Laning as Mel: when to trade and when to wait
Wave management and trading windows for Mel, built from its real range, resource and ability costs.
What your range lets you do
550 attack range means Mel wins by not being where the fight is. Spacing is the whole skill, not a detail of it.
Mel is mana-gated, which is the real limit on how often you can contest a wave early.
The costs that decide how often you can contest
Searing Brilliance
Whenever Mel uses an ability, she gains three bonus projectiles (up to nine maximum) on her next attack. When Mel deals damage through an ability or attack, she applies Overwhelm, which can stack infinitely. If the enemy is hit by Mel with enough Overwhelm damage, the stacks are consumed to execute the target.
Radiant Volley
Mel fires a barrage of projectiles that explode around a target location, dealing damage repeatedly to enemies within the area.
Rebuttal
Mel forms a barrier around herself that reflects enemy projectiles back at the attacker, prevents her from taking damage, and grants her movement speed.
Solar Snare
Mel fires a radiant orb forward, rooting those at its center while the area around it slows enemies and deals damage over time.
Golden Eclipse
Mel strikes all enemies marked with Overwhelm regardless of their distance from her, dealing additional damage for each stack of Overwhelm. Ranks of Golden Eclipse increase Overwhelm's damage.
The wave decides the trade
Trades are won by the wave before they are won by the champion. Standing in the larger minion wave means taking chip damage for every second the exchange lasts.
Mel wants to land a cooldown for a burst of damage, then be safe and largely useless until it returns, so the good window is the one where the wave is not helping them and your key cooldown is up.
Recall timing
Backing on a shoved wave is free. Backing on a wave crashing into your own tower costs you the next two minutes. It is the most transferable habit in the game and the one that moves a smurf's MMR fastest.
Riot's own notes on playing Mel
These are the designers' words, not ours — the tips shipped in the client for Mel.
- Mel can reflect enemy projectiles, including powerful spells. Wait until she casts Rebuttal before throwing powerful projectiles her way.
- The more Mel hits you, the more Overwhelm stacks she applies. If your health drops too low her next hit will kill you, so back off for a couple seconds to let the Overwhelm stacks fall off.
What the stat line does between level 1 and 18
| Stat | Level 1 | Level 18 |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 630 | 2313 |
| Attack damage | 54 | 54 |
| Armour | 21 | 109.4 |
| Magic resist | 30 | 52.1 |
Movement speed 330 and attack range 550 do not grow with levels — they are the two numbers that stay true all game.
Full Mel page — abilities, stats and every skin →