Ahri is a fantastic mid, have some tips and tricks!

If you don't know who you're up against, or you just plain can't decide who to play in mid- play Ahri. She's my favorite champion for mid as of late. With a slow start to level 6, she scales very well into mid and late game. She can trade reasonably well in the lane, and with a little ability power she can farm with ease using the orb. Ahri's charm also gives her a potent hard CC which is useful for every situation. Her ultimate gives her excellent chasing and escaping abilities, giving her a burst of mobility over almost every champion.

I wish I waited to buy the Foxfire skin.

Ahri is a useful addition to any team. She puts out extreme damage in team fights, while retaining the ability to 1v1 and 2v1 in many situations. She can perform as an assassin and a mage. Landing a taunt at the right time will win your team a fight, and with such high mobility you can always access the highest threats.

My favorite part is not many people know how to successfully counter our foxy lady. People have a common misconception that Ryze beats Ahri in the lane. He doesn't. Kassadin and Diana are the hardest counters, but they can't shut you down if you play smart. So when in doubt, play Ahri!

I thought I'd provide a few tips and tricks for people trying to learn Ahri, since I've played her a lot and learnt a few simple things on the way.

I usually do very well in ranked on Ahri.

Ahri tips and tricks:
 
- Do not try to outright kill someone before level 6. You won't beat a competent player without help or your ultimate. You can trade fairly well against most champions however, so don't be afraid to fight back.

- Landing your charm is the key part to succeeding on Ahri. One charm means you can fire off the rest of your spells without missing. Most opponents will stay out of range, so if you're sure it's going to be 1v1 you can use your ultimate to quickly get in range and hit a surprise charm.

- Each Foxfire has an individual targeting mechanism. Therefore it's ideal to be away from minions before casting it to gain maximum burst. I usually use it as I roll forwards with my ultimate.

- Never go rambo with your ultimate. Just because you can move faster than any opponent doesn't mean they can't hit you with crowd control. Only charge straight in if you're sure you can get a quick kill. Remember to keep one charge or a flash to roll away afterwards.

- In a teamfight don't use your ultimate straight away. Continue to land your orb and standard spells until you actually need to ulti away or you have an opportunity to take down an important target. I always try to retain one charge because it saves me every game. Don't think of your ultimate as a damage ability. Think of it as a repositioning tool.

- Ahri with a Rylai's is amazing at kiting. If you can retain a high distance from people chasing you, you can keep firing your abilities at them until they die. Chasing a good Ahri can be as stupid as chasing Singed.

- Your orb deals true damage on the return path. Despite this, you will still have trouble taking down enemies with a lot of health. Focus on killing the ADC and squishies. 

Silver division feels like the new elo hell.

Silver division for the new elo hell!

So I've been dipping in and out of elo hell ever since I started playing ranked last year. Instead of arguing whether elo hell exists or not, let's just say it does for the moment. Anyway, I initially stopped playing ranked because most of the time, I was being placed with players worse than the ones I'd get in normal games.

The common response for people complaining about elo hell is to 'carry harder'. Not all games are winnable, but if you are skilled enough- you can carry your team to victory in enough games to get out. Which is true, to some degree. But what about the players who deserve to be in high gold, or low platinum? They are better than the average chumps, but they aren't quite good enough to carry themselves out of a low elo slump. They are just unlucky.

Yeah, I'm bad huh.

Now I'm not complaining at all. I get angry at some games, I never rage at my team though. I keep it to myself. I like playing down here, it forces me to try hard and perfect new champions to counter people. If I don't win the game alone, then we lose. This image proves it. The only games I've won today are the ones that I snowballed my lane hard- and then stomped other lanes too.

I just wonder how many other people out there are stuck at low silver like me. Well, I'm not exactly stuck- I can choose to play my best champions repeatedly and I'll climb back up. But it really does feel like the new elo hell. At least one in five games somebody disconnects or leaves. And every game has a troll, it seems I get them on my team more often than not. I would make a pun about Riot hating me, but everyone hates me.

Silver promotion!

After a series of victories I managed to up my Silver rank from 4 to 3. It's not much, but it's a start. Getting to 100 points for your qualifying matches can be troublesome at first, but I can't imagine it being as frustrating as losing your qualifiers and being reset to 0 again (which hasn't happened to me yet).

Jax's Vigilantes for the win!

There is a huge amount of disappointment on the forums with the new ranked system. People don't want to fight their way up divisions, they want elo to be visible again. However, the majority of the issues seem to be the same as they were before the new League Points were brought out. Trolls and feeders ruin somebodies game, and apparently it's the new systems fault.

I like the new system, I'm just a little upset you can drop down a division if you lose several times at 0 points. Sure, it's not happened to me yet but I bet it could happen if I get a bad enough teams repeatedly. What does everyone else think about it? You might as well leave a comment here, because Riot are ignoring the complaints on the forums.

Lee Sin cosplays!

I love Lee Sin, I think he's my new favorite champion. He's an early game powerhouse, and with a couple of kills you can't be slowed down until late game. But then you drop off late anyway. I didn't think he would have any cosplay, but I found loads! Looks like I'm not the only one with a mancrush on our blind warrior.

I'm very impressed with all of these cosplays, Lee Sin is not an easy costume to make. Especially the one with the hood. I wish someone had made a ward for him to carry, considering they are his best friend. Anyway, be sure to comment with your appreciation for Lee Sin! Or hate on him, if he's too awesome for you.

Best costume NA! Or wherever that is.

New ranked system activated and ready to play!

For those of you who play ranked, the overhaul to the elo system is up and it looks awesome. Each bracket is divided into divisions, I myself got placed into Silver 4. Yes, I'm awful. But I'm actually going to play ranked now, so that should change soon.

ooooh doesn't it look new and shiny.

The new layout looks very nice, and since you can't drop down a bracket people aren't just going to stop at gold. It encourages you to push for higher, so get playing ranked people! I like the idea of collecting 100 points and then if you win the best of 3 you get to go up a division. It's a good idea on paper, but a little frustrating in reality.

I expect you all to try a few ranked games with the new system, and then post a comment with what you think! Have fun ladies and gentlemen!

Akali cosplays!

It's been a while since I put up some League of Legends cosplay, so let's have some beautiful Akali costumes shall we? And by beautiful costume, I mean the gorgeous women wearing them of course. Much better than the sweaty ass Garens I posted last time!

Everyone seems eager to dress up in her skins as opposed to original Akali, what's up with that? Regardless, they all look amazing. If you like League of Legends cosplay or even have your own to share, post a comment!