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Ezreal Build Guide by Xathaneal

AP Carry AP Ezreal - Fear the Blue Banana!

AP Carry AP Ezreal - Fear the Blue Banana!

Updated on January 23, 2014
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League of Legends Build Guide Author Xathaneal Build Guide By Xathaneal 18 2 1,137,981 Views 35 Comments
18 2 1,137,981 Views 35 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Xathaneal Ezreal Build Guide By Xathaneal Updated on January 23, 2014
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Choose Champion Build:

  • LoL Champion: Ezreal
  • LoL Champion: Ezreal

~Introduction~

This is my first guide so please forgive me if there are any coding or spelling/grammar errors I may have missed. Any and all feedback is appreciated, thank you in advance for taking the time to read this guide ^_^ This is a guide on how I feel AP Ezreal should be played. I plan on constantly updating it and trying my best to make it be as in-depth and helpful as I can make it. Thanks to Searz for the awesome guide format! You can find it here. Also thanks to JhoiJhoi for her amazing guide on how to use BBCode, among many other things. Her great guide can be found here.

Mouse-over any abilities or spells to see their tooltip
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~Short Hand/Abbreviations~

I feel that the terms I use are fairly common and most players should/would know what they mean, but I'll put this here in case there are any new players.

AP: Ability Power
AD: Attack Damage
AoE: Area of Effect
APC: AP/Ability Power Carry
CDR: Cooldown Reduction
Mpen/Magic Pen: Magic Penetration
AA/AA'ing: Auto Attack/Auto Attacking
Quint(s): Quintessence(s)
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~Masteries~



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~Summoner Spells~


Ignite
A good spell to use on champions like Dr. Mundo or Volibear to halve their healing done. Also great to use if you used all your skills and need something to finish off the enemy and you've already used the passive from your Lich Bane



Flash
Great for escaping sticky situations where you may have used your Arcane Shift to initiate or you need a double jump to get to safety.



Ghost
Not a spell I usually pick up, as I feel Flash is almost always a better fit, but still worth mentioning as a viable option.
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~Runes~

Main Runes

Greater Mark of Magic Penetration
Flat Mpen runes, standard for any APC. The extra Mpen in early game gives quite a large extra chunk of damage.

Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration
I feel these are a necessity on AP Ezreal because he is very mana hungry early game. the reason I do not get Greater Seal of Mana Regeneration is because Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration surpasses the amount of mana regen given by level 7, making the scaling mana regen runes a better choice.

Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power
Another standard choice for any APC. The reason I do not get Greater Glyph of Ability Power is beacuse Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power surpasses the amount of AP given by level 7, making the scaling runes to be a much better choice.

2 Greater Quintessence of Ability Power + 1 Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed
Instead of going the traditional route of 3 Greater Quintessence of Ability Power, I feel it is great to use a Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed instead of a third Greater Quintessence of Ability Power. I personally find the extra 1.5% movement speed to be incredibly helpful while still keeping that extra chunk of AP at the start of the match. The extra few points of movement speed can save your life when you're being chased down and your Arcane Shift and Flash are on cooldown, giving you enough extra movement to get under your turret and escape.


Other Rune Choices


Greater Quintessence of Ability Power
If you do not agree with my choice of 2 Greater Quintessence of Ability Power and 1 Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed, you can always go the more traditional route of 3 Greater Quintessence of Ability Power.
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~Your Abilities and How to Use Them~





Rising Spell Force (Passive)

This ability makes Ezreal viable as both an ADC and an APC. Very useful for pushing towers and making the active on Lich Bane easier to use.

Tips and Tricks:
  • Try keeping the stacks to 5 while pushing lanes to help you destroy enemy structures faster.



Mystic Shot

This ability doesn't have much use on AP Ezreal during the early game outside of using it to farm or keep your stacks of Rising Spell Force at 5 for tower pushing and things like that, although it should still be used in your combo. However, the later into the game you get, the more useful this ability gets. With the procs off of Lich Bane during the late game along with how Mystic Shot applies on-hit effects, the damage can be rather devastating if used correctly.

Tips and tricks:



Essence Flux

This is AP Ezreal's main source of damage. It scales entirely off of AP and does a fairly large chunk of damage once you have a good amount of AP.

Tips and tricks:
  • This ability is great for harassing the enemy during early game, due to it's long range.
  • Make sure to use Essence Flux during your combo.



Arcane Shift

This your second main source of damage, it's great for closing gaps and chasing fleeing enemies. Does a fairly good amount of damage once you have a decent amount of AP.

Tips and tricks:
  • A great way to burst and run, starting with this and unleashing your full combo should kill the enemy if it isn't a tank. If the enemy is still alive, use ignite on them, if that fails you can always fall back on your flash to escape.
  • Amazing tool for escaping, also fun for parkour-ing around the map as you constantly jump walls.
  • Great for checking bushes or seeking out invisible enemies as the bolt seeks out the closest enemy unit. Very fun to find a stealth teemo in bushes and kill him while he's waiting for you to run away.



Trueshot Barrage

One of the ult's that everyone loves when they're on your team, while hating and fearing it when faced with it as an enemy. It's cross-map capabilities are amazing once you have mastered the ability of aiming it at a moving target. End game it can do around 1300 damage (before resistances and assuming you have 750 AP). Quite the amazing ability on an AP Ezreal

Tips and tricks:
  • Great for helping your team from across the map if they get ganked or a team fight starts and you know you won't get there in time.
  • Amazing way of finishing off enemies after bursting them down with your combo.
  • Very good tool for picking up multi-kills, quite easy to do in team fights after you burst down the enemy team.
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~Combo'ing Your Abilities~

The secret behind the success of a good AP Ezreal is being able to burst/combo your abilities in a short period of time to burst the enemy down and deal massive damage. The order that you do the abilities in makes all the difference, especially in actually landing them on the enemy's face rather than missing. You will want to initiate with Arcane Shift (Now remember, this is only for single target, I am NOT telling you to inititate a team fight), then follow up immediately with Essence Flux, then lastly your Mystic Shot. The order of these spells each have a longer range than the one before it, meaning, that if the target is fleeing, there is still a great chance of the spells hitting your retreating opponent. If the enemy has low enough health after you burst them down with your combo, you should immediately start charging your Trueshot Barrage to finish them off and get the easy kill.
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~Skill Sequence~


> > >


Essence Flux is your main source of damage, and so it should be maxed first to maximize your damage in both early and late game.

Arcane Shift is your second main source of damage and is also great for escaping, it should be maxed second.

Mystic Shot should be maxed last, as it does very minimal damage is only really used to kill minions, finish off your combo, and to keep your stacks of Rising Spell Force at 5.

Trueshot Barrage should be upgraded at the earliest levels possible, those being, 6, 11, and 16.
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~The Two Builds~

Build 1


Recommended build 1 sequence:

Item Sequence

Health Potion 50
Health Potion 50
Health Potion 50
Health Potion 50
Warding Totem Removed 0
Sheen 700
Sorcerer's Shoes 1100
Needlessly Large Rod 1250
Rabadon's Deathcap 3600
Enchantment: Alacrity 450
Blasting Wand 850
Lich Bane 3100
Giant's Belt 900
Rylai's Crystal Scepter 2600
Needlessly Large Rod 1250
Deathfire Grasp 3100
Blasting Wand 850
Void Staff 3000



Build 2


Recommended build 2 sequence:

Item Sequence

Health Potion 50
Health Potion 50
Health Potion 50
Health Potion 50
Warding Totem Removed 0
Chalice of Harmony 800
Sorcerer's Shoes 1100
Needlessly Large Rod 1250
Rabadon's Deathcap 3600
Enchantment: Alacrity 450
Sheen 700
Blasting Wand 850
Lich Bane 3100
Fiendish Codex 900
Athene's Unholy Grail 2250
Giant's Belt 900
Blasting Wand 850
Rylai's Crystal Scepter 2600
Blasting Wand 850
Abyssal Mask 2400




Build 1 focuses on AP sooner, only getting a Sheen before continuing the build without getting the extra item of Chalice of Harmony.

Build 2 gives more mana regen which is something every AP Ezreal needs, so I extremely suggest using the second build if you do not have mana regen runes or are not accustomed to having to conserve your mana on AP Ezreal. Recently I have changed build 2 to get a Chalice of Harmony while waiting to get a Sheen until after you upgrade your Sorcerer's Shoes. Thanks to the suggestion by Retribution, leading me to do further testing and helping me better my guide.

Void Staff and Abyssal Mask are not specific to build 1 or 2, please check alternative items to know when to choose Void Staff and when to choose Abyssal Mask
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~Starting Items~

+ 4 +
Boots of Speed + 4 Health Potions + Warding Totem
These starting items, in my opinion, are the best items to start the game with. Movement speed, health potions, and a trinket, the best combination that gold can get you at the start of a match..


+ 2 +
Sapphire Crystal + 2 Health Potions + Warding Totem
In my opinion, your gold would be better spent on Boots, three Health Potions, and a Stealth Ward. For a new Ezreal player, this is a viable option so you have a bit more mana to use at the start of the match, but otherwise I would suggest the original starting items.
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~Core Items~


Sorcerer's Shoes
Sorcerer's Shoes, obviously a necessary item for any AP champion.


Rabadon's Deathcap
Another necessary item on any true APC, not much to explain here.


Lich Bane
A great item for AP Ezreal. I feel that this extremely good synergy with the masteries and other abilities specified in the build. Things like Arcane Blade and Rylai's Crystal Scepter allow Ezreal to slow the enemy and AA to deal magic damage from both his masteries and the passive from Lich Bane


Rylai's Crystal Scepter
Amazing item for AP Ezreal. This item gives him health he so desperately needs to survive in late game, and causes all of his spells to slow the enemy, giving you time to AA them after triggering the passive from Lich Bane.
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~Alternate Items~

There are a few items that were not listed in the build and should be used only under certain circumstances.

Abyssal Mask : This is an alternative item for Void Staff if the enemy team doesn't realize the threat you may be to their safety or simply do not know when or how to build magic resist. The way to find out if you should get an Abyssal Mask on Ezreal over a Void Staff is this. Check the magic resistance on each enemy champion to see what it is, once you find this number you need to subtract the magic pen from your boots and runes, and then 8% magic pen from your masteries. If the magic resistance left on the enemy is roughly 55 or less on all (58 to be exact), or at least the majority of the enemy team, then you should get an Abyssal Mask. The reason for doing this math to find out their resistances after your masteries is because Void Staff gives you 35% magic pen, meaning that if you were to focus on lowering a single champion's resistance, the tipping point of when to buy a Void Staff would be if they have 57 magic resist. Abyssal Mask only removes 20 magic resist, and the point where the 35% penetration from Void Staff is more than 20, is when an enemy champion has 57 or more magic resist. If they have more than 57 magic resistance, then Void Staff will give you more than 20 magic pen, making it the superior choice and why you should only get Abyssal Mask under specific circumstances. Another set of circumstances that I have had pointed out to me is when you are faced with an enemy in mid who is superior in some way. It could be LeBlanc or Veigar's burst, or it could be a pesky Kassadin that's giving you trouble and not letting you farm. Buying a Negatron Cloak early in the match which you can then build into an Abyssal Mask after your Rabadon's Deathcap is always a great way to try and deny the enemy APC from bursting down your health before you get more sustain from a Rylai's Crystal Scepter or any other source you may choose. You can always replace Abyssal Mask later in the game for a Void Staff if the enemy team has more magic resist than an Abyssal Mask can reduce, as I stated above. Thanks to Chu_Chu_Jelly for the tip on how to better this section of my guide.


Hextech Gunblade : This item was listed in one of the previous two builds that were removed but I feel that it is still worth mentioning as an alternate item. Ezreal is a burst champion and the healing received from the damage he does is more than enough to keep him alive after combat without having to return to base, which would leave your team vulnerable without one of their carry's. The argument I see the most around this item on APC's like Ezreal is whether to get Hextech Gunblade or Will of the Ancients. Personally I feel the choice between the two comes down mostly to how you play Ezreal. If you have Lich Bane in your build, then I feel Hextech Gunblade is the right item. Due to your AA's that you're doing to take advantage of the passive from your Lich Bane, it is a better option. Hextech Gunblade has the same amount of Spell vamp as Will of the Ancients, with extra AD for attacking turrets, and lifesteal for gaining back health in between fights when you're clearing minions or even clearing small jungle camps. If you choose to get Hextech Gunblade, I suggest replacing either your Deathfire Grasp, Athene's Unholy Grail, or Rylai's Crystal Scepter. Do not get Hextech Gunblade unless you have Lich Bane in your build as well.


Liandry's Torment : I feel this item has become a better option on champions like Malzahar, Teemo, or Singed. Liandry's Torment can still be used as a good item if you're laning against a champion with a large amount of magic resist or damage reduction, especially champions like Galio, who stack magic resist (Because of his passive Runic Skin), and Gragas (because of his ability Drunken Rage). Liandry's Torment has a fairly good synergy with Ezreal -if- you buy Rylai's Crystal Scepter because it causes his spells to slow, which in turn allows Liandry's Torment to deal twice it's usual damage. If you decide to build a Liandry's Torment, I suggest replacing either Athene's Unholy Grail, or Deathfire Grasp.


Zhonya's Hourglass : While this item is not part of the main build on most occasions, there would be some situations where it can be a nice replacement item for Deathfire Grasp. With incredibly high AP just like Deathfire Grasp, you can substitute this item for an item with more defense stats, equally large amounts of AP, and a live-saving active to replace a more offensive one. This would usually be a wise decision for a very AD-heavy team, perhaps against an AD mid like Zed, Talon, or the occasional Riven.


Enchantment: Homeguard : This is a good alternative to Enchantment: Alacrity. I feel that both upgrades are viable choices, seeing as how it comes down mostly to personal play-style. My own personal preference on these choices is I tend to get Enchantment: Alacrity if the game is going well, and Enchantment: Homeguard if I find myself more on my team's half of the playing field or while being on the defensive if the game isn't going as well. As I said, the choice between the two mostly comes down to personal preference/play-style.
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~Laning Phase~

AP Ezreal's main weakness is his early game/pre 6. The main thing you need to make AP Ezreal a real threat, is AP, which you're a bit short on until around level 6. You want to make sure to stay behind your minions and avoid skillshots from the enemy as best you can. Try not to spend your mana on minions, making sure that if you use a spell it will hit the enemy and not the empty space to their left or right. Your main priority in the laning phase, even above harassing, is to farm. Farming is Ezreal's other main weakness, as he has no AoE spells, making him one of the weaker farmers in the game, so you need to be sure to last hit minions every chance you can.
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~Team Fights~

AP Ezreal's role in team fights is similar to any APC. You will want to stay as far back as you can while still making sure your abilities hit, making the enemy team have to get through the rest of your team if they want to try and kill you. Try and focus the enemy carry, whether it be AP or AD, and shut it down so their main source of damage is gone. If you have your Trueshot Barrage available, use it as soon as 3 or more of the enemies are stacked together, so you can do the most damage to them.
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~Proof of Success~

To those who may still be skeptical about the viability of this guide, here are a few screenshots of my match history. While they are old, they are still relevant to the guide and show some level of success. I hope and plan to do more testing to show here, but for now, here are just a couple of games as AP Ezreal from the early days of testing my guide.
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~Closing Statement~

Thank you for taking the time to read my guide. I hope I was able to give some insight on how I feel is one of the best ways to play Ezreal to his full potential. If you feel the urge to leave any feedback or tips on how you think I can make this guide any better, feel free to do so in the comments section. Thanks again for your time ^_^
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~Changelog~

12/3/12 - Guide Created
12/4/12 - Changelog added. Updated masteries for Preseason 3
12/5/12 - Added 12 more chapters and turned my build into a full-fledged guide.
12/7/12 - Altered the second build, rearranging the build order slightly.
12/8/12 - Changed the alternative items slightly, updating the description.
1/9/13 - Added Alternative Items section under main build in the cheat sheet area.
1/14/13 - Fixed some errors and did some general maintenance on the guide.
2/3/13 - Updated the Alternate Items section and did some more general maintenance.
3/5/13 - Fixed some wording issues and did some other general maintenance.
1/23/14 - Updated the guide after a long stretch of time where it was neglected. Changes were made for the new season, items were altered, coding was updated, as well as other general maintenance.
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