All Mid Lane Mages in HoK and How to Play?
Playing mages in HoK requires patience, precision, and strategic thinking. After countless hours mastering various mage heroes, I’ve learned that success isn’t just about landing skillshots – it’s about understanding the flow of the game and adapting your playstyle accordingly.
Let me guide you through every phase of the game and share the insights I’ve gained from both victories and defeats while playing Mages.
Updated: The guide was updated on November 23, 2024, as Mi Yue was added to the game.
All Mid Lane Mages in HoK
| Name of Hero | Image |
| Angela |  |
| Da Qiao |  |
| Daji |  |
| Diaochan |  |
| Dr Bian |  |
| Gan and Mo |  |
| Gao |  |
| Heino |  |
| Kongming |  |
| Lady Zhen |  |
| Liang |  |
| Luna |  |
| Mai Shiranui |  |
| Milady |  |
| Mi Yue |  |
| Menki |  |
| Mozi |  |
| Nuwa |  |
| Princess Frost |  |
| Shi |  |
| Shangguan |  |
| Sima Yi |  |
| Xiao Qiao |  |
| Yuhuan |  |
| Zhou Yu |  |
| Ziya |  |
How to Play Mid Lane Mages in HoK?
Early Game: The early game is arguably the most important phase for mage players. Your primary focus should be on farming efficiently while maintaining good lane control. When the match begins, try to reach your lane as soon as possible, as Mages have the shortest lanes in MOBAs. Personally, I prefer going into one of the bushes before poking minions as it gives me the advantage to poke my enemy laner, but if you like to play safe, you can also position yourself behind your minion wave. Remember, each minion matters, as an early gold advantage can snowball into a significant lead. After your first clear, you can take two paths:
- Clear your wave and rotate to your ADC lane to help your ADC or ganks the enemy ADC.
- Rotate towards the top side of the enemy jungle and take the creeps closest to the enemy tower.
Mana management is absolutely critical during these first few minutes. I’ve learned through experience that many new mage players make the mistake of using abilities too freely on minion waves. Instead, try to maintain at least 50% of your mana pool at all times. This reserve ensures you’ll have enough resources to either defend against a gank or capitalize on an enemy mistake. Only use your abilities on minions when you need to quickly push the wave for an objective.
Mid-Game: As you transition into the mid-game, your role becomes more dynamic. With your first major item completed (usually around the 4-6 minute mark), you’ll have your first significant power spike. This is when you should start looking for opportunities to impact other lanes. Before roaming, always push your lane first – this creates pressure and denies your opponent the chance to follow without losing minion waves.
During this period, you need to understand the kind of mage you are playing; if you are playing a high-damage mage with decent mobility, you can be more aggressive, but if you are playing a mage with high cc, your main objective should be to protect your backline or disrupt enemy frontline from diving. Lastly, if you are playing a mage with great damage but low mobility – stay on the backline and try dishing constant damage. Save your crowd control abilities for either protecting yourself from divers or setting up kills on priority targets.
Late Game: By this point, you should be done with your core build, which typically includes items that increase your AP, provide magic penetration, and others, depending on the situation. You should never roam around alone as a mage in the late game (there are a few exceptions), but always remember that you need to stay with your team in the late game.
When it comes to late-game team fights, positioning is everything. Never be the first to enter an area that you don’t have a vision of, and always consider where enemy threats might be hiding. Keep track of key enemy cooldowns, particularly crowd control and engage abilities. Position yourself so that you have at least two escape routes, and always be ready to react to flanking attempts. Lastly, you need to remember that while ADCs traditionally have a higher DPS but, it is mostly single target – while most mages excel in AoE damage hence, it is important for you to stay alive.
Advanced Tricks and Tips for Playing Mages
Mastering mage positioning is what separates good players from great ones. The basic principle is to stay at maximum ability range while maintaining a safe distance from enemy-engaged threats. In team fights, position diagonally from threats rather than directly away – this gives you more options for escape and makes it harder for enemies to land skill shots.
Focus on improving one aspect of your gameplay at a time, whether it’s farming efficiency, positioning, or ability timing. Review your replays to identify mistakes and areas for improvement. Most importantly, don’t get discouraged by setbacks – every great mage player started exactly where you are now. Keep practicing, stay positive, and remember that each game is an opportunity to learn and improve.
