In this Champs of the Week we have look at the highly contested Mid-lane

Each week we take a look at some of the most powerful champions in League of Legends. With each champion we will take a look at a LoLKing community guide that demonstrates how to get the best results. Last week we had a look at the top lane, this week let's check out the highly contested middle lane. 

Disclaimer: Due to the changes coming to AP (Ability Power) Tryndamere I will not include him in this list, I'm not sure how viable he will be after the changes coming on the PBE (Public Beta Environment); his Bloodlust (Q) ability has been reduced from 1.5 AP scaling to 0.2, AP scale per Fury consumed will be .01. This means he doesn't have a massive heal every time it comes off cooldown regardless of Fury. The change will make Fury a necessity.

It is your choice if you want to play him before the changes are implemented. Personally, I believe the build is exploitative and shouldn't be used, either way – he has seen the highest increase in win-rate of any champion which suggests he has finally caught on in ranked games after a month. The trend setter himself created a guide on LoLKing if you want to give it a go.

Nidalee, the Bestial Huntress

As you could tell from my enthusiasm over Elise last week, I do enjoy champions that are diverse and have two sets of abilities, such as Nidalee here. Nidalee, the Bestial Huntress is known for two things, first her shape-shifting Ultimate Aspect of the Cougar, and second, those damn javelins!

Nidalee's kit includes a Javelin Toss that can drop enemies to critical health from full if they stray into its path; the damage of the javelin increases depending on how far it has traveled. While in human form she also has a trap that deals a small amount of damage to enemies and reveals them, a heal that also grants attack speed for 7 seconds, and finally her Ultimate that transforms her into a cougar.

When she becomes a cougar she gains a new set of abilities; bonus armor, magic resistance and a 20 point increase to movement speed. Her first ability becomes a single target attack that deals twice as much damage to enemies below 50% health, her only ability that scales off Attack Damage. Her second ability is Pounce, this can be used to leap on enemies dealing magic damage or can be used to vault walls and otherwise put distance between her and anyone trying to kill her. Used in combination with her heal and javelin toss she is one of the hardest champions to chase. Her third ability, in cougar form, is Swipe which deals magic damage to foes in a cone in front of her; good for clearing waves.

Enough words from me. Complexity sub-player Bischu - whose favorite champion happens to be Nidalee, has created a wonderful guide for you to take a gander at titled “Midalee”.

Lux, the Lady of Luminosity

Lux has always been a popular champion in League of Legends, but recently she has become one of the highest picked champions in both ranked and professional play. I think we were all reminded of just how strong she can be with that game winning snipe by Shushei in week 3 of LCS EU, instantly killing both SK's Ocelote and Nyph earning him MVP. As demonstrated by that big Shushei play, Lux's strength comes from her incredible range, allowing her to quite literally snipe enemies from afar and clear minion waves from safety.

Her passive applies a debuff to any enemies struck by her abilities which buffs her next auto-attack against them dealing an extra 10 + (10 x level) magic damage. This is good for last hitting minions and in general doing extra damage. Light Binding is her first ability; as the name suggests it binds struck enemies for two seconds and deals magic damage, the second target takes half as much damage and bind as the first. Her next ability, Prismatic Barrier, shields all allies in its path including her for three seconds. The barrier will return to her after reaching max range and refreshes the shield on any allies it passes through, useful for team fights. Her third ability, Lucent Singularity throws an orb of light to an area slowing enemies in range and granting vision for up to five seconds. After five seconds or when activated again it will collapse, dealing magic damage. Lux's Ultimate, Final Spark, is a 3000 range snipe ability that deals damage to all enemies in its path and also triggers the debuff from her passive for increased damage, then reapplies it.

All of Lux's abilities are great for clearing waves and sniping enemies. Due to her low cooldowns, slow and bind ability it isn't wise to chase Lux in a fight. Her Ultimate's range and low cooldown (40 seconds at max level or 24 seconds with max Cooldown Reduction) makes it ideal for stealing Dragon, Baron or buffs away from enemies, or even buffs and minions from allies if you're that guy. I recommend this great analysis of Lux, by NotButter, if you're looking to play her.

Evelynn, the Widowmaker

In LoLKing's most recent Champion Analysis, Evelynn was noted to have fallen from the top five most banned champions to under 3.73% ban-rate; that's quite a big drop. As author Alex noted, people just aren't afraid of her anymore, but when we see she is also in the list of Top Five Biggest Increases in Champion Winrates, putting her above 50% win rate, maybe we should be afraid of her. These conflicting numbers could be – as the comments posted state – because of the resurgence of other champions such as Kayle, Xin Zhao and the increasing dominance of the Elise ban which is now at almost 75%. You can't ban them all.

What makes Evelynn such a strong champion? Well, the primary reason is her stealth. Whether she is in the jungle or in the mid lane you can never be sure of her exact location, unless you have a Vision Ward, and those cost gold. The Evelynn pick instantly baits out wards they otherwise wouldn't be buying. When they don't buy wards, or their wards are killed, the mind-games of second-guessing induced by not knowing where she is kick in. Even in a duel Evelynn is extremely competent; she has a low cooldown ability in Hate Spike that allows her to easily farm or poke. Her third ability increases her attack speed while the others decrease enemy movement speed and increase hers. Her Ultimate, Agony's Embrace, drops a massive AoE bomb on the enemy dealing damage based on their health, slowing them and granting her a shield for each enemy hit.

Evelynn is an easy champion to play but a difficult one to master. This is where I tell you there is a monster of a guide written by Yuno, appropriately titled “The ULTUIMATE Guide,” he wasn't joking around either!

Kassadin, the Void Walker

Kassadin can be just as terrifying as Evelynn, with his extreme mobility and massive burst damage. In the middle lane he can easily use his low cooldown first ability, Null Sphere, to poke enemies and minions. With his third ability, Force Pulse, he can deal a large amount of damage and a slow in a cone in front of him to clear a minion wave quickly. His Nether Blade can be used to restore mana with each hit on minions, or during fights he can hit the enemy and gain triple the mana allowing him to spam abilities without worry. When you reach level 6 you will unlock his Ultimate, Riftwalk. This is the main function of Kassadin, allowing him to teleport to a nearby location dealing magic damage to surrounding enemies, if cast again within the next eight seconds it will cost additional mana but also deal additional damage.

Kassadin’s strength comes from his ability to dish out immense amounts of damage very quickly while silencing his enemy. In middle lane, he will use his Null Sphere in combination with Force Pulse to weaken the enemy, then jump onto them with Riftwalk and quickly repeat the other two abilities to burst them to zero. If they aren't dead he will then use Nether Blade to regain mana on hit and deal additional magic damage each hit until his other abilities are off cooldown. Riftwalk can be used to very quickly travel to other lanes and gank before they realize he is missing; he can also use it to escape or chase down enemies. When he has blue buff and high mana regeneration he can chain together Riftwalks before reaching an enemy and Riftwalk on top of them for increased damage. This will use a lot of mana so it is important to make sure he has enough left to follow up the Riftwalk with other abilities.

For a more in-depth look at playing Kassadin, check-out this guide form Jub111.

Kayle, the Judicator

The ever-changing Kayle will be changing once again with the next patch. She may never be a staple of the League of Legends but when she arrives she does so in an explosive display of death. While we can't say for certain the state she will be in after the impending changes of the PBE, we can say that right now she is one of the strongest champions in the game, whether you play her Support, Top, Middle or Jungle. Kayle is an extremely strong champion with an Ultimate that makes an ally invulnerable for a few seconds, long enough to destroy an enemy team – she relies very heavily on being able to sit at the back of the team and pick apart enemies, otherwise she gets focused and burst down.

Kayle's power comes from her ability to shove enemies out of lane with her third ability, Righteous Fury, which increases her attack range for ten seconds and grants bonus magic damage that splashes on nearby enemies if the target is not a tower. She also has a heal that increases movement speed, perfect for both escaping or chasing and a single target attack the deals magic damage and slows enemy movement speed by 35% for four seconds. As you can see, the synergy of her abilities is perfect. Alongside her heal, she can assist allies with her Ultimate that makes them invulnerable for 2-3 seconds and her passive reduces the armor and magic resistance of enemies by 3% for five seconds each attack, stacking up to 5 times.

Champions like Kayle are often played as a hybrid between Attack Damage and Ability Power, but I suggest the AP Kayle guide from Ashelia, who recommends tapping into the power of Season Three item Liandry's Torment, a personal affection of mine.

These are just a few of the many great champions in League of Legends. Honestly, the majority of champions are viable and all it takes is a good summoner to realize their full potential. With the competitive League of Legends scene in full swing the meta will be constantly shifting as teams look for creative new ways to beat one another.

All of the stats and guides used today can be found on LoLKing.net, so be sure to visit for more great charts, stats and guides. We will be back next week for a special look at the best combos for bot lane.

Chris Rainey, Columnist