Mid

Mel Build 26.21

Every volley and snare Mel throws piles Overwhelm onto a target, and Golden Eclipse cashes all of it in from anywhere on the map, even snapping a fleeing enemy out of the fog. She is a stretch at 46.2% and trending up this patch, an artillery mage who is always banking damage for later. Rebuttal is the swing skill, since a well-timed reflect can bounce a whole ultimate back and flip a fight. Miss the stacking and she is just a squishy with no escape.

#116 of 130 mid this patch · 2.5k games

Win rate46.2%+1.3Games2.5kPick rate1.8%Ban rate8.3%Last 8 patches+1.5 since 26.14Damage profilei

AP 93%AD 6%True 1%DifficultyiModerateRewards fundamentals

The 10-second answer standard · 46.2% WR

Spells

Flash + Teleport Start

Spellslinger's Shoes SkillsQ›E›W Runes

Shards

ModernARAM Counter

173 champions

AatroxTopB49.4%AhriMidA50.9%AkaliMidC49.0%AkshanMidA51.2%AlistarSupportS52.7%AmbessaTopD46.8%AmumuJungleA51.2%AniviaMidB50.2%AnnieMidA51.9%ApheliosAD CarryB50.0%AsheAD CarryB49.8%Aurelion SolMidB50.6%AuroraMidB50.3%AzirMidD46.8%BardSupportC48.9%Bel'VethJungleA51.7%BlitzcrankSupportA51.7%BrandSupportB50.0%BraumSupportB50.0%BriarJungleA51.9%CaitlynAD CarryC48.2%CamilleTopB50.7%CassiopeiaMidC49.1%Cho'GathJungleS52.5%CorkiAD CarryB49.4%DariusTopB50.7%DianaJungleC49.2%Dr. MundoTopA51.1%DravenAD CarryB50.5%EkkoMidA51.7%EliseJungleA51.5%EvelynnJungleB50.5%EzrealAD CarryD47.3%FiddlesticksJungleA51.3%FioraTopA51.9%FizzMidS52.5%GalioMidC49.3%GangplankTopB50.7%GarenTopA52.3%GnarTopC49.2%GragasTopB49.8%GravesJungleC49.0%GwenTopB50.2%HecarimJungleB50.1%HeimerdingerTopB50.2%HweiMidA51.1%IllaoiTopA51.0%IreliaTopB50.4%IvernJungleA52.5%JannaSupportA51.4%Jarvan IVJungleC49.3%JaxTopB50.0%JayceTopC48.5%JhinAD CarryB49.3%JinxAD CarryB50.4%K'SanteTopD46.7%Kai'SaAD CarryB50.7%KalistaAD CarryB49.7%KarmaSupportC48.3%KarthusJungleB50.7%KassadinMidC48.7%KatarinaMidA52.1%KayleTopA51.9%KaynJungleA51.0%KennenTopB50.5%Kha'ZixJungleB50.1%KindredJungleA52.0%KledTopB50.5%Kog'MawAD CarryA50.9%LeBlancMidB50.4%Lee SinJungleC48.0%LeonaSupportA51.7%LilliaJungleA51.5%LissandraMidA51.2%LockeMidB49.2%LucianAD CarryC48.5%LuluSupportB49.4%LuxSupportB49.4%MalphiteTopA51.2%MalzaharMidB50.2%MaokaiSupportB49.6%Master YiJungleB50.2%MelMidD46.2%MilioSupportB49.6%Miss FortuneAD CarryA51.1%MordekaiserTopA50.9%MorganaSupportB50.5%NaafiriJungleC48.4%NamiSupportB50.2%NasusTopB50.5%NautilusSupportB50.0%NeekoSupportC48.1%NidaleeJungleA51.3%NilahAD CarryB50.2%NocturneJungleC48.0%Nunu & WillumpJungleB50.3%OlafTopA51.1%OriannaMidD47.7%OrnnTopA51.1%PantheonTopB49.6%PoppySupportA51.7%PykeSupportB50.0%QiyanaJungleD47.1%QuinnJungleB49.5%RakanSupportB50.8%RammusJungleC48.8%Rek'SaiJungleB50.7%RellSupportS53.1%Renata GlascSupportC48.3%RenektonTopB50.0%RengarJungleB49.3%RivenTopB49.5%RumbleTopD46.0%RyzeMidD46.4%SamiraAD CarryB50.2%SejuaniJungleA51.4%SennaSupportB50.8%SeraphineSupportB49.9%SettTopA51.5%ShacoJungleA52.3%ShenTopA51.4%ShyvanaJungleB50.1%SingedTopA51.1%SionTopB50.3%SivirAD CarryA51.2%SkarnerJungleS53.2%SmolderAD CarryB49.8%SonaSupportA51.8%SorakaSupportB50.1%SwainSupportC48.9%SylasMidB49.3%SyndraMidB50.4%Tahm KenchSupportB50.2%TaliyahJungleS+54.4%TalonJungleB49.6%TaricSupportA51.9%TeemoTopA50.8%ThreshSupportA51.8%TristanaAD CarryB50.6%TrundleTopB50.2%TryndamereTopA51.3%Twisted FateMidA51.8%TwitchAD CarryA52.0%UdyrJungleA51.7%UrgotTopB50.6%VarusAD CarryB49.7%VayneAD CarryC48.1%VeigarMidB50.5%Vel'KozSupportB50.2%VexMidS52.7%ViJungleC49.3%ViegoJungleB49.3%ViktorMidD47.5%VladimirMidB50.1%VolibearTopD47.7%WarwickJungleA52.2%WukongJungleB50.2%XayahAD CarryB50.8%XerathMidA51.2%Xin ZhaoJungleA52.3%YasuoMidA50.9%YoneMidB49.4%YorickTopC49.3%YunaraAD CarryB49.5%YuumiSupportC49.0%ZaahenTopA51.1%ZacJungleB49.7%ZedMidC48.5%ZeriAD CarryA51.8%ZiggsAD CarryB50.8%ZileanSupportA51.7%ZoeMidA51.6%ZyraSupportA52.0%

When Is Mel Strongest?

Game timeline · Mel drag or hover to scrub · space plays · ←/→ step

your power minute by minute · gold = item spikes · small = components · dashed = objectives

Camps1:30Drake / Grubs5:00Herald14:00Baron20:00Avg end29:05

Ambush zone7:36–9:06 Power spike 25:58

18:06

10:41

20:04

25:58

0:00 10:00 20:00 30:00 40:00

At 12:00

Power 54/100 · Even

Core 1/3 items

Gold ~5.3k

Phase Lvl-6 window

Next spike Spellslinger's Shoes · 18:06

Mel Item Build

Mel is an artillery mage who stacks a damage debuff on everyone she hits and then cashes it all in for a global execute. The build stacks ability power and magic penetration so her repeated barrages pile up fast and her ultimate reaches out to finish marked targets anywhere.

Standard loadout · Mel The consensus path — reliable spikes, no dead time.

Starting items 500g

Doran's Ring×1

Health Potion×2

Stealth Ward×1 Core path · click an item for its recipe ›› Boots

Spellslinger's Shoes84% · 47.4%

Crimson Lucidity16% · 43.8%

Situational items pick an opponent in the bar above — the right swaps light up

vs stacked resistsWhen resists stack, penetration beats raw stats — swap a damage slot.S

Stormsurge20153.2%C

Cryptbloom9250.0%V

Void Staff17047.1%

vision controlFights are decided a minute earlier by the team that sees first.F

Farsight Alteration1.2k48.7%S

Stealth Ward1.0k43.9%O

Oracle Lens28043.9%

Best Mel Runes

Arcane Comet suits her poke-heavy laning, rewarding the steady chip she deals while stacking Overwhelm from range. The rest of her page wants ability haste and a little mana, since she burns her bar fast and lives on cooldowns being up. Nothing fancy, just fuel for the constant poke.

The pre-game page Arcane Comet · Sorcery + Precision · keystone + 5 runes + 3 shards

Sorcery Primary

Arcane CometDamaging a champion with an ability hurls a damaging comet at their location.

Manaflow Band95% · 46.4%

Transcendence76% · 45.9%

Scorch85% · 46.0%

Keystone plus three minors from Sorcery, two from Precision, then three shards — no runebook, no masteries.

Precision Secondary

Coup de Grace60% · 45.3%

Presence of Mind62% · 45.7%

Stat shards Offense

Ability Haste+8 Ability Haste

Flex

Adaptive Force+9 Adaptive Force

Defense

Health Scaling+10–180 Health (by level)

Shards give +8Ability Haste+9Adaptive Force+10–180 Health (by level)

Her build stacks ability power, Luden's Echo first and then Shadowflame to make the stored damage actually threaten kills. No one spike defines the game, so just play it straight. Once Shadowflame comes online by roughly 20 minutes, her Overwhelm total starts outpacing enemy health bars, turning the global ult into a real execute. Rush that item and poke patiently until it comes together.

Mel Skill Order

At level 5 Mel is holding three ranks of Radiant Volley against one apiece in Solar Snare and Rebuttal. Golden Eclipse arrives the level after, and its ranks raise Overwhelm's damage, so the stacks you banked before 6 start paying more.

Skill order · Mel R at 6 / 11 / 16 — always

PriorityR

R›Q

Q›E

E›W

WMax Q first; E at level 2.

Lv 123456789101112131415161718

Q14579max 9

W314151718max 18

E28101213max 13

R61116max 16

Mel Changes This Patch

Stat & ability changesPatch 26.22

Armor growth5.2 5.4Buff
Attack damage54 52Nerf
Attack speed growth2.5 2.75Buff
Health630 590Nerf
Health growth99 107Buff
Mana480 455Nerf
Mana growth28 38Buff
Q renamedRadiant Volley Radiant BarrageAdjust
Q Cost70 / 75 / 80 / 85 / 90 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80Buff
Q Explosion Count6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 Adjust
Q Explosion Damage5 / 7 / 9 / 11 / 13 Adjust
Q Initial Damage60 / 85 / 110 / 135 / 160 Adjust
Q Missile Count 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10Adjust
Q Subsequent Damage 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25Adjust

Mel Abilities

One half of Searing Brilliance goes unmentioned: each ability she casts loads up to nine extra projectiles onto her next attack, so weaving autos between spells matters. Solar Snare is the lockdown, a root at the orb's center ringed by a slowing field that ticks damage.

Abilities · Melpatch 26.22 base numbers · click an ability · all ranks shown

Searing BrilliancePassiveP

Radiant BarrageMax 1stQ

RebuttalMax lastW

Solar SnareMax 2ndE

Golden EclipseUltRRank-up levels here match the skill order below.

Radiant BarrageMagic damageMax 1stStatLV 1rank 1LV 4rank 2LV 5rank 3LV 7rank 4LV 9MAXSubsequent Damage+5 per rank+8% APlv 15lv 410lv 515lv 720lv 925Cost+5 per ranklv 160lv 465lv 570lv 775lv 980Cooldown-1 per ranklv 110slv 49slv 58slv 77slv 96s

Mel Base Stats

Base stats · MelPatch 26.22

Base statslevel 1 · +per levelAD52+3.3AS0.625+2.75%MS330Range550HP590+107HP56+0.55Armor21+5.4MR30+1.3MP455+38MP59+0.9

Mel Matchups

Mel keeps her distance and punishes projectiles with her reflect barrier, so melee divers who close on her without a spell to bounce are the threat that slips through. Immobile, projectile-reliant lanes she can zone and stack her debuff on are where she pulls ahead.

Lane matchups · Mel click any opponent to retune the console

Hardest lanes · click to tune

Best hunting

How to lane vs AP mages 01Reflect their combo with W, then punish while abilities are down.02Dodge their key skillshot, then trade Q after it misses.03Build magic resist and root them before they burst your carry. Win rate by game lengthMel overall · all matchupsUnder 20 min46.5%20–28 min46.1%28–35 min46.3%Over 35 min45.7%

Dive threats give her the most trouble, so watch for Brand, Qiyana, and Aurelion Sol, who close the gap before Rebuttal is back up and delete her while she has no stacks banked. Hold the reflect for their engage instead of wasting it on poke. She has a cleaner time against Taliyah, Ryze, and Akali, where she can sit back, stack freely, and let the global ult finish them off.

ExploreWhere to go next after Mel

Keep climbing · Mid laneMid Lane Tier ListEvery mid laner ranked by tierSee Mid Lane Tier List