Guide Sections (15)
- Champion Stats
- The Opening Harass
- Ranking Annie's Skins
- When They Ban Annie
- Annie's Keystone Choice
- Skill Max Order for Annie
- Mastering Annie's Kit
- The Annie Matchup Sheet
- The Overextend for Poke
- When They Outrange You
- The Backline Artillery
- The AP Nuke Build
- When Annie Comes Online
- The Calculated Burst
- Recent Patch History
Champion Stats
Low elo players NEVER check Annie's stun bar. They will walk up to a 3-stack Annie, not realizing she can E-Q or E-W to instantly have a stun ready. They also clump up in ways that make Tibbers (R) a 3-4 person stun every single fight. She is the ultimate 'punish-positioning' champion for climbing through the lower ranks.
The Opening Harass
Start Q (Disintegrate) for perfect last-hitting and early poke. At level 1, your Q costs no mana if it kills the target, allowing you to stay in lane indefinitely. If you charge your stun at level 1, you can often secure a Flash or heavy health lead with a simple Q-AA trade.
Q for CS, W for the trade. If you can land a W on the enemy while they're walking up, you're winning. Annie is about the small leads that snowball into a one-shot. Don't waste your mana on raw Q poke unless it's guaranteed lethal.
Ranking Annie's Skins
'Annie-versary' is a fantastic flex skin with great animations. 'Hextech Annie' is the prestigious choice for those who want to look elite. 'Cafe Cuties Annie' is adorable and tilt-inducing for enemies who get deleted by a maid. Avoid 'Goth Annie' unless you really like the classic edgy look, as it lacks modern flair.
'Annie-versary' is the flex, but 'Cafe Cuties' is the real psychological choice. Being deleted by a maid-themed bear is a unique kind of tilt. 'Hextech' is cool but the animations feel a bit heavy compared to the newer skins.
When They Ban Annie
Vex is the best choice because she shares the 'I have a stun and you're about to explode' identity. Lux is the safe range pick. If you go for Lissandra, remember you're now a CC bot, not a damage carry. Adjust your mindset.
Vex offers a similar 'reliable CC and burst' profile against dashy champs. Lux provides long-range burst if you prefer safety. Lissandra is the point-and-click lockdown queen if you just want to delete one person.
Annie's Keystone Choice
Electrocute is the best for that single-target 'delete' potential. Predator is an alternative for higher roam pressure and guaranteed engages. Secondary Sorcery with Manaflow Band and Transcendence to have Tibbers up as often as possible.
Skill Max Order for Annie
Max Q first for the point-and-click damage and low cooldown. Max W second for the AoE burst. Max E last as it's primarily used for the shield and charging your stun passive.
Mastering Annie's Kit
Disintegrate. A point-and-click fireball. If it kills the unit, the mana cost is refunded and the cooldown is halved. Perfect for farming and guaranteed damage.
Incinerate. A cone of fire. This is your primary AoE damage. Use it in combination with your passive for multi-person stuns.
Molten Shield. You shield yourself or an ally, giving them movement speed and reflecting damage. This is a great tool for charging your passive and helping your team dive.
The Annie Matchup Sheet
Easy Matchup. Your Q is point-and-click (careful for Windwall though—W and R go through it if you aim correctly). You can poke him out, and his mobility doesn't matter if he's stunned. Just avoid his E-Q burst.
Skill Matchup. You can stun him when he comes out of his R (he always appears behind you). If you time it right, he dies before he can do anything. Use your E to mitigate his burst.
Hard Counter. He takes reduced magic damage and gains a shield against your Q. He out-scales you massively. Dodge or ban this champion if you plan to play Annie.
The Overextend for Poke
Stop wasting your stun on the tank! Your goal is to Flash-Tibbers the ADC or Mid-laner. Also, learn to bait people by holding 3 stacks of your passive—using E or W to get the 4th stack instantly is the mark of a great Annie player. Don't be predictable.
Holding 4 stacks is too obvious. Hold 3, then E to get the 4th while your Q is mid-air. It catches players off guard 100% of the time. Tibbers isn't just a nuke—he's a shield and a DPS engine. Use him to block skillshots if you're retreating.
When They Outrange You
Dodge if facing Syndra or Xerath—their range is much higher than yours and they can poke you down before you can even Flash-Ult. Also dodge into heavy tank comps where you can't one-shot anyone.
Syndra and Xerath are your nightmares. They'll poke you down until you're too low to Flash-Ult. If you see them, buy Swiftness boots and look for any roam opportunity. You aren't winning the poke war.
Dodge if facing Syndra or Xerath—their range is vastly superior. They will poke you down before you can even think about Flash-Ulting. Heavy tank comps are also bad because you can't one-shot anyone and become a stun-bot.
The Backline Artillery
In teamfights, you are looking for the 'big stun'. Stay in the shadows, wait for the enemy to group, and then Flash-R (Summon: Tibbers). Once Tibbers is out, use your W and Q to help clean up while Tibbers burns everyone around him. Use your E on your engager (like a Malphite or Vi) to give them speed and damage reflect.
Wait in a bush. Annie's entire presence is based on the enemy NOT knowing where she is. The second they group for a drake or tower, you Flash-R. If you hit to or more carries, the game is over.
The AP Nuke Build
Full Movement Speed 'Ferrari' Annie. Luden's Companion -> Shadowflame -> Lich Bane -> Mejai's Soulstealer. With this build and Predator, you will be flying across the map, deleting enemies before they can even see you coming. It's the ultimate 'low-elo stomper' build.
Luden's for the burst, Malignance for the Tibbers uptime. If you can get your Ult down to a 30-second cooldown, you can basically have Tibbers active for every single skirmish. Rylai's is also a decent pick if your team needs the utility.
When Annie Comes Online
Level 6 is your massive power spike—Tibbers is essentially a second champion in the early game. Your biggest item spike is Luden's Companion or Malignance, giving you the burst and ult cooldown to terrorize the map.
Level 6 is the moment the enemy stops playing aggressive. Use that fear. Even if you don't have Tibbers, just having the stun up forces them to respect you. Your biggest spike is 20 stacks on Mejai's—you become a one-shot machine.
Level 6 is your massive power spike—Tibbers is importantly a second champion. Your biggest item spike is Luden's Companion or Malignance, giving you the burst and ult cooldown to terrorize the map every 60 seconds.
The Calculated Burst
Type 'Have you seen my bear Tibbers?' in all-chat after every multikill. Using the 'hug' emote while an enemy is stunned and about to die is peak BM. The fact that such a simple champion is deleting them is inherently frustrating for opponents playing 'high-skill' champs.
Type 'Bear with me' after a Tibbers multi-kill. It's cheesy, it's annoying, and it works. Most players tilt because Annie is a 'point-and-click' champion. Exploit that elitism by outplaying them with simple mechanics.
Type 'Have you seen my bear Tibbers?' in all-chat after every multikill. Using the 'hug' emote while an enemy is stunned and about to die is peak BM. The fact that a child with a teddy bear is deleting them is inherently frustrating.
Recent Patch History
Recent Balance Changes
| Patch | Date | Type | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| V13.22 | Nov 8, 2023 | BUFF | Base stats buffed |
| V13.15 | Aug 2, 2023 | NERF | R nerfed |
| V13.14 | Jul 19, 2023 | ADJUST | R adjusted |
| V13.13 | Jun 28, 2023 | NERF | Q nerfed |
| V13.7 | Apr 5, 2023 | NERF | E adjusted |
