Elise

Elise occupies two champions in a single slot. In human form she is a ranged mage who sieges from 550 range, powered by mana-based spells. Her ultimate, Spider Form, gives up that reach in exchange for movespeed, a swarm of Spiderlings, and an entirely separate melee moveset. Rated 9 for difficulty, she demands that the player keep two cooldown rotations in mind simultaneously and recognize precisely when each form is the better choice.

The standard sequence begins in human form. Neurotoxin deals damage scaled to the target’s current health, so it works well as an opener, and Cocoon stuns the first enemy it hits, opening the window she depends on. Each ability that lands stores a dormant Spiderling via her Spider Queen passive. Next she transforms. Venomous Bite lunges and grows stronger as the target’s health drops, the reverse of Neurotoxin, while Skittering Frenzy hastens her entire spider swarm and lets her spider-form attacks heal her.

Rappel is the kit’s escape and showpiece play. Elise and her Spiderlings rise into the air, then drop onto a target, which lets her sidestep key abilities or leap across obstacles. It explains why she plays so slippery even though she spends much of the game as a melee assassin.

In the mid lane she gets the most out of the stun-into-burst combo and strong one-on-one duels once her Spiderlings have built up. Her weaknesses are built into the design: she has no genuine ultimate damage boost, because her R slot is the transformation itself, and her fights hinge on successfully landing Cocoon. Elise suits players who like layered kits, quick switching between forms, and finishing off targets whose remaining health signals which form to pick.