Top 5 Counters to Mel in the Mid Lane (Beginners LoL Guide)
Mel is the latest champion to hit Summoners Rift, and if you’ve not played against her yet, you soon will be! Mel is the first champion that players can get completely free by completing levels in the pass.
Here at Mobalytics, many players ask us for tips and tricks on how to counter certain champions in LoL or for recommended picks to play against certain champions. In this article, we will discuss five champions who are good counters to Mel in LoL.
Before we begin, we’ve also made a separate article on how to counter Mel, which you can find here. I would also like to say that these champions may not be statistically the best, but they have things in their kit that help make playing against her much easier. Any data we use will be from Emerald+, world wide data.
What Makes a Good Counter?
There are, of course a lot of champions that can counter Mel that are not on our list. If a champion has a dash tool, they could be good versus Mel, as they can dodge her abilities and collapse on her. Remember, Mel doesn’t have a dash or escape tool, so you can all-in her with this ability, too.
Another factor is if you can match her poke in the lane. Mages with long-ranged skill shots are good as you’ll never be in range of her to attack you with her Passive, ultimately reducing her damage output.
However, I would avoid if you can picking melee champions who are not strong early. This is because you should shut her down early, and playing someone who isn’t strong early is counterproductive. Furthermore, Mel can easily bully melee champions, so if you do play against Mel as a melee champion, you will need to get extra sustain and limit her attacking you for free. However, 2 of the champions on our list are melee, and have ways of playing against her, even though they’re melee!
1. Taliyah (56.3% WR)
The first champion on our list is Taliyah. Picking Taliyah against Mel is good for many reasons. Taliyah is a ranged champion who can leverage her Q ability to poke her from afar. This is good as it makes it quite hard for her to auto-attack you for free with her basic attacks. Furthermore, even when Taliyah is behind, she can use her Q to secure minions and pick up gold and XP.
As Mel lacks a dodge ability, Taliyah can easily CC her and land her W when she tries to auto-attack you. You could save this spell for when she tries to attack you and all-in her with a full combo.
In the later stages of the laning phase, Taliyah has the roam advantage with her Ultimate. She can push her in with her E>W>Q combo and then look to roam and help her allies. Roaming is very important for a mid-laner, so picking someone who can rotate and help their Jungler or gank their allies is crucial.
However, at level 6, Mel is stronger than Taliyah in those 1v1 all-ins as Mel’s Ultimate is a spell that can be used in team fights, whereas Taliyah’s Ultimate is more of a utility tool to help her move around the map.
How to play Taliyah in Season 25.S1
- Guide
- Counters
- Combos
2. Cho’Gath (56.1% WR)
The second champion who is very good against Mel is Cho’Gath. While we said picking melee champions isn’t good versus Mel, Cho’Gath is one of the few exceptions. Cho’Gath’s kit is packed full of goodies to help you counter Mel and make laning against her a breeze.
During the laning phase, it is key that you do not let her attack you for free. She has the range advantage, so she will keep auto-attacking you for free. Thankfully Cho’Gaths Passive allows him to regenerate health when killing minions, so it will be difficult for her to get you low enough. When behind, you can also use your abilities to clear waves and top yourself up with health.
Mel cannot dash and cannot dodge Cho’Gath’s Qs easily, which is ideal for any matchup when playing Cho’Gath. As long as you can land your Q on her, you can unleash your full combo on her and quickly kill her.
As we said, you need to be careful and avoid letting her auto-attack you for free, especially if she has a stacked Passive, as the damage can quickly stack up. Be prepared to recall if you’re low, and invest in MR if you’ve had a bad start.
How to play Cho’Gath in Season 25.S1
- Guide
- Counters
- Combos
3. Veigar (54.6% WR)
We’re already on the third champion and this time, we will talk about another strong AP champion. The benefit of playing and maining Veigar is that you can pick him in a lot of different roles, so if you master him in the Mid Lane, you can play him in the bottom lane too. Veigar is a ranged champion who just wants to farm and limits fighting while he scales.
Mel doesn’t have any abilities that can be used to escape his cage, making him an ideal champion to lane against her. If she walks up to use her auto-attack on him, he can press E and lock her down.
Post 6, you have high kill pressure with your Ultimate, which can execute her if she is low enough. Furthermore, the longer the game goes, the stronger you will be and the easier it will be trying to kill her.
As her W can block damage, you must bait out this ability first. This can be easier said than done, but in the later stages of the game people underestimate her Q and W damage, which can deal considerable burst damage to the enemy.
How to play Veigar in Season 25.S1
- Guide
- Counters
- Combos
4. Xerath (54.5% WR)
Long-ranged skill shots and tons of harassment are the name of the game for the 4th champion on our list. Xerath is a strong lane bully who can poke and harass Mel frequently, thanks to his low cooldowns and tons of damage.
In this matchup, you will never be in the range of her basic attacks, so it is impossible for her to deal extra damage to you with her empowered auto-attacks. This is ideal, as you’re limiting her kit and damage output.
Not only are you limiting her Passive damage output, but her W is basically useless versus you. She could use it to block your E, but it’s unlikely that you will be in range to use your E on her as you should be at max range using your abilities. Keeping the maximum distance is key to limiting her damage output.
If you want to fully utilise Xerath against Mel, try to aim your abilities so they push and poke Mel at the same time. This will make it really difficult for her to lane against you, and then you’ll also have the roam advantage in case your team needs your help.
How to play Xerath in Season 25.S1
- Guide
- Counters
- Combos
5. Kassadin (54.1% WR)
The final champion is Kassadin, who happens also to be a melee champion, but just like Cho’Gath he has things in his kit that make him a good pick versus Mel. But let’s first go over Kassadin’s negatives in this matchup. Firstly, he is melee, so you need not let her abuse you with her basic attacks or empowered auto-attacks.
To survive the early game, you need to invest in early sustain and potentially some health and magic resistance. This is crucial to help you survive in the lane. Don’t forget to recall if you’re low so you do not get killed as well.
Kassadin can be extremely dominant versus champions who are immobile, and as Mel has no escape tools, it can be impossible for her to get him off of her post 6. Let her push you in early while you focus on getting farm and XP. Then when you’re level 6, you can start playing more aggressively.
You’ll want to time your Q early to match her basic attacks or damage. This is good because your Q gives you a shield that can block her damage and offers extra protection. Your goal will be to harass her with your Q and then chase her down the lane with your Ultimate and E. If you do not fall behind in the early game, you’ll dominate her in the late game.
How to play Kassadin in Season 25.S1
- Guide
- Counters
- Combos
In Conclusion
And that about sums up our recommended picks if you face Mel in League of Legends. Mel can be hard to play against as some champions, but picking one of these 5 champions will make laning against her much easier.
As always, you shouldn’t just pick a champion that is a direct counter, but instead somebody you enjoy and can play well. Also, please remember that these champions may not be statistically the best, but they are great counters to her!
For more tips to play as Mel, or more advice to counter her, head over to the Mobalytics Blog.
