Ezreal Build Guide by Connact

Introduction to Destruction

In this Guide I will show you, how I like to play my Ezreal in ranked Games.
When I play with my Team, we rely on his strong Early and Mid Game.
Note, that in Late Game he leaks Strength.
In an even Battle, he wont stand a chance against Champions like Vayne!
The Aim of this Build is to ensure a good Laning phase and dominate the Enemy in Midgame.
(I will talk more about Tactics in the Team Work Chapter)

Pros / Cons

Pros +Strong Poke +Second Flash +High Damage in Early and Mid Game +Strong Ultimate

Cons -Leaks Damage in Late Game -If behind in Early -> Useless -Squishy -No CC

Skills

[Passive] Rising Spell Force

Early Fights are often very short and the Attack Speed Buff wont come in handy.
But in Midgame it is extremly usefull. If you fight Baron or Dragon you will always have full stacks. If you start a Teamfight with Trueshot Barrage, it will grant you full stacks aswell.

[Q] Mystic Shot

This Ability is, aside from your Auto Attacks, your Main Damage Source.
In Combination with Sheen it can Deal massive Amounts of Damage, as it applies "On-Hit"-Effects. Due to the high Range of this Ability, it can be used to Poke or Finish off escaping Enemys. In Teamfights it is very important to always hit this Ability, as it reduces the cooldown of all of your abilitys by 1 second.

[W] Essence Flux

I see many Ezreal Players using this Ability to Poke, because it passes through Minions and is therefore easier to hit. But it costs more Mana then Mystic Shot and deals less damage (especially if you got Sheen, since it doesnt apply "On-Hit"-Effects). So it's basicly a waste. I recommend to only use this Ability if you: a.) chase an Enemy b.) get chased by an Enemy c.) want to buff your teammates in greater combats (like Baron or a teamfight).


[E] Arcane Shift

Your second Flash. This Ability is great to Escape nasty Situations. You can jump over nearly every Wall (it basicly acts like Flash, just a little bit slower Casttime). It is good to reposition in Teamfights. I recommend to use this ability as an "Out" and not as an "In", what basicly means: "Dont open a Fight by teleproting into the Enemy.". Save it for the End of the fight, when you either chase or get chased. With a cooldown of 19 to 11 Seconds it wont be ready in time if you open the Fight with this.

[R] Trueshot Barrage

This is your signature move. Because of the high cast time, you basicly want to open fights with this. For example: You are at the bottom lane. The Supporters are hiding in the brush and the Carrys are farming like normal. Everybody is basicly Level 5. You see that you are about to hit Level 6. You hit the minions low and hide in the brush, slightly before you hit Level 6. (You can also act like if you want to go "B". Just press S and B when you are about to get into the brush, this lets the enemy often think they are save) Now, when you are in the brush, you skill your ultimate and wait for a good spot to land it. The best Moment is, when you see your enemy wants to last hit. You can guess the Positon he will stand at.
Shoot this Beam in his face and follow up with an Mystic Shot. The enemy will retreat, so you can instantly use your Arcane Shift. (Note that sometimes, if you use the S + B-Trick mentioned above, the enemy will come to face-check the brush. This is the perfect situation to start the fight with your ultimate.)
You can also use this Ability to Snipe People or Farm from across the map, although i dont recommend this. (The Damage is reduced with each enemy it passes through, so make sure the first thing you hit is your target.)
If your team has good AoE CC effects,like Amumu, Galio or Malphite, you can ensure a 100% hit of Trueshot Barrage, by casting it immediatly after they used their ultimates. I strongly recommend to combine the ultimates (use Voice Chat for perfect timing), due to the high Burst of Trueshot Barrage and the CC your chances to win the Fight are good.

Summoner Spells

Flash

Most People ask me why I use Flash, although Ezreal got Arcane Shift. Well, in teamfights it can be pretty usefull. You can switch your Position two times in a row. You can use Arcane Shift to go in (and maby kill somebody) and when you get focused you can move out quickly by using Flash. So Flash is not a must have. But for beginners i recommend it.

Heal

Most AD Carrys use Heal. Although thats not a reason to use it too, its damn usefull. If used correctly it can turn Battles into your favor. I recommend Heal if you have an "indirect" Supporter like Leona or Shen, who cant Support you directly through healing, shielding or Escape mechanics.

Cleanse

If you play against Ashe, Leona, Taric or Vayne this spell is highly recommended. Note that it does not work against Alistar. To use this spell correctly keep some important things in mind. a) only use it if you are in danger. If for Example Taric stuns you, but there is no other enemy near, dont waste Cleanse. b) If you are in Danger, use it immediatly. For example: Leona charges at you with her Zenith Blade + Shield of Daybreak, she will cast Solar Flare and her Ashe will follow up with an Enchanted Crystal Arrow. Dont wait for Leonas ultimate to hit you. If she hits her Q, immediatly put Cleanse and your Arcane Shift to evade other attacks (like Ashes Ultimate).

Ignite

This spell counters Heal, although its difficult to time it correctly. I recommend using this as exchange for Flash. Always grab it if you are up against Soraka. Use it if shes about to use her Heal or her Ultimate. Dont pick it against Taric or Sona. They dont have Sorakas healing Power and their heals are only usefull over time. (Low Cooldown, Low Power).

Exhaust

This will shut down a strong enemy AD Carry, because it reduces their damage by 70% and their movement speed by 40%. Pick it as an exchange for Flash, if you want to play very defensive and the enemy Carry will probably outfarm you, wich means he will deal more damage. I often pick this against Vayne. Together with Cleanse you are able to completly shut her down in 1v1.

Items

Cheap Increases Sustain and Farming Combines into nothing Dont start with this (even if you got Soraka) Get one at your first shopping tour

Simplifys Evading and Chasing Great Start together with 3x Health Potion You will Trade better against Slower Champions Forge this into Berserker's Greaves for a good starting Item

Extremely increases Damage from Mystic Shot Essence Flux and Arcane Shift also trigger this Make sure you land an Auto Attack after each Spell Scales with Essence Flux

Increases Sustain and Survivability Strong Slow = Easy Chasing Moderate Damage Increase

High Amount of Sustain You need to Push if you want to heal up Good for aggresive Lanes Leaks Strength in Early/Mid Game Teamfights

Extremely Increases the Damage of your Auto Attacks and Mystic Shot Most expensive Item Ingame The Key Item of every AD Carry Dont buy this in Early Game (Even if you could afford it)

Extremely Increases the Damage of your Auto Attacks and Mystic Shot Increases Survivability in Teamfights or 1v1 Challenges Highest Attack Damage Ingame (after full Stacks) Expensive

Doesnt scale with Mystic Shot Greatly Increases Damage from Auto Attacks Scales well with Phantom Dancer Expensive

Doesnt scale with Mystic Shot Nice Movement Speed Boost = Easy Kiting/Chasing Scales well with Infinity Edge Movement Speed stacks with Trinity Force's Zeal

Zilean's Ultimate as Passive Greatly increases Survivability in Teamfights You can bait Tanks away from your Team, without Danger After the Resurrection your Cooldowns are up again (Escape with Arcane Shift)

Tipps & Tricks

Coming Soon

Teamplay

The most important thing.
Teamwork is the key to win a game in League of Legends.
This guide is about Ezreal and not about Teamwork, but i want to mention some rules:
a) If your Teammate is in trouble, if he gets chased or he is infight, Help him!

Even when you are at top Lane and they are fighting at Dragon, even when you are at Redbuff and your Mate gets ganked at bottom, Even if you are at Base, buying stuff. Always try to run there and help them.
b) The worst thing you can do is die. Always try to play with 0 deaths. So if you look at the rule above: Dont help teammates if you gonna die. When for example the Supporter of your team gets catched by Blitzcrank, theres no use jumping in and dieing too. Because the rest of your mates will face them 3v5 instead of 4v5.
c) Dont be greedy. If, in a teamfight, you focus down an enemy and he flashes out of sight. Dont leave your comrades alone by flashing after him. Clean up the rest and survive. You may get 1 kill less but the enemy will get 0 kills. => Never trade a kill for a kill.
d) In mid and lategame, dont put yourself in danger by spliting from your team. If your team wants to push bottom but you see a huge farm at top. Dont go. Stick with your team, push bottom. You may lose the top tower, but its better then getting caught alone and may end up losing the game.

With that said its obvious what you gotta do as Ezreal in a teamfight.
Stay back, melt down the enemy team. Just hit what comes in range. Dont jump in for weak targets. Its the job of a tank or a bruiser to fokus them down or push them near you, so you can kill them. YOU ARE NOT THE INITIATOR. Stay BEHIND your team. The longer you survive the more damage you can deal.


Champions who fit in Ezreal's Team.
(in construction)

Changelog

21.08.2012 - Guide released

22.08.2012 - Item Chapter reworked, Summary Chapter added, Changelog Chapter added, Tipps & Tricks Chapter added, Changed the Masteries from 24/0/6 to 21/0/9, every Item/Champion/Ability should be highlighted now, Minor Design Changes.

Summary

Coming Soon