If you’ve been playing League of Legends since the game first arrived in Vietnam, you’ve likely heard the name ‘Bird Saint’ Froggen, known for his ability to use Anivia to counter all matchups in the mid lane. The mid laner of CLG.EU at that time was a role model for countless players and an inspiration for gamers to learn and master Anivia back then.
Of course, after years have passed, many more interesting champions have emerged, and Froggen himself is no longer as outstanding as he was in his youth, but Anivia remains the same; her skill set hasn’t changed much, just a fresh look. Due to being “gathering dust” for too long, in the upcoming patch 10.6, Riot Games has decided to buff Anivia so that she can return and compete in the mid lane. This information was announced by a member of the champion balancing team, RiotKingCobra.
RiotKingCobra: “Hello Anivia lovers, I want everyone to note that the latest updates on the PBE server do not include the changes we are targeting for this champion in patch 10.6. Accordingly, Anivia’s ultimate will no longer be interrupted when she is controlled (in any form) and the slow effect from her ultimate will now last as long as the slow effect from her Q ability.”
This is a significant change for Anivia as her ultimate will no longer be easily disrupted. Being immune to interruption when Anivia is controlled means that R – Glacial Storm can only be interrupted if you manage to push her away or directly take her down. The longer duration of the ultimate also makes Anivia much more effective at defending towers than before.
However, the second change regarding the slow effect of the ultimate lasting like the Q – Flash Frost should be noted. Currently, Anivia’s R only slows for 1 second, while her Q slows for up to 3 seconds. This means that in patch 10.6, Anivia’s ultimate will increase the duration that opponents are “rooted” up to 3 times. And you know, standing too long in Anivia’s ultimate only leads to death.
These seemingly small but incredibly useful updates from Riot Games promise to help Anivia make a comeback, at least in solo queue. Currently, we see many control mages in mid like Syndra, Orianna, and Ryze holding strong positions in the lane. There’s no reason why a champion considered the “father” of control mages like Anivia should be left out of the game.