In the mid-lane, you’re going to find AP-scaling mages paired with bursty assassins. However, if you’re the type of player that likes to shake things up from time to time, this doesn’t always have to be the case. Today, we are going to give you a list of the best off-meta mid laners…

The Rundown of the Best Off-Meta Mid Laners

Want to catch that enemy mid laner off-guard? If so, then you’re going to want to go for an unexpected pick (one of the mid laners from our list). This is what we would suggest:

Cho’Gath – This LoL champion has just the right amount of bulk and a robust zoning tool to zone out an enemy, as long as you can manage the mana.

Caitlyn – This champion is strong early in the game and has a good range. During the laning phase, her abilities give her the capabilities of slaying enemies like never before. 

Master Yi – Master Yi’s wave clear and heal make him a great off-meta mid laner. 

Renekton – This LoL champions’ early game durability, combined with his abilities, set him off on the right foot. 

Lucian – You can label this guy an AD caster as he can avoid skill shots that many of the mid-laners are dependent on. 

Kha’Zix – He’s a good jungle meta, but he’s still able to play in mid-lane as a highly mobile melee assassin. He does great, especially when he’s up against mages with low mobility. 

How do these off-meta picks work? We’re going to take a closer look at these LoL champions to find out…

1) Cho’Gath 

Putting Cho’Gath under a microscope and analyzing him, we find that he has a little bit of everything running up his alley. Due to his passive ability (Carnivore), he has terrific sustain. Plus, he is super tanky because of his Feat ultimate stacks and overall good stat scaling.

When it comes to damage, he can use his Q (Rupture) to zone out enemies, or by using his W (Feral Scream), he can deal significant AOE damage – combine this with his E (Vorpal Spikes), and he’s almost unstoppable. 

This champion is also equipped with CC due to the knockup on Rupture and Feral Scream’s AOE silence. With his ulti ability, he can deal focused single-burst damage.

What Makes Him Work? 

Cho’gath is one of those LoL champions that you can place in any role, and he will do good. When you use him as an off-meta mid laner, he does have some early game mana issues that can prevent him from being a big lane bully, but those crowd control abilities make it so that he can make mid-lane ganks with ease. Combine it all with his epic lane sustain, and you have a champion that will continuously soak up experience and damage. 

Suggestions

As a mid-laner, Cho’Gath lacks mobility. You’ll want to prevent targets from using their mobility skills, and for this reason, you’ll want to keep Feral Scream ready. Don’t worry, because you’re tough enough to take a couple of hits for your squishy partner. 

2) Caitlyn

Whenever someone talks about Caitlyn, it’s usually because they’re talking about a lane bully. She’s meta-pick in the bottom lane, her Q (Piltover Peacemaker) combined with the Headshot passive are harassing tools that cannot be passed up, as they can pass through minions. Her E (Snap Trap) ability is a great zoning tool that can prevent the enemy support and marksman from touching the minion lane. Then, you have her Ace in the Hole ability – she can use this to finish her enemies.

What Makes Caitlyn Work?

Range and Utility are her biggest strength. Down the mid-lane, she’s an even bigger lane bully that almost always tilts her opponent. While her harassing tools are useful in bot lane, they’re just as effective in mid-lane, especially since there aren’t any supports that can shield or heal her target. Yorle Snap Trap is a useful ability that she can place in the bushes to deter those enemy Junglers. 

Suggestions

Caitlyn does well with Junglers that are CC-heavy – this is because of her ability, Yordle Snap Trap, that she can use on her opponents to hold them down. 

3) Master Yi

Next on our list of the best off Meta-Lane Champions, we have Master Yi. At one point in time, we recall Master Yi being a game-breaking meta mid-pick. However, Riot eliminated AP scaling from him, so he’s can no longer be played as a mage. Nowadays, he is one of the easiest high mobility Junglers that does a great job at snowballing and split-pushing.

What Makes Master Yi Work?

Lane Sustain and Mobility powers Master Yi. He’s no longer labeled an AP monster, but he does have some features that make him good in the mid lane. His Alpha Strike comes in handy as evasion and wave clear. Then, his meditate makes it so that he can shrug off poke damage. His mobility is also great, so he can make it to the blue camp, grab a buff for himself, and return to lane without falling behind. 

Suggestions

Unfortunately, this champion doesn’t have any crowd control, which is a real bummer. Instead, you’ll have to put trust in your jungler and hope that he/she can lock down key targets. Master Yi is vulnerable to CC, so having support like Janna would be great for him. Since he is a big threat to the enemy, he’s still considered one of the best off-meta mid laners. 

4) Lucian

Lucian is another good champion that deserves a spot on this list. His damage comes from being able to manage his passive (Lightslinger), instead of auto-attack speed. His Q (Piercing Light) is great for poking past those minion lanes. However, like a traditional mage, he needs to save those cooldowns to move in with an intense burst. While his E (Relentless Pursuit) doesn’t really help him dodge those auto-attacks from enemy marksmen, it is still a useful evasive tool and gap closer. 

What Makes Lucian Work?

Burst damage and mobility are what make Lucian tick. His main weakness in the bottom lane would be his lack of range. However, when playing mid-lane, he doesn’t have a lot to worry about because many opponents are either spellcasters (those ranged attacks are easy to dodge) or melee marksmen (he can outrange them). Using Relentless Pursuit is a good way for Lucian to avoid skill-shot based nukes. 

Suggestions

Having a good jungler will help keep Lucian viable during the late game phase. This is an off-meta pick that is dependent on the teammates. 

5) Renekton

Surely you guys are familiar with Renekton – he’s a top lane bully that many know of. His excellent durability, combined with high burst damage is epic. Having full stacks from his passive (Reign of Anger), his Q (Cull of the Meek) will become a useful, spammable, sustainable tool. His W (Ruthless Predator) can rip enemy shields away while stunning them for a short time. His E (Slice and Dice) is used to stay near fleeing enemies, but it can be used as an escape tool. His ulti (Dominus) allows him to extend his combos as he’s working up his defenses. 

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What Makes Renekton Work?

Of course, counterplay is what makes Renekton work. He does a good job when it comes to eliminating those melee assassins. If a melee assassin were to get close to him, he would be able to shut down their combo using his ability called Ruthless Predator.

Suggestions

Renekton relies on counterplay, so you must pay close attention to your enemies’ abilities. Any LoL champion that is within range of his ability called Slice and Dice is a suitable target. 

Conclusion

So there you have it, the best off mid-lane champions. Do you have a personal favorite off-meta mid lane pick that you would like to tell us about? Go ahead and leave us a comment.