After patch 11.16b, Demon was significantly nerfed, especially some key champions like Tristana and Teemo. However, the remaining champions weren’t affected too much, and in fact, Demon still proves to be an effective composition. Of course, to stretch into the late game with a long journey, it seems Demon is a bit more “exhausted” compared to before, especially for players who aren’t fond of sacrificing health to get Teemo.
After patch 11.17b, some players still choose Demon in the early stages but will switch towards the end game. However, if Demon can combine to enhance its defense system, it remains a very worthwhile option to try. Among these, Demon – Mystic is a very worthy consideration.
Operating the New Demon – Mystic Composition
Kled in the Demon composition can have a good attack speed and is a champion with a certain sturdiness from the Knight trait. However, previously, Kled was only leveled as a defensive champion, and damage was focused on Teemo and later on Teemo – Tristana. But now, Kled will be the main damage dealer of this Demon – Mystic composition. The reason is that, compared to Tristana (who tends to jump into the opponent’s backline), Kled is a safer choice, not fearing to be burst down too quickly.
The best items for this piece will focus on both damage and attack speed, thus the most useful will include Infinity Edge (normal and Light)/Bloodthirster (normal and Light)/Giant Slayer/Giant Bow (normal and Light)/Glove of Justice (normal and Light)/Gemstone Glove (normal and Light). Of course, accompanied by leveling Kled to 3 stars – which is not too difficult as this champion only costs 1 gold.
With Kled as the main damage dealer, the rest will focus on defense and supplement damage as much as possible. In the early and mid-game, players can choose either Hecarim or Sejuani to activate the Knight trait. Poppy and Nautilus will activate the Knight trait while Lux and Lulu will activate the Mystic trait. Additionally, Demon needs to reach level 4 with Kled – Poppy – Lulu – Kennen to provide attack speed and additional control and burn from Kennen with the Demon Spell.
Mystic will be a very important trait in this composition and should be activated at levels 3 – 4 (as high as possible if reaching level 9). Since compositions like Sorcerer or champions with magic damage are still too strong, activating Mystic will provide a solid defensive capability, especially against champions with wide-area “clean-up” abilities like Vel’Koz and Teemo. In particular, Gwen in Mystic can also be a high-quality supplementary damage source, alongside Lulu’s control, Lux’s burst damage, and Fiddlestick’s healing ability.
Since Demon only has Teemo as the most expensive champion, players can completely have a 4 Demon composition early with Kled – Poppy – Kennen – Lulu and build a complete team based on these four names. It would be ideal to have a Demon emblem and replace Lulu (in case it’s hard to get her to 3 stars) with champions like Garen or Galio in the late game.
After securing Kled at 3 stars and the remaining pieces at least 2 stars, players should focus on leveling up to get Gwen and Fiddlestick. Especially, if in the Light item selection there is the appearance of the Blue Buff or Hirana Spear, Hextech Gunblade, it is advisable to prioritize choosing these three items for Gwen. In addition, this champion will need Gemstone Glove/Glove of Justice and Blue Buff (if the Blue Buff is not taken).
The optimal end-game composition will be: Kled – Poppy – Lulu – Kennen – Lux – Gwen – Fiddlestick (if reaching level 9) – Nautilus – Rell. If there is a Demon emblem, replace it in Poppy’s position.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The Demon – Mystic composition has the advantage that the main damage dealer (Kled) is easy to level to 3 stars, while in the late game, Gwen will be a high-quality supplementary source even at 1 star. Additionally, champions like Kennen, Lulu, and Poppy are also easy to upgrade. Meanwhile, items only need to focus on Kled and Gwen, so it doesn’t require too much. Moreover, with only 1 or 2 main damage sources, players can easily calculate item choices in common selection rounds and do not necessarily have to compete with opponents.
However, the main weakness lies in heavily depending on leveling Kled and obtaining Gwen early. But with the fact that it’s not too difficult to maintain a winning streak, players can utilize saving gold up to level 5 and start spending to upgrade the team. However, it is important to note that this composition relies quite heavily on the two champions mentioned above, especially Kled at 3 stars. If the conditions are not met, always have a backup plan ready.