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Playing Against Mel

Mid

Patch 16.2.1

What They Do

Mel is a scaling siege mage who hybrids ability spam with empowered auto-attacks. She stacks a unique mark called Overwhelm through , which eventually leads to a damage-based execute or a map-wide finisher via . She is exceptionally safe against projectile-based champions due to her reflection.

Abilities (What to Watch For)

Ability	What You'll See	What It Means For You
	Glowing projectiles circling Mel and a stack counter on your debuff bar	Every ability cast gives her up to 9 bonus auto-attack projectiles. More importantly, every hit applies Overwhelm stacks which lead to a flat execute once you are low enough.
	A targeted area-of-effect barrage of explosions	This is her primary waveclear and stacking tool. It deals damage multiple times, so standing in the full duration will quickly max out her stacks on you.
	A shimmering golden barrier and a burst of speed	The most dangerous defensive tool in mid lane. It reflects all projectiles, meaning if you fire a high-damage spell like Lux R or Ahri E at it, it hits you instead.
	A flying radiant orb that leaves a lingering field	The center roots you instantly. The outer ring slows and deals damage over time. Avoid the lingering zone as it continues to apply stacks every second you stand in it.
	A global golden strike hitting all marked targets	She doesn't need to aim this. If you have stacks, she can hit you from across the map. The damage increases per stack, making it a guaranteed kill if you linger at low HP.

Respect

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Reflection→If you play a projectile-based mage (Vex, Hwei, Syndra), she can reflect your entire combo back at you, effectively making you kill yourself.
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Infinite Stacks→Unlike most mages who have a burst window, Mel gets more dangerous the longer the fight lasts. Eventually, her or passive will simply execute you.
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Center Hit→The root duration is long enough to guarantee you take the full damage of a barrage, which will usually put you into execute range.
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Global Execution→Low health is never safe. If you have any stacks of Overwhelm, she can finish you from base even if you've already escaped the fight.

Punish

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is on cooldown (typically 20-16s)→She is extremely vulnerable to burst and poke once her reflect is down. This is your only window to use high-impact projectiles.
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Mel has 0 projectiles→Her trading power is significantly lower when she hasn't used abilities recently. Engage when her character model isn't surrounded by bonus projectiles.
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misses→She has no other way to keep you at range. Melee assassins should jump on her immediately if the orb misses, as she cannot peel you off without it.
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Early levels (1-3)→Her waveclear is mana-intensive early. Force her to use on the wave rather than on you to delay her stacking.

Laning Tips

•Pick champions with non-projectile CC or damage (like Lux R, Vel'Koz, or Zed) to bypass the reflection.
•Always move perpendicular to her orb; the projectile speed is moderate but the center root radius is small.
•If she drops on you, dash or walk out immediately; the first tick is weak, but the subsequent ticks stack exponentially.
•Keep track of your Overwhelm stacks on the debuff bar; if you have more than 5-6 stacks and 30% HP, you need to back off immediately.
•Bait her with a low-cooldown ability before committing your ultimate or main damage spells.
•Her grants movement speed, so don't bother trying to chase her with skillshots while the shield is active.

Teamfight Warning

⚠Don't clump in narrow jungle corridors; a single into can apply max stacks to your entire team.
⚠Save a hard CC (stun/knockup) for when she tries to follow up on her stacks with .
⚠Assassins must flank; Mel will always hold for the front-line projectiles, leaving her back open to non-projectile melee hits.
⚠If Mel is fed, Zhonya's Hourglass is mandatory to dodge the execute damage when you are marked.
⚠Check vision before recalling; if you are marked with , she will be watching for the snipe.

AI-generated counterplay guide • Patch 16.2.1 • Cached