Reign of Gaming

AP Carries:

Tier 1: Karthus, Ahri, Ryze, Morgana, Kennen, Cassiopeia, Vladimir, Anivia, Swain,

Tier 2: Kog'Maw, Twisted Fate, Orianna, Kassadin, Galio, Zilean, Veigar, Gragas, Rumble, Annie, Mordekaiser,

Tier 3: Lux, LeBlanc, Xerath, Lulu, Fizz,  Viktor, Sion, Ziggs,

Tier 4: Brand, Malzahar, Katarina, Akali, Heimerdinger,

*Need a guide for a champion? Simply click on the name of a champion below for full length guide from www.lolpro.com*

Changes:

Cassiopeia moved down in tier 1 - I feel like some other AP champions are currently out classing her is all. I still think she's very viable as I am leaving her in Tier 1 but I feel that other's are currently better picks overall then she is.

Ahri moved up in tier 1 -Like Ahri. I think Ahri is a better pick then Cass is for the fact that she roams ever so well and I believe her overall kit to be superior in competitive play even after her slight nerfs she just received. Her high mobility combined with the sustain and ability to peel makes her so versatile. Once you pick up Rylais you can kite all day vs anyone. Foxfire her W procs a 30% slow from Rylais on every charge so you're able to slow for incredible amounts of time. Ahri overall is just a very strong AP carry and I feel she should be higher on the tier list.

Lulu moved down to tier 3 - The nerfs hurt. She's okay middle lane now but her role is going to be almost completely reserved for "Protect the AD carry!" comps with her great supportive utility.

Kennen moved up in tier 1 - I think the whole no mana thing really helps out champions become even stronger. They can just build whatever items they so choose without having to worry about mana what so ever! That is merely a side note though. Kennen's lane control as always been above par and he provides great burst, initiation, and control throughout the entire game.

Karthus moved up in tier 1 - I think we can all agree to Karthus being of the strongest if not the strongest AP carry right now in competitive play. His ability to farm is unmatched, his DPS in unmatched (expect for maybe Cass not sure on exact numbers) and his ultimate can burst every single champion on the map for large amounts of damage and most importantly pick up all those low HP champions after small skirmishes. I think that's one of this best qualities actually. Pro players often fight with them escaping or barely living through a team fight with little to no HP as they're great players and one side usually doesn't win a battle without taking some damage themselves. Karthus see's this and is just like "LOL R, DOUBLE KILL!" or even with Ganks he just presses R and picks up kills / assists from the safety of his lane while farming. Roam on Karthus? But why! Sit in lane press R and get to mid / late game where you're incredibly farmed.

His PvE DPS is also just.. Wow.. He murders Baron and Dragons with ease. I think that's a large factor in the game being able to take objectives quickly which also makes him great.

Then on top of that his W is one of the most underrated spells in the game I think. It literally COVERS THE ENTIRE LANE! Shreds large amounts of armor and MR while also slowing. Not only is this great for a disengage but it's great for catching people and bursting people down as well.

Finally we get to the passive. Oh I died? Lemme DPS you from the grave and pick up a few more kills. Dying and being able to continue doing what you do best aka doing TONNES OF DAMAGE is something of great value and Karthus possess it. He's just all around a great pick that fits into pretty much every team comp.

Kog'Maw moved up to tier 2 - I had him tier 3 before nerfs.. (Wow big nub right?) so I am moving him up to tier 2 when I would of moved him up to tier 1 if his ultimate wasn't just nerfed. Any who I think tier 2 fits him pretty good. Not the most desirable of picks when vs all the others but definitely incredibly viable still and a big threat.

Swain moved up to tier 1 - SWAIN TIER 1 IN ELEMENTZ AP TIER LIST? BUT HE WAS "TRASH TIER" A COUPLE MONTHS AGO. CLEARLY ELEMENTZ TIER LIST IS DUMB, HE'S DUMB, AND LIKE TIER LISTS ARE STOOPID FOR THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE I DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND THEM! Well now, Hold them horses! Swain wasn't placed correctly in the first list, then I moved him up to tier 3 where I felt was a good spot for him. I now believe that he's capable of being a tier 1 champion with his buffs. He got range buffs which were massive. That helps out his laning phase ever so much. The other big thing was the 2 seconds off of his ultimate. I find this to be a HUGE buff because it reduces the down time of Swain being able to be aggressive. That transitional period where you've gone in, harasses with your full combo, and are backing out, and you're weak and vulnerable to ganks etc.. You're now able to go back into Demon Bird form quicker and being able to tank/sustain much quicker then you used to be able too. Not to mention the mana cost has been reduced on it too which makes spamming this ability not such a hassle to manage for Swain players between using mana and saving his R for vital times. They basically gave Swain more Swainage and that's a good thing if you like Swain :p

Galio moved down to tier 2 - Too much nerfs to Q and some other things combined means I am dropping him down a tier. I still like him. I like what he does and all but his little nerfs added up and I am moving him down a bit.

Orianna moved up to tier 2 - I think Link from CLG B has been an Orianna main for a while now dominated not only Curse.NA with it but a lot of other teams as well. We also have Salce from Evo using Orianna from time to time dominating pretty much everyone and everything with her. I believe she's still really viable you just need to make it into mid game with her and farming on her isn't the hardest of things to do. I think she's coming back and I think she's got a right too because she's a completely viable AP mid for competitive play!

Sion moved down to tier 3 - He's kinda meh now.. He's not awful but he's just okay.. Tier 3 it is!

Kassadin moved up to tier 2 - I think tier 2 doesn't give him justice in competitive play. I think he's still very good and his role as an assassin is still a good one. Whenever I've seen a Kass in competitive play they've always been hard to kill, while picking up a fair amount of kills proving that he can played in competitive play still and still give a team a lot of issues. He's incredibly mobile and his spam of E in team fights can total up to A LOT of damage. I think tier 3 was too low for him so I am moving him up to tier 2.

Viktor moved down to tier 3 - I know a lot of people say "Man his DPS is CRAZY!" Yes and I agree it is and "He's so underrated new OP!" and I think he may be a bit underrated but I don't think he's as good as people say he is. He has a lot of bugs and issues with his mechanics of his spells currently and his laning phase is decent. Not bad but not great. I think if Riot cleaned up his animations and made him a bit more functional in that sense he could climb up to tier 2 or so but I don't think competitive players are going to take the risk in playing him just yet. Just how I see it.

Lux moved up in tier 3 - I like Lux. I like Lux a lot. I think Lux could actually be higher but no one plays her enough for me to judge accurately. I think tier 3 is a safe spot for her but she should be at the front of it, not at the back, so I am moving her on up!

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The definition of an AP carry:

- These champions are focused around dealing magic damage which is based on "Ability Power" for how much extra damage they'll deal. They focus on casting spells for their damage output versus auto attacking.

- These champions predominantly play middle lane as it's the safest lane to play in game as it's the hardest lane to gank. Often these champions need a lot of farm so they can carry hence them soloing middle lane to get as much farm as possible.

- Some of these champions can also be played top lane but for the most part they will be middle lane.

Don't see a champion listed in the tier list who you consider a good competitive AP carry? It's probably because I don't and other competitive teams don't value them as competitive picks. Want to raise an argument for why a certain champion should be considered for the competitive list just post below and let me know why in a constructive way!

"No one, not even pros, can presume to know everything. Whether they promote or discourage a character is subject to debate at all times. These debates are encouraged in a respectful manner as we're trying to create the best tier lists possible for your enjoyment." Stonewall - Elementz

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