Vex

Vex fills a specific gap among mid-lane mages. She is the go-to anti-mobility champion, a control caster whose kit punishes the dashing assassins and skirmishers that usually hunt squishy spellcasters. Her passive, Doom ‘n Gloom, periodically charges her next basic ability so it fears enemies and cuts off dashes. Whenever a nearby enemy dashes, she also tags them for extra damage, so the more mobile the opposing team is, the more value Vex gets out of the matchup.

Her spell kit is short and dependable. Mistral Bolt is a missile that speeds up in flight, which makes it surprisingly difficult to dodge at range; it serves as both her main poke and her waveclear. Personal Space gives her a shield while it damages nearby enemies, a built-in counter for divers who make it into melee range. Looming Darkness creates a zone that damages and slows enemies and applies Gloom, which sets up her other spells and locks down chokepoints during teamfights. With the passive ready, any of these can become a fear that shuts down an engage.

The resets

Shadow Surge sets the rhythm of her fights. She launches a marking missile at a champion, then can recast to dash through to that target and deal damage. In practice, Vex plays as a burst mage with an execution dash, hopping from one low-health target to the next in a messy fight and finishing off kills.

For a team, she provides reliable anti-dive protection and area control, though her range is modest and she has little escape once her ultimate is committed. Vex suits players who like to counter-attack: wait for the enemy to commit, then make them pay for it.