Taliyah

Overview

If you’ve just watched Avatar: The Last Air Bender and your favorite character was Toph, then I’ve got the perfect champion for you to try. Taliyah is a stone weaver who uses the earth beneath her to wreak havoc on enemies, and she has access to one of the few global range ultimates in the game. Click here for the latest data on her best builds, including Runes, Items, Summoner Spells, and more. 

Keys to Remember About Taliyah

1. Her Weaver's Wall [R] will reward creativity -- it can be used in a lot of different manners including blocking enemies from approaching you (if you are on Baron, for example), sealing escape paths, and letting you get out of a bad spot (if they have no CC). Remember you can hop off the wall early, and you can also be knocked out of it if you get CCed.

2. Her damage comes from her base abilities, and while there is a lot of potential for instant burst if you land Seismic Shove [W], you'll generally deal most of your damage over multiple rotations of your Threaded Volley [Q] -- unlike some mid laners who can blow their whole kit and then die, you need to stay alive for as long as possible to maximize your strengths.

Strengths

If you’re able to land a Seismic Shove [W] onto an opponent, it makes for extremely easy follow-up with the rest of your kit. Both Threaded Volley [Q] and Unraveled Earth [E] are the core damage abilities of her kit, and because her ultimate is designed for utility, that means you essentially have access to your full array of damage sources by level three. This also means she’s effective at all points in the game as she isn’t reliant on having her ultimate up. That said, the ultimate is a great tool for splitting the enemy team or for making an unexpected arrival to support a fight. 

Weaknesses

She lacks mobility once a fight begins, and if she misses her Seismic Shove [W], she’ll be out of tools to stop enemies from jumping on her and deleting her. Being a squishy champion but having access to an ultimate that will quickly move her across the map means there will be times where she can easily put herself into bad positions with no real way out. Her Threaded Volley [Q] can also be difficult to master because of its worked ground mechanic -- overall the kit is not a simple one to use and will require some time to fully accustom yourself to it. 

Game Plan 

1. Early Game: You can control lane with poke thanks to your Q, and any time you have the opportunity to land a W, you will have kill pressure. At level 6, you can be the first to support plays thanks to your ultimate. 

2. Mid Game: You can look to control a side wave and then rejoin your team with your ultimate whenever you need. You can also use the ultimate from afar to cut off key chokes before a fight begins. 

3. Late Game: Her ultimate will continue to be useful in allowing you to split push and control side lane waves. At this point you want to fight front-to-back with your team, but landing even one Seismic Toss [W] on an enemy carry can instantly win you the game.