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League of Legends' patch 12.10 (champion durability update) has played a significant role in defining the meta for the rest of the year. However, amongst those, the midlane meta has probably been affected the most.
Since the update, assassins have sort of become obsolete and made way for scaling champions and mages. While many might feel the change was a bit too harsh as it destroyed the viability of a few fan-favorite champions, there is no-doubt that a change was needed to prevent the game from becoming way too stale.
In this article, seven such midlane champions have been listed that players can consider picking in the current meta. Obviously, it is not conclusive, but the solo-queue will definitely feel much easier and ranking up will take less effort.
Seven best midlane champion choices in patch 12.10 and beyond within League of Legends
7) Ahri
Ahri, despite being a burst champion, did not lose her overall utility after League of Legends' patch 12.10. This is because she brings a lot more to the table in terms of providing control.
Her charm can set up kills really well and she can zone out enemy ADCs in team-fights to create space. Even after the update, she cannot finish off an enemy almost instantly and her utlity is what makes her worth playing.
Ideally, players should try playing Ahri in a way where they can pair up with the jungler to secure easy kills and get ahead in farm.
6) Cassiopeia
Amongst the various midlane champions who have benefitted from the update, Cassiopeia is definitely one of them. This is because she is arguably one of the best late-game scaling champions in League of Legends.
Her ability to zone out enemies with her W and petrify them using her R is what makes Cassiopeia extremely deadly. Apart from that, once she is fully built, there is practically no champion who can counter her.
The only issue she faced was that her laning was horrible. She was very squishy early in the game and used to get one-shot by most midlaners. This champion durability patch has provided a lot of safety to her in the lane, which makes the late-game scaling very comfortable.
5) Zilean
This is a champion who is arguably hated by almost every player within the community. Zilean's utility is almost unmatched and he can single-handedly turn the tides of a fight in any instant.
He can revive fallen team-mates, slow down enemies and boost the movement speed of allies. He used to be played as a support, but in high-elo games, players found that his scaling was way too good and can also be picked in the midlane.
The issue with Zilean was the same as every other squishy champion. His early laning was very weak and he needed to survive the first 15-20 minutes in order to have a good game.
The champion durability update has removed that issue and once the increased base stats are combined with the scaling Zilean receives, he becomes a monster in the late-game. Thus, he is quite a viable pick, though it takes some serious skills to make Zilean work optimally.
4) Yasuo
Amongst the various champions that exist within League of Legends, Yasuo is one who has remained evergreen within the midlane. He has very good scaling and is definitely someone who can counter almost anything that this game has to offer.
The only issue is that Yasuo's skill ceiling is a bit too high and it takes a lot of effort and patience to master his kit. It is vital to remember, though, that Yasuo was not weak before this patch.
However, this champion durability update provided him with more agency in the midlane. He can now play a lot more aggressively and farm his items a lot faster. This allows Yasuo to reach his power-spike a lot earlier and thus enable the rest of the team to snowball the game.
The increased base stats from patch 12.10 definitely helped Yasuo a lot against mages and ranged champions in the midlane and made his laning way easier.
3) Azir
Azir is one of those late-game hyper scaling mages who can turn the tides of a game single-handedly. However, he is also someone who does not feel as impactful until he picks up at least two items.
Just like every other entrant on this list, Azir also suffered from getting one-shot by assassins. There is no-doubt that it was hard to play this champion if an enemy LeBlanc could one-shot him by the 15 minute mark.
Fortunately, LeBlanc is now gone and so are the other assassins. Thus, it gives a lot more breathing room to Azir and helps him reach the two item power-spike a lot earlier. This, in turn, helps Azir to speed up his own scaling and thus take over the game.
2) Orianna
Orianna, just like every other mage champion, benefitted a lot from the early game laning security. She is very good at scaling and thrives in games that last for long durations.
However, the reason why Orianna makes her place on this list is because of her team-fighting ability. Orianna can practically turn the tides of any team-fight using her R ability. The issue, however, is that it is hard to land and unless someone times it properly, they can miss it.
Before the champion durability update, Orianna would be under the clock as unless she hit the ultimate fast enough, she would get burst down by the enemy instantly. Since the update, team-fights are much more extended, which has relaxed the timing window for her ultimate.
She can now use it only when she feels appropriate, which definitely enhances her threat quite a lot.
1) Viktor
The last champion to make this list is Viktor. Amongst the various scaling mages that exist in the game, he is probably the strongest. Once he reaches towards the late-game, his E ability alone is enough to destroy the health bar of enemies.
His ultimate is a brilliant zoning tool that can push out not just one, but the entire enemy team away from a fight. It can be used to assert control over both the baron as well as the dragon pit.
Finally, on account of the champion durability update, his laning has become infinitely better and he can get more aggressive while trading hits. Apart from that, the increased base stats have further enhanced his late-game scaling exponentially.
Thus, there is no doubt that every League of Legends player should be looking to play Viktor more often in the current patch.
