Ezreal is not an easy champion to learn, play, or master. Many an Ezreal has failed. That is why his reputation is null in LoL. I hardly ever see him played by anyone other than me, but when I do, it is played by the average, passive, defensive player. These "Ezreals" tarnish him. This is good for us agressive Ezreals, however, because we use this underestimation to our advantage.

I have been underestimated, even ridiculed, by not just my own foes, but my very allies, for playing Ezreal. People have begged, pleaded, even Q-dodged to stay away. They fear the passive Ezreal, understandably. However, once they see the power of the aggressive Ezreal, they never think about Ezreal the same.

Ezreal's early game is to be feared by all. Ezreal's middle game has everyone cowering. Ezreal's late game, however, never happens. He's already won. This is the paragon of Ezreal to be shown here, maybe not now, but eventually.

We want to maximize Ezreal's damage while giving him a little defense & lane staying power.

Deadliness is much preferred over Archmage's Savvy . Although both aren't that useful, at least Deadliness is situationally handy in the late game, while AP overall is just a dump stat for Ezreal.

Cripple is something we obviously want, considering we are taking Exhaust. This will help to completely destroy whatever armor our opponent has in the laning phase, with help of our runes.

Sorcery is, by itself, very handy. While 3.00% CDR isn't very much, we aren't going to find much CDR elsewhere.

Alacrity is useful for AD Ezreal, since it lets us churn out more auto attacks, and thus, do more damage.

Archaic Knowledge is the other half of the reason we took Sorcery. The Magic Penetration will help our Trueshot Barrage, Arcane Shift, and yes, our Essence Flux deal a bunch more damage, because, alas, we aren't going to find any Magic Penetration elsewhere.

Sunder is just more of a good thing. With our runes, we will have enough Armor Penetration at level one to shred the starting armor of most mid-lane champions.

Offensive Mastery is great at helping to last hit minions in the early game. Sadly, we only have enough for half the mastery. The rest is just too important.

Brute Force is a grand source of damage really early in the game, simple as that.

Havoc is the big thing we came down here for. That 4% may not seem like much at first glance, but it is so going to hurt.

Resistance with our runes, is going to give us 49 Magic Resist at level ONE. That's about 32% damage resistance.

Hardiness with our runes, is going to give us about 34 Armor at level ONE. That's about 25% damage resistance. While not as impressive as our Magic Resist at first glance, this WILL be very helpful.

Strength of Spirit is a very important, final piece of our masteries, giving Ezreal some powerful HP regeneration, so he can stay in the lane longer.

"WHY SO MUCH OFFENSE?! ARE YOU N00B?! Ezreal IS GONNA DIE! SQUISH SQUISH!!"

I hate it when people are like this. See, he doesn't NEED defense when we can just go and kill in any 1v1 or even 1v2 you get him into. The best defense here, with masteries, is an offense. "Ezreal is NOT a squishy little piece of glass!", to quote (or mis-quote) win10cent.

"Why no Burning Embers?? You got Ignite, its awesome!"
AP, for [not] the last time, is a complete dump stat on Ezreal. It is like getting Mana Regen on Mordekaiser. You just don't.

"Why no Lethality ? Its the next best thing next to Havoc !"

Yeah, for an Ashe or a Tryndamere or a Yi. Ezreal is not specifically an auto-attack champion, he is an Attack Damage caster. We shouldn't, and thus don't, have critical chance as a main focus.

Same with Masteries, we want to maximize Ezreal's damage while giving him some defense.

THE RUNE BUILD:

Our marks and quintessences, with armor penetration, will help us keep our damage up, even when they start getting armor to counter, allowing time and space to get some tankiness in.

Our seals and glyphs, with flat Armor and flat Magic Resist, respectively, will help to allow us to outDPS every champion we find in the mid lane early in the game, as well as contribute to our tankiness later in the game.

&

We get Exhaust to assist us in our 1v1s, gimping the enemies damage, defenses, and applying a mighty slow.

We get Ignite to deal an extra "OOMPH" of damage, as well as gimp any heals they might attempt, in our 1v1s.

This may seem overly aggressive, but with Ezreal, its a good thing. He just DOESN'T NEED ANY defensive summoner spells. However, if you insist:

With Arcane Shift, no one will ever catch you! Bwhahahaha!

Ezreal has Arcane Shift already, so you can combine this spell and that spell for the classic double flash.

I recommend, for the more cautious set-up, a combination of one defensive summoner spell and one offensive summoner spell. However, I think Ezreal is just fine taking both the offensive ones. (Don't take the double defensive, it is unnecessary overkill in my opinion.)

Passive: Rising Spell Force

Ezreal's passive. This is GREAT on AD Ezreal because of the sheer spamming capability of Mystic Shot. This will hit max stacks with Trueshot Barrage in no time as well.


Q: Mystic Shot

The bread! Basically, this is AD Ezreal's nuke. Get to know it. Practice with it, know its range, its width, its speed, its spam capability, and don't forget the crazy damage output. This thing is so crazy broken, and so amazing...the AD ratio is basically (+1.1) for crying out loud!...Now if only the stupid minions would stop getting in the way.

The CDR on this too is how we can survive with only 3.00% CDR from our masteries. Trueshot Barrage will come back up in no time. Be sure to kite with this for an escape! It will let Arcane Shift come off CD quicker.


W: Essence Flux

NOTE: Since the recent buff to it, it is OKAY to get one level of Essence Flux at level 4 against an auto-attacking mid-laner to shut down their offensive power. Don't overuse it.

This used to be AP Ezreal's bread. It went moldy and stale and now it might as well be a green & fungus-flavored brick. I don't usually get this unhelpful skill until the end.

But, it does have maybe a couple merits. It can buff your team's attack speed and lower the enemies' in a team-fight. It can also help shut down auto-attacking mid-laners. It does damage, but it really isn't THAT noticeable. The AP ratio is lackluster with only a (+0.6). It also costs quite a bit of mana for what it does, mana you should try to save for your other skills.


E: Arcane Shift

The butter! This flash, combined with Mystic Shot, is going to be the combo that will get you First Blood at level 2 in middle lane. The AP ratio is okay at (+0.75). However, I find this skill's damaging attack to be far too unreliable, another reason I don't put anything in my AP.

If you are going to use this for aggression, be sure you can survive the precious time you'll be without it, and at least try to make the attack hit, although I won't mind if it doesn't...it never does.

To use it defensively, its mostly used like how you would use Flash. Just disappear over a wall, or go as far forward as possible. Try your best with positioning though, as you might attract angry minion mobs with the attack, and there is hardly a worse feeling in LoL than realizing you have attracted Baron Nashor to your wounded HP bar.


R: Trueshot Barrage

The cheese! (Wait, what?)

This is the mighty skill that will get you kills, double kills, triple kills, quadra kills, and so on. There is little else more rewarding than realizing you just got a kill that was supposed to be long gone with the best freaking skill shot in the game. This, this is the make or break skill, I think, to tell an Ezreal's true skill.

It can be used for all sorts of things, this MASSIVE nuke. The AD ratio is (+1), which is just awesome. You can use it to:

• Kill some runaway enemy champion(s).
• Use the massive damage to win a 1v1 in times of desperation.
• Clear a minion wave hacking at the tower.
• Farm that small sum of gold you need for an item. (Ezreal is too cool for waiting at the platform.)

Don't worry, with your Mystic Shot's inherent CDR, the cooldown will refresh in no time for that next teamfight.

Remember to always keep an extra peeled eye on the minimap for your chance to use Trueshot Barrage and kill steal! I mean, secure the kill!

Also, try your best to not be seen while channeling this skill. While the skill shot may be big, an opponent can dodge it pre-emptively with quick reflexes.

Finally, it never hurts to get a little closer up for sniping with this for more accuracy. This isn't like Ashe's Enchanted Crystal Arrow where you get a bonus effect for just how far the skill shot travels.

In short, it is basically straight-up R > Q > E > W .

Work to max your Q, Mystic Shot, right away. It is your main nuke, and dishes out serious damage even at level 1.

While you can't max your Q, level up your E, Arcane Shift. Lowering the cooldown will let you go offensive easier, and back out of sticky situations better.

Your W, Essence Flux, should be put off as long as possible. Getting it any sooner, and all it will do is serve to deplete your precious mana pool. However, if your enemy mid laner is an auto-attacking champion, its okay to get one point in it at level 4. Use it sparingly, and please, don't get more levels in it until level 14.

Obviously, level up your R, your ultimate, Trueshot Barrage, whenever you can.

Okay, time for the really interesting part, the item build!

First off, we must follow 2 rules to the letter.
1: We must not buy any items with ANY ability power what so ever.
2: We must not purchase aura items or other unique passives that affect us that our allies already have.

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Start with a Doran's Blade. It gives +100 HP for survival, gives +10 damage (the best part, just as much as a Longsword!), and gives 3% life-steal for a little more lane staying power.

Recall when you have 1610 gold (shouldn't be too hard), and get a Boots and a... Sheen...uh oh.

"You just broke one of your rules and got some AP you dumb little..."

Okay, okay, I can explain. The AP is useless, yes. But, it does give mana for lane staying power, and Ezreal doesn't have the best mana pool for a caster. Second, is the INVALUABLE passive. This will send your Mystic Shot's damage skyrocketing. We cool now? Okay. (Only exception, I promise.)

However, if you have to recall before you get 1610, and have, say, 1320, get Berserker's Greaves and a Sapphire Crystal, instead. The Amplifying Tome does NOTHING for our Ezreal, and should be gotten last in this case. In a nutshell:

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> > >

"WHY BERSERKER'S GREAVES?! THAT ITEM IS TERRIBAD! GET MERCURY TREADS INSTEAD OR SOMETHING AWESOMER!"

Berserker's Greaves are underestimated boots. Put simply, these boots are the only ones for Ezreal (for now, anyway). They add a grand dash of offense early in the game, at your peak. If you really think you are going to need Mercury Treads now, just get Quicksilver Sash later.

Next, get a Vampiric Scepter for lane-staying power. The early life-steal really, really helps.

And, that finishes our core.

Continuing on from the core...

First, you'll want and need a fitting item to turn your Vampiric Scepter into.

Bloodthirster is the ideal, the item that you should be able to get every time. After steamrolling mid, and getting fed by the side-lanes, you should be able to keep 40 stacks on this with no problem. It gives 100 attack damage & 25% life-steal at full power. It will only work at 60% capacity if you can't keep it up, though, so be sure you will stave off death's clutches reasonably well.

Wriggle's Lantern is a quick, cheap fix for when you can't keep The Bloodthirster stacked. The Attack Damage & Armor are handy, but this item is really to be bought for two things. The first being that the passive will really assist in your farming, and the second being the free ward. The best places to ward with this are the homes of Baron Nashor and the Dragon. Never forget to keep the ward going!

Now is the time to turn that Sheen into a Trinity Force, starting with Zeal for offense or Phage for defense.

Now, you need some tank items to make sure you aren't steamrolled by their carries. Some of my favorites:

Banshee's Veil is one of the best Magic Resistance items in the game. The spell shield will definitely help to deter the enemy Annie, Ryze, Kennen, LeBlanc, or any other combo-caster champion. The Health and Mana are great too. My personal favorite.

Guardian Angel is actually a decent item on Ezreal, with his built-in Flash, Arcane Shift. If you are steam-rolling but are having a little trouble with the focus-fire, get this item and the focus will stop dead in its tracks. When you revive, you should be able to quickly use Arcane Shift, and get away from the heat of the battle safely.

Aegis of the Legion not only gives you extra defense but your whole team. If you're doing good but your team isn't, feel free to pick this up if your team doesn't have one yet. An all-around great item.

Quicksilver Sash is fantastic against heavy CC teams, and will assist greatly in escaping the clutches of suppression abilities like Malzahar's Nether Grasp or Warwick's Infinite Duress.

Hexdrinker is surprisingly good, with its magic resistance, attack damage, and unique passive. It is a confident magic resistance choice, for when they don't have much magic damage. If you feel confident if your ability to withstand their magic damage, feel free to pick this up.

You'll also want some offensive items to keep pumping out crazy damage.

Last Whisper is great choice against armor stackers.

Black Cleaver is another good choice against armor stackers.

Madred's Bloodrazor is a must-have against health stackers, the extra damage really does help more than you may think. (The base stats are fantastic too.)

Phantom Dancer is a great choice, however, for when the enemies aren't stacking Armor OR Health. More Movement Speed is always awesome, and the base stats synergize greatly with your Trinity Force.

Bloodthirster is a fantastic item for Ezreal. If you didn't feel safe getting it earlier in the game but do now, and are absolutely sure of it, go for it! I caution against doubling up, since you will lose a lot of power on an untimely death...but, big risks can yield big rewards.

Infinity Edge, since the buff to it, is now an okay offensive item for Ezreal to get. Personally, I think its too expensive, especially since our Mystic Shot gains nothing from critcal chance. However, if you want it, there's worse.

Zeke's Harbinger is a good item for not just you, but the whole team. Life-Steal, Armor Reduction, and Attack Speed are all offensive stats Ezreal likes very much. Combos well with Aegis of the Legion.

Make sure Ezreal is a fit for the team. That your team needs more AD and can use more ranged champions.

Also: I am going to color this boldly and brightly and capitalized. AN AD Ezreal BELONGS IN THE MIDDLE LANE. DO NOT PLAY Ezreal IF YOUR LANE IS NOT GOING TO BE A 1v1 LANE. You are going to waste Ezreal's potential if you can not get a 1v1 lane. Ezreal can take out conventional mid laners like Ashe & Miss Fortune with ease. A 1v1 solo top is "acceptable" but chances are you'll get someone hard to kill like Shen or Renekton. If you are not going to get the middle lane, please do not play Ezreal. Ezreal needs the experience and gold of a solo lane in order to excel. Do not deprive him of such.

Do not lock in before the timer is up. Too many people do this, but it is just unnecessary.

Make sure your Rune Page is right. That your Masteries are right. That your Spells are correct.

Analyze who on the enemy team is the likeliest middle laner. Analyze who their jungler probably is. (Shouldn't be too hard, most junglers take Smite as a summoner spell, although a few can go without, like Lee Sin and Warwick, so look out for that.) These two enemies are the ones that are probably going to hassle your laning phase the most. Remember to analyze the summoner spells of the enemy team.

If your team has a supporter with a Clairvoyance spell, be sure to analyze whatever information you can gain by the inevitable enemy platform spying to the fullest effect. It can even give you a preview of just who is going to middle lane, giving you an effective edge. If the enemy team has a Clairvoyance spell, do not move a muscle until the inevitable platform spying has expired. Purchase your Doran's Blade, and head off to your home, the middle lane.

Most people, when they see Ezreal in the middle lane, are unafraid. We must make them fear you. Ezreal is probably one of the most underestimated champions in the game, and for the AP Ezreal, those assumptions would be correct. For the mighty AD Ezreal however, those assumptions are very, very wrong.

Harass. I can not stress this enough, you need to harass, harass, and harass your enemy laner. Ezreal's range is decent, so be sure to hit with auto-attacks whenever possible. Don't draw too much minion fire, but whenever you have an opportunity, harass with your auto-attack and throw in a Mystic Shot if it will hit. Inch towards them. Most champions in the middle lane play defensive and farm. They will be very shocked to find an aggressive laner, especially if it is an Ezreal. Should they over-extend, make them pay dearly for it, encircle them, bring on the harassment pain. Whatever harassment they will try to throw at you in retaliation, be it Vladimir's Transfusion, Katarina's Bouncing Blade, Mordekaiser's Siphon of Destruction, you should be unafraid of. Mystic Shot's damage is just so broken. If they over-extend to try and put some pain onto you, just throw some pain, in the form of auto-attacks and Mystic Shots, back at them. You'll do more damage.

Also, don't forget to last hit while doing all of this epic harassing. You'll need gold to keep the pain on later, right?

Once they are low on HP, they will probably start tower hugging. Be careful not to outright push the lane, and remember to stand between them and the battling creeps. This will deprive them of precious experience and gold, the whole reason they dared trespass upon this lane of yours. Also, see if you can hit them with your Mystic Shot while they are pre-occupied with their tower humping shenanigans.

At level 2, you'll have your Arcane Shift. Now, you'll be a shoo-in to kill them. Once they are at least below 50% HP and over-extend, it is time for first blood. Arcane Shift in, try your best to hit them with the bolt, then hit them with Mystic Shot. Pop your Exhaust and Ignite on them. Keep auto-attacking them and landing Mystic Shots. If you do this right, they WILL die.

Now that you have out-leveled them, upon their return, just keep harassing them. Just be careful to not over-extend if your Arcane Shift is on cooldown. Watch for MIAs. Keep weakening your enemy laner. Be sure to especially watch for ganks from the enemy jungler, because trust me, they will want you dead.

When you have some gold and hopefully kills, you can push the lane to the enemy tower (shouldn't be very hard), and then you can recall for health, mana, and items. Chances are, the middle laner will have figured out you are gone, and now has a few options.

• Recall, leaving your pushed creep wave to whack at the tower, and get back to the lane the moment you do.
• Kill the pushed creep wave, recall, leaving you to get back to the lane first.
• Push back.

In any of these scenarios, you win. With the first one, you do damage to their tower. With the second one, you get back to the lane first, thus leaving you to push the wave all over again and maybe hit the tower with some of your own whacks. With the third one, the enemy will be over-extending. You can wait in one of the side brushes, then rush in with Arcane Shift and attack with Mystic Shot and your auto-attacks, popping whatever summoner spells you may have. This will result in another kill if done correctly.

At level 6, you now have your ultimate, Trueshot Barrage. Once you push the wave back to the enemy tower, you have several options.

• Whack the tower as hard as you can. (Dumb idea, unless the middle lane champion you were playing against is absent from recalling/rage-quitting.)
• Get Red Buff to increase your offensive power. (Best to do this with Vampiric Scepter in hand.)
• Get Blue Buff to increase your lane staying power. (Best to do this with Vampiric Scepter in hand.)
• Recall for health, mana, & items.
• Gank one of the side-lanes.

The last option is the ideal here. With your fellow middle lane champion pre-occupied and your ultimate in hand (and, best case scenario, one or both of the jungle buffs in tow), you can go and gank one of the over-extended side lanes...

With ganking a side-lane, make sure your team is prepared and ready for the ensuing carnage. Be sure that the odds are in your favor. You have a short window of time before your enemy middle lane champion begins destroying your tower, so get in and get out. If your enemy middle lane champion is smart, they called a MIA and the side-lanes are on alert.

Once everyone is ready, Arcane Shift in. Pop whatever summoner spells you have. Throw out your Mystic Shots, and churn out your auto-attacks. If needed, channel your Trueshot Barrage. Done correctly, this should get you a kill or two.

No time to celebrate though. Chances are, the enemy middle lane champion pushed for your tower, for blood, and probably has help from the enemy jungler. If they do, just come in and push back. If the jungler is not with them though, Arcane Shift in, Mystic Shot, churn auto-attacks, channel ultimate, pop spells, you know the drills that get the kills by now, hopefully.

Keep pushing the lane until the laning phase ends. Once pushed to their tower all over again, you can do one of the five things above/below. To recap:

• Whack the tower as hard as you can. (Dumb idea, unless the middle lane champion you were playing against is absent from recalling/rage-quitting.)
• Get Red Buff to increase your offensive power. (Best to do this with Vampiric Scepter in hand.)
• Get Blue Buff to increase your lane staying power. (Best to do this with Vampiric Scepter in hand.)
• Recall for health, mana, & items.
• Gank one of the side-lanes.

Keeping the lane pushed against the enemy laner means they are pinned down, this is very important. If they choose to leave however, their tower is going down like the Titanic. Win-win.

Once the enemy team piles into the middle lane to pick up the slack, your team should follow suit. Thus, begins the team-fights!

Ezreal is what I'd like to call a "reverse carry". Unlike the typical carry, such as Ashe, Miss Fortune, or Tryndamere, I think Ezreal gets inherently weaker, not stronger, as the game progresses. This is largely due to the uselessness of Essence Flux. However, if you achieved enough power early game, you should be happily soaring onward and upward.

You should stick around with your team, or at least one team member. You should still be able to win a lot of 1v1s you get into, especially if you have Exhaust & Ignite up. Important for any champion in this phase, you shouldn't go running off dumbly, or you'll probably just get picked off.

Not too much to say in this particular phase that really is too different from any champion, just help your team, push hard, and win!

Okay, the teams are coming together. All are lined up, the tanks in the front, the supports in the back. All is quiet. A team-fight is about to begin.

Before a team-fight starts, you should be using Mystic Shot's long range to your advantage. Harass and hit hard with this, preferably on the squishies, but any enemy will do.

Once the tanks initiate, get into range to throw out auto-attacks, but don't come in first, and preferably not second. Third or fourth is probably best.

Pop your item actives. Don't be afraid to toss out your summoner spells.

DO NOT USE ARCANE SHIFT TO INITIATE. I can not stress this enough! Too many Ezreal's make the mistake of swooping in needlessly and mindlessly and offensively with Arcane Shift. Save it for defense, when their Akali or Poppy lurches in to make you food.

If you've won the team-fight and got them running, THEN you can use Arcane Shift to make sure they don't get away.

If your tank melted and the off-tank is crying for mercy, though, cut your losses and use your Arcane Shift to get the heck out of there.

Feel free to use your Trueshot Barrage at opportune moments, such as when they all lined up single file or the runners think they are going to get away.

Oh, and I guess you can use Essence Flux to buff/de-buff the auto-attackers, but I won't really care if you do or don't.

This part is to show the fine art of doing what Ezreal does best. Completely destroying the middle lane. Ezreal can beat ANY champion that can be found in middle lane (even himself), but it isn't necessarily easy. I will attempt to catalog every champion I find in the middle lane, and showing you, the reader, how you can beat them all.

Some general tips, though:

• Harass until the enemy is at about 50% HP, THEN go in for the kill. Try not to get them too low, or it is even likelier they will tower hug (we want to avoid this as best we can, although it often just is not possible), and while you can still hurt them with Mystic Shot, it is still not fun. Of course, make sure they are not too high, or they might actually survive for your burst.
• Try your best to hit the enemy champion with the attack from Arcane Shift when you go in. Every bit of damage helps. The nuke is unreliable though, so I won't blame you if you don't hit, but try your best.
• Focus the minions the enemy laner is hiding behind. Don't you just hate that you can't hit with Mystic Shot because there are stupid minions in the way? Get rid of them! One of my favorite tricks, is that when the minion they are hiding behind is just about to die, throw an auto-attack at the minion for the last-hit and a Mystic Shot at the enemy laner. Most of the time, they will forget to move.
• Against champions with blockable skill shots, hide behind your minions. While this is never fun, having to hide behind your own minions, reducing your accuracy with your Mystic Shot even more, would you rather take a Volley from Ashe or a Javelin Toss from Nidalee right to the face? I didn't think so.
• Against champions with zone control, stay away from minions. This may sound weird, but it is very effective against shutting down champions like Malzahar or Karthus or Cassiopeia who have skills that can farm and harass at the same time. Think about it this way: If you stay away from your minions, Karthus has to choose whether to use his Lay Waste to get minion kills or to try to harass you. If both things he wants are in the same place, he can multi-task with ease, and it will hurt. Plus, this allows you to have more mobility and accuracy with Mystic Shot. Yay!
• Against champions with both zone control and blockable skill shots, it is still preferrable to stay away from the minions. This may sound like the thing of impossibility, being able to out-harass a champion who can farm and harass at the same time with two different skills. However, you, Ezreal, are the king of skill shots, capable of dodging other's with ease. Think about it this way: Lux[anna]'s Lucent Singularity and Morgana's Tormented Soil are painful, and they are pretty impossible to predict keenly. However, while their Light Bindings and Dark Bindings still hurt, at least they can be dodged. Plus, more accuracy with Mystic Shot!
• If you are capable of staying away from the minions, try to encircle the enemy laner. This may sound a bit complicated, but it really isn't. Simply put, it is easier to harass the enemy if you re-position so that your Mystic Shot can hit them in the side, so you can completely bypass the minion wall in the front. If you can get directly behind them and they have been softened up, they are [most likely] going to die.
• Mystic Shot is the best harassment skill in the game. Simply put, if Ryze uses his Rune Prison on you, ignore it, and just auto-attack him and Mystic Shot. Chances are they left their positioning to try and do this, and you will make them pay for it. Mystic Shot's damage is so broken that it won't even phase you, other petty harassment skills. After your enemy notices that every time they try to harass you with their skills, you do more damage to them than they do to you, they'll probably quit it. If they don't, yum yum. Plus, while Mystic Shot's cooldown is about a second and a half, other harassment skills typically have a much longer cooldown. While they are cooling, you have several second to do whatever you want, harass (probably the best option, Ezreal's harassing is awesome), last-hit, /dance, whatever, and they can't hurt you back at all. Most of all though, DO NOT RUN FROM THE HARASSMENT. THROW MORE BACK AT THEM.
• Check your opponent's summoner spells! This information is invaluable. Some spells can really screw up an AD Ezreal's day.
• Clairvoyance on the enemy team usually means you will have less luck ambushing from the side brushes.
• Clarity means that going for the kill while they are out of mana may mean only a feint and a surprise death-trap.
• Exhaust is a big problem, since it lowers your damage output and movement speed. BE EXTRA CAREFUL AGAINST AN OPPONENT WITH THIS. You might want to feint, force them into using Exhaust on you, and then disengage with Arcane Shift. This trick might not work against smart opponents, but if it does, this will save you quite a bit of agony for quite a lot of the laning phase. Of course, you might not have to, since Ezreal deals so much damage, you might be able to phase right through it, and it also lures your opponent into a false sense of safety. Risky, but possibly quite beneficial.
• Flash means that they have a big, bad escape spell. In the laning phase, this allows them to retreat to their turret nice and safely, after all your hard work. You might be able to still kill them even if they Flash, but it is often better to have them overextend even more than you'd normally let a laning opponent, for the most satisfactory results. You might be able to have them waste this, but Flash tends to be conserved more than most other summoner spells.
• Fortify is usually just a thorn in one's side, but it also means that you should avoid tower diving while it is off cooldown, since an activation increases the attack speed of said dived turret, meaning it will deal more damage and possibly kill you, and even worse, leave the person being dived alive.
• Ghost isn't as bad as Flash, because it is mitigated by Exhaust. It can pretty much be dealt with the same way you'd deal with Flash.
• Heal is an amazingly useless summoner spell, especially against someone with Ignite, like, say, you. Be sure you use Ignite before they use their Heal, so you can halve what little effectiveness it had to begin with.
• Ignite doesn't do that much against you, since you do not have a built in healing effect. Just be sure to take the extra damage into account.
• Rally will marginally boost some offensive statisics...and that's about it. (Seriously, people use this spell?)
• Revive is a joyful godsend to see. It means they can feed you twice as fast!
• Smite will improve farming and jungling, but 99.9% of the time, you can just ignore it.
• Teleport will let them recall for health, mana, and items more often than you can, and, in the hands of someone not your laning opponent, can mean they can take the place of their dead/absent middle laner. Of course, it probably won't help them against you directly, now will it?

I'll add more tips as I come up with them or find them.

Here are detailed ways of countering specific champions. I haven't even met them all yet (slippery Pantheon, I'll fight you some day), but I'll cover what I know.

I'm going to rate the power of the champions (yeah yeah, that's win10cent's thing, I know) shown, with this rating system:

(*) = (FOOD!)
(**) = (Slippery food.)
(***) = (Very slippery food.)
(****) = (Tricky food.)
(*****) = (Very tricky food.)

DISCLAIMER: The ratings are based on my opinion, of how easy/difficult they are to counter once you've gotten to know Ezreal. Feel free to dispute these ratings in the comments section though, I'd love to hear your opinion.

Please, note, as Anivia (I am an avid player of her) I HAVE BEATEN AD Ezreals. I didn't say it was easy (it wasn't at all, made me really sweat), but I have. The problem is that when you go in for the kill, her Rebirth will bring her right back up, and good Anivias will get to the safety of their tower, even using summoner spells like Flash if they must. Then, you can't kill them, you've spent your summoner spells, she has more health than you do now (probably), and she is going to kill you with her insanely damaging Flash Frost + Frostbite combo.

One of the first things to do is to stay away from the minions. Anivia's Flash Frost and Glacial Storm will allow her to both farm and harass at the same time if you do not do such.

Another potent point is that her Flash Frost is really slow. Her combo will only deal damage if you let it. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE WITH Anivia. The closer you are to her, the easier it will be for her to hit with her Flash Frost, and then she'll hit you with her Frostbite and then you will be in bad shape. The magic resistance from your masteries and runes will help against her, but avoid the combo to the best of your capability, you can even Arcane Shift if you have to to get out in time.

In a nutshell, you have to kill this CC-happy birdy twice in a row. If you aren't confident that her Rebirth egg will be in a burst-able position when it kicks in, its best to save one or both of your summoner spells, so you have some extra oomph for the second kill. If both of your summoner spells are on cooldown, and her egg got to safety, you are in a bit of trouble. The extra oomph of your summoner spells will be gone, and it is likely that Anivia will have more health than you do now. This is how I am capable of killing an AD Ezreal as Anivia. They used their Exhaust and Ignite, and, because I have more HP, I can swoop in, use my Flash Frost & Frostbite combo on them, and either they recall or they die after the next one. Conserve your summoner spells if you have to, be smart with them against Anivia.

Although, there is good news. You can pop right over her Crystallize with your Arcane Shift. If you can stay in range for auto-attacks without the risk of dying to towers or minion fire, Ezreal is one of the lucky champions that can burst down Anivia's egg really easily with a combination of auto-attacks and Mystic Shot.

Have fun making breakfast! (Goddess help my poor birdy.)
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This little girl is quite easy, obviously, being a little girl and all. She usually has her Q, Disintegrate, down, being used for farming, so she only has her W, Incinerate, and her auto-attacks, which are the worst in the game. The only thing you'll want to worry about is her passive stun, Pyromania. To beat Annie is simple, charge at her while her Disintegrate and Pyromania are down. You'll really want to beat her before level 6, which shouldn't be too hard, or she might turn the tables with her infamously painful full spell combo.

Later on, to counter said spell combo, a Banshee's Veil is recommended.

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Oh how I love to make Ashe cry in middle lane. However, there are a couple things to watch out for with this hearty meal. Chances are, she tower-hugged until her Focus was charged up to have a 100% critical chance. DO NOT GET HIT BY THIS ARROW. It will hurt, a lot. However, the good news is that she has to use her auto-attack sometime, because the whole reason she dared to trespass on this lane you own is to last-hit for gold for her expensive item build. She has two choices. A) Give up and use the arrow to last hit or B) Wait until that arrow can be used for the ideal harassment. Keep your distance until she's used this arrow. Good Ashes will be DYING to hit you with it, and YOU MUST NOT LET HER. Even if she never uses it, she is destroying her chances of becoming any good in the late game, bit by bit with every second she doesn't give up and use her charged arrow to get gold. Once she's used it though, she's sealed her fate to become tasty deliciousness.

Also, you should stay behind your minions while Ashe's Volley is up. If she's used it, it has a pretty long cooldown, so feel free to harass, harass, harass for the next several seconds. One of my favorite tricks is to leave the minion wall for a split second. Chances are, Ashe will use her Volley on you. Then, you can dodge it, using Arcane Shift if you have to. With her Volley on cooldown, feel free to harass and maybe kill. One note though is that Ashe's attack damage is pretty decent, but as long as you don't get overconfident and her two edges, Focus and Volley, aren't available, she is never going to be able to out-damage you.

You'll definitely, definitely want to kill her before she gets her ultimate, Enchanted Crystal Arrow (shouldn't be too hard at all). It is a LOT like Trueshot Barrage. It really isn't too much to worry about though. She'll probably use this in the laning phase to try and get a chance at killing you. If you have more HP and levels than her (which you should), just kill her instead with your own skills. Feel free to use Trueshot Barrage if you feel like it. She might try to snipe you with it from afar but the arrow is really thin, so she'll probably miss unless she's really, really good. If you see it coming, by all means dodge it though! With your Arcane Shift if you must!

Her Frost Shot is nothing to worry about as long as you have Arcane Shift off cooldown. Her Hawkshot is, well, nothing at all either (except something that makes ganking a little trickier). She is easy mode. Let me know what kinds of tasty dishes you turn her into, by all means!

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Uh oh. Karthus is one of the few champions that spells real trouble for Ezreal. What will happen is, you burst in, kill him, but with his Death Defied passive, he'll stick around just long enough to get revenge.

One of the keys to beating him is staying away from your minions. Karthus uses his Lay Waste and Defile to farm and harass. DO NOT LET HIM DO BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. Watch out for his Wall of Pain. Usually he will try to place it on top of you for an IMMENSE slow, so he can have an easier time killing you with Lay Waste and Defile. However, sometimes he may place it to block an entrance/escape or put it between you and him for protection. You can hop over this wall really easily with Arcane Shift, or just walk around it. It is pretty much never ever ever a good idea to walk through it on purpose. If Karthus does place his Wall of Pain directly on top of you, usually a defensive Arcane Shift to back off will get you way out of range of most of his tricks. (Goddess help you if it is on cooldown.)

With Karthus, more than probably any other middle laner you meet, you need to get first blood on him as early and as quickly as possible. You have to do so before he hits level 4, or you'll probably never get another surefire chance. He'll have his full set of spells, and while you will still be able to kill him, you'll be less likely to live through it. The CC of Wall of Pain, coupled with the extremely high damage output of Lay Waste, Defile, and Requiem combined, makes him nearly suicidal to go into an outright 1v1 with.

Killing him IS easy, mind you, he is pretty much the squishiest champion in the game. Not dying as well though, is the hard part. Its his Death Defied passive that makes him scary to lane against.

Alright...so you still are intent on killing him AND getting out alive? First thing, learn to juke Lay Waste. This skill will EAT YOU ALIVE if you can not juke for the life of you. You have to be moving at all times, or out of range. The second you decide to stand still is the second Karthus is going to hurt you. Even if Karthus is mainly using his Lay Waste to farm, it is extremely spammable, even more so than Mystic Shot. Keep moving oddly, zigzaggedly, weirdly, be as unpredictable as possible. The less predictable you are, the less Karthus will hurt. (Does this remind you of how one beats Ezreal in the middle lane? No? Okay then.)

When you whittle him down and Arcane Shift in, most likely Karthus is going to stand and fight. Even at level 1, his Lay Waste and Defile have extreme damage output. You need to keep moving. Try to stay out of the Defile zone, be extremely careful not to get slowed by any Wall of Pains, but, most of all, AVOID GETTING HIT BY Lay Waste AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. I can not stress this enough, that spell does insane damage, and if you can't dodge it, you will not be able to get out alive. If you have to walk into the Defile zone to dodge a Lay Waste, do it. It is not ideal, but Defile will do less damage than a Lay Waste.

Once you've killed him (shouldn't be too hard at all, he's squishy), you need to get the hell out of his casting range or YOU WILL DIE. If you managed to not need to use Arcane Shift for initiating, or its somehow off cooldoown, this part is pretty easy. 90% of the time though, you'll be without any escape skills. You'll need to run. If he didn't place a Wall of Pain during your clash, but he still has it, he's definitely going to now. If you are lucky enough that it doesn't fall on top of you, DON'T WALK INTO IT. Once you are out of the Defile zone, and bypassed the Wall of Pain, you now just need to make sure he doesn't kill you with Lay Waste. KEEP MOVING. If you don't feel safe trying to get out of the casting range for whatever reason, just keep moving until Karthus' timer on Death Defied runs out.

Later on, you'll most likely want a Banshee's Veil to counter Karthus' Requiems.

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The keyword here is "tricky". Tricky to fight against and tricky to write a counter for. Why? Because rather than farm and get levels, like most mid laners, Kassadin prefers to do just what Ezreal does and kill you. Fortunately, like most creepy knock-offs, he's inferior. BUT, he WILL overtake you if you let him.

The two things to watch out for are his two spells, his Q, Null Sphere, and his E, Force Pulse. His auto-attack is melee, so you don't have to worry about that. Even if he decides to float up to you and hit you with his W, Nether Blade, that's most likely like a just a sure sign he's begging to die.

Since all he can do is throw his Null Spheres at you, and with its weak early game base damage, you should be able to overtake him with your superior auto-attacks and better Mystic Shot. Try and make your Mystic Shots count. The less you miss, the less chance his Force Pulse is going harm you.

The one catch that makes Kassadin a (***) instead of a (**) is that Null Sphere silences you, shutting off your Mystic Shots and your summoner spells. So, when you see the Null Sphere floating at you, act fast and deliver some punishment back at him! The best time to charge at him is when his Null Sphere is on cooldown and/or his Force Pulse is at a low number of charges.

DO NOT let him get to level 6. If he gets to level 6 and you do not have an edge, his ultimate, Riftwalk, is going to make him pretty much unkillable and it will be A LOT easier for him to kill you.

As usual, getting a Banshee's Veil is recommended to halve his two-step spell combo.

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Most people underestimate a midding Lux[anna]. I used to as well, until she gave me a dreaded wake-up call (which was how I diagnosed myself with Ezreal Main Syndrome). She is a lot like Ezreal, in a way. All of her skills are skill shots, just like yours. Lux[anna] is hard if you let her be, and she deals surprising damage with help of her Illumination passive, not as much as yours though, but she makes up for it with her incredible range.

To beat Lux[anna], you must prove you have more skill. The first thing to do is staying away from the minions. She may have a skill shot, Light Binding, but the problem is that it can pass through the wall of minions and hit you anyway, kind of like Essence Flux. She also has her Lucent Singularity, which, like Karthus' Lay Waste, is her farming tool. Do not give her the chance to both farm and harass you at the same time.

DO NOT GET HIT BY Light Binding. Move zigzaggedly and unpredictably. Do not let Light Binding hit you. If it does, she can then activate the Illumination passive, cast Lucent Singularity, and activate the secondIllumination passive. You will be able to retaliate with Mystic Shot, most likely, and definitely auto-attacks (you both have the exact same auto-attack range), but this will still hurt A LOT, and she will probably mitigate your damage with her Prismatic Barrier, if she has it. (Don't get me started if she has her ultimate, Finales Funkeln, ready for casting.)

The best time to initiate is when Lux[anna] is wounded AND her Light Binding is on cooldown. Without her Light Binding, her only CC is from Lucent Singularity, which is minimal. She will probably cast Prismatic Barrier for some defense, but you might actually be able to kill her before the shield returns to her, because, let's face it, she's kinda squishy.

However, you are capable of killing her while she is casting her spell combo. Her spell combo is Light Binding + Illumination #1 + Lucent Singularity + Illumination #2. However, the snare on Light Binding is a little shorter than she'd like, and there is a delay between casting Lucent Singularity and her being able to re-cast it so it can deal damage. Once the snare on Light Binding ends, quickly cast Arcane Shift to get out Lucent Singularity. Don't try to run out of Lucent Singularity's area of effect, as it slows those inside it. If you can successfully get out of Lucent Singularity with your Arcane Shift, you will avoid more than half of the damage from her spell combo. While her spell combo is on cooldown as well, is a perfect time to kill her for first blood. (This trick may not be possible against a smart Lux[anna], however. This will require further testing.)

It is imperative that you kill Lux[anna] quickly, because, once she has her Finales Funkeln, and you do not have an advantage on her, she's going to become a pretty big deal.

It might be smart to get a Banshee's Veil to counter her spell combo, most notably her Finales Funkeln.

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Ah, Malzahar. Well, first things first, STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM THE MINIONS. I can't stress this enough, at all. Why? Because Malzahar has an INSANE amount of zone control, ESPECIALLY in a lane. STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM THE MINIONS. Seriously, don't. If you do, he's going to out-zone you really, REALLY EASILY. Staying away from the minions makes him such an easier opponent. Understand? Okay then.

Now that that's out of the way, I can explain just how he can have so much zone control as to make me dump a whole paragraph-long rant about it with a double-digit number of sentences in it. Remember though, all of Malzahar's abilities (except his ultimate) can farm and harass at the same time. Separate yourself from the minions and you'll be a-okay, and you'll make him cry as he has to choose you or his gold. 99% of the time though, he'll probably pick the latter as #1 priority.

I think the least of your problems is his Null Zone. Its basically just like Morgana's Tormented Soil, except indirectly less dangrous, because, unlike Morgana, Malzahar's only way of stopping your movement is through his ultimate, Nether Grasp (more on that later). Null Zone is also pretty mana-intensive for what it does, so you probably won't see much of it. DO NOT STAY IN THE AREA OF EFFECT, THOUGH. It still does an insane amount of damage if you stand in it the whole time. Get the hell out of it, do not get overconfident. It isn't necessarily dangrous enough to mean an Arcane Shift, though, unless you are really low on HP.

Just up a notch is Call of the Void. It is a really tough skill to hit with though. It is pretty easy to dodge. However, if you are following my directions with your positioning, if he tries to harass you with it, DO NOT BACK OFF. It hardly ever works. Instead, strafe to the side. This is because of the specific positionings when casting Call of the Void (and if you've ever played a champion with a wall ability you know how they line up all trickily). Its hard to explain through text...Just know that Call of the Void has an especially annoying brand of pain, since it silences, meaning you can't use your abilities and that's no fun. Its not as bad as, say, a targeted silence like Kassadin's Null Sphere, because you can at least somewhat easily dodge Call of the Void, but be sure to stay on your toes, since Call of the Void can deal quite a chunk of damage if you aren't careful.

The biggest reason to stay away from the minions though is Malefic Visions, since Malzahar usually levels up that skill first. However, it is pretty easy to avoid if you just stay away from the minions like I told you so many times not so long ago. It will attract his pets to your yummy twinkly flesh, so be careful.

"Pets? What pets?" you might be saying. His passive, Summon Voidling, summons an annoying little alien cockroach once in a while to block your skill shots. Watch out though, don't underestimate the mutated little thing's damage. It also gets progressively stronger as its 21 second lifespan goes by. Really, the two biggest things I hate about them are how it means I pretty much can't touch the minions with a 10-foot pole (since Malefic Visions draws their aggro) and how they block skill shots. Its crazy, Malzahar pretty much just has a mobile minion wall to block my Mystic Shots with.

That's not counting the #1 problem though, and that's his ultimate, Nether Grasp. It is one of the best 1v1 abilities since Warwick's Infinite Duress. It deals SO much damage, especially when combined with Ignite. Because of this ability, it is really, REALLY important that you kill him before he learns this. If he has this and you don't have an edge, 1v1ing him will become very, VERY dangerous.

He is pretty weak though before he can get Nether Grasp, however. Wait until at least a couple of his spells are on cooldown (and he doesn't have any purple kitties around or near arrival) and then charge right at him. He's pretty squishy, and having used his abilities on farming, he won't be able to do much back at you. The most important thing to watch for though is his Call of the Void, since the silence will stop your crucial Mystic Shot spamming. If he has it available, make sure you are going to be able to dodge it. You will still be able to auto-attack even if you can't, and hopefully you at least managed to use Exhaust on him.

You'll probably want a Quicksilver Sash later so you can get away from his Nether Grasp. However, Quicksilver Sash doesn't stop Nether Grasp's damage, it only ends the supression. Be sure to get out of range so you can mitigate most of the pain. Arcane Shift will definitely be helpful in this venture.

A random, final thought though. Since technically Malzahar is also pretty much supressed himself while channeling Nether Grasp, perhaps when you use Quicksilver Sash, it might be smarter to fight back? With life-steal, you might be able to survive the damage, and maybe even kill him instead. He'll be suppressed for a couple, crucial seconds, in which he won't be able to do anything but deal damage, so he is incapable of running. This will have to be tested though.

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For some reason, a lot of people really, really, really hate this tatty rat. I don't get it, to be honest...I see how Twitch could potentially tear apart a defensive middle laner, however...but, we play Ezreal, and he's aggressive!

People hate Twitch because of his stealth mechanism, achieved through his Q ability, Ambush. However, what people fail to realize, is that stealth is Twitch's ONLY defense. He is a complete and total glass cannon (or, technically, glass machine gun, but whatever) otherwise.

The real thing to worry about on him is his passive, Deadly Venom. The reason Twitch is a pain is NOT because of his stealth. It is because of his Deadly Venom. Be careful fighting Twitch for long periods, because these Deadly Venom stacks add up and they WILL hurt. "How exactly?" you may be asking. While the actual damage-over-time is fairly insignificant, two of Twitch's lesser-known abilities are Debilitating Poison and Expunge.

Debilitating Poison and Expunge slow and deal damage, respectively, based on how many Deadly Venom stacks you are poisoned with. As long as you have your Arcane Shift available, there is very little reason to worry about Debilitating Poison, since it does no actual damage on its own. Most Twitch players keep that ability at rank 1 until they are level 14, anyway. The real worry is Expunge, since most Twitch players max out that skill first. Expunge can deal quite a bit of burst damage, and is typically used by Twitch as a finishing move a.k.a. kill-stealing ability so he can get kills easier. Lame, I know.

His ultimate, Spray and Pray, can really mess with team-fights though. If you are the focus of this ability, you can just generally use Arcane Shift to get out of range, forcing Twitch to pick a different target.

Twitch, like any AD carry, uses the middle lane to get experience and gold for his expensive item build. We must not let him attain the items he desires! He is really, really, REALLY weak very early in the game, while you are really, really, really strong. He is also one of the absolute squishiest champions in all of League of Legends. You might actually be able to kill him before the minions spawn even, if he gets overconfident and tries to use Ambush on you for first blood. See him using Ambush, not as a danger, but as an opportunity, as it is his only defensive skill. You should know the drill by now to kill champions, Arcane Shift, Mystic Shot, auto-attack, Exhaust, Ignite, et cetera.

Once you have Twitch down (shouldn't be hard, Twitch players tend to be stupidly overconfident because of their Ambush skill), KEEP HIM DOWN. You really, really need to put the squeeze on Twitch. If you can keep Twitch down, he will be weakened for THE ENTIRE GAME and become food for all. However, if you let him get an edge, you and your team are in a lot of trouble. You must not let a Twitch complete his item build, for while he'll still be a glass machine gun, he'll be a glass machine gun that can kill you before you can kill him.

To keep him down, use Vision Wards. Oracle's Elixir is also a popular choice, but save that for the later game, after the laning phase is over. Settle down, settle down, I know what you are thinking. "But, getting Vision Wards will delay my awesome item build!" This is simply not true, if you use the Vision Wards to their fullest effect. Level difference really counts against Twitch. Since Ambush is his only defensive skill, being able to see him makes it all for nothing. Plus, all the kills on Twitch you'll accumulate with the Vision Wards will make them pay for themselves!

In summary, Twitch is only as hard as you let him be. He is really easy to shut down, as getting first blood on him is really easy, so long as you don't make any big blunders. After you got him down once, with Vision Wards, you'll be able to keep him down repeatedly. This is REALLY, REALLY important against Twitch. If you can keep him down he will become useless the entire game, but if you can't, he will become a really, really big threat. Shouldn't be hard though, but regardless, good luck!

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Ah, Urgot, the king of laning, dethroned! Move over, its time for the Dynasty of Ezreal! It is the time to give back to Ezreal his rightful reign!

Okay, enough with the dramatics. Urgot is a tough one, not as hard as Anivia or Karthus, but still tough. Urgot's key to winning lanes is with his Acid Hunter and its MANY on-hit effects. His Zaun-Touched Bolt Augmenter reduces your damage, his Terror Capacitor makes it slow, his Noxian Corrosive Charge turns it into a "lock-on" auto-hit...

The key here, however, is simple. DO NOT GET HIT BY NOXIAN CORROSIVE CHARGE. If you can dodge his E, you'll be just fine. Its fairly predictable, so if you see the animation, DODGE IT! With Arcane Shift if you must! Acid Hunter is pretty clunky to hit without the lock-on, so you will be nullifying his harassment. If you do get hit, do not fear, just Arcane Shift away until the de-buff fades.

The best way to beat him is to be agressive early. He'll only have Acid Hunter to fight against you, while you have Arcane Shot, but he'll also have his passive, Zaun-Touched Bolt Augmenter. However, Acid Hunter without a lock-on is hard to hit, so you should be able to throw in auto-attacks and Arcane Shot without taking damage back.

In short, don't go into a big punch-up if you are even, as its too risky. Go into skirmishes to whittle him down and then charge at him normally, as he has no escapes. DODGE THE NOXIAN CORROSIVE CHARGES AND AVOID ACID HUNTERS.

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I'd like to think of Ezreal as the HARD COUNTER to Vladimir. As my big brother says, "Vladimir is Ezreal's *explicit*."

The thing with Vladimir is, he's not a threat really until level NINE. He's a slowpoke, and you are in the fast lane. You are a killer from the starting gate. Vladimir is nothing but a nuisance to Ezreal.

However, I am forced to admit he has a lame trick or three up his sleeve. Basically, you really will want to kill Vladimir before level 9, which shouldn't be too hard. His early game Transfusion is absolutely pitiful, but it becomes quite mean with enough levels. In the first few levels, you can take it like a boss and then punish him for his squirming defiance.

Sanguine Pool is the most annoying skill in his set-up, as it allows him to dodge your skill shots. However, it costs 20% of his HP, so you should be welcome to the foolishness.

Tides of Blood has a high health cost in the early levels. If Vladimir is using this, he's getting desperate and/or stupid, profoundly so. Punish him for it!

His ultimate, Hemoplague, might actually be the least worrisome of all of his skills. If he uses it on you, just Arcane Shift out until it wears off. Nothing special.

Also, he has a passive, Crimson Pact. That's all you need to know.

So, yeah, AD Ezreal is the hard counter to Vladimir. Who knew?

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Yes, Ezreal is one of those fantastic champions who is great at Twisted Treeline. Why? Well...

1) Ezreal shines in the first half of a Summoner's Rift game...which is basically all of a Twisted Treeline game. His DPS is insane, his lane dominance is insaner.

2) Arcane Shift gives him unparalleled mobility on this map. It really does, since there is wall everywhere you look, its not too hard at all to make a cutting escape with Ezreal.

Okay, I'm not going to do a full guide for Twisted Treeline Ezreal, since I mainly just do that map on the side when I'm bored of Summoner's Rift for 15-20 minutes. But, without further ado, here's the mini-guide!

Runes, Masteries, Summoner Spells, and the Core Item Build ( Berserker's Greaves, Sheen, and Vampiric Scepter) all remain the same. No need to fix what isn't broken, am I right?

However, the item build needs some changing-around. Because there are only 3 champions instead of 5, and more places to escape with Arcane Shift, you are good to go with building pretty much nothing but attack damage.

When you get that Vampiric Scepter, the next item you will need is Wriggle's Lantern. This item will let you farm like a madman, as well as be able to solo both the lizard and the dragon. That's right, the DRAGON. Once you get Wriggle's Lantern, kill dragon whenever you can, whenever it is up. The buffs it gives are enormous.

Warding is easier on this map than Summoner's Rift. Basically, the 5 most important places to ward, I think, are the 5 choke points in the vertical center of the map.

1) The long, top brush at the tippety top of the map.
2) Right above the dragon's den/nest/cave.
3) Top lane.
4) The lizard.
5) Bottom lane.

Two of these places, top and bottom lane, are already covered by good old minions. That leaves the last three, and hey, you have 3 people on your team! #1 takes last priority while dragon and lizard are sorta tied up. Your choice. I prefer warding lizard, but sometimes dragon is the better place, in case you were curious.

Where was I? Oh right...

The next item is either Last Whisper or Black Cleaver for armor penetration.

Next is going to be the Bloodthirster. Its great on Ezreal, through & through.

Game should be over by now. If its not, turn your Sheen into Trinity Force.

If the game is still going then that's your own damn fault. 6th item is up to you, as Twisted Treeline games never ever ever get to this point and I'm probably just trolling by even thinking about it.

Be sure you're going to get that 1v1 lane. 1v1 solo top is best. Kill the enemy topper the same way you'd kill an enemy midder. It should be even easier on this map because of the distance from tower to tower.

Gank bottom lane whenever opportunity strikes you, and your lane isn't in peril. Because the lanes are so long on Twisted Treeline, you can usually just leave it if its fine and you'll be able to come back to it, still being just fine.

Take Lizard and Dragon whenever you can and whenever they are up once you have Wriggle's Lantern.

...That's about it. Pretty much all of the information from Summoner's Rift is transplant-able into The Twisted Treeline. Good luck.

Ezreal, the AD caster, is a very underestimated champion. Do not be fooled, for while he may be hard to learn, play, and master, the benefits one can reap from such a valiant effort are amazing. Even if you play Ezreal for only a day, you will become better at skill shots for the rest of your LoL career, I assure you.

I can never thank Wictor Dolk a.k.a. win10cent enough for showing me the true power of Ezreal, I simply can not. With his teachings, I have truly only just begun learning the ways of Ezreal, now on a path that will never, ever end. And now, I hope I have put you on the path as well.

This guide is still ongoing, and will never reach completion as long as LoL remains alive. With your help, help from you and all your fellow readers, this guide can only get better. If you liked it, praise it! If you disliked it, tell me why. If you think I need to test a build or forgot something to include that is important, let me know.

And remember, have fun, its just a game! XD

The first person I must dedicate this guide to is Evil Nosferatu. A great older brother & friend, who has changed, and will continue to change, my life in many positive ways to come.

The second person I must dedicate this guide to is Wictor Dolk a.k.a. win10cent. A great player of Ezreal, whose guide changed my ways, not just with Ezreal, but with my entirety of LoL play...as well as inspiring me to tread a new path with Ezreal, one I now write here, in this guide.
( You can find Wictor Dolk's a.k.a. win10cent's Ezreal guide here: http://leaguecraft.com/strategies/guide/11826-a-very-detailed-ezreal-guide.xhtml )

The third person I must now dedicate this guide to is Adonikam. Great team-mate, fun veteran, and recommender of this guide! Thank you so much!

From 6sick6:

6/3/11: Guide released.
6/11/11: Sorry for no recent updates as of late, but its going to be slow for a while with E3/Dreamhack/etc halting the flow of updates to LoL and thus updates to the guide. Fixed some technical, spelling, statisical, and grammar errors. I'd like to thank everyone who has voted (even Searz) because it can only make my guide better. Due to Searz's DV I'm considering a bit of a guide re-format because I'm a sucker for +1's. Stay tuned!
6/20/11: This guide is now Veteran-Recommended! *GASP*
Thank you so much Adonikam! Thank you! I shall not let the MOBAFire community down now, as my spirit has been re-lit!...& I'll stop typing now shortly before I choke on my own dramatics. 3rd Dedication, and an Urgot mid counter added! (Third try is the charm...1st time a computer crash, 2nd time a blown fuse. Oh well.)
6/22/11: Patch! No changes to Ezreal. Yorick sucks, blehck. Fiddlesticks might be coming back into viability but if he does he'll probably be a (**) because Ignite > Drain. So might Heimerdinger though and he might be tricky. That's all for this patch I really care about right now.
6/26/11: Still need more time for Kassadin. He's a fishy one. In the meantime, a quick and easy counter for a quick and easy food, Annie! (srsly, a little girl with a flamethrower against Ezreal? What did you think would happen?)
6/30/11: First fan picture of success sumbitted. SUCCESS! Thank you 6sick6 for it, it made my day. New section, Fan Submissions! Cmon, send me some pictures/videos to prove to Searz and the trolls that this build works! (Kassadin still a work in progress, should be up today or tomorrow, although I'm finally settling on ***, the new W doesn't seem to mean much early game.)
7/1/11: Kassadin mid counter finally done. Condensed/re-formatted the guide in order to make it easier to read. Display builds revised. Item order re-ordered after testing. Lots of changes. Hope you like them all!
7/8/11: WOW Time flies, a week since my last update. Long time. Anyway Leona probably can't mid, no worries, though maybe Yorick can now...that'll be interesting. Doing some condensing/re-formatting, more tommorrow. Also: EZREAL BUFFS! Party! <3 more Trueshot Barrage, and 1 level of Essence Flux is now okay to get against an auto-attacking champion at level 4 because of the reduced mana cost if used sparingly.

TO DO: