Hi there, Kush here! I wanted to create a guide on my personal favorite hero, Anivia the Chryophoenix. I'm making this guide for one of two things. 1) go go Riot brownie points, but more importantly 2) it is really upsetting when I see Anivia played to below her full potential. I remember my first game as Anivia and it was tough. I feel for you new players and also for those who look at the heroes "difficulty rating" and want to master it just to say you have the most skills (I'm guilty of this as well). So I am not going to copy and paste all her info, but I will post links (and also anyone else feel free to post useful links and I will update this guide, but same goes with all suggestions) to them. I want to get to the nitty-gritty of the Frozen Dinner's goodness! So first, my Overview.
The Overview:
Passive : Rebirth - On dying, Cryophoenix will revert into an egg. If the egg can survive for six seconds, she is gloriously reborn.
This ability is amazing early, allowing you to put on the pressure with a free life! Careful thinking this way as they can still kill you in the egg form. However, best used when laning with a teammate as they can guard your egg until you respawn. Note: you spawn with about 50% mana.
Q - Flash Frost - Anivia brings her wings together and summons a single piercing lance of ice that flies towards her opponents, chilling and damaging anyone in its path. When the lance explodes it does moderate damage in a radius, stunning anyone in the area.
A massive chunk of ice flies toward target location, dealing 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 / 180 (+1 per ability power) damage, slowing movement by 20%, and chilling any enemy it passes through. At the end of its range or if Anivia activates the spell again, the missile detonates, doing 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 / 180 (+1 per ability power) magic damage in a small area and stunning units for .75 seconds.Cooldown
0 seconds
Cost
80 / 100 / 120 / 140 / 160 Mana
Range
1,100
This is your opener and your "skill shot" move. The term "skillshot" is used to describe a manual cast which uses a certain degree of forethought and timing to attain a predicted result. For example: shooting a Flash Frost through the forest to detonate someone on the other side. Or, hitting a stealth character etc. This ability can hit the same target twice if timed correctly. More on this later. The mini-stun is very useful for canceling channeled abilities like Nunu or Katarina's ultimates.
W - Crystallize - Cryophoenix condenses the moisture in the air into an impenetrable wall of ice to block the movement of her enemies. The wall only lasts a short duration before it melts.
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.
Cooldown
10 seconds
Cost
70 / 90 / 110 / 130 / 150 Mana
Range
1,000
This is what makes Anivia, a support character. A key word to focus on here is "impenetrable". Probably the most OP shiznit in this game, this wall has to be circumvented. However, some characters like Jax or Corki, can leap over this wall. Teleporters can go through it as well. However, for most of the cast, they have to run around. This can be game breaking in team fights, as a well timed wall can isolate a few members of their team for unhindered focus fire, OR save your teammates when no slow or heal would have otherwise. Remember, this effectively gives your escapee a full 5 seconds to run away. That is more than any "stun" in the game. More on proper Ice Wall placement later.
E - Frostbite -
Cryophoenix blasts her target with a freezing wind, dealing 55 / 85 / 115 / 145 / 175 (+1 per ability power) magic damage. If the target has been chilled, they take double damage.
Cooldown
5 seconds
Cost
50 / 60 / 70 / 80 / 90 Mana
Range
550
This right here is your money shot. You hurl that "freezing wind" right into their faces for some potentially epic damage. It's got a fast cooldown, but its range lacks. So, you should always be heading towards your target when you pop Flash Frost, to be able to skeet this out and bounce before they can kick you outta their house! This skill is leveled to the max ASAP. Oh, and did I mention it works with ALL chill effects, including Nunu's abilities, Ashe's Frost Arrows, Frozen Mallet/Phage, and Rylai's Septer?
R- Glacial Storm - Cryophoenix summons a driving rain of ice and hail to damage her enemies and slow their advance.
Toggle: Cryophoenix calls forth a driving rain of ice and hail, dealing 80 / 120 / 160 (+0 per ability power) magic damage per second, slowing their movement and attack speed by 20% for 3 seconds, and chilling them.
Cooldown
6 seconds
Cost
70 / 100 / 130 Mana Per Second
Range
400
After level 6, this is your other setup for the moneyshot. This is a channeled spell, but you can also move when it goes on. It does have a max range but it will constantly be draining mana until you deactivate it. Early on, mana is an issue for Anivia, so using this to for the chill effect or to deal the final tick on a fleeing hero is where it sees its uses. Later, it provides great AoE damage in team fights. To gain the chill effect, place it on a fleeing hero and then immediately spam R to toggle it off. The enemy will be slowed and allow you to throw a follow up Frost Bite.
Skill Order:
I have tried numerous skill builds with her and I find this to be my most effective one. WARNING: this is not do all end all. It can vary and should depending on how your game goes, but this is merely a suggestion.
1. FF/FB *
2. What you didn't pick as 1.
3. FB
4. Crystallize **
5. FB
6. Glacial Storm
7. FB
8. FF
9. FF
10. FF
11. Glacial Storm
12. FF
The rest is just finishing off Ice Wall and getting the last rank of your Ult.
* : The first skill depends on if you a) are doing the dragon, where in team fights FF would be of better utility only if b) you do NOT have Ashe or Nunu on your team. This also assumes Ashe gets Frost Arrow first and Nunu Ice Blast.
** : Getting at least one rank of Ice Wall is incredibly valuable and could mean that last couple of attacks on a fleeing hero, or saving your non-clothed behind! (Only female to be unclothed in LoL)
Item Build: How to Outfit Your Chicken
As I said before, Mana and Ability Power are your main stats. There are two real paths to go with this, you can either focus on Mana Regen, or simply outfitting your Mana Pool. However, luckily to good itemization, you can get both. This is not set in stone and will vary depending on your matchups but here is a general guide for newer players.
First item:
Depending on your skill level you can either go with a Pendant and 2x Healing Potions or if you are getting beatdown, go with a Rejuv Bead and a Faerie Charm. I prefer the mana regen due to my more offensive playstyle. Either way they all will build into your later items.
First Buy:
So you've been farming pretty well and you got beat a bit so you're going back to heal. Your next item should be Boots (normal for now, unless you got the cash then go to Sorcerer's Boots) followed with either Chalice of Harmony (the magic resistance is huge and provides the much needed mitigation against Anivia's real weakness early, magic) or Philosopher's Stone (if you find yourself taking too much of a beating and not farming well). From here you should be fine for a bit until you can build your next core item.
Enter, The Soul Stealer:
At this point in the game you should be active in little skirmishes and should be getting some kills. I say kills because of your natural bursting ability often leading to the killing blow. Assists are just as good. I suggest this item as a first core for these reasons. 1) As you are going to be active in team fights, racking up that bonus damage is easy. 2) The mana stealing property is amazing. You blow through your mana too fast for any realistic mana regen at this point in time. So, getting those kills will pretty much max you out, letting you unleash more frozen pain without making tons of trips to the fountain. After getting some kills at this point with a good amount of AP, the next item I go for would be one of two things
Archangel Staff versus Lichbane:
Here is where I would vary. Both will be attained in the end game but which comes first depends on your status in the game. If you are engaging in a lot of team fights and mana is a big issue go with the Archangel. You may just want to build a Tear of the Godd ess for the mana as you wait. However, Sheen--> Lichbane allows you for a good amount of burst, between spell casts. Also provides mana and AP along with the eventual magic resistance AND movement speed. For being the slowest hero in the game, this is clutch. However I often find myself getting Sheen/TotGoddess and then judging where I need to go with from there
The Boom Boom Ring:
After getting one of those items (or both, depends your needs. If they are stacking magic resist you will be using a lot more mana than if not for instance) I always shoot for Zhonya's Ring. The AP gained is HUGE + a lot of mana to spend your spells. Great item for Anivia.
From here you build to suit your needs. Most likely a Frozen heart for the physical negation, mana, and cooldown reduction or Abyssal Septer for that magic resistance + penetration. Either way it's pretty flexible.
Runes/Masteries/ Spells : How to Customize Your Chicken
As far as Runes go, Ability Power runes all the way. She gains too much to not boost it even in a marginal way.
Masteries: Offensive. Make sure you get the Magic Penetration mastery. It is one of the very few ways to penetrate magic resistance and should definitely be taken. Stick to the caster masteries as well, such as cool down reduction versus attack speed. Improved Ignite is also key.
Spells: Until level 7, go with Ghost. Teleport should always be taken due to how much time you would otherwise be staring at your Frozen Dinner taking her sweet ol' time to get anywhere. (Really, birds fly THAT much slower?!) Ghost allows that much needed movement speed to either chase (great setup of a FF--> FB when just booking it through the minion mosh) or flee.
At level 7: Ignite. This just makes that bust you love, SO much better. Remember use it on a fleeing hero preferably. Your FF still has a bit of a cooldown and after your initial burst they will most likely be running. During this time, tap an ignite, and attack cancel (more on this below) your way to victory! However, don't be afraid to use it up front to throw your would be ganker off guard with some great burst.
Ignite versus Godmode...err I mean flash.
I'm gonna put this in here simply because people live and die by it. Personally, I don't use it. Anivia must be played carefully and therefore should not be in too many situations where you need this Get-out-of-Jail card. However, a great combo is Flashing to the end of your Flash Frost for some great burst as you drop a Glacial Storm on their face. However, as I will state time and time again. Ignite > Flashers due to the DoT feature. It makes me cry a tear of happiness when I see someone Flash away with my Ignite dot only to see their name pop up. Oh, and Improved Ignite is in the offensive tree whereas Flash is not. An extra 10 AP is great early on.
The Overview:
Anivia has one of the best, if not the best, burst potentials in this game. Especially, early on. However, I will say this off the bat, she is NOT a carry. Against solid players an Anivia will not be able to solo a team. Maybe 2 or even 3 tops, but in the end you will fall. However, she IS a SUPPORT hero with majorBURST potential. It is this burst that leads people to think she is a carry. However, she is heavily reliant on teamwork in order to fully shine. I will get more on the support aspect of her later. She is built with two major stats in mind. Mana and Ability Power. She requries huge amounts of mana for her abilities and they also scale extremely well. (Innate doubling of effects with the ability to double hit with Flash Frost and the "crit" effect of Frost Bite).Tha Sauces (yes, i'm going to be making chicken references a lot. mmmm, chicken....):
Passive : Rebirth - On dying, Cryophoenix will revert into an egg. If the egg can survive for six seconds, she is gloriously reborn.
This ability is amazing early, allowing you to put on the pressure with a free life! Careful thinking this way as they can still kill you in the egg form. However, best used when laning with a teammate as they can guard your egg until you respawn. Note: you spawn with about 50% mana.
Q - Flash Frost - Anivia brings her wings together and summons a single piercing lance of ice that flies towards her opponents, chilling and damaging anyone in its path. When the lance explodes it does moderate damage in a radius, stunning anyone in the area.
A massive chunk of ice flies toward target location, dealing 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 / 180 (+1 per ability power) damage, slowing movement by 20%, and chilling any enemy it passes through. At the end of its range or if Anivia activates the spell again, the missile detonates, doing 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 / 180 (+1 per ability power) magic damage in a small area and stunning units for .75 seconds.Cooldown
0 seconds
Cost
80 / 100 / 120 / 140 / 160 Mana
Range
1,100
This is your opener and your "skill shot" move. The term "skillshot" is used to describe a manual cast which uses a certain degree of forethought and timing to attain a predicted result. For example: shooting a Flash Frost through the forest to detonate someone on the other side. Or, hitting a stealth character etc. This ability can hit the same target twice if timed correctly. More on this later. The mini-stun is very useful for canceling channeled abilities like Nunu or Katarina's ultimates.
W - Crystallize - Cryophoenix condenses the moisture in the air into an impenetrable wall of ice to block the movement of her enemies. The wall only lasts a short duration before it melts.
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.
Cooldown
10 seconds
Cost
70 / 90 / 110 / 130 / 150 Mana
Range
1,000
This is what makes Anivia, a support character. A key word to focus on here is "impenetrable". Probably the most OP shiznit in this game, this wall has to be circumvented. However, some characters like Jax or Corki, can leap over this wall. Teleporters can go through it as well. However, for most of the cast, they have to run around. This can be game breaking in team fights, as a well timed wall can isolate a few members of their team for unhindered focus fire, OR save your teammates when no slow or heal would have otherwise. Remember, this effectively gives your escapee a full 5 seconds to run away. That is more than any "stun" in the game. More on proper Ice Wall placement later.
E - Frostbite -
Cryophoenix blasts her target with a freezing wind, dealing 55 / 85 / 115 / 145 / 175 (+1 per ability power) magic damage. If the target has been chilled, they take double damage.
Cooldown
5 seconds
Cost
50 / 60 / 70 / 80 / 90 Mana
Range
550
This right here is your money shot. You hurl that "freezing wind" right into their faces for some potentially epic damage. It's got a fast cooldown, but its range lacks. So, you should always be heading towards your target when you pop Flash Frost, to be able to skeet this out and bounce before they can kick you outta their house! This skill is leveled to the max ASAP. Oh, and did I mention it works with ALL chill effects, including Nunu's abilities, Ashe's Frost Arrows, Frozen Mallet/Phage, and Rylai's Septer?
R- Glacial Storm - Cryophoenix summons a driving rain of ice and hail to damage her enemies and slow their advance.
Toggle: Cryophoenix calls forth a driving rain of ice and hail, dealing 80 / 120 / 160 (+0 per ability power) magic damage per second, slowing their movement and attack speed by 20% for 3 seconds, and chilling them.
Cooldown
6 seconds
Cost
70 / 100 / 130 Mana Per Second
Range
400
After level 6, this is your other setup for the moneyshot. This is a channeled spell, but you can also move when it goes on. It does have a max range but it will constantly be draining mana until you deactivate it. Early on, mana is an issue for Anivia, so using this to for the chill effect or to deal the final tick on a fleeing hero is where it sees its uses. Later, it provides great AoE damage in team fights. To gain the chill effect, place it on a fleeing hero and then immediately spam R to toggle it off. The enemy will be slowed and allow you to throw a follow up Frost Bite.
Skill Order:
I have tried numerous skill builds with her and I find this to be my most effective one. WARNING: this is not do all end all. It can vary and should depending on how your game goes, but this is merely a suggestion.
1. FF/FB *
2. What you didn't pick as 1.
3. FB
4. Crystallize **
5. FB
6. Glacial Storm
7. FB
8. FF
9. FF
10. FF
11. Glacial Storm
12. FF
The rest is just finishing off Ice Wall and getting the last rank of your Ult.
* : The first skill depends on if you a) are doing the dragon, where in team fights FF would be of better utility only if b) you do NOT have Ashe or Nunu on your team. This also assumes Ashe gets Frost Arrow first and Nunu Ice Blast.
** : Getting at least one rank of Ice Wall is incredibly valuable and could mean that last couple of attacks on a fleeing hero, or saving your non-clothed behind! (Only female to be unclothed in LoL)
Item Build: How to Outfit Your Chicken
As I said before, Mana and Ability Power are your main stats. There are two real paths to go with this, you can either focus on Mana Regen, or simply outfitting your Mana Pool. However, luckily to good itemization, you can get both. This is not set in stone and will vary depending on your matchups but here is a general guide for newer players.
First item:
Depending on your skill level you can either go with a Pendant and 2x Healing Potions or if you are getting beatdown, go with a Rejuv Bead and a Faerie Charm. I prefer the mana regen due to my more offensive playstyle. Either way they all will build into your later items.
First Buy:
So you've been farming pretty well and you got beat a bit so you're going back to heal. Your next item should be Boots (normal for now, unless you got the cash then go to Sorcerer's Boots) followed with either Chalice of Harmony (the magic resistance is huge and provides the much needed mitigation against Anivia's real weakness early, magic) or Philosopher's Stone (if you find yourself taking too much of a beating and not farming well). From here you should be fine for a bit until you can build your next core item.
Enter, The Soul Stealer:
At this point in the game you should be active in little skirmishes and should be getting some kills. I say kills because of your natural bursting ability often leading to the killing blow. Assists are just as good. I suggest this item as a first core for these reasons. 1) As you are going to be active in team fights, racking up that bonus damage is easy. 2) The mana stealing property is amazing. You blow through your mana too fast for any realistic mana regen at this point in time. So, getting those kills will pretty much max you out, letting you unleash more frozen pain without making tons of trips to the fountain. After getting some kills at this point with a good amount of AP, the next item I go for would be one of two things
Archangel Staff versus Lichbane:
Here is where I would vary. Both will be attained in the end game but which comes first depends on your status in the game. If you are engaging in a lot of team fights and mana is a big issue go with the Archangel. You may just want to build a Tear of the Godd ess for the mana as you wait. However, Sheen--> Lichbane allows you for a good amount of burst, between spell casts. Also provides mana and AP along with the eventual magic resistance AND movement speed. For being the slowest hero in the game, this is clutch. However I often find myself getting Sheen/TotGoddess and then judging where I need to go with from there
The Boom Boom Ring:
After getting one of those items (or both, depends your needs. If they are stacking magic resist you will be using a lot more mana than if not for instance) I always shoot for Zhonya's Ring. The AP gained is HUGE + a lot of mana to spend your spells. Great item for Anivia.
From here you build to suit your needs. Most likely a Frozen heart for the physical negation, mana, and cooldown reduction or Abyssal Septer for that magic resistance + penetration. Either way it's pretty flexible.
Runes/Masteries/ Spells : How to Customize Your Chicken
As far as Runes go, Ability Power runes all the way. She gains too much to not boost it even in a marginal way.
Masteries: Offensive. Make sure you get the Magic Penetration mastery. It is one of the very few ways to penetrate magic resistance and should definitely be taken. Stick to the caster masteries as well, such as cool down reduction versus attack speed. Improved Ignite is also key.
Spells: Until level 7, go with Ghost. Teleport should always be taken due to how much time you would otherwise be staring at your Frozen Dinner taking her sweet ol' time to get anywhere. (Really, birds fly THAT much slower?!) Ghost allows that much needed movement speed to either chase (great setup of a FF--> FB when just booking it through the minion mosh) or flee.
At level 7: Ignite. This just makes that bust you love, SO much better. Remember use it on a fleeing hero preferably. Your FF still has a bit of a cooldown and after your initial burst they will most likely be running. During this time, tap an ignite, and attack cancel (more on this below) your way to victory! However, don't be afraid to use it up front to throw your would be ganker off guard with some great burst.
Ignite versus Godmode...err I mean flash.
I'm gonna put this in here simply because people live and die by it. Personally, I don't use it. Anivia must be played carefully and therefore should not be in too many situations where you need this Get-out-of-Jail card. However, a great combo is Flashing to the end of your Flash Frost for some great burst as you drop a Glacial Storm on their face. However, as I will state time and time again. Ignite > Flashers due to the DoT feature. It makes me cry a tear of happiness when I see someone Flash away with my Ignite dot only to see their name pop up. Oh, and Improved Ignite is in the offensive tree whereas Flash is not. An extra 10 AP is great early on.
