What Defines a Control Mage in League of Legends?

You hear it all the time. Players and casters both talk about the power of control mages in LoL and how they can influence the outcome of the match. But no one really talks about what a “control mage” actually is and what defines this type of champion. Is there a difference between regular mages and control mages? And which champions are actually control mages in League of Legends?

Control mages are generally AP champions that have 3 things in common – great wave clear, high AoE damage, and crowd control spells. And the reason why they’re called control mages is that they can control the mid lane by quickly clearing waves or threatening to attack their enemies from range. This denies their opponents a chance to take an objective, be that a turret or Dragon/Baron.

Unlike assassins or marksmen in League of Legends, control mages are often the safest picks in the game. This is because they’re always ranged, and their abilities can be cast from afar. Additionally, because these champions can clear minion waves so fast, they shorten the time which their enemies can use to gank them.

Control mages are one of the most popular champions in professional play. You often see them in solo queue too, but they usually perform better when pro players take them on stage. And this is because mages typically do better when they’re together with their teams, while assassins, for example, are better for solo queue.

Ryze, whose one of the best control mages in League of Legends, has had a terrible 44-45% win rate throughout season 12. But ShowMaker, for example, has achieved an 88.8% win rate with Ryze in professional play, including Worlds.

So, control mages are always powerful, regardless of the season or the meta. They can control the entire game with their presence, everywhere on the map.

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The Top 10 Control Mages in League of Legends

Even though there are more than 10 control mages in LoL, my list consists of the very best ones.

1. Twisted Fate
2. Orianna
3. Ryze
4. Syndra
5. Xerath
6. Anivia
7. Cassiopeia
8. Viktor
9. Azir
10. Malzahar

As you can see, all champions on this list are similar in one way or another. For example, Anivia and Viktor can both engage in a fight, deal massive AoE damage, and trap multiple enemies in their crowd control abilities. On top of that, they can both clear minions with just one or two abilities, making them excellent at controlling the flow of the lane and the fight.

Now, let’s check how you can take advantage of your champion when playing a control mage in LoL.

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How do You Play a Control Mage? 3 Helpful Tips!

Control mages often tilt enemy players. And If you play them correctly, these champions can seem so broken that your opponents won’t know what to do against you. But how do you actually play a control mage?

In reality, each of the 10 champions on my list above has a unique playstyle. That’s due to their unique ability kits, which require you to do different things in every game. However, here are the similarities you should look out for.

1. Take advantage of your range

Since control mages are always ranged champions, their abilities can also be used from afar. For someone like Xerath, for example, it’s completely not a problem to stay behind turret and clear minion waves or poke his enemies. In other words, don’t extend for no reason. Because really, if you can safely farm and fight from range, then you shouldn’t walk forward blindly.

Some champions on my list have a greater range than others. However, all control mages are good at staying safe. They can block their enemy’s engage with abilities like Twisted Fate’s W and Anivia’s W.

2. Time your abilities so you hit multiple enemies

Because control mages have more AoE damage than other types of champions, they’re also expected to deal that damage. For example, everyone knows that Orianna’s R can win a teamfight by itself, so your teammates will always expect you to Shockwave 3 or 4 enemies every time you use the ability.

Even though that’s not realistic, you should always try to hit as many enemy champions as you can with your abilities. Dealing AoE magic damage is one of your priorities as a mage, so keep that in mind.

3. Don’t play aggressively against mobility champions

Assassins are one of the biggest counters to control mages. And all assassins have one thing in common – high mobility. This means that they have multiple ways to get near you. They also have high burst damage, so you, as a control mage, are very vulnerable against an assassin.

In these matchups, it’s always better to play defensively rather than offensively. League of Legends is overflowing with damage, and a 0/5 Katarina can one-shot you in half a second, even if you’re 5/0 Orianna. So, it’s best to farm and poke safely, then group with your team and only team fight.

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Conclusion

That’s what generally defines control mages in League of Legends. Like I stated above, each champion in LoL is different and unique, and the skill required doesn’t always transfer from one pick to another. However, control mages are similar enough in their playstyle that you can feel comfortable with shifting from one to the other. Control mages can be great for climbing in solo queue, so give them a try!