Anivia is one of the most powerful champions players can play in ARAM, especially due to her ultimate ability Glacial Storm (R) which acts as a constant lane denial.

Anivia is a pretty simple champion to get the hang of, acting as a support mage in most cases, though dealing plenty of passive damage, especially during team fights.

Anivia has three forms of crowd control: stuns, slows and barriers. Anivia has a slow and stun caused by Frost Flash (Q), a barrier/wall created by Crystalize (W) and the constant slow from Glacial Storm (R) when enemies are standing directly on top of it.

Anivia’s final ability, Frostbite (E), is a targetable ability that deals a significant amount of damage to enemy champions.

By far one of the most annoying parts of playing against an Anivia is her passive which will allow Anivia players to respawn after 6 seconds if her egg is not destroyed. Anivia’s passive has a 4-minute cooldown.

QUICK RUNDOWN:

SUMMONER SPELLS: Flash and Clarity

RUNES: Dark Harvest, Cheap Shot, Eyeball Collection, Ravenous Hunter // Manaflow Band & Transcendence

ABILITY POWER UP: E, Q, W

FIRST BUY: Catalyst of Aeons

BUILD ORDER: Rod of Ages, Sorcerer’s Boots (or Ionian Boots), Archangel’s Staff, Liandry’s Torment, Morellonomecon & Rabadon’s Deathcap

COMBOS: Anivia is a champion how has a fairly long combo.

Anivia players should engage with either Frost Flash (Q) or Crystalize (W), essentially blocking enemy champions with a stun or the wall.

Upon stunning or blocking an enemy champion immediately place Anivia’s ultimate, Glacial Storm (R) under enemy champions to maximize damage.

If enemies are stunned, slowed or are standing in a fully charged Glacial Storm (R) players will deal extra damage when they use Frostbite (E) on enemy champions.

SUMMONER SPELLS FOR ANIVIA IN ARAM

FLASH

As is with all champions when playing ARAM, using Flash is quite necessary, especially if players are stuck in tight situations where they have to flee or they are at risk of being taken down.

There really should be no reason why an Anivia player would Flash forward in a battle as none of her abilities are fast enough to damage or kill enemies and since her abilities take a bit of time to summon/use, players will often waste the Flash.

As much as it can be tempting to solo kill enemy champions, or chase with Anivia, Anivia players much better with a team.

CLARITY

Anivia runs out of mana quickly, especially in the early game, so players are strongly recommended to bring Clarity with them.

Clarify will refund Anivia players with 50% of their maximum mana and can be empowered with Ionion Boots, reducing the cooldown it takes for players to be able to use Clarity again.

While Clarity is not the most aggressive Summoner Spell Anivia players can take, it is the most useful, especially if players notice themselves staying alive for longer periods of time than their teammates.

The inevitable reality is that Anivia is completely useless when she doesn’t have mana. Unlike Teemo or Ziggs, Anivia is a champion who will not be able to auto-attack to secure a takedown. Powerful, but not overpowered.

RUNE TREES FOR ANIVIA IN ARAM

Anivia plays like many other mages such as Veigar, Morgana, Twisted Fate, Heimerdinger, Brand, Karthus, Teemo, Zyra, Soraka, Ziggs, AP Miss Fortune, and Malzahar where she can either use domination runes or sorcery runes.

There are two runes trees players can choose to use when playing Anivia. The two most popular rune tree builds include:

Domination/Sorcery – Burst Damage Heavy

Sorcery/Domination – AP/Mana Sustain

Domination/Sorcery tends to be more aggressive than Sorcery/Domination, especially if players are able to harvest a good amount of souls by securing enemy takedowns.

Sorcery/Domination is recommended for players who would like to build high amounts of Ability Power and have issues with keeping their mana up. Since players will not have access to Dark Harvest, players may notice a plateau of damage from building Sorcery/Domination.

DAMAGE HEAVY/BURST RUNES FOR ANIVIA (DOMINATION/SORCERY)

DARK HARVEST

Damaging champions below 50% deals 20-60 (+ 15% AP) damage based on your level. Each soul that you harvest adds +2 AP.

Players will only be able to collect souls every 45 seconds or can reset Dark Harvest’s cooldown to 1.5 seconds by being part of an enemy takedown.

Dark Harvest is most notable when enemy champions are standing in the center of Anivia’s ultimate. There’s something so fulfilling to watching low-health enemies taking harvest after harvest.

Players will want to make sure that they harvest every soul that can be collected from enemy champions as getting early stacks of Dark Harvest can effectively solidify late-game takedowns.

If players get enough stacks of Dark Harvest, they will ultimately be able to kill enemy players as they try to escape the Glacial Storm (R). In most scenarios, enemy players will have to flash out of Anivia’s Glacial Storm (R) if they are low health or they will be annihilated by either Dark Harvest or just the sheer damage caused by the Glacial Storm (R).

If players are close enough to enemy champions when a soul can be collected from Dark Harvest, players should focus on using their Frostbite (E) rather than another ability as it is the quickest way to deal damage and will ensure that you get the soul before the player Flashes or runs away.

Alternatively, if players are confident that they can land a successful stun on Anivia’s Frost Flash (Q) players can use it to help ensure that allies jump the enemy and secure a takedown.

CHEAP SHOT

Cheap Shot will deal 10-45 (based on level) bonus true damage to champions who have impaired movement or actions. Cheap Shot has an extremely short cooldown, being 4 seconds.

By this point, you shouldn’t be surprised that Cheap Shot is inherently powerful when paired up with Anivia, simply due to the amount of crowd control Anivia provides to the team.

Cheap Shot will most commonly be activated when players use Anivia’s ultimate, Glacial Storm (R), however, players may also see some extra damage from auto-attacks or other abilities if allies have ways of impairing enemy champions.

Cheap Shot on Anivia can deal upwards of one thousand damage total, though players will have to play fairly aggressive with Anivia if they hope to make the most out of using Cheap Shot.

If players are having difficulty staying alive as Anivia and don’t need to worry as much about dealing damage to enemies, players can trade Cheap Shot for Taste of Blood, which will heal Anivia players as they damage the enemy champions.

Taste of Blood comes in especially handy if players do not have a tank on their team, though I can’t say that Taste of Blood is going to save you from tough circumstances.

EYEBALL COLLECTION

Collect 1 Eyeball per champion takedown, up to 10. Each takedown will provide players with  2 AP. Once players have received 10 Eyeballs they will also receive an extra 10 AP.

Eyeball Collection is the only Rune you will be able to use in ARAM from this tier of Runes.

RAVENOUS HUNTER

Abilities Heal for 1.5% of damage + 2.5% per every champion takedown for a maximum of 5 stacks. Healing is reduced to 1/3 on AoE damage.

Ravenous Hunter is by far the most powerful rune in all of League of Legends, especially on champions who have toggleable abilities.

If players have Ravenous Hunter as well as Rod of Ages, say hello to a high amount of healing from both when using Glacial Storm (R).

Although players are going to receive a third of the healing from Glacial Storm (R), having multiple enemies inside of the ability can ultimately make Anivia players unstoppable.

Add Anivia’s passive to the mix, res a few times in the game, you’re going to have people rage quitting in no time.

It’s funny because loads of people think that Anivia is a shitty champion in ARAM. Nothing can be further from the truth if players play Anivia well and troll the crap out of the enemy team.

MANAFLOW BAND

Hitting enemy champions with an ability will permanently increase your maximum mana by 25 (cooldown 15 seconds), up to a maximum of 250 mana. Although players will receive an increase in the maximum mana they can have, proccing Manaflow Band will not provide an increase in your current mana.

Once players have capped out their maximum mana at 250 bonus mana, they will receive 1% of their missing mana every 5 seconds.

Since players are going to have Anivia’s ultimate on during the majority of the game, players will want to make sure they have as much mana as they can have at a time. Manaflow Band will also work especially well for players who are building Archangel’s Staff as the more maximum mana a player has, the more damage the player can do with the staff.

TRANSCENDENCE

 At level 10 players will receive 10% CDR and 2 AP for every 1% CDR that goes over the 40% cap (or 45% if using Cosmic Insight).

Players are going to want as much cooldown reduction as they can have on Anivia.

I don’t usually build too many items beyond 40% CDR, however, doing so will give you at least 20AP.

SUSTAIN DAMAGE FOR ANIVIA (SORCERY/DOMINATION)

ARCANE COMET

Damaging enemy champions with an ability causes an Arcane Comet to be thrown at the enemy’s current location. The Arcane Comet can deal between 30-100 plus 20% AP. Damaging enemy champions with abilities will help reduce the cooldown of Arcane Comet, though the cooldown sits between 8-20 seconds based on player levels.

I can’t deny how powerful Arcane Comet is when paired up with Anivia as players are able to slow down enemy champions and ensure that they are hit by the Comet.

Unlike Dark Harvest, Arcane Comet has a cap on the amount of damage it can do and the increase in damage is tied to the player’s champion level, making early game buffing… well… unachievable.

Do I run a hate campaign against Arcane Comet in every write-up? Yes. Do I feel like I have to justify why I am a “Dark Harvest only” player? Yes. Do I give a f—? No, because the reality is Anivia is one of the only times I actually tolerate Arcane Comet.

I usually see similar damage from Sorcery Anivia and Domination Anivia, so for this one it’s really playstyle. The only thing is, you’re still expecting to cap out your damage with Arcane Comet, which you won’t be able to do with Dark Harvest.

MANAFLOW BAND

Hitting enemy champions with an ability will permanently increase your maximum mana by 25 (cooldown 15 seconds), up to a maximum of 250 mana. Although players will receive an increase in the maximum mana they can have, proccing Manaflow Band will not provide an increase in your current mana.

Once players have capped out their maximum mana at 250 bonus mana, they will receive 1% of their missing mana every 5 seconds.

Since players are going to have Anivia’s ultimate on during the majority of the game, players will want to make sure they have as much mana as they can have at a time. Manaflow Band will also work especially well for players who are building Archangel’s Staff as the more maximum mana a player has, the more damage the player can do with the staff.

TRANSCENDENCE

 At level 10 players will receive 10% CDR and 2 AP for every 1% CDR that goes over the 40% cap (or 45% if using Cosmic Insight).

Players are going to want as much cooldown reduction as they can have on Anivia.

I don’t usually build too many items beyond 40% CDR, however, doing so will give you at least 20AP.

GATHERING STORM

Gain adaptive damage for every 6 minutes of gameplay. The stats are as follows: 0, 8, 24, 48, and 80 AP

Gathering Storm is a nice passive way to gain damage, though at the end of the day it takes quite some time for players to receive enough amplification from Gathering Storm. Gathering Storm is notably powerful if you have Rabadon’s Deathcap, especially as time goes on in the ARAM game.

I personally don’t like using Gathering Storm unless I have hopes of building Rabadons, simply because Rabadon’s is what really makes it overpowered.

EYEBALL COLLECTION

Collect 1 Eyeball per champion takedown, up to 10. Each takedown will provide players with  2 AP. Once players have received 10 Eyeballs they will also receive an extra 10 AP.

Eyeball Collection is the only Rune you will be able to use in ARAM from this tier of Runes. Players can also choose Cheap Shot if they please.

EYEBALL COLLECTION

Collect 1 Eyeball per champion takedown, up to 10. Each takedown will provide players with  2 AP. Once players have received 10 Eyeballs they will also receive an extra 10 AP.

Eyeball Collection is the only Rune you will be able to use in ARAM from this tier of Runes.

RAVENOUS HUNTER

Abilities Heal for 1.5% of damage + 2.5% per every champion takedown for a maximum of 5 stacks. Healing is reduced to 1/3 on AoE damage.

Ravenous Hunter is by far the most powerful rune in all of League of Legends, especially on champions who have toggleable abilities.

If players have Ravenous Hunter as well as Rod of Ages, say hello to a high amount of healing from both when using Glacial Storm (R).

Although players are going to receive a third of the healing from Glacial Storm (R), having multiple enemies inside of the ability can ultimately make Anivia players unstoppable.

Add Anivia’s passive to the mix, res a few times in the game, you’re going to have people rage quitting in no time.

It’s funny because loads of people think that Anivia is a shitty champion in ARAM. Nothing can be further from the truth if players play Anivia well and troll the crap out of the enemy team.

SKILL LEVEL UP RECOMMENDATIONS & TIPS ON HOW TO PLAY ANIVIA IN ARAM

When playing Anivia players ultimately have two ways to power up their skills: E, Q, W or Q, E, W. Players will want to make their choice based on their playstyle preference or if they need extra crowd control.

FLASH FROST (Q)

Players will summon a sphere of ice that deals 60 /85 / 110 / 135 / 160 (+45% ability power) magic damage and slows all enemies in its path by 20 / 30 / 40% (scales up with Glacial Storm) for 3 seconds.

Players can either detonate Flash Frost early by reactivating the ability or it will detonate at its maximum range.

Upon exploding Glacial Storm, will deal 60 / 85 / 110 / 135 / 160 (+45% of ability power) magic damage to all nearby enemies. Enemies will become stunned for 1.1 / 1.2 / 1.3 / 1.4 / 1.5 seconds.

All affected enemies will be applied with the “chilled” debuff for 3 seconds.

When upgraded Flash Frost will cost 80 / 90 / 100 / 110 / 120 mana and has a 10 / 9.5 / 9 / 8.5 / 8 second cooldown.

Flash Frost is an extremely powerful method of Crowd Control, especially because it has such long range. There’s no denying how useful Flash Frost is when trying to catch straggling enemy champions or trying to snag a weak enemy in a team fight, but the reality is Flash Frost just costs too much when it’s upgraded.

I would recommend players upgrade Flash Frost second if they don’t absolutely need the extra .4 seconds of stun. Seriously, you’re choosing to pay more mana for that and some more damage? Not for the first ability bb.

CRYSTALLIZE (W)

Players can summon an impenetrable wall of ice that is 400 / 500 / 600 / 700 / 800 units wide, blocking any enemies’ movement.

Crystallize lasts 5 seconds before melting and can either be used to keep champions away or keep them from getting away.

Crystallize costs 70 mana and can be used every 17 seconds.

FROSTBITE (E)

Upon targeting an enemy, players will deal 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 / 150 (+50% of ability power) magic damage.

The most impressive thing about Frostbite is the fact that it does 200% damage to targets that have been recently hit by Flast Frosh or a fully formed Glacial Storm.

GLACIAL STORM (R)

Glacial Storm is a toggleable ability that deals 40 / 60 / 80 (+12.5% of ability power) magic damage per second to all enemies within it.

Glacial Storm will also slow the movement speed of affected enemy champions by 20 / 30 / 40% for 1 second and applies chilling to them.

The Glacial Storm will continue to grow for 1.5 seconds and at maximum size, enemies will take 300% damage and suffer a 50% stronger slow which lasts for 1.5 seconds.

Players can toggle Glacial Storm off to stop it after 1 second, though players should use Glacial Storm for as long as there are enemies in it.

Glacial Storm costs 40 / 50 / 60 mana per second to sustain and will toggle off if players run out of mana. Additionally, if players are struck with any crowd control, Glacial Storm will also turn off.

Glacial Storm is impeccable for killing enemy minions, it’s impeccable for killing enemy champions, it’s perfect for team fights, honestly, Glacial Storm is brilliant and amazing and I love it.

Glacial Storm’s only “flaw” is the fact that it does not grow as players level it up, though it does deal more damage and slow enemy champions more.

Honey, if there’s anything you need to know about Glacial Storm it’s: use Glacial Storm always and never run out of mana. 😉

GEAR BUILD FOR ANIVIA IN ARAM

There is really only one gear build that I use for Anivia because I find it to be the most effective. I will recommend some alternatives as we go through the piece.

First Buy: Tear of the Goddess or Catalyst of Aeons

ROD OF AGES

Rod of Ages gives bonus Health, Mana and Ability Power every minute for up to 10 minutes. This equals out to 200 Health, 100 Mana and 40 Ability Power, on top of its already 60 Ability Power, 300 Health, and 300 Mana. After 10 minutes Rod of Ages will have a total of 100 Ability Power, 500 Health and 400 Mana. Those are some pretty sweet stats at the end of the day. Players will also restore mana equal to 15% of the damage taken from champions.

Rod of Ages should be built as soon as a player can since Anivia players don’t see much death, especially if they time their passives to ensure minimal death.

Rod of Ages works especially well for players who are building Dark Harvest because it will allow Anivia players to be more aggressive in order to get the souls. Rod of Ages has the ability to sustain players for the duration of a full ARAM match, so use that to your advantage.

SORCERER’S SHOES

Sorcerer’s Shoes will provide players with magic penetration and movement speed. The only other shoes I would recommend are the Ionian Boots which will provide players with 10% Cooldown Reduction and will reduce the cooldown reduction of Summoner Spells.

ARCHANGEL’S STAFF

Archangel’s Staff will provide players with 50 AP, 20% Cooldown, 650 Mana and will also provide players with AP equal to 1% of their maximum mana and will always refund 25% of their mana spent.

Every 4 seconds players can proc 3 charges, providing players with 8 maximum Mana upon casting an ability. Upon receiving 750 mana from this passive, Archangel’s Staff will transform into Seraph’s Embrace, which provides players with an active shield and higher stats.

Archangel’s Staff is truly a lifesaver when it comes to mana in ARAM. The more mana Anivia can have, the better. There’s no stopping Anivia once her toggle is on.

LIANDRY’S TORMENT

If players do not need any defensive items or do not need cooldown reduction I would recommend using Liandry’s Torment so they can do sustained burn damage.

Liandry’s Torment gives 75 Ability Power and 300 Health. As a passive Liandry’s Torment will also deal 2% more damage per second in combat with enemy champions, up to a maximum of 10%. Spells will also burn enemies for 3 seconds dealing 1.5% of the player’s maximum health per second. If enemies are experiencing movement impairments they will receive an extra 2.5% damage from the burn.

Liandry’s Torment can be paired up with Rod of Ages to deal more damage from maximum health. Rod of Ages will also provide players with extra healing based on the damage players deal to enemies. If players choose to team Liandry’s Torment up with Rod of Ages, Rod of Ages should be built as the first item.

MORELLONOMICON

Morellonomicon will provide players will Ability Power, dealing 70 AP and giving players an extra 300 Health, which will also work very well with Liandry’s Torment.

Morellonomicon provides players with 15 Magic Penetration as well as Grievous Wounds for 3 seconds.

RABADON’S DEATHCAP

Need to amplify all that sexy Ability Power? Grab Rabadon’s Deathcap for 120 AP with a 40% AP increase.

Rabadon’s works best with Gathering Storm, however, is just useful no matter what.