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Cassiopeia
Patch 16.2.1
MidDifficulty
Very Hard
Strength
Early
Mid
Late
Win Condition
Survive the early game and reach 3+ items. In teamfights, stay behind your frontline and focus the closest target. Use to zone off the enemy backline or stop the frontline from diving you.
Playstyle
Hyper-scaling battle mage focused on high-APM kiting and sustained DPS. You trade burst for the ability to melt anything that stays in your range, provided you can land your poison.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- +Infinite DPS ceiling with as long as you have mana
- + is one of the strongest basic abilities, completely disabling mobility-reliant champions
- +Extreme kiting potential due to and the move speed from
- +Excellent objective shred for Baron and Dragons
Weaknesses
- -Critically dependent on landing or to deal damage with
- -Massive mana consumption in the early to mid game
- -Low range compared to artillery mages makes you vulnerable to focus fire
- -No mobility spells; relies entirely on movement speed and positioning to survive
Abilities
You can't buy boots, but any move speed bonuses you get from items or runes are stronger. This frees up a 6th item slot for more AP, making you a late-game monster.
A delayed explosion that poisons enemies. If it hits a champion, you get a burst of move speed. This is your primary way to kite and the 'on switch' for your damage.
Throws a curve of poison that slows and 'Grounds' enemies. Grounded enemies cannot use dashes, blinks, or Flashes. Drop this on assassins like Zed or Kat to make them useless.
Your main damage tool. It deals massive damage if the target is already poisoned by or and heals you. If it kills a unit, you get mana back—use this to last-hit.
A massive cone that stuns enemies looking at you and slows those looking away. It is your best self-peel and a primary playmaking tool in teamfights.
Teamfight Role
Front-to-back DPS Carry
You function like an AP Marksman. Position carefully to land and spam on whatever is closest. Use to cut off escape routes or stop divers.
If you see the enemy carries stacked and facing you, an -Flash can end the fight instantly before it even begins.
Combos
Standard Trade
→ →
The bread and butter. Land , then spam while the target is poisoned. Use the move speed from to stay in range or kite back.
The Lockdown All-in
→ → spam →
Start with to ground the enemy so they can't dash away from the . Once poisoned, melt them with . Use if they turn to fight back.
R-Flash
→ Flash
Start the animation of and immediately Flash toward the enemy. This hides the wind-up animation and makes the stun nearly impossible to dodge on reaction.
Defensive Kite
at your feet → → while moving back
When dove by an assassin, drop directly on yourself. They can't dash out of it, allowing you to land an easy and lifesteal with .
Power Spikes
| Spike | Why |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | mana refund and base damage are surprisingly high for level 1 cheese if the enemy lets you auto-E-auto. |
| Level 2 | Once you have and , you can win almost any trade if you land the poison. |
| Level 6 | gives you massive kill pressure and allows you to survive ganks by stunning the jungler. |
| Level 9 | At max rank , your DPS becomes oppressive and your healing per cast increases significantly. |
| Level 11 | Rank 2 on a lower cooldown allows for more frequent playmaking in mid-game skirmishes. |
Tips & Tricks
- •Always use to last-hit minions; the mana refund is essential for staying in lane without Blue Buff
- •Do not spam on targets that aren't poisoned; you will deal zero damage and go OOM in seconds
- • has a minimum cast range. If an enemy is right on top of you, you must move back slightly to hit them with it
- •The move speed from is your primary defense; hitting it allows you to dodge skillshots much easier
- •Since you don't buy boots, you hit your item power spikes (like Archangel's or Liandry's) faster than other mages
- •Watch the enemy's character model; if they turn to walk away, your will only slow. Wait for them to commit to an auto or spell.
Common Mistakes
- ✕Mashing before lands→You waste mana and lose the bonus damage/healing, often losing a trade you should have won.
- ✕Using too early in a fight→The cooldown is long; if you waste it, the enemy assassin is free to jump on you without being grounded.
- ✕Aggressive positioning without →You have no dashes; if you get caught out without your stun, you are an easy kill.
- ✕Forgetting synergy→Ignoring items or runes that grant move speed percentage, which are extra effective on you for kiting.
- ✕Overstaying in lane with low mana→Without mana for , you have no way to defend yourself or clear waves, leading to easy dives.
AI-generated guide • Patch 16.2.1 • Cached