Introduction
Welcome to my guide for the ADC character 
Caitlyn - The Sheriff of Piltover.
All of my guides are written as cheat sheets, meaning they are short, concise, and focus on general tips and rationales. This is not an in-depth guide and is geared toward an already experience player who wants to quickly learn about a champion they may not be too familiar with.
This guide includes builds and strategies for this champion and assumes you are familiar with the basics concepts of the game.
My build focuses on balance, with many different options available to adapt to the enemy team composition.
Pros & Cons
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Pros:
Strong Farmer
Excels at Kiting
Very High Range
Ultimate combos well with poke
Passive allows for extra poke damage
Natural Escape |
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Cons:
Lack of CC
Low Base Stats
Mana Hungry
Skills less effective late
Traps are visible
Ultimate can be intercepted |
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Runes
Offense
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Attack Speed
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- Best late-game DPS rune.
- Improve farming efficiency.
- Provide large Level 1 DPS advantage.
- Available as Marks, Quintessences, Glyphs, and Seals.
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Attack Damage
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- Provide DPS advantage, particularly early.
- Improve farming efficiency.
- Large increase to poke damage.
- Available as Marks, Quintessences.
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Armor Penetration
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- Shreds starting armor, improving early game damage.
- Useful vs. enemies who build armor or use armor runes.
- Most useful late-game rune you can have.
- Available as Marks, Quintessences.
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Defense
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Armor
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- Reduces enemy poke damage.
- Reduces enemy AD-Based Jungler damage.
- Allows you to stay in lane longer.
- Flat runes recommended over per level since most useful early-game.
- Available as Marks, Quintessences, Glyphs, and Seals.
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Magic Resistance
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- Reduces enemy APC damage in team fights.
- Reduces enemy AP-Based Jungler damage.
- Recommended over flat runes because more useful late-game.
- Available as Marks, Quintessences, Glyphs, and Seals.
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Health
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- Increases ability to stay in lane.
- Increases survivability.
- Large Level 1 advantage.
- Available as Marks, Quintessences, Glyphs, and Seals.
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Utility
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Movement Speed
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- Increases ability to avoid poke damage.
- Allows for faster response time.
- Increases escape chance.
- Available as Quintessences.
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Summoner Spells
Recommended:
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Flash
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- Versatile Spell, can be used for offense or defense.
- Best when conserved for an escape.
- Can be used to move between terrain obstacles.
- Does NOT cancel incoming projectiles.
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Cleanse
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- Removes all de-buffs, counters Hard-CC champs and
 Exhaust.
- Reduces incoming de-buff durations.
- Best if applied after an enemy applies a Hard-CC.
- Highly useful in Late-Game.
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Ignite
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- True damage-over-time provides large damage boost.
- Reduces incoming heals for duration, counters
 Heal.
- Best if applied before enemy decides to escape.
- Grants very strong Early-Game DPS advantage.
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Barrier
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- Increases lane endurance.
- Can be used to bait enemies into a losing fight.
- Increases escape chance if conserved for that purpose.
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Alternatives:
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Teleport
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- Allows for quickly returning to lane if you need to RTB.
- Allows for fast back-door tower/inhibitor destruction.
- Can be used on to wards.
- Can be used to gank other lanes, particularly useful if used on brush wards for surprise element.
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Heal
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- Increases lane endurance.
- Can also be used to heal allies.
- Double effect on user, more appropriate for ADC to take over support.
- Can be used to bait enemies into a losing fight.
- Best if used before ignited or after duration ends.
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Exhaust
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- Massive reduction to enemy damage output.
- Also reduces enemy movement speed, allowing easier chase or escape.
- Can be used to bait enemies into a losing fight.
- Highly useful in Late-Game.
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Skills
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Headshot
(Passive)
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- When this passive is active, your rifle glows red.
- The 250% damage to minions allows you to quickly collect buffs.
- Can be comboed with
 Piltover Peacemaker for burst damage.
- This effect increments at twice the rate when firing within brush.
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Piltover Peacemaker
(Q)
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- Good poke ability.
- Hits very hard early.
- Eats mana, spamming is inadvisable.
- Hits the first target for full damage and subsequent targets for less.
- 1 second charge time means you'll have to anticipate movements.
- Becomes less effective late game due to charge time.
- Charge time leaves you vulnerable.
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Yordle Snap Trap
(W)
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- At Level 1 can be used to detect or deter jungle invasion by placing in brush.
- Only works against champions.
- Can Zone the enemy.
- When fleeing, can be set in your opponents path to immobilize.
- Can be placed near enemy turrets to hinder their defense.
- If tripped near an enemy turret, the turret will attack you.
- Can be placed in brush to detect ganks.
- Can be spaced around a friendly turrets to assist in defense.
- Trapped enemies are vulnerable to Piltover Peacemaker.
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90 Caliber Net
(E)
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- Natural Escape Ability.
- Slows enemies on contact, preventing them from pursuing you.
- Ability propels you through certain terrain obstacles.
- Can be fired behind you to close distance on an enemy.
- Can be used to kite a charging melee opponent.
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Ace in the Hole
(R)
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- Only targets champions.
- High damage will kill most champions below 25% health.
- High range makes ideal choice for killing fleeing champions.
- Gives vision of target once activated.
- Long animation leaves you vulnerable.
- Should only be used as the final blow, not to initiate.
- Enemy champions can intercept the bullet, cannot be avoided otherwise.
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Builds
Start
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- Provides movement speed to poke and farm safely.
- Movement speed will make it more difficult to be ganked.
- Potions counter act early poking.
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Early Game
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- Provides high health and sustain.
- Designed for a passive, farming focused lane.
- Lower DPS than rushing
 B. F. Sword
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Mid-Game
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 The Bloodthirster builds out of  Vampiric Scepter and provides a high and affordable early DPS bonus to AD. Phantom Dancer gives Movement Speed, Crit Chance/Rate and drastically approves DPS output in Mid-Game. Enchantment: Homeguard allows you to return from healing much faster and can make defending your base or catching over-extended enemies easier.
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Late Game
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- Provides armor and magic resistance.
- Armor penetration is a must in Late Game.
- Passive revive will drastically increase survivability.
- High DPS.
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Optional
Counters and Supports
Counters to Caitlyn
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- Weak vs. Gap-Closers.
- Weak vs. both Hard-CC and Soft-CC.
- Low base DPS stats vs most other ADC champions.
- Lack of steroid ability makes her dependent on zoning and poking.
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Counters for Caitlyn
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- Strong vs. short range abilities.
- Strong vs. short range ADC champions.
- High poke ability combined with Yordle Snap Trap makes her excel at denying farm.
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Supports for Caitlyn
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- High poke ability exploits supports with Hard-CC.
- Superior range makes sustain supports less viable.
- Weak vs. Gap-Closer, Hard-CC can negate this disadvantage.
- Steroid abilities are very effective.
- Poking supports can improve poke power.
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Build Guide
Discussion (17)
Hardiness
,
Durability
, and
Veteran's Scars
which will provide a nice boost to armor and health.
Summoner's Wrath
and if you don't use 
Resistance
.
Quicksilver Sash to items. Added support, teamfighting, jungler, laning sections. Simplified Counter Champions to cover only same type of champion as 
