League of Legends heavily revolves around farming and pushing. These are two primary mechanics that progress the game. Through farming, Champions garner XP and Gold that serve to make them stronger. Pushing is natural to reaching the game’s ultimate goal – destroying the enemy Nexus.
Not all Champions can do both – farm well and effectively push. That’s where wave clearing Champions come in, ones that can quickly and efficiently clear waves of minions like they’re paper. We’ve covered all the Lanes and roles so far, with only Mid left.
I sincerely recommend you read up on our other articles on the topic as they will provide you with excellent insight into wave clearing.
The Mid Lane is the most important Lane in a strategic sense. A good wave clearing Champion can use their prowess to crash minions into the enemy tower, forcing them to stay. They can then use said push to roam, do objectives, or whatever else they see as the opportunity.
But, to avoid boring you with the introduction, let’s begin with our list!
Also read: How to be a Good Support in League of Legends
5. Malzahar
Malzahar is a Champion who likes pinning down single targets more than roaming about. Thus he’ll likely use his wave clearing to smash his minions into the enemy tower and attempt to harass them. He’s one of the easiest Champions to farm with, requiring only a single button press – E.
This spell jumps from minion to minion after each one is dead. With the least bit of AP and manual assistance, waves are gone in the matter of seconds. If the enemy Champion is unfortunate enough to be close to the dying minions, they’ll also be afflicted by the spell. This allows Malzahar to use his Voidlings that will prioritize afflicted targets.
The Voidlings can do substantial amounts of damage, and combined with the over-time E damage, it can be quite brutal. Especially in the Late game, when Malzahar experiences some amazing scaling, it can lead to swift and easy kills that literally take no effort. If the enemies want to try escaping, Malza can intervene with his Ultimate and keep them pinned until they’re dead.
He’s a great Champion that will never leave the meta. Everyone can play him and he brings a ton of unique stuff to the table. I sincerely recommend you give him a try.
4. Ryze
Ryze is one of the most complicated Champions in League of Legends. Oftentimes found confused and unknowing of his purpose in the solo queue, Ryze still manages to be among the best in terms of farm and wave clearing.
Despite his many reworks and re-imaginings, this one aspect remains a core part of his gameplay loop and nature.
Ryze uses his abilities in quick succession and hastily. Everything about him is pure speed, and casting spells as quickly as one can.
With a ton of AOE, and his aforementioned swiftness, Ryze can clear multiple minion waves in just a couple of spell casts. It is no wonder that Ryze players usually come out as the ones with the most farm in the game.
Him being incredibly mobile, and having that teleporting Ultimate, Ryze can use his fantastic wave clearing for easy roams and ganks. The enemy Mid Laner won’t be able to follow, lest he wishes to lose on a huge amount of XP and Gold. Thus, the enemies are juxtaposed, which allows Ryze to move freely into a roam.
Though there’s much to be praised about Ryze, I’d go as far as advising you stay clear. He’s a Champion whose place in solo queue is convoluted, being much better in professional play. The tools at his disposal are not for the average player, especially when there’s no others to play around them. Ryze is a full-team endeavor and outside such an environment falls off severely.
Also read: Best Wave Clear ADCs
3. Talon
A Champion who has enjoyed much popularity recently is no wonder to be found on any list. Talon is perfect for clearing the waves quickly and then roaming around the map. With insane mobility, which is scarcely paralleled by any other Champion, his wave clearing prowess only complements his incredibly fast, broad gameplay.
Talon is a lethality Champion, a pure Assassin. Therefore, it’s only natural that he’ll have insane damage. His abilities and their aforementioned strength allow for insanely quick wave clearing.
During the Laning Phase, he can easily last hit and even kill multiple creeps easily. Seeing Talon with hundreds of minions per game is nothing unusual.
As an Assassin and one with unparalleled mobility, he will utilize his wave clearing for roaming around the map. Shoving the wave into the enemy tower will pin them down, or cause them to lose a ton of XP and Gold. Putting his opponents in juxtapositions is perfect as he can capitalize on that to get some swift kills. Talon takes mere seconds to traverse from Lane to Lane, and each second of vacancy he gets is lethal.
I highly recommend you play Talon the next time you get on Mid. He’s a Champion that offers a unique perspective on the Assassin role, differing greatly from most.
2. Irelia
Irelia is perhaps the most profound wave clearing Champion on the Top Lane. She has a knack for doing stuff hastily, and clearing minions is no exception. Her amazing abilities allow her to jump around the waves, taking each minion out with ease.
Not to mention that, given the right circumstances, this jumping around can be lifesaving for Irelia. So, let’s discuss that.
Irelia’s Q resets every time she kills an enemy with it. Since minions are relatively weak targets, and her Q applies on-hit effects, it’s safe to say it will be resetting often. Even after a single item, Irelia can easily one-shot minions like they were made out of paper. However, Irelia doesn’t use her Q solely for killing the minions. Rather, she has a health syphoning mechanic underlined.
You see, Irelia is notorious for being hard to kill, which is often attributed to her high life steal. Her Q, given enough minions, can heal Irelia substantially. Fighting her among your own minions could end up ultimately being your demise. Though most players will likely recommend you fight with a wave on your side, Irelia takes that and turns it against you.
She can use your own minions to heal herself without breaking a sweat. With how fast it goes down, she won’t waste much time and will come after you eventually. This high survivability on a single spell makes Irelia a deadly force to be reckoned with.
I recommend you give her a try, despite it not being that worth it. She’s particularly difficult to learn, and mastering her is a distant idea. However, if you do enjoy her, there’s no shame in giving it a go.
1. Xerath
If the ones above were the most aggressive of wave clearers, using their prowess for roaming and similar, Xerath is the most laidback. No, literally – he strikes from so far back you’d think he’s not even part of the Lane. Traditionally a Mid Laner, though sometimes found in the Support role, Xerath is undoubtedly one of the most fun wave clearing Champions out there.
With more than exceptional range, Xerath can strike at his enemies from a safe spot. His AOE sports a ton of damage which allows for swift execution of any and all enemies, including minions. He can spam his abilities as much as he likes, as his passive restores obscene amounts of Mana in a single basic attack.
With how spammy he gets, it’s no wonder that he’s notorious for having such a great wave clear.
As I’ve said, most Champions will use their wave clearing to push and follow up with a roam. Xerath is not most people, and he will use everything he has to keep you away from getting a single creep.
The more he pushes you in, the further back you’ll have to stand. While you might find recluse and safety under the tower against other Champions, Xerath allows no such thing.
With a continuous barrage of spells and damge, he’ll keep obliterating both you and the minions ad nauseum. I highly recommend this Champion as he’s quite hot currently. Many players are flocking to give him a spin, so don’t be an exception and join in on the party.
Conclusion
Wave clearing is a particularly useful mechanic to have. However, it’s not always useful. Sometimes you’d want to push slower, make the enemy approach you, etc. If a Champion requires full passivity for such a thing, I don’t consider them that good overall in the Lane.
I hope you’ve found this list informative and fun to read and I wish you all the best on the Summoner’s Rift!
Looking for more champions? Here is our list of the best manaless champions in LoL.
