Ahri

Master Tier Champion Guide

Identity

Ahri is characterized as a high-impact, mobile burst mage that serves as one of the best solo queue picks in the game, viable in virtually any team composition. She is an excellent blind pick and a great champion to "one trick". Ahri's identity centers on skirmishing; she is specifically a 2v2 skirmish Champion. Her primary objective is to push mid and group with the jungler to make plays, such as contesting Grubs, invading, or ganking side lanes. Before she completes her first item, Ahri is generally unlikely to secure solo kills or massive lane leads and should focus on performing well in 2v2 and 3v3 engagements.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

High-impact, mobile burst mage
Viable in virtually any team composition
Excellent blind pick
Strong in 2v2 and 3v3 engagements

Weaknesses

Unlikely to secure solo kills or massive lane leads before first item
Reliant on her jungler to make plays
Can be vulnerable to assassins and difficult melee matchups

Laning Phase Strategy

Matchups

Easy Matchups (e.g., Malzahar, Galio)

In these lanes, Ahri should have full wave control. Focus on using high-value Qs that hit both the opponent and the entire wave, and harass the opponent aggressively whenever they walk up to CS. Maintain priority and look for opportunities to roam or assist the jungler, placing vision on the side where the jungler is playing.

Difficult Melee Matchups (e.g., Irelia, Yasuo)

These matchups rely on high sustain and mobility, making Ahri's skill shots hard to land. • Early Game (Pre-3): Punish them in the first few levels before they hit their spikes to build a slight lead. • Post-3 Wave Control: Once they gain strength (Level 3 or later), let the wave come back to your side and keep it frozen. This denies them the space needed to run Ahri down and makes them vulnerable to ganks. • Goal: It is okay to lose some CS, but you must not die and give them a snowballing lead.

Difficult Ranged/Powerful Mages (e.g., Syndra, Viktor)

These are generally not winning 1v1 matchups. • Strategy: The goal is to neutralize the 1v1 and wait for a gank. • Wave Control: Avoid spamming Q on the wave or pushing hard, as this allows the opponent to freeze the wave near their turret, making CS impossible. • Health: Stay as healthy as possible and play for Level 6. Trading damage is often not worth it, as your win condition relies on being healthy enough to influence the map when skirmishes start. • Win Condition: Ahri is much stronger than these champions in early/mid-game skirmishes (Grubs, Dragons). Leads must be generated in these 2v2/3v3 fights to compensate for the losing 1v1 lane.

Mid-Game and Teamfighting

Ultimate Reliance and Role

Ahri is extremely weak without her ultimate (R) and should avoid fighting when it is down.

Default State

In the early game, Ahri’s role is primarily to use her Charm pick potential on valuable targets (Mid/ADC) so someone else can follow up, as she lacks massive damage early.

Scaling Roles

Ahri's role shifts based on who is fed: • Peeler: If the ADC is fed, Ahri should peel for them, Charming assassins or bruisers off her teammates. • Assassin/Flanker: As Ahri gets stronger and acquires items (like Deathcap), she can look for flanks and attempt to assassinate backline targets.

Timing

Look to play aggressively when the opponents waste key cooldowns (like a stun).

Abilities and Combo Execution

Guaranteed Charm

The most important way to ensure Charm hits is to use an R dash toward the enemy to get into melee range immediately before casting E.

E-Flash

You can press E and immediately Flash to extend the range or speed up the initiation, making it harder to dodge. This can be combined with R (R-E-Flash).

Tips & Tricks

Abilities

Ahri’s Q deals true damage on the return path. Be willing to use R or Flash to reposition and guarantee that the Q return orb hits the target for maximum damage.
If Q cannot one-shot the backline, Auto attack each backline minion once before casting Q. This "preps" the wave, ensuring Ahri kills them rather than having allied creeps contest the last hits.

Start with W at Level 1 in almost every lane due to its cheap cost, movement speed, and strong trading potential.

Ahri's strength is highly reliant on guaranteeing her Charm (E).

Use R mainly as a repositioning tool to guarantee other abilities (E or Q2) or to dodge skill shots, rather than just dumping it immediately for damage.