Mel

Mel is an AP mage in the mid, and on patch 16.11 they grade out as an off-meta pick — a 47.7% win rate, 3.1% pick rate, 36,864 ranked games sampled. On the power curve, Mel is a scaling champion: comparatively weak early, but one of the strongest picks on the map once core items come online — so the plan is to survive the laning phase and take the game over late.

How Mel wins: grouped 5-v-5 teamfights, where Mel tips the fight, and sieging objectives and turrets with sustained pressure. The kit grades 7/10 teamfighting, 7/10 siege. Mel's soft spots are engage and split-push (3/10, 2/10) — avoid fights that hinge on them.

The most-played core build is Luden's Echo, Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass, which holds a 46.8% win rate across 3,388 games this patch. Item order and defensive swaps update against whichever enemy comp you select.

The matchup to respect is Kog'Maw, where Mel sits at just 39.1%, the lane swings the other way into Zed (55.1%), and on the team side, Mel gains the most from a Draven (+3.3% pair win rate).