I have 65 Ryze games under my belt in S7 and am currently sitting at a 40% win rate. I'd say about a third of those games was me still learning the champion.

Compared to most if not all of the other champions I play I'd say I struggle the most with:

• Early game mana problems making almost any 1v1 against an equal skill opponent very difficult
• Getting off the correct combo at the right time can be tricky. E+W? W+E? E+E? When to weave in Qs?
• Positioning. While Ryze's Q has a long range, W and E are short-ranged but neccessary abilities to get off any real damage
• Chaotic teamfights can make it difficult to hit Q on your combo targets
• Utility ult. I don't level up my ult until level 10 usually (and again at 11) since it's utterly useless until rank 2. Even then, I use it maybe 2 times each game. Usually alone, since teammates never trust it or know what it does.

In my view, Ryze is a mechanically challenging and position-sensitive champion, with an utility oriented zero-damage ult which requires a lot of coordination to use to its full potential.

However, Ryze has some advantages:

• God-like waveclear mid- to lategame
• Does fine against high-mobility champs such as Yasuo and Katarina
• Excellent kiting and reliable point'n'click CC
• Good ganks at level 11 and beyond