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Cassiopeia Build Guide by Hyrav

Middle Hyrav's Challenger Rank 1 Cassiopeia Guide

Middle Hyrav's Challenger Rank 1 Cassiopeia Guide

Updated on August 2, 2022
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League of Legends Build Guide Author Hyrav Build Guide By Hyrav 284 16 469,484 Views 34 Comments
284 16 469,484 Views 34 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Hyrav Cassiopeia Build Guide By Hyrav Updated on August 2, 2022
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Runes: - Standard

1 2
Precision
Conqueror
Presence of Mind
Legend: Tenacity
Coup de Grace

Domination
Taste of Blood
Ravenous Hunter
Bonus:

+10% Attack Speed
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+6 Armor

Spells:

1 2 3 4 5
Situational
LoL Summoner Spell: Flash

Flash

LoL Summoner Spell: Ignite

Ignite

Welcome to Hyrav's Cassiopeia Guide

Hello everyone, my name is Hyrav, and thank you for taking the time to read my guide. I have been playing Cassiopeia since Season 6 and in that timeframe have consistently held #1 Cassiopeia Global on LeagueOfGraphs.com, as well as hitting Challenger on 6 separate regions; EUW, EUNE, NA, TR, RU, and LAN.

I hope this guide will be of use to you all, and you're able to find equal success whilst playing Cassiopeia as, once mastered, she is a lot of fun and has huge outplay potential.

I stream occasionally on Twitch, so if you'd like to learn whilst I play live, you're more than welcome to tune in and watch.
Pros
+ Huge outplay potential
+ Game-deciding ultimate
+ Strong damage output (+DoTs)
+ Good self-healing
Cassiopeia is a Champion that can set the pace of game right from the beginning of laning phase. You can assert dominance early by weaving auto-attacks between Twin Fang if the matchup allows that to happen. In mid-late game your ultimate can be the deciding factor of whether you win or not. With strong healing from Twin Fang, Taste of Blood and Ravenous Hunter you're able to sustain yourself through extended fights. The damage from Liandry's Torment and Demonic Embrace compliment that of your regular abilities.
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Cons
- Limited mobility
- Struggles when outranged
- High mana costs early
- Takes significant time to learn
There are a few matchups in particular, covered in the Matchups section, that Cassiopeia will struggle into. Without Tear of the Goddess at level 1, mana costs are very high in the early levels and your priority is building on that mana pool upon your first recall. A lack of mobility means you have to focus on perfecting movement and kiting - this element of her gameplay will take a significant time to learn, as you practice tethering other champions at maximum distance.
Serpentine Grace (Passive)
RANGE: N/A
COST: N/A
COOLDOWN: N/A
Innate: Cassiopeia gains Movement Speed per level. Cassiopeia cannot purchase Boots items.
  • At Level 1, Cassiopeia has 332 base movement speed - rank 128 / 153
  • At Level 18, Cassiopeia has 400 base movement speed - rank 1 / 153
  • Movement Speed = 328 + (4x) Level
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Noxious Blast (Q)
RANGE: 850
COST: 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70 Mana
COOLDOWN: 3.5 seconds
Active: Blasts enemies in an area with Noxious Poison. If a champion is hit, Cassiopeia gains Movement Speed decaying over 3 seconds.

Noxious Poison deals magic damage over 3 seconds.
  • Movement Speed: 30 / 35 / 40 / 45 / 50%
  • Magic Damage: 75 / 110 / 145 / 180 / 215 (+90%)
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Miasma (W)
RANGE: 700
COST: 70 / 80 / 90 / 100 / 110 Mana
COOLDOWN: 24 / 22 / 20 / 18 / 16
Active: Cassiopeia spews venom in an arc, leaving toxic clouds for 5 seconds.
Enemies in the clouds are continually afflicted with Debilitating Poison, inflicting a decaying slow and grounding them, prohibiting the use of Movement abilities. They also take magic damage per second.

Miasma has a minimum cast range and stops on the first terrain hit.
  • Magic Damage: 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40 (+15%)
  • Slow: 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80%
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Twin Fang (E)
RANGE: 700
COST: 50 Mana
COOLDOWN: 0.75 seconds
Active: Deal magic damage to a target. If the target is killed by Twin Fang, or is killed during its flight, Cassiopeia gains Mana.

If the victim is Poisoned when Twin Fang hits, it takes additional magic damage and heals Cassiopeia (75% heal against Minions and small Monsters).
  • Magic Damage: 52 - 120 (based on level) (+10%)
  • Poisoned Bonus Damage: 10 / 30 / 50 / 70 / 90 (+60%)
  • Heal: (+12 / 14 / 16 / 18 / 20%)
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Petrifying Gaze (R)
AOE: 850
COST: 100 Mana
COOLDOWN: 120 / 100 / 80 seconds
Active: Cassiopeia deals magic damage to all enemies in a cone in front of her. Enemies facing her when damaged are stunned for 2 seconds, while enemies facing away are slowed by 40%.
  • Magic Damage: 150 / 250 / 350 (+50%)
Conqueror is by far the best rune for Cassiopeia in the Precision tree. At Level 1, you're able to get +24AP from max (12) stacks. Weaving auto-attacks between 4 casts of Twin Fang and you will hit max stacks quickly within a trade, allowing you to put out great damage in the early laning phase, whilst healing you in conjunction with Taste of Blood and Ravenous Hunter.
Although Presence of Mind isn't as strong as it once was, where it allowed you to cast abilities with no mana cost upon levelling up, it remains the most viable option on this row of the tree, and enables you to stay in teamfights for longer, as long as you're able to get either a kill or assist to replenish mana. When you damage an enemy with any of your abilities, you will also increase your mana regeneration which is ideal for Cassiopeia.
As Cassiopeia has very little mobility besides movement speed buffs from Serpentine Grace and Noxious Blast, Legend: Tenacity is the best option from this row, reducing the effects of CC and allowing you to get straight back into the action sooner - paired with some HP items such as Rylai's Crystal Scepter and Demonic Embrace, you should have enough to keep you alive in most situations.
Last Stand synergises well with Barrier, as your damage is increased by 11% when you're at 30% HP or below. Holding onto Barrier allows you to make use of this damage buff for longer, whilst staying relatively safe. Cut Down is also a viable option if you find yourself into a tankier matchup, such as Galio or Mordekaiser - it's a situational rune, but Last Stand will be the best option in 9/10 scenarios.
The +10% attack speed is really nice for laning phase and smooths out the auto-attack animations whilst you don't have enough mana to spam Noxious Blast and Twin Fang. Standard extra adaptive damage for the middle rune, and lastly you should swap between armor and magic resist, dependent on the matchup you're playing - if it's a hybrid champion such as Corki or Ezreal, taking the extra HP is also a viable option.

SUMMONER SPELLS
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FLASH: This is your core summoner spell and should never change. Using Flash + Petrifying Gaze can make the difference between winning a game or not, or closing the gap between yourself and a Xerath or Vel'Koz trying to channel their ultimate in lane. Flash enables Cassiopeia to have insane outplay potential and so you should always take this summoner.
BARRIER: As mentioned before, Barrier synergises really well with Last Stand and allows Cassiopeia to stay in a fight for longer. It enables you to make riskier plays and test limits further.
CLEANSE: This is a situational summoner spell to take, dependent on who you're playing against and who the Jungler is. In some cases, Cleanse for laning phase only isn't worthwhile, so I would only recommend taking this if the enemy team has more than one form of hard CC.
TELEPORT: In higher elo matches Teleport will prove to be more useful as you're playing more objectively - into matchups where you're being outranged or you feel as though the laning phase will be slow / focused on farm, this is a great option to influence sidelanes and snowball your teammates.
IGNITE: I use Ignite in matchups I feel confident I can get an early kill, otherwise I'll opt for Barrier or Teleport. It's incredibly strong and makes solo kills more likely during the early laning phase once you have stacked Conqueror. Paired with Noxious Blast and DoT from Liandry's Torment, Ignite helps to compliment this damage.
EXHAUST: Very rarely will I take this Summoner, unless I'm against an AD assassin and an AD Jungler, or my Bot Lane didn't take Exhaust for some reason - Qiyana, Zed, Yone and Yasuo are viable options for Exhaust but otherwise I would opt for one of the others mentioned above.

SKILL SEQUENCE
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1

E
2

Q
3

W
4

E
5

E
6

R
7

E
8

Q
9

E
10

Q
11

R
12

Q
13

Q
14

W
15

W
16

R
17

W
18

W
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Taking Twin Fang at Level 1 is great for securing minions in a tough matchup that you may not have the time to auto-attack. It's worth noting that Twin Fang has a significantly faster animation allowing you to get in and out without standing still for too long.

Picking up Noxious Blast at Level 2 will compliment the damage from Twin Fang during an extended trade. If you have taken Ignite, it will also create kill pressure in lane. Be cautious though, as it has a high mana cost during early levels, so only use it unless you know you will hit the ability.

Leveling up Miasma at Level 3 is entirely situational. If you feel as though your Jungler will gank early, or you're able to deny the lane opponent some form of mobility, such as LeBlanc, Diana or Fizz, I would definitely recommend it - it's usually a great pick against Assassins. When you're laning against a Champion with little or zero mobility like Vladimir or Malzahar I would wait until Level 4 before taking a point in Miasma.

Obviously, take Petrifying Gaze at Level 6, 11 and 16 as you don't want to delay these power spikes and your ultimate will be on a shorter cooldown, as well as doing more damage.


Tear of the Goddess

Doran's Ring

Doran's Shield
In most cases you will be taking Tear of the Goddess at the beginning with Cassiopeia - although you will be delaying the purchase of Archangel's Staff, the additional 360 mana stacking is great for extended trades throughout laning phase. Paired with Ignite this gives you great potential for an early Level 2/3 kill.

Opt for Doran's Ring into a matchup where you don't feel as though you'll get an opportunity to harass much at all, and you will benefit from further sustain - such as Vel'Koz, Xerath, Syndra and Orianna. The passive will allow you to regain mana & HP whilst providing you with a small damage buff to your auto-attacks to speed up wave clear.

Doran's Shield is only built in rare cases - when you're against a ranged AD champion such as Lucian or Tristana this will be ideal to get you through the early few levels, until you're stronger after your first recall. Aside from this scenario, go with one of the items mentioned above.
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Liandry's Anguish

Archangel's Staff

Rylai's Crystal Scepter
Liandry's Torment is your core mythic item - the DoT (Damage over Time) is a great compliment to the poison damage from Noxious Blast and Miasma - make sure to rush Lost Chapter when you get the opportunity as it will be a huge power spike for you during laning phase.

Delay building Archangel's Staff until the 3rd or 4th item as there're more important items to get. Demonic Embrace or Rylai's Crystal Scepter is a much better second purchase, and then consider getting Archangel's Staff thereafter. Once it transforms into Seraph's Embrace the additional mana and scaling AP is great.

The rest of your build, listed at the top of this guide is entirely situational - build Zhonya's Hourglass if you need to avoid abilities such as Unstoppable Force or Death Mark, take Oblivion Orb for anti-heal, Banshee's Veil for some magic resist and the spellshield, and Void Staff if you need additional magic penetration for tanks stacking magic resist.

Your three core items will remain the same, and the rest of your build will be tailored to the game you're in - don't be lazy and build the same items every game. To improve your winrate you have to become adaptable.
When you're playing against Champions such as Kindred, Shaco, Jarvan IV, Sett, Nunu & Willump and Twitch (for example) in the Jungle you need be extra cautious at Level 1 and 2. If you don't respect the early pressure these Champions have, you could fall victim to First Blood, which can be avoided by placing an early ward. Look at the images below to know where to place this ward, before minions arrive in your lane, to reduce the chances of dying to a Level 2 gank.
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Blue Side
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Red Side
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How to play early laning phase
If you've taken Tear of the Goddess and you suspect the enemy Jungler will full-clear or wont gank you at Level 2/3, rush your Level 2 as soon as possible and look for an extended trade with Barrier or Ignite. Focus on getting priority if possible for your Jungler when scuttle crab is about to spawn. If you have taken Ignite, hard push the 2nd and 3rd wave before moving up or down into river, dependent on whichever side your Jungler wants to contest scuttle crab.
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TIP: Remember to use Twin Fang to last hit minions as it will refund the mana you spend when a minion dies - see the video below for a demonstration;
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TIP: Using Miasma on scuttle crab will remove it's shield, allowing you to kill it faster. Make note of this to secure additional gold and vision for your team if your Jungler is unable to kill it himself or you see an opportunity to take it away from the enemy - reference the video below;
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TIP: To compensate for Cassiopeia's lack of mobility, there are a few Miasma interactions that are worth knowing about, to avoid yourself dying to ganks. Champions which have a channeling animation, that also grants mobility, such as Vi's Vault Breaker, Nunu & Willump's Biggest Snowball Ever! and Fiddlesticks with his Crowstorm, can be interrupted by using Miasma. Take a look at the two videos below, that demonstrate how using Miasma will cancel these abilities;
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During teamfights, your main focus is to throw Miasma onto Champions that have mobility and use it as part of their combo - the more the better. Tether the enemy as far back as possible whilst staying within range for Twin Fang, stacking Conqueror at range and healing any damage you might take. Primarily your focus should be on the enemy carry, using the slow from Rylai's Crystal Scepter to help setup your team for a chase-down.

As Cassiopeia lacks self-peel without her Miasma and Petrifying Gaze, utilise the frontline you have around you and ensure you're not putting yourself at risk. Once you get hit with hard CC it's very difficult to get out of that situation. Position yourself behind teammates that can peel for you, and use the movement speed buff from Noxious Blast to navigate around the fight whilst tethering enemies.

Cassiopeia has the ability to completely change the outcome of a game, and is one of the few Champions that has a stun which can hit all 5 enemies at once, for a significant enough period of time that allows her teammates to follow-up with the engage.

In the late stages of the game, you want to ensure you're farming towards your Level 16 powerspike with Petrifying Gaze and using side-lane farm to complete your core items and beyond. Don't share XP or gold with teammates if you can avoid it, as Cassiopeia scales extremely well into late game and you want those resources for yourself to maximise your damage output.

Utilise the Petrifying Gaze + Flash combination to instantly stun the enemy team, leaving them with no other choice but to use Cleanse (if available), or Quicksilver Sash (if available) - otherwise, you can turn the entire game on it's head and pull off an insane comeback for your team.

If you haven't yet tried this combination and need to perfect the timing, jump into a Practice Tool game and spend a few minutes practicing - it will 100% be worth the time investment. See the video below for an example of how to perfectly time the Petrifying Gaze + Flash combination over terrain unsuspectingly;
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3
/10 Aatrox, the Darkin Blade
It should be predictable what Aatrox is wanting to do at each stage of the laning phase. Try your best to weave auto-attacks between Twin Fang to poke him down as he should have started with Doran's Shield in this lane. Save your Miasma for when he looks to land the 2nd and 3rd cast of The Darkin Blade.
Unless the enemy team has 4 or more AD champions, you shouldn't need to purchase Seeker's Armguard upon your 1st recall. Instead, continue the standard build path towards Lost Chapter and Tear of the Goddess, as you should be out-sustaining his damage with Conqueror.


5
/10 Ahri, the Nine-Tailed Fox
Both Cassiopeia and Ahri have the same attack range of 550, meaning the early laning phase is often decided by the aggressor. Position yourself behind minions to negate any pressure from Charm and focus on farming for your 1st recall. Orb of Deception is a relatively easy skillshot to dodge and you can bait this ability by standing close to a group of low-health minions.
There should be no need to purchase an early Null-Magic Mantle in this matchup. I would recommend opting for a Dark Seal and Tear of the Goddess, before building into Luden's Tempest if the rest of their team is lacking frontline.


7
/10 Akali, the Rogue Assassin
The first 5 levels of this matchup is very linear. The range of her Five Point Strike is 500, meaning you outrange her Q by 50. If you're able to space correctly, and position behind minions to avoid Shuriken Flip you should be able to farm with few issues. When she hits Level 6 and has Perfect Execution you must respect her burst damage, as she can kill you easily if you fail your ultimate.
Whether or not your opponent knows how to play Akali to her full potential, will influence your purchase upon the 1st recall. If you're getting harassed a lot by Five Point Strike and the player seems confident, invest in an early Null-Magic Mantle and sit on it whilst you complete your Liandry's Torment. Having this early magic resistance will help negate some of her burst damage once she hits Level 6.


6
/10 Anivia, the Cryophoenix
I've always enjoyed the matchup against Anivia. Flash Frost is a very slow moving projectile and should be easy to both predict and dodge. Try and help your Jungler steal away the enemy blue buff to deny Anivia's sustain in lane. Once she has Glacial Storm her waveclear becomes much better than yours, and so taking away that blue buff will reduce her roaming potential.
In this matchup you should be able to build standard, picking up a Dark Seal and capitalising on Anivia's lack of mobility. Despite her passive Rebirth, she is incredibly vulnerable in lane and you should take advantage of this.


8
/10 Annie, the Dark Child
Ever since Annie's Molten Shield was given a movement speed buff, I think she remains an underrated Champion. Despite Annie having the longest attack range of any Mid Laner (625) she does have weaknesses that you can capitalise on. Pre-6 you can play aggressive, weaving auto-attacks between Twin Fang. Once she has Summon: Tibbers, play cautiously if she has 2 or 3 stacks of Pyromania and is refusing to use Disintegrate on minions - this is an obvious sign either the enemy Jungler is nearby, or she is looking to all-in you.
If the enemy Jungler also has CC, I would recommend running Flash & Cleanse, otherwise both Ignite and Teleport work well into this matchup. I sometimes sit on Lost Chapter and then build Quicksilver Sash before finishing Liandry's Torment.


6
/10 Aurelion Sol, the Star Forger
As Aurelion Sol usually builds Corrupting Potion at Level 1, he is particularly squishy in the early few levels. I would recommend taking Teleport to match sidelanes roams, and utilise slow pushes to give you a few extra seconds headstart on his Singularity. Be proactive with your SS pings as you won't be able to match every roam. Breath of Light has a similar travel time to Anivia's Flash Frost thus making it a fairly easy skillshot to dodge.
The build path into this matchup is standard. If they have multiple squishy Champions, opt for Lost Chapter, an early Dark Seal and build Luden's Tempest. If their team has frontline, go with Liandry's Torment instead and purchase Rylai's Crystal Scepter afterwards.


7
/10 Azir, the Emperor of the Sands
The Azir matchup is quite an annoying one. Although his attack range is only 525 he makes up for it with Arise! paired with Lethal Tempo. I would recommend taking Teleport in this matchup, or Ignite if you have an aggressive Jungler with hard CC. Miasma will prevent Azir from using Shifting Sands and Emperor's Divide is pretty easy to predict. Don't stand near towers when he has Arise! soldier's nearby, and Emperor's Divide available, as you will get flipped into the tower.
If you're against an experienced Azir player who is poking you a lot with Conquering Sands, you can purchase an early Null-Magic Mantle to make your laning phase easier. Otherwise, stick to a standard build path of Liandry's Torment into Rylai's Crystal Scepter.


6
/10 Brand, the Burning Vengeance
A few patches ago, Brand was changed so that his Conflagration became a lot easier to spread - taking away a lot of the skill required to play the Champion. Because of this change, which subsequently makes stunning you with Sear easier too, Brand has seen a higher winrate all over the map, and it's not the easiest of matchups for Cassiopeia. Pillar of Flame has a long range, and Brand has good mana sustain during the laning phase. I would go for Ignite and pressure him with your Jungler to try and snowball a lead.
If the enemy team has multiple squishy members, opt for the Luden's Tempest build path, and ensure you get an early Dark Seal. Despite Brand not being played that often in the current meta, I would consider this a snowball matchup for Cassiopeia if played correctly, and with some assistance from your Jungler wherever possible, as he lacks mobility.


5
/10 Camille, the Steel Shadow
On the rare occasion, you may play against Camille Mid. As you're in a short lane surrounded by terrain, she has lots of options with Hookshot. Look to use your Miasma on the 2nd part of Hookshot - if you're quick enough, you can see which wall she's jumping too and throw Miasma before she gets there. Weave auto-attacks between Twin Fang to poke her out of lane with Conqueror.
I would recommend getting an early Seeker's Armguard in this matchup, as her burst damage is usually underrated. Take Ignite and play aggressive once you have Tear of the Goddess. Save Petrifying Gaze until after she uses Hextech Ultimatum.


7
/10 Cho'Gath, the Terror of the Void
It's not often you'll find yourself in a lane against Cho'Gath but don't be fooled. If played full AP, this can go one of two ways - a complete stomp, or you'll have a horrible experience. His Q: Rupture is on a short cooldown, paired with a silence on Feral Scream - this combination makes it hard to trade back before your HP falls within Feast territory. Try your best to bait Rupture and continually move around in lane to give yourself a better chance of dodging it.
Save Petrifying Gaze+ Flash for when you want to all-in and he turns towards you to use Rupture - this gives you a short window to guarantee Petrifying Gaze hits. There is no need to build Null-Magic Mantle and I would recommend building Liandry's Torment as he will get tanky throughout the game.


2
/10 Corki, the Daring Bombardier
This is one of my favourite matchups. Corki relies on his Valkyrie to dodge your initiation. Expect him to constantly turn around whilst weaving auto-attacks and using Gatling Gun. Your Miasma is a huge counter to his kit and you should be able to punish him out of lane with Ignite and your early damage.
I feel as though Ignite for winning lane is more valuable than the Teleport for late game. Corki scales well, and so you want to propel your lead early. Buy an early Dark Seal and opt for the Luden's Tempest build path, but only if their team is lacking frontline. If they have tanky Champions, then go for the standard build path.


6
/10 Diana, Scorn of the Moon
Focus on dodging Crescent Strike during the early levels, which Diana will use to harass, similar to Ahri's Orb of Deception. If you manage to avoid Crescent Strike you have an 8 second window (at Level 1) to trade using Noxious Blast and Twin Fang. Her Pale Cascade is fairly predictable, making your Petrifying Gaze easier to hit.
If you're taking a lot of damage early from Crescent Strike and finding it difficult to dodge, then purchase an early Null-Magic Mantle before getting your Tear of the Goddess and Lost Chapter - this is because Diana's kill threat increases dramatically at Level 6.


7
/10 Ekko, the Boy Who Shattered Time
Unless you're playing against Jarvan IV, Shaco, Kindred or another Jungler that is likely to gank you at Level 2, I would hard push the first couple of waves, to rush Level 2 and have access to Twin Fang before Ekko gets Phase Dive. When you have this level advantage, weave auto-attacks between Noxious Blast and Twin Fang and you should be able to output enough pressure to keep him at distance until your 1st recall.
Take Ignite for this matchup and save your Miasma for when he's approaching low health and needs to use Chronobreak. When he uses Phase Dive, throw Noxious Blast at your feet - this is an easy way of ensuring you hit your poison. Build Liandry's Torment as you will benefit from the extra HP.


2
/10 Ezreal, the Prodigal Explorer
The matchup against Ezreal is incredibly linear. If you stay behind minions to negate damage from Mystic Shot the only option Ezreal has is stepping within auto-attack range to proc Essence Flux, or using Arcane Shift, which has a long cooldown early. Save your Miasma for all-in's but remember that Ezreal can Arcane Shift as you're throwing the ability, so use it to prevent his Flash instead.
With Ignite and an early Dark Seal+ Tear of the Goddess you should be shredding Ezreal's HP bar. Once his Arcane Shift is on cooldown, take advantage of his immobility and chase him down. You should be able to tank his damage output.


3
/10 Fiddlesticks, the Ancient Fear
In this matchup it's more than likely that Fiddlesticks will opt for a tanky build. Full AP would not be viable nor smart against Cassiopeia. The reason I've put the difficulty as 3 is because Fiddlesticks lacks mobility, has both a simple and predictable kit, but he has good gank setup with Terrify, Reap and Crowstorm. In the early laning phase poke with Twin Fang but don't expend mana on Noxious Blast until you have Tear of the Goddess as he will heal it back with Bountiful Harvest.
If the enemy Jungler has hard CC, I would opt for Cleanse in this matchup, otherwise go with Ignite and play aggressively once you have gone back and picked up Tear of the Goddess and Ignite. Whenever Fiddlesticks uses Bountiful Harvest you have a free setup for Petrifying Gaze. If he goes out of vision in lane, hug the opposite side of the lane as he may be charging Crowstorm over the wall.


7
/10 Fizz, the Tidal Trickster
There are a lot of options playing against Fizz when it comes to Summoner spells. Barrier is always helpful to negate Chum the Waters damage, Exhaust is also viable if you're able to land it before he uses Playful / Trickster to close the gap, and Ignite is good if you're playing in lower elo and the Fizz may not be as experienced - allowing you to get a higher damage output. Pre-6 is where you dominate this matchup. Weave auto-attacks between Twin Fang and throw Noxious Blast where Fizz needs to walk up and execute minions using Seastone Trident.
I would recommend getting an early Null-Magic Mantle in this matchup, even if you're slightly ahead. The damage output from Fizz can catch you off-guard if you're not careful. Afterwards, build standard into Liandry's Torment as you will benefit from the additional HP.


4
/10 Galio, the Colossus
Galio can be quite obnoxious to play against, especially paired with a Jungler that also has CC. Galio has nice gank setup with Justice Punch and Shield of Durand, so ensure you're spacing correctly in lane. Justice Punch is relatively easy to dodge as you can see him charge it up beforehand. As Cassiopeia you want to be poking him with auto-attacks and stacking Conqueror as much as possible.
Pick up an early Dark Seal and build towards Liandry's Torment to shred his health as he begins to scale into mid-late game. I would also recommend buying a Demonic Embrace in this matchup, instead of Rylai's Crystal Scepter - this will help you burn through his HP bar, even whilst being CC'd. Teleport or Cleanse should be your options here.


6
/10 Gangplank, the Saltwater Scourge
Very rarely you'll play against a Gangplank in Mid Lane, but you may choose to play Cassiopeia Top, or they may lane swap, so I thought it worthwhile to include this matchup in the guide. Parrrley can become very oppressive in the early few levels. Don't take extended trades before you have Tear of the Goddess as Gangplank will heal up using Remove Scurvy and more than likely started with Corrupting Potion.
I would go for Teleport in this matchup and influence the sidelanes as much as possible. Being able to roam and then Teleport back to lane would be a great response to Cannon Barrage. Both Gangplank and Cassiopeia scale well as the game continues, so itemise accordingly. Both Luden's Tempest and Liandry's Torment are good options.


2
/10 Gragas, the Rabble Rouser
One of the easiest matchups in the Mid Lane, despite it being rare nowadays. Barrel Roll is a slow moving skillshot and should be predictable as part of Gragas's combo. If you see Gragas using Drunken Rage whilst walking towards you, expect the Jungler to be nearby and play accordingly. Body Slam + Flash is the only combo that presents a threat and you have a very small window to Flash away. A tell-tale sign of this combo, is seeing Gragas use Drunken Rage whilst far away from you and then start the Body Slam animation.
Take Ignite and play aggressively. Throw Miasma to initiate fights and follow up with an easy-to-land Noxious Blast with Twin Fang. Gragas will likely go full AP, so you should shred him with Luden's Tempest. Lost Chapter rush instead of Tear of the Goddess as you wil hit your spike sooner.


6
/10 Heimerdinger, the Revered Inventor
What makes this matchup frustrating is the H-28G Evolution Turret's constantly pushing you in, and denying you the ability to have extended trades with Noxious Blast and Twin Fang early. Although, you can kill these turrets easily, the minion wave is often pushed under your tower, with the help of Hextech Micro-Rockets. Take Teleport in this matchup and farm for your 1st recall before making any attempt to 1v1. CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade is relatively easy to dodge and you're only stunned if you're in the centre of it's radius - if you dodge this, Cassiopeia will come out on top.
Ganking a Heimerdinger can be quite annoying, because like Shaco's boxes, H-28G Evolution Turret's can block certain abilities, such as Cocoon or Sonic Wave / Resonating Strike. Once you have Rylai's Crystal Scepter you should be able to chase him down without issues.


7
/10 Irelia, the Blade Dancer
Irelia has a lot of lane threat, even if she doesn't necessarily have high base HP. Often, she will start Bladesurge and use this to stack her passive Ionian Fervor. When she gets to 4 or 5 stacks to not fight her unless you have the advantage either in items, or HP to begin with. If Irelia uses Flawless Duet and it looks as though it's going to connect and stun you, throw Miasma to delay her combo, as she will look to Bladesurge to close the gap.
Purchase an early Seeker's Armguard if you're able to, before stacking your Tear of the Goddess and building towards Liandry's Torment. Whilst Irelia charges Defiant Dance, you have an easy opportunity to lane Petrifying Gaze, or wait until she uses Bladesurge after connecting Vanguard's Edge. I would opt for Exhaust or Exhaust in this matchup.


1
/10 Jayce, the Defender of Tomorrow
Jayce players are uncommon, and those who pick it into Cassiopeia are even more-so. This has to be one of my favourite matchups. Noxious Blast is guaranteed when he uses To The Skies! and jumps infront of you. At this moment, you throw Miasma on the floor, kite back with Twin Fang whilst stacking Conqueror and use Petrifying Gaze wherever necessary. The only time at which Jayce has the advantage is at range. Stay behind minions and you should breeze through the lane.
Take Ignite for added lane pressure, or Exhaust to negate some of his burst as he will more than likely build Serrated Dirk first. Setting up ganks should be relatively simple with Miasma as he has limited mobility. Rush Lost Chapter and then Luden's Tempest.


4
/10 Karma, the Enlightened One
This lane is often very boring. Karma can get out of harms way using Inspire and it makes it harder to chase down with Noxious Blast/ Twin Fang. Sit behind low health minions to bait Mantra+ Inner Flame and farm for your first recall. It's unlikely you'll get many opportunities to get a kill early unless Karma messes up, so opt for Teleport or Ghost and pressure the river and sidelanes after you've returned from your first recall.
A great way to play this lane is to stack the waves and slow push towards Karma's tower, giving you an opportunity to move into river or out of vision. Karma is a utility Mid Laner, meaning she thrives in teamfights. Catching her off-guard or zoning Karma away from her teammates is a great way to reduce her impact. I would recommend Liandry's Torment into Rylai's Crystal Scepter.


3
/10 Karthus, the Death Singer
Another linear matchup - Karthus has as very simple kit and thus it's easy to play around. Ensure you're playing towards your own Jungler, so that, if Karthus hits Wall of Pain, you have a shorter distance to safety. Sit within a minion wave if you're taking a fight, so that Lay Waste isn't doing isolated bonus damage. Karthus is very immobile and you should capitalise on this weakness with your Jungler.
I would opt for Ignite for added kill pressure so that you can get those early Level 2/3 kills with Noxious Blast/ Twin Fang, or Teleport to help influence your sidelanes. Picking up an early Dark Seal would be great, and either Luden's Tempest or Liandry's Torment is going to be good in this matchup, dependent on their frontline.


6
/10 Kassadin, the Void Walker
The way to snowball this lane is to apply very early pressure against Kassadin. You will need to take Conqueror and weave auto-attacks between Twin Fang at Level 1-4 to push Kassadin back. If you apply enough pressure he will be forced to secure minions with Null Sphere. Try and crash the 3rd or 4th minion wave to give yourself a 'cheater recall', allowing you to purchase an early Tear of the Goddess, further enabling your pressure.
Personally, I opt for Ignite in this matchup to further my advantage in the early phases of the game. If you pressure as he steps forward to secure minions with Null Sphere, Nether Blade or Force Pulse, it should give you a window to land Noxious Blast and be oppressive. Build an early Lost Chapter and towards Liandry's Torment.


6
/10 Katarina, the Sinister Blade
Those who play Katarina in Solo Queue tend to have a lot of games on her, meaning they know the limitations and numbers. I personally enjoy this matchup, taking Ignite or Exhaust, and pressuring early. You should treat this matchup very similarly to the Kassadin matchup - poke early and stack Conqueror whilst she can't out-trade you Level 1-3, and crash the 3rd or 4th wave to give yourself an item advantage.
You may want to purchase an early Null-Magic Mantle to negate some damage once she hits Level 6 and has Death Lotus available. Usually, team comps with Katarina tend to be tanky, thus you may want to go for Liandry's Torment to cut down that frontline. If you took Ignite, consider Zhonya's Hourglass as part of your finished build.


2
/10 Kayle, the Righteous
Despite Kayle being incredibly strong in the current meta, I feel as though Cassiopeia is one of the best Champions to play against her for the laning phase. The first 6 levels, whilst Kayle is forced to step forward into auto-attack range to kill minions, is where Cassiopeia thrives. Use Noxious Blast when she tries to last hit, and poke her out of lane weaving auto-attacks and stacking Conqueror with Twin Fang. You should delay Petrifying Gaze for when you either need to use it, or if Kayle uses Divine Judgment. Before Level 11, you should be winning these 1v1's fairly easily. Celestial Blessing costs quite a lot of mana, and has a long cooldown, so if you see her use this, it gives you a 15 second window (at rank 1) to punish with Twin Fang.
I would opt for Teleport in this matchup as I think Ignite is overkill. You should be winning this lane as Cassiopeia and influencing that lead across the map - Teleport helps enable this. Go for Liandry's Torment and an early Demonic Embrace instead of Rylai's Crystal Scepter as you can burn through her HP bar with a single Noxious Blast.


4
/10 Kennen, the Heart of the Tempest
Kennen becomes a threat once he has Slicing Maelstrom. Until that point Cassiopeia has the advantage. If you're sitting behind minions, you shouldn't be in danger from Thundering Shuriken, whilst you're able to hit Noxious Blast as he steps up to last-hit minions. If you feel as though Kennen is going to engage with Slicing Maelstrom then throw Miasma to slow and try your best to distance yourself. Kennen has good setup for ganks and mobility, so keep this in mind.
Teleport or Cleanse are good options into this matchup. Petrifying Gaze should be relatively easy to hit if Kennen is using Lightning Rush and moving towards you in order to land his combo. I would personally recommend focusing your attention on sidelanes and supporting your win condition, instead of trying for solo kills. Go for the Liandry's Torment build path, into Rylai's Crystal Scepter.


8
/10 Kog'Maw, the Mouth of the Abyss
Kog'Maw only becomes an issue after he has Luden's Tempest and starts hitting you with Living Artillery from across the map. Your best opportunity to get ahead in this lane is to pressure early. Usually Kog'Maw will be taking Ghost or Barrier in this matchup, allowing him to space in teamfights. Try your best to avoid Void Ooze - Caustic Spittle is easy to dodge and you can sit behind minions to help with this.
I would recommend taking Teleport and the Phase Rush setup as you're unlikely to get an early kill as Kog'Maw should be playing the early game relatively safe. Go for Lost Chapter into Liandry's Torment into Demonic Embrace so that your Noxious Blast is chunking away at his HP.


5
/10 LeBlanc, the Deceiver
This is one of my favourite matchups as Cassiopeia as you can be equally as manipulative and deceiving if you use your abilities smartly. When LeBlanc uses Distortion to initiate a fight, throw Miasma at her Distortion return location, which will force her to commit, and then focus on hitting your Noxious Blast - if you don't throw Miasma back where she came from she will jump back and get away with a positive trade. TIP:If you have poison ticking on LeBlanc when her passive pops, her clone will not have poison as well.
I like to take either Ignite or Exhaust into this matchup but usually Ignite for added kill threat. LeBlanc will lose extended fights which is why she relies on her burst damage so heavily. Buying an early Null-Magic Mantle would be a great option, before going into Tear of the Goddess and Lost Chapter.


4
/10 Lissandra, the Ice Witch
Position yourself properly within minion waves to avoid damage from Ice Shard and you should have few issues in this matchup against Lissandra. The reason I have given her a rating of 4/10 and not lower is because of her point and click CC with Frozen Tomb and additional lockdown with Ring of Frost. She has good setup for ganks and so you need to be paying extra attention to the minimap and warding properly. Use Miasma to prevent Lissandra moving with Glacial Path.
I would recommend taking Ignite or Teleport in this matchup, dependent on how confident you are on Cassiopeia - you can kill Lissandra pretty easily with stacked Conqueror and Ignite if you're weaving auto-attacks and can land Noxious Blast.


5
/10 Lucian, the Purifier
Lucian will more than likely start with Piercing Light and take Press the Attack, meaning that you should be able to secure the first wave of minions with relative ease, using Twin Fang to last hit from distance if need be. Be careful at Level 2 once he has Relentless Pursuit as he can proc Press the Attack much easier. Exhaust or Ignite would be advised in this matchup. Landing Petrifying Gaze should be simple as Lucian has to face towards you when using The Culling.
Getting an early Seeker's Armguard would be great in this matchup, as you will negate a lot of his burst damage once it starts to stack. I would recommend going for Liandry's Torment and then into Rylai's Crystal Scepter as slowing him down will make landing Noxious Blast a lot easier.


3
/10 Lulu, the Fae Sorceress
Usually paired with an annoying Jungler that will benefit from Ardent Censer, look to capitalise on her innability to take long trades. She can effectively poke you with Glitterlance and Help, Pix! but once these are on cooldown she's somewhat vulnerable. Use Noxious Blast and chase with Twin Fang. Hug the side of your own Jungler in lane and if you feel as though you should win the 2v2 fights, opt for Cleanse to negate the Whimsy pressure.
You should be able to grow a substantial lead against Lulu with your lane pressure and ability to assist sidelanes. It's unlikely you'll have many opportunities for solo kills unless the Lulu makes a mistake, so save your Petrifying Gaze for ganks and ensure the Jungler is the primary focus.
The build path should be standard, meaning you go for Liandry's Torment into Rylai's Crystal Scepter.


7
/10 Lux, the Lady of Luminosity
Despite Lux being particularly squishy and having zero mobility, she has effective self-peel with Lucent Singularity and Light Binding. Light Binding has a deceiving hitbox and so only look to take fights once you know this is on cooldown or you can bait the ability out easily - thankfully it's a slow moving skillshot and so should be easy to sidestep where the terrain allows it. Miasma is great for setting up ganks against Lux and you should hopefully have a Jungler with some form of heavy CC like Elise, Rek'Sai, or Jarvan IV.
Both Luden's Tempest and Liandry's Torment are good in this matchup but I personally think Liandry's Torment should be taken for the additional HP. Paired with Barrier or Cleanse you should have enough in your kit to survive her full combo and come out on top once Conqueror has been stacked. If her Flash is on cooldown, spam your Jungler as she's incredibly vulnerable and squishy.


2
/10 Malphite, Shard of the Monolith
The matchup against Malphite is very linear alike Aatrox; what they're trying to do should become very apparent and you can play around this. Before Malphite hits Level 6 and has acccess to Unstoppable Force his gank setup is relatively low. Save your Noxious Blast for when he steps forward to auto-attack minions and follow up with Miasma for when he turns and runs for safety. Malphite can use Seismic Shard whilst you have bonus movement speed if he plays it smartly.
As Malphite should be building full AP, and you will stand little chance surviing his full combo from 60-70% HP with Unstoppable Force and Ignite, I would opt for Barrier and a relatively early Stopwatch in time for when he wants to land his first combination. If you negate his all-in opportunity and get a kill in return using your Petrifying Gaze, this should be enough of a snowball to have you extending your lead into side lanes.


3
/10 Malzahar, the Prophet of the Void
This lane can be annoying due to poke from Malefic Visions and repeated Call of the Void casts, but Cassiopeia can easily kill Void Swarm minions with a single auto-attack and Twin Fang negating a lot of Malzahar's early wave clear. The largest annoyance comes in when you recall and he stays to shove another wave with either Luden's Tempest or Liandry's Torment and shoves it into your tower before you can return to lane - sadly there is little you can do about this even with an efficient recall. Use Noxious Blast from distance to proc his passive shield, and remember that your poison will continue to have an effect after the shield breaks.
Both your Noxious Blast and Miasma proc his passive shield, and you can time Petrifying Gaze so that you interrupt Nether Grasp if you do it correctly and have already procced the shield. This takes practice within the matchup but is a relatively easy mechanic to execute as Malzahar always has to face towards you when casting Nether Grasp. I would recommen a Quicksilver Sash when after building Lost Chapter to ensure you can remain in fights.


2
/10 Mordekaiser, the Iron Revenant
I really like this matchup against Mordekaiser. More commonly seen Top Lane, you may occassionally face him Mid Lane - the way you execute the lane is exactly the same. Use Noxious Blast when he steps up to last-hit minions and save Petrifying Gaze until after he uses Realm of Death so that you negate a lot of his enhanced damage. Death's Grasp is relatively easy to sidestep assuming you're always moving side-to-side. Miasma is a great tool to slow his mobility and make him more vulnerable to ganks.
Grab an early Dark Seal and Tear of the Goddess and build standard into Liandry's Torment followed up by Rylai's Crystal Scepter to help kite him within Realm of Death. If you play this lane as it's intended, this shouldn't be a threat, and you out-heal his damage with Conqueror.


5
/10 Morgana, the Fallen
Morgana has a very linear kit and relies on her heavy CC with Dark Binding and Soul Shackles in order to be a threat towards you. If you sit within minion waves you should be relatively safe. Only use Petrifying Gaze if Black Shield is on cooldown or you think you can catch her off-guard as she tries to last-hit a cannon minion for example. Morgana's mana costs are quite low and she will often spam Tormented Shadow to waveclear. Your Noxious Blast and Twin Fang should shred through her low HP.
Take Cleanse and opt for Demonic Embrace instead of Rylai's Crystal Scepter after you have built Liandry's Torment for additional burn damage, and because her Black Shield will negate the effects of Rylai's Crystal Scepter, not making it worth the purchase.


6
/10 Neeko, the Curious Chameleon
Not often played, Neeko can be quite oppressive towards Cassiopeia with her long range Blooming Burst, made worse by the fact Tangle-Barbs goes through minion waves and ensures Blooming Burst does maximum damage. Shapesplitter is like a Shaco ult or LeBlanc passive on an even lower cooldown, making it harder to hit your Noxious Blast. If your poison is already on Neeko only one Shapesplitter will have the poison defect, making it easy to identify.
Both Barrier and Cleanse are worthwhile options in this matchup, and perhaps Teleport if your sidelanes are the win condition. Look to use Petrifying Gaze after she uses Shapesplitter looking for an all-in as she often combos this with Pop Blossom, so you can be confident she is running towards you, and your ult will stun.


4
/10 Nocturne, the Eternal Nightmare
Nocturne has great waveclear with his passive paired with Duskbringer and Tiamat, however his Shroud of Darkness is predictable and can be baited ahead of when you want to cast Petrifying Gaze by simply delaying it. Nocturne players tend to use Shroud of Darkness immediately after hitting you with Paranoia. Take Cleanse for the Unspeakable Horror as the fear duration is obnoxious, and follow that up with Petrifying Gaze before throwing Miasma and creating distance for you to follow up with Twin Fang
Get an early Seeker's Armguard or Stopwatch after you have completed Lost Chapter to negate some of his burst damage and you should be able to sustain in fights with Conqueror being fully stacked with Noxious Blast and Twin Fang. You can abuse the fact he is melee and needs to walk into minion waves by poking with Noxious Blast from distance.


2
/10 Nunu & Willump, the Boy and His Yeti
Nunu & Willump Mid has fallen out of meta but was at one stage last Season very popular. It's unlikely you'll see it again, but helpful to know the advantages you have against this Champion in the event you play against Nunu & Willump Jungle as well. Your Miasma will interrupt Biggest Snowball Ever! so ensure you save this ability for ganks or when he returns to lane. Delay Petrifying Gaze until he channels Absolute Zero to negate the majority of his damage, and weave Twin Fang between auto-attacks to stack Conqueror
You can build standard towards Liandry's Torment in this matchup without having to buy any defensive items. Tear of the Goddess and Lost Chapter upon first recall if possible and you will (excuse the pun) snowball this lane as Cassiopeia. Nunu & Willump has strong objective control and thus you need to be paying attention to your minimap and playing around your Jungler to ensure you maintain tempo.


9
/10 Orianna, the Lady of Clockwork
The matchup against Orianna is one of my least favourite. She will outrange you with Command: Attack and can get good poke against you when paired with Command: Dissonance from Level 2 onwards. Focus on farming as best you can with Twin Fang at distance and wait until your Jungler ganks - follow with Flash+ Miasma if needed to close the distance. You can take extended trades with Conqueror if you feel as though she may run out of mana or is behind in items.
I would opt for Teleport or Barrier in this matchup, and rush Lost Chapter instead of Tear of the Goddess to give yourself a fair chance in extended trades early-mid game. Build towards Liandry's Torment and focus on influencing sidelanes instead of attempting 1v1 skirmishes in Mid lane.


4
/10 Pyke, the Bloodharbor Ripper
Pyke has burst that must be respected. If he lands the stun with Phantom Undertow he has great setup for ganks. The slow from Bone Skewer is also particularly frustrating, whilst Cassiopeia lacks mobility. Time your Petrifying Gaze for when Pyke tries to last hit a cannon minion in melee range, and follow up immediately with Miasma to prevent him using Phantom Undertow, Death from Below and Ghostwater Dive to escape.
You should build standard here, with Rylai's Crystal Scepter after Liandry's Torment, and both Barrier, Cleanse or Exhaust are all good options for this matchup, depedent on the rest of their team composition. If you manage to dodge Phantom Undertow you should win extended trades without issues, otherwise you may fall within Death from Below execute territory before having a chance to retaliate.


7
/10 Qiyana, the Empress of the Elements
This is a particularly annoying matchup, especially when Qiyana is using Terrashape on bushes as she will become invisible. Both Cleanse, Barrier and Exhaust are good options in this scenario - and it's played very similar to the Fizz matchup. Weave auto-attacks between Twin Fang to apply pressure in the first three levels as you can easily distance yourself away from Edge of Ixtal. If she jumps on you with Audacity throwing Miasma beneath you is a good way to ensure your Noxious Blast will hit.
I would recommend picking up a Seeker's Armguard in this matchup to ensure you can survive her burst combo when she has access to Supreme Display of Talent. As Cassiopeia you want to tether Qiyana as best as you can, and negate her all-in pressure with Miasma. Stay away from walls, and sit central in lane.


4
/10 Renekton, the Butcher of the Sands
I personally like the Renekton matchup. Keep distance once he has built his rage up and looks to use Cull the Meek. Save Miasma for when he uses Slice and Dice through minion waves to deny his second charge. Similar to other melee matchups, weave auto-attacks between Twin Fang to stack Conqueror, enabling you to sustain in lane.
I hold my Petrifying Gaze until I absolutely need to use it. I often find that Renekton, if poked down enough, can be killed without using your ultimate and so I roam to sidelanes in this matchup and use it to facilitate their lead. Ignite or Exhaust in this matchup are good options dependent on how comfortable you are. There should be no need to buy Seeker's Armguard if you play the lane correctly. Go for Lost Chapter into Liandry's Torment.


6
/10 Rumble, the Mechanized Menace
Rumble can become quite oppressive in lane, especially when he lands one of his Electro-Harpoon in order to slow you, as he can follow this up with Scrap Shield to speed himself up and then use Flamespitter in conjuction with Ignite to burn Cassiopeia into ash. It's likely Rumble should level up Electro-Harpoon at Level 1 to help secure minions, and then Flamespitter at Level 2. Keep your distance and tether him until you have more mana for extended trades as you will lose early against Electrocute and Ignite.
Opt for the Doran's Ring start with two Health Potion's so that you can sustain through any trades Rumble goes for. Assuming you can tether correctly you should be okay in this lane - ask for Jungle assistance if possible and look to match his roams, as Rumble's The Equalizer is great for sidelane ganks.


3
/10 Ryze, the Rune Mage
This is one of Cassiopeia's best matchups in my opinion - your Miasma slows Ryze and makes landing Noxious Blast a lot easier to hit. Ryze relies on his movement speed boost to pull off a quick burst combo and then escape from the fight, usually with Phase Rush and his passive proc. As Ryze has to face towards you during his combination, let him use Spell Flux before a fight, and when he looks to use Rune Prison you can counter with Petrifying Gaze as he should be looking towards you at this point.
Build standard towards Liandry's Torment and start with Tear of the Goddess as Ryze will more than likely start with this item also, so it's good to keep up with the same scaling. Capitalise on your early pressure in this matchup and distance yourself from minions whilst he looks to spread Spell Flux and following with a quick Overload.


1
/10 Seraphine, the Starry-Eyed Songstress
Since the release of Seraphine I don't believe she has had particularly great feedback. There are very few people who're able to play her to her full potential, and even then, she doesn't put out as much pressure as other Mid Laners (in my personal opinion). Her abilities High Note and Beat Drop are slow moving and easy to dodge, making her poke minimal if you're tethering her properly and keeping distance from the minion waves she'll be wanting to clear. As long as you keep your river warded and hug towards your Jungler you should breeze through this lane, so opt for an early Dark Seal and look to use Petrifying Gaze when she casts Encore as she'll be facing towards you for a short duration - just ensure you're within range, as her ult can be cast outside of Petrifying Gaze (you may need to R+ Flash).
This is an example of when Luden's Tempest may be a good choice, dependent on whether or not they have a lot of frontline on their team. If they're all relatively squishy then you can get away with building this item, otherwise go for Liandry's Torment. Be sure to buy Demonic Embrace so that one Noxious Blast is going to take 30-50% of Seraphine's HP.


2
/10 Sett, the Boss
The Sett matchup is alike that of Aatrox, and by that I mean its linear - it should be predictabble what Sett wants to do in every stage of the laning phase. Often Sett will step out of vision if he has taken Hextech Flashtraption and Nimbus Cloak so that he can surprise you and set up an easy gank with the slow from Facebreaker and chasing you down with Phase Rush. Position yourself in the middle of the lane and weave auto-attacks between Twin Fang to stack Conqueror and tether him so that you're out of Facebreaker range.
If Sett has Flash and The Show Stopper available, looking as though he wants to all-in, expect him to use Facebreaker first and then Flash behind you to then use The Show Stopper towards his own tower and/or team. Ensure you hold Petrifying Gaze for this combo as it's fairly predictable. Build standard towards Liandry's Torment first.


3
/10 Swain, the Noxian Grand General
I am a huge fan of the Swain matchup. With Conqueror stacked you will outsustain his damage. Paired with Ignite you should easily win every 1v1. Nevermove is a slow moving ability and relatively easy to bait, so use the window whilst it's on cooldown to trade with Noxious Blast and Twin Fang. You should look to use Petrifying Gaze if and when he hits you with Nevermove, as you can slow down his combo.
Start with Tear of the Goddess and stack your mana early - you don't need the added sustain from Doran's Ring or Doran's Shield. Build towards Liandry's Torment and then into Rylai's Crystal Scepter to capitalise on his low mobility.


4
/10 Sylas, the Unshackled
Quite possibly one of my favourite matchups, Sylas doesn't pose as much of a risk to you, as he might for your team after stealing Petrifying Gaze post-level 6. I would opt for Ignite and punish earlier weaving auto-attacks between Twin Fang and stacking Conqueror. With an early Tear of the Goddess you may even be able to get a solo kill at Level 2/3 dependent on how many auto-attacks you're able to land.
Your Miasma won't stop the second part of Abscond / Abduct and so trying to deny him mobility can be quite tricky. If you're able to land Petrifying Gaze, follow it up with an immediate Miasma before Noxious Blast and Twin Fang. Build standard towards Liandry's Torment and Rylai's Crystal Scepter to give you additional self-peel.


9
/10 Syndra, the Dark Sovereign
Syndra has been known to be a tough matchup for Cassiopeia due to her having a significant range advantage on her abilities, and easy poke with Dark Sphere in lane. I would opt for Barrier and Doran's Ring start, stepping up for minions, but hovering close to low health ally minions to bait out Dark Sphere. The mana cost for this ability is quite low, but a bad Syndra will use too much mana in the early laning phase to establish dominance.
Thankfully though, alike Cassiopeia, Syndra lacks mobility and is therefore vulnerable to ganks. Save your Miasma for when you're able to close the gap or to support your Jungler, and capitalise on the window when Scatter the Weak is on cooldown. Standard build path in this matchup with an early Zhonya's Hourglass.


5
/10 Taliyah, the Stoneweaver
The Taliyah matchup isn't a common one to see nowadays, as she is mostly played as a Jungler, however I felt it was beneficial to understand how to play against her from Cassiopeia's perspective. Whilst channeling Threaded Volley, Taliyah is forced to face in that direction, giving you plenty of opportunities to land Petrifying Gaze, even if you needed to Flash to close the distance. As Taliyah steps forward to trade, always walk towards her as she will case Seismic Shove 95% of the time in the direction she expects you to run away. Pathing towards her should help avoid this knock-up.
I would opt for Ignite and go for the standard Tear of the Goddess start, as you're able to sit behind minions and stack early mana. At Level 3/4 when you have access to Miasma, wait until she is in a vulnerable spot or expends either Seismic Shove or Unraveled Earth to clear the wave, and use that opportunity to look for a solo kill.


4
/10 Talon, the Blade's Shadow
Similarly to Katarina players, you'll usually only see Talon if it's an OTP (one-trick-pony), so tread with caution in this matchup, but not too much. I would opt for either Exhaust, Barrier, or Ignite dependent on your experience with Cassiopeia - for the more experienced, opt for Ignite for lane pressure, which will allow you to bully him under tower and prevent a lot of his roaming potential.
Position yourself to the side of minion waves, not behind them so that he has to choose between poking you or farming minions when casting Rake in lane. Be proactive with your sidelane pings as Talon will look to roam a lot - it's then your teams responsibility to position accordingly, as Cassiopeia can't be expected to match the roams. Build an early Seeker's Armguard and then into a standard build path of Liandry's Torment.


6
/10 Tristana, the Yordle Gunner
I would recommend starting with Doran's Shield and focused towards getting Seeker's Armguard as soon as possible. Similar to the Lucian matchup, or most ADC matchups, it can be very oppressive in the early laning phase, as they'll look to proc Press the Attack at every opportunity. Tether Tristana as best you can, and focus on last hitting minions. Take Barrier or Exhaust dependent on the rest of their team comp.
Your build path is otherwise standard. Liandry's Torment into Rylai's Crystal Scepter. Try your best to use Miasma when negating Tristana's reset from Rocket Jump and Explosive Charge.


6
/10 Twisted Fate, the Card Master
This isn't a particularly difficult matchup, however the pace is usually quite slow. Twisted Fate is known for a controlling playstyle, waiting for level 6 and access to Destiny to influence sidelanes. Take Cleanse if their Jungler also has a form of hard CC like Elise, Shaco, Nunu & Willump etc. otherwise I would recommend Teleport to assist you in matching some of Twisted Fate's roams.
Twisted Fate is also fairly immobile so utilise the slow from Miasma and the speed-up from landing Noxious Blast to close to distance and stack Conqueror - Cassiopeia will win isolated 1v1 extended trades, so if you know where the enemy Jungler is, don't be afraid to step up.


2
/10 Varus, the Arrow of Retribution
Aside from the fact Varus can outrange you with Piercing Arrow this matchup heavily favours Cassiopeia in my opinion. You have an easy setup for Petrifying Gaze whenever he looks to use Piercing Arrow or Chain of Corruption as he'll be facing towards you for a window of time, and his immobility makes him vulnerable to Miasma and ganks.
Take an early Tear of the Goddess and stack your mana on minions during the first 3-4 levels, and opt for either Ignite or Teleport for further lane dominance. Build standard into Liandry's Torment and then into Rylai's Crystal Scepter to slow him down even more.


5
/10 Veigar, the Tiny Master of Evil
The Veigar matchup, aka. Farming Simulator 2021 is fairly boring. If he steps forward or drops Event Horizon there is a good chance you're getting ganked. Barrier, Cleanse and Exhaust are all viable options, dependent of course on their Jungler and the remaining team comp, but I would personally opt for either Barrier or even Teleport if the rest of the enemy team doesn't pose much of a threat.
Conserve your mana for potential extended trades whilst stuck inside Event Horizon and try your best to dodge both Baleful Strike and Dark Matter when cast in your direction / on your position. An early Null-Magic Mantle may be required to negate some of his burst at level 6 with Primordial Burst but that depends on whether you get an early lead and can snowball or not.


9
/10 Vel'Koz, the Eye of the Void
Quite possibly one of the most frustrating matchups for Cassiopeia as you'll be outranged and forced to constantly move in and out of abilities, with Plasma Fission, Void Rift and Tectonic Disruption becoming a mini-game within laning phase. However, wait until Vel'Koz uses Life Form Disintegration Ray and cast Petrifying Gaze or Flash+ Petrifying Gaze if you need to close the gap, and follow this up with Miasma and Noxious Blast. Path to either side to avoid the predicted Tectonic Disruption and chase him down.
I would opt for an early Doran's Ring instead of Tear of the Goddess and only look for extended trades once you have a bit more HP and can sustain effectively. As long as you're dodging Tectonic Disruption you should be fine, as this is Vel'Koz's setup for the rest of the combo. Barrier should help negate a lot of this pressure.


7
/10 Viktor, the Machine Herald
People often forget about Viktor's oppression and early damage in laning phase, and I would strongly suggest you respect him, at the very least for the first 3 levels. Thereafter, you can pull off more extended trades and out-sustain with stacked Conqueror and the healing from Twin Fang, Ravenous Hunter and Taste of Blood. I would build Tear of the Goddess to stack mana early and allowing you to take an extended trade pre-6, and then building an early Null-Magic Mantle upon your first or second recall to negate the burst with Chaos Storm and Death Ray post-6.
Viktor is relatively immobile, when hasn't had the chance to proc Phase Rush thus making him an easy target with Miasma and your Jungler to follow up with some form of hard CC. I would opt for Barrier or Teleport in this matchup.


5
/10 Vladimir, the Crimson Reaper
Vladimir is one of my favourite matchups to play against. Take Ignite every time, weave auto-attacks between Twin Fang during the early laning phase, and stack Conqueror whenever possible. Once you have enough mana stacked from Tear of the Goddess you will easily out-sustain an extended trade pre-6. Remember that your poison from Noxious Blast, Miasma, the DoT from Liandry's Torment and Ignite will all continue doing damage whilst Vladimir uses Sanguine Pool, so he can't use that as a damage mitigation tool, unless used to dodge Petrifying Gaze.
Standard build path here going into Demonic Embrace instead of Rylai's Crystal Scepter to increase burn damage, and play hyper-aggressive between cooldown windows.


3
/10 Wukong, the Monkey King
This is another linear matchup, and should be simple if played correctly to Cassiopeia's strengths. When Wukong uses Nimbus Strike to jump on you, throw Noxious Blast at your feet - if Wukong then tries to use Warrior Trickster, you will be able to see the invisible version as the poison is doing damage, negating the need to purchase Oracle Lens. This is also a great way to see whether or not Wukong has actually used Warrior Trickster as the clone will not be taking poison damage. Take Ignite or Exhaust, build Tear of the Goddess first and pressure heavily in the early stages.
Standard build path includes Liandry's Torment into Rylai's Crystal Scepter followed by Zhonya's Hourglass to counter Cyclone during Wukong's all-in. Tether him at max range and you should have an easy laning phase.


9
/10 Xerath, the Magus Ascendant
Xerath falls into the same category as Orianna, Syndra and Vel'Koz, in terms of range and oppression. I would recommend taking Barrier or Teleport in this matchup and focus purely on farming until you hit Level 6. When Xerath charges Arcanopulse and faces towards you, you have a window to Flash+ Petrifying Gaze as an opener, which should buy you enough time to get a solo kill, assuming you sidestep Shocking Orb, or he doesn't have enough mana to cast it.
Focus on your sidelanes predominantly in this matchup - shove wave and roam, rinse and repeat. Xerath will be able to answer by using Rite of the Arcane but unless you have Flash and your ultimate, or Xerath walks too close, you're not likely to get many solo kills, and thus your attention should be on snowballing your teammates. Fortunately Xerath is immobile so if your Jungler and Support
can roam, it should be relatively easy to kill him.


5
/10 Yasuo, the Unforgiven
Yasuo tends to be a very coinflip matchup, and dependent on how skilled they are on the Champion, they usually outplay themselves and die due to their lack of understanding. For a player that knows how to play the early laning phase on Yasuo against Cassiopeia, try your best to weave auto-attacks between Twin Fang and getting rid of his passive shield whenever possible. Otherwise, tether him, and avoid standing in the middle of a minion wave, otherwise you will struggle hitting Noxious Blast as he uses Sweeping Blade to dash around you.
Take Exhaust or Ignite dependent on your confidence and build an early Seeker's Armguard, otherwise the build should be standard. As soon as you have access to Miasma you can easily ground him and win extended trades. Remember you can use Noxious Blast on the other side of Wind Wall to hit his shield, or secure minions if needed.


6
/10 Yone, the Unforgotten
Yone is a very obnoxious Champion, however there are things you can do to minimise the amount of pressure and/or priority during the early laning phase. Tether Yone at distance during the third charge of Mortal Steel, and throw Noxious Blast in front of him so that he dashes into your Q. Your Miasma will stop Yone being able to return using Soul Unbound, so use this when he dashes towards you.
I would recommend taking either Exhaust or Ignite in this matchup, dependent on your confidence and the rest of the enemy team comp. Build an early Seeker's Armguard to negate some of his burst damage, otherwise go for Liandry's Torment into Rylai's Crystal Scepter and then itemise according to what you need in that game. Stack your Conqueror using auto-attacks when Yone moves up to last hit minions, as this will help you heal during trades.


7
/10 Zed, the Master of Shadows
At level 1 you can establish a lot of dominance against Zed by weaving auto-attacks between Twin Fang, after purchasing Tear of the Goddess, and dodging Razor Shuriken - if you step up and bully him so early into the laning phase, it asserts pressure and shows that you're not afraid to take risks. When Zed has access to Living Shadow you need to be careful of the Electrocute procs, and double Razor Shuriken > auto-attack combo. Tether Zed as best you can, stand to the side of minion waves so that he has to choose a priority between last hitting the minions or poking you with Q.
I would recommend taking Exhaust or Ignite, similarly to the Yone and Yasuo matchups - build exactly the same, with an early Seeker's Armguard into the standard approach. Having that extra HP from Rylai's Crystal Scepter and armor from Seeker's Armguard should be enough to sustain an extended trade. When Zed uses Death Mark, throw Miasma at your feet and stand on the edge, facing away from it - as Zed appears behind you, this means he will land in the Miasma and you can lock him down.


7
/10 Ziggs, the Hexplosives Expert
Ziggs has very low mana costs and can poke you quite heavily. However, by standing close to low HP minions or near the caster minions, you can bait Bouncing Bomb fairly easily, giving you a window to close the gap. I would recommend taking Barrier to negate damage from Mega Inferno Bomb if he tries to finish you, or Teleport to influence sidelanes. Unless you have Jungle pressure, or Ziggs steps out of position and gets too close, there should be few opportunities to get solo kills, so you're better snowballing other lanes.
Take Doran's Ring to start, and getting an early Null-Magic Mantle on your first or second back may be advantageous, allowing you to run through Hexplosive Minefield and close the gap to Ziggs. When Satchel Charge is on cooldown, Ziggs is very vulnerable so use this to your advantage.


4
/10 Zilean, the Chronokeeper
Time Bomb can sometimes be quite tough to dodge, as the hitbox is fairly deceptive, however most Zilean players make it obvious when they're wanting to throw Time Bomb in your direction. Distance yourself away from minion waves at level 2 onwards, in case he throws a double Time Bomb and catches you in the stun. I recommend taking either Cleanse or Teleport in this matchup, as the slow from Time Warp is super annoying, especially during a gank, or if you're chasing Zilean down for a kill.
I would take Doran's Ring to start off with, and then focus on getting Lost Chapter as soon as possible to ensure you're winning extended trades. Cassiopeia should have a relatively easy time in this matchup if you tether Zilean at distance and focus on farming for your item spikes. Liandry's Torment or Luden's Tempest are both viable options in this matchup.


5
/10 Zoe, the Aspect of Twilight
Unless you're smurfing in an elo a lot lower than your own, opt for Cleanse instead of Ignite as it's great to remove Sleepy Trouble Bubble, Ignite and Exhaust from Zoe during a trade. Position yourself behind minions, far enough back so that Paddle Star splash damage doesn't hit you as well, and so that Zoe doesn't have a direct target wit Sleepy Trouble Bubble before level 6.
After level 6, focus on throwing your Miasma to the return location of Portal Jump and follow that up with Petrifying Gaze as she will return facing the same direction as to when she jumped towards you. Stack Conqueror as much as you can, and utilise windows of opportunity when Sleepy Trouble Bubble is on cooldown as that is when Zoe is most vulnerable. Purchase an early Tear of the Goddess and stack mana early for extended trades.


3
/10 Zyra, Rise of the Thorns
Zyra and her damage output, predominantly form her plants, deserves a lot more respect that what's usually given. However, after Grasping Roots is on cooldown pre-6, she's an open target an incredibly vulnerable. Zyra's lack of mobility makes her an easy matchup for Cassiopeia, having movement speed from Noxious Blast and the ability to slow with both Miasma and Petrifying Gaze (if Zyra was turned away). Take Ignite for early snowball potential, or Barrier for a more scale-focused gameplan.
The build here should be standard, with Liandry's Torment and Luden's Tempest both being viable, and Rylai's Crystal Scepter making it even easier to close the distance between you and Zyra. You may need to build towards Zhonya's Hourglass dependent on the enemy team comp, as the knock-up from Stranglethorns seems to last an eternity, and you'll be left vulnerable for a short while.
01/01/2021 - Published Guide
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