picks for difficult opponents, favorable lanes and strong allies. Compare matchup win rates on the stats page.