Ashe Build Guide by poinears

About Ashe

For all of you that are new to playing Ashe, she is a squishy ranged DPS carry that is well suited for initiation, crowd control, and facilitating in enemy chases. Her escape mechanisms are almost nonexistant, and she relies heavily upon protection from her team to survive. Ashe is well suited to team fights, but if built right, can be used almost as an assassin-like striker.

Ashe's Skills

Focus: This passively increases Ashe's critical chance by three percent for every three seconds she is out of battle when at level one. This bonus is increased as levels increase, and by level 18, it is 18% per 3 seconds.


Frost Shot: When toggled on, this applies a slow to all of Ashe's basic attacks at the cost of mana. This can sometimes be used as a getaway mechanism, or to chase down fleeing enemies.


Volley: This fires arrows in a cone in front of Ashe. This is an aimed shot. Also, if you have at least one skill point in Frost Shot, it is applied to all of your Volley shots. This works quite well as an escape mechanism, or to apply slows to multiple targets at once.


Hawkshot: This is a skill shot with a range limitation that reveals all but stealthed units when it flies over. Upon reaching its destination, it explodes, revealing the area of the map for a short period of time. This also passively grants more gold per kill by 1-5 depending on how far levelled it is. For those of you new to Ashe, this does not damage enemies, so it is a waste shooting it at an enemy unless it is to find where they are.


Enchanted Crystal Arrow: This is a skill shot without any form of range limitations. The move itself stuns the first enemy champion it encounters, dealing damage and splashing slows and a smaller amount of damage to those enemies around it, including enemy minions. This is great for multiple purposes: using Enchanted Crystal Arrow as an escape mechanism works quite well. It can also be used to initiate on an enemy team, particularly if a high-priority target is out front, such as Morgana or some other AP or AD carry. The third use is as a skill shot to stop an enemy from fleeing. Shooting it at their back causes a multiple second stun, allowing you and your allies to close in.

About the Build

This build is very well suited to my style of play: a somewhat passive-aggressive early game, a very passive middle game, and a very aggressive late game. Variations can be made to the build to suit different styles of play and different situations.
One of Ashe's main characteristics is her mobility when compared to other champions. Other champions such as Talon have moves that can place them in the middle of a fight, but Ashe is just highly mobile. Use this to your advantage and don't let you enemies do too much damage to you with skill shots. This can also be used to your advantage in landing a few Volley shots as well as getting good lane position and, sometimes, harass with Frost Shot. This build captializes on her already high mobility, giving extra move speed with the two Phantom Dancers and the Trinity Force. This ashe can be used not only as a standard DPS carry, initiator, and CC'er, but also as an assassin-like high-damage single-target elimination machine.

The Build - Full Walkthrough

Start with Boots of Speed. When you go back, finish your Berserker's Greaves.

Once you finish your Berserker's Greaves, go for a Zeal, starting with the dagger. Build what you can when you can until you have a full Zeal.

After you finish one Zeal, build your Infinity Edge, starting with your B.F. Sword, followed by your Pickaxe.

Finish your Infinity Edge, then finish your first Phantom Dancer. Again, build the Dagger, then the Cloak of Agility. Afterwards, immidiately start your second Phantom Dancer, again starting with the Dagger, the Brawler's Gloves, building to Zeal, then the Dagger, followed by the Cloak of Agility, and the finish.

Afterwards, start your third Zeal, then go Phage, starting with your Ruby Crystal. Finish your Trinity Force.

If the game has time, buy a Vampiric Scepter. Build to an Emblem of Valor, and finish Zeke's Herald.

Early Play

This build is very good for a mid. Your early mobility creates many openings for harass. Using Volley for harass is a good option,as you are almost guaranteed a hit. Keep in motion, as you are very squishy, do not use your auto-attack for early harass, and do not use Frost Shot early, as it is a huge mana drain early game. Use Volley early and often, but do not use your Clarity until you reach level 6. Once you have your Enchanted Crystal Arrow, use it to lead into a large damage fight. Toggle on your Frost Shot, and your enemy will usually retreat, recalling if they have taken enough damage. It is OK to wait until later in the game to start this fight, as you need to find a good opportunity to do so. The same applies to an outside lane. Afterwards, farm as much as you can, as you need all the gold you can get.

Middle Game

At this point, the entire game becomes a huge ganking game. Do not run alone, as you do not have much damage output during the middle game. Also, this Ashe is very team dependent and needs protection from enemies in order to create enough damage output to make a large difference, particularly in the early and middle games. During this phase of the game, I usually use my Enchanted Crystal Arrow to initiate ganks and team fights. Since this stuns whoever it hits and slows every enemy unit around it, it works quite well to give your team the upper hand. Afterwards, I use my Volley for the crowd control and the damage. Toggle on Frost Shot when aiming for enemy champions, but do not use it against the minions, as it is just a huge mana drain. If you have another initiator, let them initiate and save your Enchanted Crystal Arrow to stun an enemy champion running away outside of your auto-attack range.
However, you need to be somewhat careful during this phase of the game and later, as you are an AD carry and will be singled out during a team fight.

Late Game

At this point, you should have enough items, particularly your two Phantom Dancers that you could deal large amounts of damage in a short amount of time. Still be careful during team fights and watch for enemies trying to single you out, but you can fight without being quite as conservative. Also your extra mobility from your Phantom Dancers and your Trinity Force will allow you to run faster than most every champion. Use this to your and your team's advantage by putting pressure on your enemies' outside lanes. Still use your Enchanted Crystal Arrow to initiate if necessary, but you should be able to kill certain enemy champions with nothing but Volley and Frost Shot. This will allow you to save your Enchanted Crystal Arrow as an escape mechanism as well.

The Use of Spells

Frost Shot: Use this during middle and late game, as it is useful for running down champions with low health. During middle and late game, each shot will do enough damage that you will almost always be able to kill them before they can get back to their base. However, you need to be careful and watch for potential ganks if your opponents are trying to save their teammate. Also, this can allow other teammates to catch up to whoever you are shooting.


Volley: This is good for early game harass and mid/late game crowd control. This also makes for a good escape mechanism once you get your first Phantom Dancer. For use as an escape mechanism, shoot it at whoever is chasing you, then continue to run.


Hawkshot: This spell is nice to have to scout and for the extra gold. Although the extra gold is nice, it isn't really enough to make that much of a difference in this build. This is good for team ganks and such, but is semi-pointless for this build.


Enchanted Crystal Arrow: This is perfect for initiation in solo and team fights. This will remove one person from the fight for some time, or, in solo fights, allow you to gain the upper hand very quickly. Come the end of the game, you can sometimes kill an enemy champion while they are completely under the influence of the stun. This also makes for a good escape mechanism, stunning one and slowing the rest your pursuers. Do not be afraid to use this as a long-distance skill shot with this build, either to save a teammate, kill an enemy with almost no health, or to help in a gank across the map. This build does not rely on the ult to get kills.

Pros / Cons

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Pros + Very high DPS + Good late-game sustainability + Zeke's Herald - team sustainability + Amazing slow with Frost Shot + Good initiation with Enchanted Crystal Arrow + Everyone loves your late game

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Cons - Very squishy early game - Incredibly expensive build - Singled out as the DPS carry - Very weak to tanks, fighters - Middle game does not do well (usually) - Everyone hates you early and middle game for dying so much

Variations

There are several variations to this build; I always build the same way when I go DPS carry with Ashe - this way, but you may choose to build a little differently. Keep the core the same, but the Zeke's Herald and/or Trinity Force can be exchanged for these:

• The Bloodthirster
• The Black Cleaver
• Executioner's Calling
• Nashor's Tooth - unconventional, but it might work. I haven't personally tried it.

Tricks of the Trade and Matchups

Tricks of the Trade

• You have mobility. USE IT.
• Frost Shot is great for running down enemies at the end of a gank.
• You got hit by Exhaust? Volley.
• Strike and Retreat.
• Don't be afraid to run.
• Spam Volley. It comes off of cooldown every 4 seconds and it does burst damage.

Matchups
Annie: Move early and often. Stay out of range. You win.

Ashe: Meh.

Brand: Avoid his Pillar of Flame. If he doesn't burst you down, you win.

Caitlyn: Constant motion. Avoid her Piltover Peacemaker and you win.

Cassiopeia: Too much AoE damage and not enough single-target damage. You win.

Corki: Haven't seen too many people play him. Can't pass judgement.

Ezreal: Don't try it. He is as mobile as you and does more early game damage.

Fiddlesticks: If you can avoid his drain, you can win.

Graves: A good one will be like Ezreal,but you can destroy a bad one.

Heimerdinger: If you sit back by your turret, you can win this. Don't be aggressive.

Karthus: Avoid his Lay Waste. You win this matchup handily.

Kassadin: Stay back, but be aggressive. You can destroy him with your mobility.

Kennen: I hate him. Go for it, but be wary once he hits level 6.

Kog'Maw: No. Long range+Slow+Ult=DEATH.

LeBlanc: A good one and you get raped by burst damage. A bad one and you win easily.

Lux: Mobility, mobility, mobility. She depends on slows and snares too much.

Malzahar: Don't feed early and you destroy him.

Miss Fortune: Don't try it. Her burst damage is powerful enough to keep you down.

Morgana: Same as Lux. She relies on her snare too much.

Ryze: If they are good, this could go very badly. Otherwise, you win hands down.

Sivir: Only if you can avoid her throw.

Swain: Maybe if you are very skilled and/or lucky.

Teemo: Not in a million years. Ashe is too dependent on auto-attacks.

Twisted Fate: I have not seen post-patch TF. I will change this with my thoughts ASAP.

Twitch: If you are willing to buy wards, go for it. Otherwise, don't try this. EVER.

Urgot: If they are good, you lose instantly. If they aren't, you might have this.

Vayne: You win until she gets her stacking shot. Then you lose.

Vladimir: You win this if you can stay out of range of his drain. Don't try for harass.

Xerath: No zoning control for him. You win.

So...

This is my first guide, and I would like to hear feedback from anyone and everyone about the design of the guide and how to improve it. Also, I would love to hear variations on this build that you have tried and have succeeded/failed, as my Ashe game has become somewhat repetative. I will try to record a video and add it, along with some game stats, to this guide, but, being a novice at coding, I doubt they will appear anytime soon. Again, please leave feedback and variations on this build.
Also, I would recommend trying this build at least once before you pass judgement on it. It seems quite unremarkable to begin, but you will be surprised at the endgame results.