Talon mains know all about the level 2 powerspikes. ^_^
Thanks to The_Nameless_Bard for the sig!
Well, now it began to make sense, naisu.
Hi, I'm a LoL player from Turkey/TR.
I've been playing League of Legends for like 3-4 years in TR server, mostly support and mid but really when the jungle is left, I'm playing 90% of times Lee or even more *-* strategic MMORPGs and things, where are elegant details featured worlds and stories that I like for gaming. I've played Silkroad nearly 10 years, nowadays I'm playing Path of Exile (which said to be better even than Diablo ''even'') it's a mix of Hack N slash and Action-Rpg. The deep story sometimes essential for unique games such as Dragon Age series and Skyrim and perhaps Dark Souls, I umm, I can be defined as an introvert person due to some reasons, probably. I also like to guide people in-game actually where everyone thinks an invetable lose is coming, but no there is still yet some hope young padawan, my PoE nickname is Sorchavera, for TERA it was Alluchard and finally for steam it is RikudouRinneTensei, however, I'm not using Steam anymore, a quite long 'nickname isn't it, feel free to add me!
I've been playing League of Legends for like 3-4 years in TR server, mostly support and mid but really when the jungle is left, I'm playing 90% of times Lee or even more *-* strategic MMORPGs and things, where are elegant details featured worlds and stories that I like for gaming. I've played Silkroad nearly 10 years, nowadays I'm playing Path of Exile (which said to be better even than Diablo ''even'') it's a mix of Hack N slash and Action-Rpg. The deep story sometimes essential for unique games such as Dragon Age series and Skyrim and perhaps Dark Souls, I umm, I can be defined as an introvert person due to some reasons, probably. I also like to guide people in-game actually where everyone thinks an invetable lose is coming, but no there is still yet some hope young padawan, my PoE nickname is Sorchavera, for TERA it was Alluchard and finally for steam it is RikudouRinneTensei, however, I'm not using Steam anymore, a quite long 'nickname isn't it, feel free to add me!
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Ezreal AD Carry has had a tough time this season. He's been consistently near the bottom of the ADC win rates for a number of months while other champions have risen and fallen with patch changes. Riot realized that Ezreal had been in a rut for a while and gave him two seemingly small buffs to his Mystic Shot in patch 7.15 and patch 7.17 - changes that would result in some unexpected consequences.
Patch 7.15 buff
Patch 7.17 buff
So where did this jungle Ezreal strategy come from? How did it come to dominate in popularity compared to ADC, with an even higher win rate? What do you need to do to execute this playstyle and build Ezreal for the jungle? How do you counter jungle Ezrea? We'll cover these questions below.
Who Needs a Map?
Ezreal's threat with red buff cannot be overstated. Most junglers rely on hitting level 3 before they think about fighting enemy champions. Junglers like Rek'Sai, Elise and Sejuani don't have that mix of mobility, damage and crowd control until they have access to all their basic abilities. However, Ezreal only needs his Mystic Shot and Arcane Shift, along with red buff, to do his job. This allows him to play aggressively in the enemy jungle or go for early level 2 ganks on lanes without much fear of being punished. In many cases, the opposing jungler will have to scout out Ezreal's attempts to invade and simply avoid him and take other camps if possible.
Time to Strike!
Ezreal's early ganks aren't to be underestimated either. While Ezreal does lack any innate crowd control, he makes up for it in mobility and ferocity. From the moment the minions hit the center of the lanes, Ezreal jungle is a threat. An enemy Ezreal with red buff could blink into your team's jungle and kill your jungler or steal away their camps. He could shift into your lane and quickly destroy your health bar. Even if Ezreal can't finish off his enemies, he can still force them to run for their tower and either chug Health Potions to stay in lane or recall to base to refill their health.
These early setbacks give Ezreal's team a massive advantage in pressure and allow Ezreal to pull off even more invades and ganks in the future with the support of his strong teammates. A few smart plays in the early game can turn lane matchups on their heads and make for an easy victory.
Despite his need to stay active, Ezreal relies a lot on red buff to slow enemies and chase down kills. Without it, he still deals good damage, but most enemies can simply retreat and make Ezreal waste his time. When red buff is down, Ezreal jungle players usually need to just bide their time and farm to catch up in experience until the next buff spawns. If the opposing team is able to steal Ezreal's red buff, it can put him in a really bad position unless he is able to steal theirs in return.
Overall, these weaknesses make Ezreal a niche pick in coordinated play and not without counterplay in solo queue, but he can still be devastating in the hands of an experienced jungler. If the Ezreal player is successful in controlling the early game, he'll have enough damage to dominate team fights, quickly destroy enemy structures and easily kill Baron Nashor with his teammates.
I Hate Those Guys
Countering jungle Ezreal is a matter of champion selection as well as in-game tactics. Ezreal's jungle counters include champions with high damage, mobility or crowd control that can threaten him even when his Arcane Shift is available. An alternative path to victory is picking a champions that can counter jungle Ezreal in team fights. Tank champions who build health and armor items and have tools to engage fights can shrug off jungle Ezreal's damage and focus down targets with their teammates. Finally, champions that can deny Ezreal's red buff and slow down his experience gain can nullify his impact on the early game. Below, I'll offer a few suggestions for champions that counter Ezreal in one of these ways.
As with many champions, jungle Ezreal's build is crucial to improving your effectiveness in game. Here, I'll be making some suggestions on summoner spells, runes, masteries, skill order and items, based on observing high-ranked and professional Ezreal jungle players.
Runes
Masteries
There are two main mastery pages that jungle Ezreal players use. Some stick with one page that they prefer, but often players will swap from page to page depending on the draft. Against enemy teams with a heavy frontline, or if Ezreal's team has poor DPS, Fervor of Battle is a strong option to increase Ezreal's damage output. Stormraider's Surge is always a strong option, offering unparalleled mobility in ganks, duels and skirmishes. In games against many low-health damage threats, Stormraider's can be applied effortlessly, while Fervor of Battle is less useful due to the shorter fights.
Runic Affinity is a highlight here due to jungle Ezreal's dependence on red buff. Whereas other junglers gain access to crowd control abilities as they level up, Ezreal relies on the slow from red buff in order to prevent enemies from escaping his pressure. Increased buff duration gives jungle Ezreal more time to pressure the map when he's strongest.
Be sure to pick up Natural Talent , as it's much stronger than Vampirism on junglers. Killing jungle monster camps more quickly allows a jungler to take less damage throughout his clear. Natural Talent also increases Ezreal's threat to enemy champions, making it a great addition to his pre-game setup.
Standard page with Fervor of Battle
Standard page with Stormraider's Surge
Summoner Spells
Ability Sequence
This ability order should come as no surprise. Trueshot Barrage and Mystic Shot are obvious priorities, as they're the main damage dealers for AD Ezreal. Arcane Shift is maxed next for the lower cooldown, plus the extra damage can come in handy for quickly bursting a target. Essence Flux is maxed last since it's the weakest ability for AD Ezreal, having no AD ratio and fairly limited range and slow projectile speed.
Some players choose to delay the first point in Essence Flux until level 8, prioritizing Ezreal's primary abilities. This strategy loses some flexibility, as you won't be able to buff your attack speed by quickly casting Essence Flux followed by Arcane Shift, and you won't be able to buff your teammates, but it's a more mana-efficient option, as you'll only be using two abilities early game instead of 3. If you don't like that idea, taking W at level 4 is perfectly fine.
Items
Jungle Ezreal builds vary from game to game, and from player to player. Players start with Skirmisher's Sabre - Warrior and Trinity Force along with some sort of boots, but builds diverge from there. Some players opt for Blade of the Ruined King to shred through tanks, while others pick up Duskblade of Draktharr for more burst damage.
Be sure to adapt your build according to the enemy team composition and don't be afraid to buy the defensive options shown above if necessary. A dead Ezreal is a useless Ezreal!
Moon, the jungler for team FlyQuest, recently made a video where he analyzes one of his jungle Ezreal games and explains his thought process and decision making at various points throughout the game. I definitely recommend this video to prospective jungle Ezreal players to get a sense of what Ezreal's priorities should be during the early game and how to decide where to focus your aggressive plays.
For a taste of the professional scene, we also have a recent game where jungle Ezreal was played by IMT Xmithie in the 2017 Worlds group stages against LongZhu.