After Riot’s tweaks, Viktor became a very popular pick in the meta, especially in the solo queue environment.
* Terminology Note:
Meta: stands for Most Effective Tactics Available, roughly translated: The most effective tactics that can be used at the moment.
DPS: Damage Per Second, ie Damage dealt per second. The higher the amount of DPS, the greater the damage done over time.
Out-range: Kite flying.
The changes to the tank of champions from Riot have greatly affected the current mid lane meta. With every champion in the game becoming “buffalo”, harder to defeat, DPS Carry mages like Viktor, Azir, Corki, etc. become extremely powerful. And among them, Viktor is the most suitable champion in the ranked environment.
Viktor is currently the #1 mid laner at Korean rank on op.gg stats page in patch 12.13, ahead of all other champions. The pick rate is 14.84% (second only to Sylas) and the win rate is also very high when reaching 51.69%. Here is the “secret” to mastering this champion to help you climb the rank quickly.
Summoner Spells
Flash is always a required summoner spell.
The rest, you can use Teleport when encountering easy matches to maximize farm ability and power in the mid/late game. Use Exhaustion/Shield for dangerous, easy-to-kill matches like Zed, Yasuo, Irelia, etc. and Purify when encountering nasty control moves like Twisted Fate, Zoe, Ryze, etc.
Complement Gems
Viktor has 2 main runes that are often used by players.
The first is the Preemptive Strike gem. The strength of this pick is that it gives Viktor a decent amount of money through activations, and importantly 10% bonus damage, a huge amount of damage in the middle and later stages of the game. Choosing this rune in matches Viktor has a range advantage over his opponent, and in case we want to ensure a steady amount of economy and damage in the future.
The second rune is Summon Aery. This is a rune that helps Viktor increase his ability to trade hits and harass during the laning phase. This is a must-have gem when laning with strong ranged control mages like Orianna, Syndra, etc., when Preemptive Strike will be very difficult to activate on these champions. Summoning Aery will make him stronger in the early game, to win lane and snowball opponents early in the game.
Skills
Maximize skills in the order E>Q>W. R takes the correct level. With the tech core, upgrade your E first. E after upgrading will help Viktor have the ability to clear minions extremely quickly, when using E 1 time will immediately defeat 3 ranged minions. Then upgrade Q, giving Viktor more movement speed each time he uses it, helping him fly kites and chase enemies better. Finally, the upgraded W gives Viktor’s kit the ability to slow down enemies, which will be very powerful in later fights.
Equipment
Start: After the buff in patch 12.10, Doran’s Ring became Viktor’s best starting item in most matches with stable mana recovery and a little bonus health/AP. However, you should still use the Mutant Potion for matches where Viktor has to constantly exchange moves, trade blood with opponents like Orianna, Syndra, Azir, Twisted Fate, etc. And note, if you choose the Transformation Potion As a starter item, the 3rd extra rune in your Inspiration branch must be a Time Potion rune, in order to maximize the power of this item.
Core:
Luden Echo: This is the mythical item we will build in most games. Luden Echo gives Viktor the ability to stack extremely terrible damage, especially when combined with items like Twin Blades of Calamity or Black Flame. When he reaches 2-3 equipment, he can completely “blow” the opponent’s less resistant generals after just a combo of less than 1.5 seconds.
Liandry Grief Mask: This item will turn Viktor into a true DPS machine. Especially when combined with the Cursed Helmet, the combo of 2 masks will help him “destroy” the resistant generals on the opponent’s side extremely quickly. Choose this build direction when the enemy team has a lot of tank champions (or a lot of health). The amount of damage per % health that the Mask deals in this case will be much larger than that of Luden Echo.
The Ice Staff of Eternity and the Crown of Doom are rarely used, but when you need more control or resistance, especially when encountering matches like Yasuo, Irelia, Zed, etc., you can totally consider 2 pages. suffer from this myth.
Other Item: Zhonya Hourglass is always a must-have item for all mages. Level it up from item 2 if you encounter assassins like Zed, Talon, etc. If the enemy team has a lot of magic damage or has nasty CC moves (Q Blitzcrank, R Ashe), you can change the watch to a Chain Cross. The Rabadon Witch Hat and Void Staff are the two items that deal the most damage to Viktor, filling them in the remaining slots of the kit. When the opponent has a lot of magic resistance early, go to Void Staff from the 2nd or 3rd item. The rest, other AP items you can also increase depending on the situation of the game.
Boots: The Wizard’s Shoe pairs well with Luden Echo’s burst dmg gameplay. Consider the Ionian Enlightenment Boots when playing in the direction of Liandry’s Mask of Sorrow, when 20 cooldowns will increase Viktor’s DPS significantly. Finally, when encountering unpleasant magicians like Zoe, Syndra, Leblanc, etc., you can choose Mercury Shoes to increase your survivability.
Style play
Viktor has a simple gameplay but is extremely effective and powerful.
When laning, constantly poke E from afar, and use Q as soon as possible when trading hits with opponents to take advantage of the armor from the skill. Viktor is extremely annoying when it comes to bleeding and trade hits in the lane. However, he has a huge disadvantage that he lacks mobility and has poor early game combat (especially before level 6). You will have to play extremely safe, warding and observing the small map, minimizing being ganked because the rate of lying down is very high. Even with a cover jungle, 2v2 will still be a disadvantage for Viktor, if you didn’t have a health advantage before the enemy mid team. As long as you’re good at last hitting minions, pushing lanes and keeping your opponent mid, the winner will almost always be you.
Your top priority in the early and mid game is to get as many minion stats as possible in order to have lots of gear and carry in the later stages. Last hit the minions accurately, move reasonably, and try to farm more jungle monsters when possible. Forget about farming “divine” soldiers like Chovy, because our level and playing environment compared to Chovy is completely different. You just need to pay attention so that your soldier stats are always high compared to the general level of the game. As long as the economy is stable, Viktor’s carry ability later in the game will be extremely terrible.
However, you must be especially careful, that playing safe does not mean just “putting your face” in the farm without observing the minimap and the progress of the match. While the power is not at its peak, smart moves, exploiting your opponent’s mistakes, entering beneficial and necessary skirmishes not only give your teammates an advantage, but also give you kills. , which will help you “burn the stage” to increase strength much faster. An early green Viktor is always a nightmare for any enemy.
In combat, keep your position reasonably. Not too far to be within reach of the skill set, not too close to be close to the enemy. A master player Viktor is a player who can calculate damage extremely accurately and has the ability to hold the top position. They will create mutant situations such as quickly finishing the opponent’s main force, or flying a kite alone and defeating 2-3 members of the enemy team. That’s how a Viktor will carry the whole game.
CuVee’s top handling of Viktor – a former LCK pro player
Conclude
Viktor is a very strong mid lane carry champion in the current meta. With Riot not making any move to reduce Viktor in patch 12.14, he promises to continue to be the dominant champion in the mid lane. Practice him well and enjoy the feeling of climbing rank quickly, guys.
See Also: PBE: End of Teleport, First Health Pot nerf?