Ezreal Build Guide by Moppied

Introduction

Hey guys, this guide is all about how I play Woodsman Ezreal. This is merely a guide, a fun guide at that, and should probably not be used if you wish to win (although it's very good). Have fun with it, and don't troll your teammates too hard.

Ezreal's Abilities

Your passive ablilty, Rising Spell Force is a HUGE factor for jungling as Ezreal. While killing jungle creeps you want to make sure your passive buff doesn't fall off, and is kept at relatively high stacks at all times. This boosts your jungling speeds, and also allows you to be as healthy as possible throughout your route.



Your Q ability, Mystic Shot is your main ganking tool. It deals tons of damage, applies on-hit effects (meaning your Red Buff or Phage's slow effects), though CANNOT travel through enemy minions. So, to make the most of this ability, you want to position yourself to land Mystic Shot with your Arcane Shift. This ability can also proc effects such as the 4% Magical Damage from Madred's Bloodrazor, or the 400 Bonus Magical Damage from Wriggle's Lantern.



Your W ability, Essence Flux used to be able to DEBUFF your enemies, and BUFF your allies. Though, recently this ability has been nerfed, which means we no longer give an attack speed debuff. Though we now lack the incredible power to duel other attack damage opponents, we can still use this ability to proc our passive, Rising Spell Force, and this ability can also travel through enemy minions, meaning it's an effective poke tool if creeps are blocking your Mystic Shot. During teamfights, try to hit an ally who can benefit from your Attack Speed buff. This ability used to be maxed FIRST on lane Ezreal, but due to the nerfs, and the fact that this ability does not hit jungle mobs, we max this ability last.



Your E, Arcane Shift is your escape mechanism. It allows you to dash, and sends a missile (which sadly doesn't hit very hard) to your nearest enemy. This ability's damage can help with early-game ganks, and is also used for mobility around your jungle. Though, most importantly, this ability should be used to make sure you're positioned correctly in teamfights. You're an AD carry, you don't want to be anywhere near their huge damage dealers, and so this ability helps you shift your butt around the map. This ability is paired well with Flash.



This ability is... DELICIOUS! One of the funnest ultimate abilities in the game, contending with Darius' Noxian Guillotine. It's mapwide, deals a pretty huge amount of damage, though the damage decays for each enemy it passes through. This ability can be used to pick off low HP enemies, snipe map objectives and simply deal huge damage to the entire enemy team in fights. Basically, this ability is awesome, and you feel awesome if you pick something off with it.

DO NOT BE AFRAID TO FIRE THIS OFF. If you see an opportunity, take it!

Why should I play Jungle Ezreal?

Short answer: IT'S PROBABLY NOT A GOOD IDEA, BUT WHATEVER, YOLO!

Though, if you want to have a little FUN and are getting a little bored with the game, it's certainly something worth trying out. I've played dozens of games as Jungle Ez, and I'm still pretty happy with him, he's a very unique champion, and he makes each game different.

People these days are too scared to break from the meta-game, which is sad... this is my attempt to get a little more creative.

P.S. You probably shouldn't play Ezreal if your team is squishy as hell. Make sure you've got a tank in your team before picking!

Pick this if you have a kill lane duo bottom, like Jarvan IV and Leona. Having no ranged AD champion can really screw you over, so it's great to make sure you have one, even if you're jungling and not obtaining as much farm.

Pros / Cons

PROS:
- Deals TONS OF DAMAGE!
- Has two escape mechanisms paired with Flash.
- Has an ability which can proc on-hit effects ( Mystic Shot).
- Global Ultimate, we all love the thrill of getting a map-wide kill!
- Able to kite really well with Red Buff or Phage, as well as chase down kills.

CONS:
- Remains incredibly squishy throughout the entire game.
- Requires you to be able to hit skill-shots efficiently.
- Often has problems with mana.
- Can still be shut down by CC, despite having an escape ability.

Runes

Well, Runes. What if I told you... you could run just about anything? Well, you can! All that is required is Greater Seal of Armor, everything else is up to you. Though some things are better than others...

Masteries

Though taking 21 points in to the Offense tree is definately great, and it'll give you the best late game, you can do other stuff, too! For example, here are a few things you can do:

Taking the 9 into Offense, getting the Attack Speed and 10% Armour Penetration, as well as some attack damage. 12 into Defense which gives us plenty of durability throughout the jungle, possible letting us gank after our red! Then 9 into Utility, taking added Buff Duration and Mana per level. You could also take the Mana Regen instead of Movement Speed, personal preference. You should also not take masteries for summoner spells you aren't using, so don't take Summoner's Insight if you're not bringing Flash!


... Bruiser Ezreal, if you wish?

Items

First of all, Trinity Force is not an essential item. If you are behind, you may wish to leave this item out, as it is very expensive and does fall off slightly late game. If you do choose to skip Trinity Force, you should prioritize Infinity Edge over your The Bloodthirster, as it gives slightly more damage and the ability to crit.

Last Whisper should be bought when the enemy purchase armour items to nullify your damage. Judge when you buy this item by taking a look at what your enemies are building. If they're stacking armour, you want your Last Whisper. I usually buy this item after my The Bloodthirster in a standard game.

Guardian Angel can also be swapped out with a Quicksilver Sash, which is incredibly useful when the enemy team has an incredibly annoying amount of CC, such as an Urgot or Warwick. Using this item while in a suppression ultimate is a 'get out of jail free' card, and can definitely turn teamfights in your favor. Also, the small amount of Magic Resist this item provides can help against the enemy AP burst damage.

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+ The Brutalizer bought early can completely devastate your opponents, as you will be dealing almost True Damage with the armour penetration this item provides. Also, the cooldown reduction can be absolutely delicious.

+ Maw of Malmortius is a very situational pickup. I usually pick up this item when the enemy AP is dealing slightly too much damage, as the Magic Resist and shield this item provides can save your live a great many times. And also, being able to deal more damage while lower on health is just an added bonus.

+ Phantom Dancer is a very rare pickup for me, because I like to play Ezreal as more of a spell-focused champion. Though, the extra crit chance this item provides can be wonderful once you have your Infinity Edge, and of course the Attack Speed and Movement Speed are added bonuses which are delicious, but are not necessarily needed.

+ Banshee's Veil is an excellent item when playing against characters with substantial burst, such as Veigar. It provides a handful of Magic Resistance, as well as a shield which blocks an unfriendly spell every 45 seconds. Useful, huh? Especially against that Karthus who has a habit of ultimating you when you're low! It also provides some mana and health, both are welcome on Ezreal.

+ Quicksilver Sash is a must-have if you're being insta-gibbed while being CC'd by your enemies. An enemy Skarner always using Impale on you, or Malzahar using Nether Grasp all day 'erryday, making it easy for the rest of your foes to follow up and kill your squishy butt? Buy this, press button, BE FREE, LITTLE EZREAL!

+ Doran's Blade best item in the game, I swear. Stack them, though buy no more than two. Extra AD, lifesteal meaning extra sustain, why not? They're great placeholders until you get high-cost items, like Infinity Edge. You really want to pick up either two of these, or a Wriggle's Lantern. Buying a pair of swords and a lantern is a little too expensive, and is only going to put you behind.

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Wriggle's Lantern is ACCEPTABLE IF:


Though BEWARE! Purchasing this item may set you behind. Only buy the lantern if you feel it's completely necessary.

Summoner Spells

Smite is a must on Jungle Ezreal, as you simply can't jungle without it. It can also help take bigger map objectives, such as Dragon and Baron, so don't leave it out! It's necessary to have at least one Smite on every team, and shouldn't be forgotten.

Flash is the most useful summoner spell in the entire game. This is entirely necessary, as it can help with your positioning in team fights paired with your E, Arcane Shift, and can also help you escape from a gank or secure a kill on an enemy player. I only believe there is one other valuable summoner spell which can be viable on Jungle Ezreal, and that is Exhaust.

Exhaust can definately be of use while ganking a lane. Exhausting an enemy slows them down, allowing your laners to get in their faces and deal some massive damage. This ability paired with your Red Buff Slow can easily secure a kill if pulled off correctly. Late-game this ability can be used on the enemy AD carry which completely destroys their damage output, so this summoner is definately viable.

Jungling

I had to alter this part, as I discovered noticed Double Golems beat the barely-living **** out of you. Ignore them, they're bad, they should feel bad, but they don't, because they're stone and they're honey badgers and stuff.

Start with Wolves , ask your mid laner to give you a hand, then get a leash on your Blue Golem . You need one, or you're going to be in terrible condition for the rest of your jungle route. Travel to Wraiths , use the stupid wraith tactic I've added below, not necessary, but it'll help you get more free vamp scepter procs without taking tons of punishment.

By now, your Smite will almost be back up, so go kill your Wolves again, make the most of your Mystic Shot's auto reset, get as much lifesteal off as possible, then head over to your Elder Lizard . KITE YOUR BUTT OFF! You're going to get low here, so be careful of a counter jungle, stand in your bush to gain vision of anybody who may approach you. Once this is done, go home, buy boots, get some damn Health Potions, the hard part is over!


The Wraith Tactic is a silly tactic which I'm going to make a small section about for no reason whatsoever. The tactic is used to allow Ezreal to minimize damage taken and maximize damage output while taking his Wraith Camp. This is also applicable to other camps, though are not as effective.



To perform this trick, all you must do is Mystic Shot over the wall, which will pull the three smaller wraiths towards you and through the brush, though the bigger wraith stands still, allowing you to hit it. When the smaller wraiths reach you, quickly Arcane Shift over the wall into the camp and finish off the bigger wraith. Using this tactic, you simply take away the majority of the damage which should have been dealt to you, and this also gives you the opportunity to lifesteal your HP back from fighting the Blue Golem .

Counter-Jungling

Honestly, I don't find that Ezreal should be near the enemy jungle so often. If you find yourself caught out by an enemy champion, they're probably going to get help from another lane and you'll be dead meat. You're still incredibly squishy, keep this in mind.

If you're looking to counter-jungle, I'd keep the enemy Wraiths warded. You can snipe their Blue Wraith with your Mystic Shots and autoattacks, or even smite if you have it available. If you're really desperate, you can keep the enemy buffs warded, then attempt to snipe the buff from them with your Trueshot Barrage. If you choose to invade the enemy jungle, guarantee your safety, as a death can set you behind lots. Keep an eye on the enemy lanes. If somebody's missing, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO COUNTER-JUNGLE.

Ganking a Lane

The way to gank as Ezreal is to make sure you apply your red buff successfully. You can do this by using one of two methods; simply auto-attack the enemy or Mystic Shot them, as it applies on-hit effects. Your Arcane Shift can help you applying any of these, and can also help you avoid the enemy creep wave and make sure your abilities are hitting the players. Ezreal ganks are amazingly powerful as, after all, you're Ezreal and you deal TONS OF DAMAGE!!one!

Here are some routes you can use to gank your enemies:

Red Buff is almost a must for a successful gank as Ezreal, though if you can get a hold of your Phage, it can definitely act as a decent placebo, though it isn't a guaranteed slow. Also, you should always try to gank lanes which have some form of CC, such as lanes with targetted stuns ( Taric/ Sion) or devastating slows ( Nasus) Your priorities for ganking should almost always be your top and middle lane, as bottom lane is usually always warded and is simply a waste of time if you go there then the enemy lane backs away.



This method of ganking is incredibly potent. It allows you to get behind the enemy team, even if they haven't necessarily pushed the lane. Also, by using your Arcane Shift ability, you can completely avoid any turret damage. How about that? Also, the Enemy Tri-Bush is almost completely unwarded, meaning your opponents will have no idea you're there.

Team Fighting

During teamfights, you ALWAYS want to be standing towards the back of the battle. The frontline is for the bruisers, and that definitely isn't our Ezreal. Somebody from the enemy team is going to be FOCUSING you. Your job is to avoid as much damage as possible while dealing the most damage you can to the enemy team.

This is where your Arcane Shift comes in handy. You can warp through walls, and be able to deal monstrous damage from afar with your Mystic Shot. You're likely to be getting focused by an enemy bruiser, such as Olaf or perhaps Nocturne who decides to dive on you. This is where your Trinity Force's Phage effect comes in handy. If you hit the slow, you're able to kite the enemy while constantly dealing damage to them, and if they do eventually catch up to you, you should have one of your dashes available.

Your positioning in teamfights is VITAL. You dying in a team fight can be the difference between a VICTORY and a DEFEAT.
You must use each ability you are given to the best possible extent, which means Essence Fluxin' the enemy AD carry, trying to make your ultimate hit as many of your opponents as possible, while also keeping yourself safe.

You should also have a member of your team PROTECTING you. This could be a champion with Crown Control effects, heals, or perhaps just somebody who can kill the anti-carries with you. Make sure to communicate with your team, and tell them what you need them to do in order to succeed.

Results

These are some results from games I've played as Jungle Ezreal. Some losses, though I feel I made a huge impact on the game and was able to snowball my team for the most part.

Summary

Ezreal is a shockingly good jungler, probably the best AD carry jungler in the game right now. He has great sustain with his Vampiric Scepter, he has his Mystic Shot which also procs lifesteal, he has great mobility and an overall decent jungling speed thanks to his passive, Rising Spell Force. People will probably not take you seriously when you use this build, but hey, it's your job to show them how good Jungle Ezreal really is.

Thanks for reading my guide, also a huge thanks to JhoiJhoi for her guide on making a guide. Really helpful. Please leave feedback, and most importantly, have fun!

Also, big thank you to Soxthecat for making most of the images in this guide.