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Best mid lane 1v1 champions in League of Legends

During Cloud9’s LCS season, Blaber and EMENES shared their best 1v1 mid lane picks in 2023.
By Akshon Esports & Nick Geracie
5 min readUpdated on
Azir should instantly come to mind

Azir should instantly come to mind

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01

Azir (EMENES)

The Emperor of Shurima was the first champion both Cloud9 players mentioned first when answering what they thought were the best mid laners for 1v1s.
“Azir has always been a strong 1v1 champion,” said Blaber. “Once he hits [level] 6, you have to be careful of him shuffling you [with this Ultimate].
EMENES agreed with his jungler about the strength of Azir’s Ultimate, Emperor’s Divide, but the C9 mid laner said that Azir, regardless of situation, is often the optimal choice of mid laner.
“His scaling is so good, but he can still play aggressively with teammates using Flash and ultimate,” EMENES explained. “After level 6, once he has Lost Chapter, the enemy mid laner needs to start pressuring him with the help of jungle and support. But, like you said, if we're talking about a 1v1, it's so easy to play from Azir's side.”
Azir’s zoning and range from his soldiers, plus the mobility he gets from them with Shifting Sands and the constant threat of Emperor’s Divide as a playmaking tool oftentimes makes him the best mid laner in any meta where he is prevalent. He did just receive a slight nerf to the Cooldown time of Conquering Sands on Patch 13.19, but the Emperor of Shurima is still a great all-around pick for a 1v1.
Tristana can get it done on her own

Tristana can get it done on her own

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02

Tristana (EMENES)

2023 has been a good year for Tristana. The Yordle Gunner has established herself as a premiere pick in the mid lane while still being viable in her more “traditional” bot lane role.
Tristana’s strengths as a mid laner are rooted in her independence – while she is a marksman and quite squishy, her Rocket Jump can get her out of hairy situations and her Ultimate, Buster Shot, can be used to self-peel. Tristana also has a lot of range and can push very quickly from a safe distance.
“If there are no junglers and supports, I would say Tristana, because [Rocket] Jump is OP in a 1v1,” EMENES said when asked who else he would pick in a 1v1 besides Azir. EMENES highlighted the versatility of Rocket Jump in an isolated situation, which can be used offensively without repercussion to deal damage, slow, and can be comboed effectively with her Explosive charges.
Neeko can hang with some of the stronger mid laners

Neeko can hang with some of the stronger mid laners

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03

Neeko (Blaber)

Ever since her rework on Patch 13.13, Neeko has experienced a renaissance in the mid lane.Her utility makes her a great pick for any composition that is looking for area-of-effect engage tools, but she also does enough damage to hang with the stronger-scaling mid laners in terms of damage. “I think Neeko is a pretty good 1v1 champion. I don't know strong she is after the nerfs but before she got nerfed, she was very oppressive in lane,” Blaber said.
Even with the nerfs to Neeko’s laning phase, Blaber thinks that the thing that makes the Curious Chameleon formidable, regardless of whether it’s a 1v1 situation or not. “The most OP part of her is that you can't Flash her Ultimate anymore,” Blaber said in reference to the Patch 13.13. changes to Neeko. “ It pops up before she lands -- that's honestly what made Neeko very OP. Even now, when you can see her channeling it, you can't really dodge because she can just Flash.”
Having a move that is impossible to react to is certainly a boon for any 1v1 situation!
Akshan lets you bully the 1v1 a little

Akshan lets you bully the 1v1 a little

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04

Akshan (Blaber)

Akshan has not seen much professional play (but has been a powerful solo lane pick) since his release on Patch 11.15 because while he is extremely oppressive in lane, he offers little utililty in a teamfight, especially if his laning phase doesn’t go well. However, a 1v1 is essentially a laning phase, which allows Akshan to do what he does best without the fear of outside intervention.
In an isolated sitaution, Akshan’s range and the unique mobility options of his grappling hook technique, Heroic Swing, give him options in the game that don’t exist for any other champion, especially in the mid lane. “I would definitely say he's a big 1v1 bully,” Blaber said with a chuckle.
Draven could be a good pick in the right situation

Draven could be a good pick in the right situation

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05

Draven (Blaber)

Blaber’s last answer came as a bit of a surprise, both because of the champion itself but also because of how he discovered it. “My mid laner plays Draven mid sometimes so I guess you can count that, too,” the C9 jungler said, laughing. “It's not bad versus Tristana mid.”
Draven is already a risky pick in his standard role of the bot lane, so he’s only viable as a mid laner in very specific situations. The Tristana matchup makes sense – he’s one of the few champions that can match her raw power early on in extended trades, and his Stand Aside can knock her out from her Rocket Jump in mid-air.
Draven is very susceptible to ganks, especially without a support guarding him, but a 1v1 situation eliminates any of those dangers. Draven may not be able to take on every matchup in a mid lane 1v1, but he’s a great answer into other marksmen, which have been a premiere class choice in 1v1 tournaments at the League of Legends All Star Event in seasons past.