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Playing Against Annie
MidPatch 16.2.1
What They Do
Annie is a short-range burst mage who specializes in point-and-click crowd control. She uses to charge up an inescapable stun, followed by or to delete targets. She is immobile and range-limited but lethal if she gets within Flash distance.
Abilities (What to Watch For)
| Ability | What You'll See | What It Means For You |
|---|---|---|
| A white bar under her mana with 4 segments; at 4 stacks, she gains a glowing red aura swirl. | After 4 spell casts, her next offensive spell stuns. The red swirl means the stun is active and her next , , or will lock you down. | |
| A small, single-target fireball. | A point-and-click nuke that refunds mana and half its cooldown if it kills the target. She uses this to farm perfectly, so track its use to know when her is stacking. | |
| An instant cone of fire in a target direction. | Her primary AoE tool. When paired with , it becomes an instant, undodgeable AoE stun. Avoid clumping with minions so she can't hit both of you. | |
| A fiery shield surrounding Annie or an ally. | Provides a shield and a burst of movement speed. It also reflects a small amount of damage to enemies who hit her. Do not commit to a trade if she uses this to absorb your burst. | |
| Annie summons a giant flaming bear (Tibbers) on a target location. | Massive instant AoE damage. If is up, it's an AoE stun. Tibbers stays alive to burn and claw nearby enemies, becoming enraged if Annie dies. |
Respect
- !Flash + Engage→This is her signature move. If she has 4 stacks of , she can gap-close 400+ units and stun your entire team instantly.
- !Level 6 Burst→The addition of and Ignite gives her enough damage to 100-to-0 most mid laners if they are even slightly poked down.
- !The 3-Stack Bait→She can cast at 3 stacks and then press while the fireball is mid-air to trigger the stun upon impact.
- !Tibbers' Post-Mortem Enrage→When Annie dies, Tibbers gains 100% Move Speed and 50% Attack Speed. He will chase you down and can easily kill you if you are low HP.
Punish
- +is at 0 or 1 stack→She has no way to stop you. Aggressively trade or all-in her during this window as she cannot stun you without casting several more spells.
- +is on cooldown (12-8s)→She is extremely immobile and loses her only defensive tool. This is the best time to land skillshots or call for a jungle gank.
- +Early Waveclear→Annie's early waveclear is poor. Shove her under tower to force her to use for mana-heavy farming rather than poking you.
- +Missed Stun→If she wastes her stun on a minion or misses a stun, you have a 10-second window to punish her while she rebuilds stacks.
Laning Tips
- •Check her passive bar constantly; if it shows 4 stacks (red swirl), do not walk into her range.
- •Stay at max range if you are a long-range mage; Annie's and have relatively short ranges (625 and 600).
- •Don't stand inside your own minion wave; you make her more efficient by letting her hit you and farm simultaneously.
- •Buy early Magic Resist like Merc Treads or a Null-Magic Mantle; it significantly disrupts her kill thresholds.
- •If you see her walking directly at you with 4 stacks, she is likely buffering a Flash + . Back off or prepare to Flash her R.
- •Cleanse is a high-value summoner spell against her to break the stun and escape her follow-up burst.
Teamfight Warning
- ⚠Never clump in jungle corridors; a single stun on 3+ people usually results in an immediate lost teamfight.
- ⚠Keep side-bushes warded; Annie loves to sit in fog of war to find a flank with ready.
- ⚠Focus Tibbers down if the fight is extended; his persistent burn damage and auto-attacks are equivalent to a second champion.
- ⚠Banshee's Veil or Edge of Night are mandatory for carries; they force her to waste a spell to pop the shield before she can stun you.
- ⚠Be careful after killing her; an enraged Tibbers can still kill your backline if ignored.
AI-generated counterplay guide • Patch 16.2.1 • Cached