League of Legends S12: Orianna Mid Build Guide

From runes to items, gameplay tips amd more, we've put together a guide to help you master playing Orianna in the midlane in League of Legends.

Be mindful that there are several ways to build and play a champion, and you'll need to be adaptable as the game and the enemy team progress.

That said, this guide is a good starting point to helping you get to grips with the champion and making an impact in your games.

Runes

Core Items

Luden's Tempest

3200 Gold

Archangel's Staff

2600 Gold

Build

Luden's Tempest is a solid item for out-and-out midlane mages like Orianna, adding plenty of damage and mobility.

Archangel's Staff will help Orianna with mana management, as well as offer a great sustain heal once it transforms into Seraph's Embrace.

Other good items include Shadowflame and Zhonya's Hourglass.

Starting Item & Boots

Corrupting Potion

500 Gold

Sorcerer's Shoes

1100 Gold

Skill Order

While your choices may differ according to how the game progresses, the typical Orianna skill priority is:

R > Q > W > E

Summoner Spells

These are the summoner spells most typically taken by Orianna in this role. Naturally, this may change depending on match-ups.

Gameplay

Orianna is a very powerful mage with great poke, and one of the best ults in the game for turning the tide of a teamfight. You'll need to play pretty patiently at first, focusing on farm, and trying to get ahead. In the midgame she has excellent wave clear, meaning when the lategame teamfights come, she should shred through her enemies.

• Level 1 - Take Q - Command: Attack for the zoning potential and area damage.
• Level 2 - Take W - Command: Dissonance, for more area damage and the slow.
• First Back - Start building towards your Luden's Tempest with a Lost Chapter, which will help with mana. You could also pick up a Tear of the Goddess and start stacking it.

Tips & Tricks

• Orianna's Q+W combo does good damage, but is expensive in terms of mana cost. Just focus on using Q and auto-attacks to farm early on.
• Mastering the range of Q is key to landing hits on your midlane opponents and being able to zone effectively.
• To use the shield on yourself, the default command is Alt+E. 
• If you direct your Ball to the middle of a wall, the enemy will lose sight of it. Use this to surprise your enemies. 
• Against more mobile champions like Ahri or Vayne, wait until they've used their dash spells before launching your combos. 
• Putting your Ball onto an invisible champion, such as Rengar, Shaco, Kha'Zix or Evelynn, can be used to also surprise enemies.