Arctic Annihilation with Anivia, an Awful Attempt at a Guide
Last updated 8/12/09.
Anivia the Cryophoenix is a fairly long ranged caster in the League of Legends. With its arsenal of freezing magic, it could dish out a great deal of damage to single as well as multiple targets. I've been laying carnage with this Articuno look-alike and must say it is like playing Ryze but more for sophisticated players. Undoubtedly better players than I will have more to say, considering that my true calling in life is being a nameless noob. Neverthelss, the Cryophoenix is quite a fun champion to play.
___Abilities___
Flash Frost (Q)/image...ility_1_34.jpg
AP Coeff: .5
Mana Cost: 80/100/120/140/160
CD: 10.75/10.00/9.25/8.5/7.25
A massive chun of ice flies toward target location, dealing 60/90/120/150/180 damage, slowing movement by 20%, and chilling any enemy it passes through for 3 seconds. AT the end of its range or if Anivia activates the spell again, the missile detonates, doing 60/90/120/150/180 damage in a small area and stunning units for .75 seconds.
This fire a long range projectile that the enemy could dodge, but pays off if it hits near the end of its range and stuns the targets, since during early game this usually means one could follow up with a Frostbite and normal attack to down about a quarter the opponent's health.
Crystallize (W)
Mana Cost: 70/90/110/130/150
CD: 22.5 sec
Cryophoenix summons an impenetrable wall of ice 400/500/600/700/800 units wide, blocking all movement. The wall lasts for 5 seconds before it melts.
Due to the in-game glitch, the ice wall can ocassionally be placed right on top of the enemy, effectively immobilizing him. This is a similar bug to Jax and Alistar getting stuck when using their respective jump and charge and lands right in the same location as a minion.
Frostbite (E)
AP Coeff: .5
Mana Cost: 60/70/80/90/100
CD: 4.5 sec
Cryophoenix blasts her target with a freezing wind, dealing 90/125/160/195/230 damage. If target has been chilled, they take double damage.
I am not sure, but I believe "chilled" also includes other chill effects such as the spells of the Yeti and Ashe, though it is most reliable to use this effectively with Cryo's own Q or R spell.
Glacial Storm (R)
AP Coeff: .25
Mana Cost: 70/100/130 per sec
CD: 5.5 sec
Cryohpoenix calls for a driving rain of ice and hail, damaging enemies for 80/120/160 per second, slowing movement and attack speed by 30% for 3 seconds, and chilling them. Activating this ability again stops the storm and triggers the cooldown.
When we first use this ability, we might not notice that it requires you to deactivate it, or else it drains our mana in no time at all! It's hilarious to see Anivia players sometimes forget to turn off their ult and completely wasting their entire mana pool - something that I, of course, always do.
Rebirth (Passive)
CD: 4 min
Upon taking fatal damage, Anivia will revert to an egg and soon after be GLORIOUSLY reborn.
This egg has a certain amount of HP. If the enemy does not destroy the egg, she will revive on the spot within 6 seconds retaining the percentage of HP that the egg has. This is a big part of her survivability, and it is important to keep this in mind when fighting enemies, sometimes using this to our advantage especially during early game lane skirmishes.
___Gameplay___
One of the best pros for Anivia is the long range of her spells, namely Flash Frost and Crystallize. A good player will oil this advantage to the max.
Up to level 6, I suggest the following build order:
1. Q - Flash Frost (1)
2. E - Frostbite (1)
3. E - Frostbite (2)
4. W - Crystallize (1)
5. E - Frostbite (3)
6. R - Glacial Storm (1)
The main DPS for Anivia is from her Frostbite (E) spell, which is best used while target is chilled usually by Flash Frost (Q) or Glacial Storm (R). In the early game, it is relatively easy to snipe quite your lane opponent with a good combo of all your spells. Usually, after a well-aimed Flash Frost, follow it up with Frostbite and normal attack, amounting to 200~400 burst damage with which you could even snipe off a Soraka player under ideal circumstances. Getting Frostbite(3) will help quite a bit in this regard. Getting at least a level of Crystallize is crucial for barring the opponent from linear escape as well as blocking them from low health friendlies.
https://i30.tinypic.com/vff2ts.jpg
Crystallize wall can save allies as well as block enemies
Adaptable build order for later levels:
7. E - Frostbite (4)
8. W - Crystallize (2)
9. E - Frostbite (5)
10. Q - Flash Frost (2)
11. W - Crystallize (3)
12. Q - Flash Frost (3)
13. Q - Flash Frost (4)
14. W - Crystallize
15. Q - Flash Frost (5)
16. R - Glacial Storm (2)
17. W - Crystallize (5)
18. R - Glacial Storm (3)
After level 6, the build order is subjugated more to individual preferrence, so feel free to deviate from the norm. Getting Crystallize to at least level 2~3 asap is arguably essential, since Crystallize(1) is simply not that wide as needed sometimes, especially given the random factor and human error when casting it. Also a wider wall can block off crucial choke points in the jungle. Frostbite consists of a major portion of her burst damage so, obviously, max it!
Leveling Flash Frost (Q) is not as important since it's main utility is its chill effect rather than the damage. Unless we want to farm the entire game, the same applies for the ultimate Glacial Storm (R). Level 2 and 3 of Glacial Storm will more often than not waste mana and shorten the length of time you can maintain the AOE slow on enemies. Admittedly it's viable with better mana regen (i.e. with Golem buff), but its greatest utility is, again, the AOE chill effect. I recommend getting level 2~3 later.
Upon acquiring Glacial Storm, Cryophoenix becomes a chilling machine. Ganking an enemy is as simple as Crystallize, Glacial Storm, and Frostbite. Place the Glacial Storm circle around a successfully placed wall so that enemies are continually chilled on their path of escape. This is better illustrated with a picture.
Anivia Against other Champions
Up to the time of writing this, pain-in-the-neck champions for Anivia include Card Master, Ashe, and Tristana. Melee heroes are much easily controlled via chill effects and the ice wall. The difficult champions to face have longer than normal range. Card Master's Q spell is long range and hard to dodge since Anivia has slightly less-than-average mobility (though it could simply be an optical illusion since her wings are freaking wide!). A well played Ashe and Tristana will outrange Anivia's Frostbite.
Playing Against Anivia
Versus a good Cryophoenix, I find it rather difficult to play with a melee hero simply because of her spell range and wall, though it helps greatly if you have escape summoner spells. 1 vs 1, it might be better to switch with or request a ranged teammate in your lane early game.
___Items of Choice___
A caster champion always places priority on ability power (AP) and mana regen. For Anivia, her primary stat is AP, but a fair mana regen is vital for supporting her mana-intensive spells.
Anivia's late game gear depends on your goals, style, and enemy champion composition. Below are some of the most viable items to purchase.
Recommended first item. Though we could opt for getting the ingredient items for some of the better gear, there will be a lack of control and less possibility for a champion snipe during the early lane skirmishes. An alternative could be getting Boots first, if we want to have easier spell dodges against e.g. Twisted Fate (the cards are a pain to dodge, which I blame on Anivia's gigantic wingspan).
Common sense to acquire boots after the initial few minutes of game, since movement speed is crucial in every game to chase, escape, and dodge.
Rod of Ages (+450 HP, +450 Mana, +50 AP, gain 20HP/20Mana/2AP per min capping at 300/300/30)
Conventional gear for any caster. The health boost helps a lot, considering Anivia's health is frustratingly fragile. If the possibility that enemy will focus Anivia is high, then this is a must. Anivia deals a big portion of the total team DPS, so it's vital that we have high survivability. However, being the noob I am most of the time, I falsely believe I'm invincible and usually skip this in favor of more AP and mana regen.
Abyssal Scepter (+70 AP, +60 Res, reduce nearby enemy res by 30)
Acquiring this item depends on enemy champion composition. The magic res could greatly improve survivability against a caster-heavy team.
Lich Bane (+350 mana, +30 AP, +32 Res, +7% Mvt, 100% chance when an ability that player's next attack deals additional damage equal to current AP)
This is probably the most lucrative item to aim for. The special in effect boosts another couple of hundred of burst damage for your ganking pleasure.
When collecting the ingredients, we want to get Sheen first (same special).
Other items:
Frozen Mallet
The notable thing about this is that the chill effect on your attacks are applicable for Frostbite. The health would also be nice if the enemy focuses on Cryo all the time.
Fiendish Codex (+30 AP, +7 Mana Regen per 5 sec, reduces cooldowns by 10%)
Any mana regen is good to get early game. However, this is gold not spent on more powerful items. If you go mana pendant as first item, there is more reason to get this item, -10% CD isn't bad.
Mejai's Soulstealer
It's not too reliable to get this, depending on whether friendly champions could or need kills. IMO there are better investments.
Archangel's Staff
Not a bad item, though it suits other casters like the Lich and Soraka more.
Zhonya's Ring
Though a noob's opinion is never worth much, I personally never get this on Anivia except when the game lasts way too long.
___Neutral Monster Buffs___
Crest of the Ancient Golemhttps://i25.tinypic.com/qpp5e9.jpg
Duration: 2 min
Regens 1.5% mana a second and has 25% cooldown reduction on their abilities. If slain, this buff transfers to the killer.
I cannot stress enough how useful this buff is for Cryo. Since Anivia - with her ultimate - is a complete mana wh0re, the mana regen that this buff has will sustain her mana pool for more than the 10 secs that it requires to use up about 2k mana. Once Anivia gets into mid-game, with 1k hp/mana, it will be usually worth it during a lull in the game to kill a golum.
Thanks for reading. If you have any updates, critism, input - aside from remarking on my pathetic personal worth, which I am well aware of - please let me know. See you on the battle arena!
Last updated 8/12/09.
Anivia the Cryophoenix is a fairly long ranged caster in the League of Legends. With its arsenal of freezing magic, it could dish out a great deal of damage to single as well as multiple targets. I've been laying carnage with this Articuno look-alike and must say it is like playing Ryze but more for sophisticated players. Undoubtedly better players than I will have more to say, considering that my true calling in life is being a nameless noob. Neverthelss, the Cryophoenix is quite a fun champion to play.
___Abilities___
Flash Frost (Q)/image...ility_1_34.jpg
AP Coeff: .5
Mana Cost: 80/100/120/140/160
CD: 10.75/10.00/9.25/8.5/7.25
A massive chun of ice flies toward target location, dealing 60/90/120/150/180 damage, slowing movement by 20%, and chilling any enemy it passes through for 3 seconds. AT the end of its range or if Anivia activates the spell again, the missile detonates, doing 60/90/120/150/180 damage in a small area and stunning units for .75 seconds.
This fire a long range projectile that the enemy could dodge, but pays off if it hits near the end of its range and stuns the targets, since during early game this usually means one could follow up with a Frostbite and normal attack to down about a quarter the opponent's health.
Crystallize (W)
Mana Cost: 70/90/110/130/150
CD: 22.5 sec
Cryophoenix summons an impenetrable wall of ice 400/500/600/700/800 units wide, blocking all movement. The wall lasts for 5 seconds before it melts.
Due to the in-game glitch, the ice wall can ocassionally be placed right on top of the enemy, effectively immobilizing him. This is a similar bug to Jax and Alistar getting stuck when using their respective jump and charge and lands right in the same location as a minion.
Frostbite (E)
AP Coeff: .5
Mana Cost: 60/70/80/90/100
CD: 4.5 sec
Cryophoenix blasts her target with a freezing wind, dealing 90/125/160/195/230 damage. If target has been chilled, they take double damage.
I am not sure, but I believe "chilled" also includes other chill effects such as the spells of the Yeti and Ashe, though it is most reliable to use this effectively with Cryo's own Q or R spell.
Glacial Storm (R)
AP Coeff: .25
Mana Cost: 70/100/130 per sec
CD: 5.5 sec
Cryohpoenix calls for a driving rain of ice and hail, damaging enemies for 80/120/160 per second, slowing movement and attack speed by 30% for 3 seconds, and chilling them. Activating this ability again stops the storm and triggers the cooldown.
When we first use this ability, we might not notice that it requires you to deactivate it, or else it drains our mana in no time at all! It's hilarious to see Anivia players sometimes forget to turn off their ult and completely wasting their entire mana pool - something that I, of course, always do.
Rebirth (Passive)
CD: 4 min
Upon taking fatal damage, Anivia will revert to an egg and soon after be GLORIOUSLY reborn.
This egg has a certain amount of HP. If the enemy does not destroy the egg, she will revive on the spot within 6 seconds retaining the percentage of HP that the egg has. This is a big part of her survivability, and it is important to keep this in mind when fighting enemies, sometimes using this to our advantage especially during early game lane skirmishes.
___Gameplay___
One of the best pros for Anivia is the long range of her spells, namely Flash Frost and Crystallize. A good player will oil this advantage to the max.
Up to level 6, I suggest the following build order:
1. Q - Flash Frost (1)
2. E - Frostbite (1)
3. E - Frostbite (2)
4. W - Crystallize (1)
5. E - Frostbite (3)
6. R - Glacial Storm (1)
The main DPS for Anivia is from her Frostbite (E) spell, which is best used while target is chilled usually by Flash Frost (Q) or Glacial Storm (R). In the early game, it is relatively easy to snipe quite your lane opponent with a good combo of all your spells. Usually, after a well-aimed Flash Frost, follow it up with Frostbite and normal attack, amounting to 200~400 burst damage with which you could even snipe off a Soraka player under ideal circumstances. Getting Frostbite(3) will help quite a bit in this regard. Getting at least a level of Crystallize is crucial for barring the opponent from linear escape as well as blocking them from low health friendlies.
https://i30.tinypic.com/vff2ts.jpg
Crystallize wall can save allies as well as block enemies
Adaptable build order for later levels:
7. E - Frostbite (4)
8. W - Crystallize (2)
9. E - Frostbite (5)
10. Q - Flash Frost (2)
11. W - Crystallize (3)
12. Q - Flash Frost (3)
13. Q - Flash Frost (4)
14. W - Crystallize
15. Q - Flash Frost (5)
16. R - Glacial Storm (2)
17. W - Crystallize (5)
18. R - Glacial Storm (3)
After level 6, the build order is subjugated more to individual preferrence, so feel free to deviate from the norm. Getting Crystallize to at least level 2~3 asap is arguably essential, since Crystallize(1) is simply not that wide as needed sometimes, especially given the random factor and human error when casting it. Also a wider wall can block off crucial choke points in the jungle. Frostbite consists of a major portion of her burst damage so, obviously, max it!
Leveling Flash Frost (Q) is not as important since it's main utility is its chill effect rather than the damage. Unless we want to farm the entire game, the same applies for the ultimate Glacial Storm (R). Level 2 and 3 of Glacial Storm will more often than not waste mana and shorten the length of time you can maintain the AOE slow on enemies. Admittedly it's viable with better mana regen (i.e. with Golem buff), but its greatest utility is, again, the AOE chill effect. I recommend getting level 2~3 later.
Upon acquiring Glacial Storm, Cryophoenix becomes a chilling machine. Ganking an enemy is as simple as Crystallize, Glacial Storm, and Frostbite. Place the Glacial Storm circle around a successfully placed wall so that enemies are continually chilled on their path of escape. This is better illustrated with a picture.
Anivia Against other Champions
Up to the time of writing this, pain-in-the-neck champions for Anivia include Card Master, Ashe, and Tristana. Melee heroes are much easily controlled via chill effects and the ice wall. The difficult champions to face have longer than normal range. Card Master's Q spell is long range and hard to dodge since Anivia has slightly less-than-average mobility (though it could simply be an optical illusion since her wings are freaking wide!). A well played Ashe and Tristana will outrange Anivia's Frostbite.
Playing Against Anivia
Versus a good Cryophoenix, I find it rather difficult to play with a melee hero simply because of her spell range and wall, though it helps greatly if you have escape summoner spells. 1 vs 1, it might be better to switch with or request a ranged teammate in your lane early game.
___Items of Choice___
A caster champion always places priority on ability power (AP) and mana regen. For Anivia, her primary stat is AP, but a fair mana regen is vital for supporting her mana-intensive spells.
Anivia's late game gear depends on your goals, style, and enemy champion composition. Below are some of the most viable items to purchase.
Recommended first item. Though we could opt for getting the ingredient items for some of the better gear, there will be a lack of control and less possibility for a champion snipe during the early lane skirmishes. An alternative could be getting Boots first, if we want to have easier spell dodges against e.g. Twisted Fate (the cards are a pain to dodge, which I blame on Anivia's gigantic wingspan).
Common sense to acquire boots after the initial few minutes of game, since movement speed is crucial in every game to chase, escape, and dodge.
Rod of Ages (+450 HP, +450 Mana, +50 AP, gain 20HP/20Mana/2AP per min capping at 300/300/30)
Conventional gear for any caster. The health boost helps a lot, considering Anivia's health is frustratingly fragile. If the possibility that enemy will focus Anivia is high, then this is a must. Anivia deals a big portion of the total team DPS, so it's vital that we have high survivability. However, being the noob I am most of the time, I falsely believe I'm invincible and usually skip this in favor of more AP and mana regen.
Abyssal Scepter (+70 AP, +60 Res, reduce nearby enemy res by 30)
Acquiring this item depends on enemy champion composition. The magic res could greatly improve survivability against a caster-heavy team.
Lich Bane (+350 mana, +30 AP, +32 Res, +7% Mvt, 100% chance when an ability that player's next attack deals additional damage equal to current AP)
This is probably the most lucrative item to aim for. The special in effect boosts another couple of hundred of burst damage for your ganking pleasure.
When collecting the ingredients, we want to get Sheen first (same special).
Other items:
Frozen Mallet
The notable thing about this is that the chill effect on your attacks are applicable for Frostbite. The health would also be nice if the enemy focuses on Cryo all the time.
Fiendish Codex (+30 AP, +7 Mana Regen per 5 sec, reduces cooldowns by 10%)
Any mana regen is good to get early game. However, this is gold not spent on more powerful items. If you go mana pendant as first item, there is more reason to get this item, -10% CD isn't bad.
Mejai's Soulstealer
It's not too reliable to get this, depending on whether friendly champions could or need kills. IMO there are better investments.
Archangel's Staff
Not a bad item, though it suits other casters like the Lich and Soraka more.
Zhonya's Ring
Though a noob's opinion is never worth much, I personally never get this on Anivia except when the game lasts way too long.
___Neutral Monster Buffs___
Crest of the Ancient Golemhttps://i25.tinypic.com/qpp5e9.jpg
Duration: 2 min
Regens 1.5% mana a second and has 25% cooldown reduction on their abilities. If slain, this buff transfers to the killer.
I cannot stress enough how useful this buff is for Cryo. Since Anivia - with her ultimate - is a complete mana wh0re, the mana regen that this buff has will sustain her mana pool for more than the 10 secs that it requires to use up about 2k mana. Once Anivia gets into mid-game, with 1k hp/mana, it will be usually worth it during a lull in the game to kill a golum.
Thanks for reading. If you have any updates, critism, input - aside from remarking on my pathetic personal worth, which I am well aware of - please let me know. See you on the battle arena!
