Annie ARAM Build and Guide

Updated for patch 26.21. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch; ARAM balance numbers come from the League of Legends Wiki’s champion data.

An Annie ARAM build is a burst-mage path around Pyromania: Luden’s Echo, Shadowflame and Rabadon’s Deathcap make the stunned target disappear before the stun ends. The Howling Abyss trims her a little: 95% damage dealt, 105% damage taken and 90% shielding.

Her patch 26.21 kit decided every item below, from the Mana on the first purchase to the Stasis on the last one. Win-rate tables played no part.

How is Annie changed in ARAM?

Three nerfs, none of them large. Annie deals 95% damage, takes 105% damage, and Molten Shield’s barrier is scaled to 90%. Why trim a champion with a 625 range and no dash? Because of the stun. Pyromania doesn’t care about modifiers: after four spells her next offensive spell still stuns, and in a lane where five enemies stand within one Incinerate cone, a point-and-click area stun is a lot of value. The nerfs make her squishier and shave her burst, but the stun, the thing that makes her scary, stays exactly as it is.

Why does Annie fit the Howling Abyss?

Her kit, straight from Riot’s patch 26.21 data:

• Pyromania (passive): after casting 4 spells, her next offensive spell stuns the target. She starts the game and respawns with it ready.
• Disintegrate (Q): a fireball that damages one target and refunds its Mana cost if the target dies. Cooldown 4.
• Incinerate (W): a cone of fire that damages every enemy inside it. Cooldown 7.
• Molten Shield (E): a shield for Annie or an ally, a burst of Move Speed, and damage to enemies who attack or cast on her. Cooldown 10.
• Summon: Tibbers (R): damages units in an area and brings out Tibbers, who attacks and burns enemies standing near him. Cooldown 130/115/100.

Respawning with Pyromania ready is the ARAM detail that matters most. There is no recall and no base, so every time Annie walks back from the fountain she arrives with a stun loaded, and in a crowded lane that stun lands on several champions at once through Incinerate or Tibbers. Disintegrate’s Mana refund on a kill keeps her stacking spells on minions between fights (four casts, then she’s loaded again). Molten Shield’s Move Speed is her one escape tool, which is thin. Sure, 625 range is short for a mage, but the enemy team can’t spread out on one lane.

What should an Annie ARAM build focus on?

Raw Ability Power and burst, since her job is to delete the stunned target. Four items and boots.

Luden’s Echo opens. Echo fires 6 Echoes on a damaging ability, hitting the target and nearby enemies, and the remaining Echoes fire on the primary target for 20% damage. Tibbers’ landing area or an Incinerate cone triggers it on a group. The 600 Mana solves her early Mana problems, and 10 Ability Haste means Pyromania stacks come back a touch faster.

Shadowflame goes second. Cinderbloom makes her magic damage Critically Strike enemies below 40% Health for 20% more damage, so a target that survives the first Q and W rarely survives the second Q. It also carries 110 Ability Power and 15 Magic Penetration, a tidy fit for a mage with short cooldowns (Disintegrate is back every 4 seconds).

Rabadon’s Deathcap is third, and funny enough it’s the item that turns Annie’s combo from strong into unfair. Magical Opus raises her total Ability Power by 30% on top of the item’s own 130. Every spell scales, Tibbers included.

Zhonya’s Hourglass closes the set. Time Stop is 2.5 seconds of Stasis, which matters for a champion who takes 105% damage and has only Molten Shield’s Move Speed to run with. Tibbers keeps burning enemies near him while she’s frozen. For boots, Sorcerer’s Shoes add 12 Magic Penetration, which stacks with Shadowflame’s and makes her early Disintegrate poke sting against supports with no Magic Resist.

How do you play Annie on the Howling Abyss?

• Stack Pyromania on minions. Four spells, and Disintegrate refunds Mana on a last hit, so the stacks are nearly free.
• Stun with Incinerate or Tibbers, not Disintegrate, when enemies are grouped. The stun applies to everyone the spell hits.
• Keep Tibbers for a fight. Its cooldown is 130 seconds at rank 1, and a wasted bear means a long wait.
• Cast Molten Shield on a diving ally as well as yourself. It damages enemies who hit the shielded target.
• Stand behind the frontline. With 625 range she has to be close, so she needs a body in front of her.

How do shopping and Mark work for Annie?

Nobody recalls on the Howling Abyss. You shop at the fountain at the start and again after each death, so spend the first trip on Luden’s Echo components (the Mana comes first for a reason: four spells per stun drain her early). Nothing in her kit heals, so the health relics along the lane do that job.

Your two spells stay the same for the whole match, chosen before loading. Mark lets her snowball an enemy and dash to them, and for Annie that dash is an engage: snowball, dash, Tibbers with Pyromania ready. Is it risky? Of course (she lands in the middle of five people), but Zhonya’s covers the landing.

Is Annie good in ARAM?

Yes, with a caveat. Her damage is scaled to 95% and she takes 105%, so she’s weaker on paper, but an area stun that respawns ready and a bear that burns a crowded lane are worth more here than on the Rift. The catch is positioning: no dash, short range, and a Pyromania stun she has to spend well.

For who beats her in mid lane, see the Annie counters guide. The LoL roles guide covers what a mid mage is expected to do, item numbers are in the items database, and her cosmetics are on the Annie skins page.

In practice, the Annie ARAM build is Luden’s Echo, Shadowflame, Rabadon’s Deathcap and Zhonya’s Hourglass with Sorcerer’s Shoes, and the plan is one loaded stun on a group followed by Tibbers.

FAQ

Is Annie nerfed in ARAM?

Slightly: damage dealt is 95%, damage taken is 105% and shielding is 90% (Wiki data, patch 26.21).

What items does the Annie ARAM build use?

The core is Luden’s Echo into Shadowflame, then Rabadon’s Deathcap and Zhonya’s Hourglass; boots are Sorcerer’s Shoes.

Does Annie respawn with her stun ready?

Yes. Pyromania is available at the start of the game and after every respawn, so she returns from the fountain with a stun loaded.

Which spell should Annie stun with on the Howling Abyss?

Incinerate or Summon: Tibbers when enemies are grouped, since the stun applies to every enemy the spell hits.

How was this build chosen?

From her patch 26.21 ability text: a burst mage with a point-and-click stun wants Ability Power and Magic Penetration. No match statistics were used.