It can be said that Ryze is one of the biggest victims of League of Legends season 11 when all the “core” items were negatively impacted. Specifically, Riot removed the Rod of Ages and eliminated the energy return ability of the Archangel’s Staff. Therefore, from patch 11.3 and earlier, Ryze had an extremely poor pick and win rate in both solo queue and professional tournaments.
However, when League of Legends transitioned to patch 11.4, positive signals arrived for the Ancient Mage. For professional players, Ryze in patch 11.4 has the second highest pick rate in the Mid Lane and a win rate of 51.5%. Notably, most professional players, including Faker, are using Everfrost for this champion.
With a skill range that is not too long, Ryze greatly needs health stats from items to ensure his survivability in team fights. Among the Mythic items for mages, Everfrost is the only item that provides health, making it very suitable for Ryze. Therefore, when Everfrost was significantly buffed in patch 11.4, Ryze also became much stronger.
If you frequently play Ryze, you will know one of this champion’s issues is that it is very difficult to effectively control opponents. Ryze’s W – Rune Prison now only provides a slow; you must cast E – Spell Flux first to root the enemy. Opponents are unlikely to stand still for Ryze to execute his combo, so you will face many challenges in rooting the enemy, especially when the Sorcery rune Phase Rush has not been activated.
With the help of Everfrost and the ability to slow/root, Ryze can easily execute his E – W combo. Additionally, the combination of Everfrost – E – W will create a relatively long control chain and help Ryze eliminate opponents very effectively.
Basically, the rune build for Ryze in patch 11.4 is not different from before. You still use the Phase Rush rune page to help Ryze move more flexibly in team fights, which also interacts well with this champion’s continuous casting ability.
For itemization, you will start with Tear of the Goddess to stack mana. If you encounter a strong AP opponent in the Mid Lane, you should buy the Locket of the Iron Solari to ensure safety while laning. The first major item you should aim for is Everfrost, then completing the Rod of Ages is the best choice for Ryze. In the later stages, defensive items like Zhonya’s Hourglass and Banshee’s Veil are very suitable for Ryze.
Essentially, Ryze currently possesses extremely great power with the Everfrost build. There is a high possibility that Ryze will make a “strong comeback” in upcoming League of Legends tournaments as patch 11.4 is applied.