Annie is the simplest mid laner. Stack passive to 4, Flash → R Tibbers for AoE stun + burst. That's the entire champion. Simple but devastatingly effective.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Pyromania
Passive
After casting 4 spells, Annie's next offensive spell will stun the target.Annie begins the game and respawns with Pyromania available.
Pyromania: every 4th ability cast stuns. Track your stacks — stun indicator shows when ready.
Q
Disintegrate
Point-Click · Burst · Mana Refund
Annie hurls a Mana infused fireball, dealing damage and refunding the Mana cost if it destroys the target.
CD: 4 · Cost: 60/65/70/75/80
Q is point-and-click. Refunds mana and reduces cooldown on kill. Use to last-hit for free.
W
Incinerate
AoE · Cone · Burst
Annie casts a blazing cone of fire, dealing damage to all enemies in the area.
CD: 7 · Cost: 70/75/80/85/90
W cone deals AoE damage. Use with stun passive for AoE stun.
E
Molten Shield
Shield · MS · Damage Reduction
Grants Annie or an ally a shield, a burst of Move Speed, and damages enemies who strike her with attacks or spells.
CD: 10 · Cost: 60/65/70/75/80
E gives shield, MS, and damage reduction. Use before engaging for survivability.
R
Summon: Tibbers
AoE · Summon · Stun
Annie wills her bear Tibbers to life, dealing damage to units in the area. Tibbers can attack and also burns enemies that stand near him.
CD: 130/115/100 · Cost: 100
R summons Tibbers — massive AoE damage on landing. Tibbers stays and attacks. With stun passive = AoE stun.
Skill Leveling Order — Max Q first, then W, then E · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take Q — last-hit | ||||
| 2 | Take W — AoE | ||||
| 3 | Take E — shield | ||||
| 4 | Level Q | ||||
| 5 | Level Q | ||||
| 6 | R — Summon: Tibbers | ||||
| 7 | Level Q | ||||
| 8 | Level W | ||||
| 9 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level W | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level W | ||||
| 13 | Level W | ||||
| 14 | W maxed ✓ | ||||
| 15 | Level E | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level E | ||||
| 18 | E maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Core Build
Hextech Rocketbelt
Dash + magic pen for Flash → R engage.
2600g
Sorcerer's Shoes
Magic pen.
1100g
Zhonya's Hourglass
Stasis after Flash → R dive.
3250g
Rabadon's Deathcap
AP multiplier.
3600g
Situational
Void Staff
Magic pen vs MR.
2800g
Rylai's Crystal Scepter
Tibbers slow.
2600g
Banshee's Veil
Spell shield.
2600g
Rocketbelt → Zhonya's → Deathcap. Flash → R stun → Zhonya's while Tibbers mauls.
Runes
Domination Primary
Electrocute
Q + W + R procs instantly.
Cheap Shot
Bonus on stunned targets.
Eyeball Collection
Free AP.
Ultimate Hunter
Lower R cooldown.
Inspiration Secondary
Magical Footwear
Free boots.
Cosmic Insight
Flash CDR for more Flash → R.
Shards
Adaptive Force · Adaptive Force · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Annie
01
Early Game
Q Last-Hit for Free, Stack Passive
- Q last-hits refund mana and reduce cooldown. Free CS tool.
- Stack passive to 4 with abilities. Stun indicator shows when ready.
- Q stun is point-and-click. Guaranteed CC on any target.
- Play safe until 6. Your burst is locked behind R.
- E shield before trades for damage reduction + MS.
02
Mid Game
Flash → R Tibbers
- Flash → R with stun passive = AoE stun + Tibbers burst. One-shots any squishy.
- Tibbers stays alive and attacks. He deals significant burn damage.
- E → Flash → R → Q → W is the full combo. Dead in 1 second.
- Zhonya's after Flash → R dive. Tibbers keeps attacking while you're in stasis.
- Position in fog of war for surprise Flash → R engages.
03
Late Game
5-Man Tibbers Stun
- Flash → R on 3+ enemies wins the teamfight instantly.
- Tibbers AoE stun + burst deletes the backline.
- Zhonya's + Tibbers = you're invulnerable while the bear mauls.
- Hold stun passive threat. Enemies play scared when your stun is up.
- Q stun is guaranteed CC for picks. Point-and-click reliability.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Annie
Annie Flash → R Tibbers for a multi-man AoE stun that wins teamfights instantly.
1
Engage — Flash → R
AoE stun
01
Stack passive to 4.
02
Flash → R on grouped enemies.
03
AoE stun + Tibbers damage.
Don't R without stun passive ready. R without stun is just damage — the stun is what wins fights.
2
Burst — Q + W
Combo damage
01
Q the priority target.
02
W cone for AoE damage.
03
Electrocute procs.
3
Survive — Zhonya's
Safety
01
Zhonya's after combo.
02
Tibbers keeps attacking during stasis.
03
Your team follows up on stunned enemies.
Flash → R has NO counter. It's instant, AoE, and point-blank. The enemy literally cannot react if you're in range.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Annie.
Basic
Stun Counter
Track your passive stacks. At 4, your next ability stuns. The visual indicator swirls around you when ready.
Basic
Q Free CS
Q refunds mana and reduces cooldown on kill. Use it to last-hit every minion for free.
Intermediate
Flash → R
Flash → R is instant AoE stun. No one can react. Practice the Flash range.
Basic
Tibbers AI
After summoning Tibbers, he attacks automatically. He also enrages when you stun someone.
Advanced
E Before Flash
Cast E before Flash → R for the shield and MS. You arrive with damage reduction already active.
Intermediate
Zhonya's + Tibbers
After Flash → R, Zhonya's. Tibbers mauls enemies while you're in stasis.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Annie struggles against long-range mages who poke her before Flash range and champions who can dodge her combo. She excels against anyone who gets within Flash → R range.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Syndra outranges your Flash → R range and pokes you down.
Farm safely. Wait for Flash → R opportunity.
Xerath pokes from screen distance. You can't reach him.
Roam to side lanes. You can't reach Xerath.
Viktor outranges and zones you.
Flash → R when he mispositions.
Wins Against
Your point-and-click Q stun ignores his windwall.
Q stun him. Windwall doesn't block point-and-click.
Q stun cancels Katarina's R channel instantly.
Save Q stun for her R. She's useless.
Q stun before Fizz E = guaranteed burst. He can't dodge point-and-click.
Q stun before he E's. Point-and-click wins.