Given the upcoming graphical change of Ashe, I want to let y'all know that this is an exciting, albiet delayed, patch that's coming up. Since League of Legends' Beta phase, the Frost Archer has always been my main weapon (beside Malphite, Trundle, and Twisted Fate: but I digress.) on Summoner's Rift; and after playing with and against many AD champions that have been released recently, I still come to find that Ashe remains the one character that retains awesomeness harder than any other carry. Here are a few reasons why I believe that Ashe still retains her mark as one of the greatest AD champs in League of Legends.

Ashe is a Simplistic Champion:

One may say this reason is quite obvious since she is the character that is played during the tutorial stage, but her kit is very straight to the point and has a very easy to use combo with potential to ruin many a champion's day. Her basic abilities run her an auto-slow, gold-maker, and a brutal stun initiator, filling a lot of holes for a team when the going gets tough. There's no crazy combos that people need to remember, her Volley is about as straight forward as you can get, along with her Frost Shot being a toggleable ability: allowing ever constant slows given the right amount of mana. I can personally believe any one with a common knowledge of MOBAs could pick up Ashe and do decent on their first try, and it's hard to say that about other AD champs.

Her Utlity is Fantastic:

Ashe holds what could be described as a flying Ward every 60 seconds with her Hawkshot. Given Ashe's role in bottom lane, this will help you and your support check Dragon, thwart potential ganks coming from river, and help gain vision on the opposing jungle for your jungler; just to name a few. This also allows Ashe to not have to consider buying Wards, (though your Support should be doing this, but we've all had those games) and as an added bonus: will add extra gold on minions and structures. This is all upon her "E" skill, granting vision and extra gold, allowing Ashe to beef up quicker than any other AD Champion and hit Tier 2 and 3 items quicker. Her Volley as well provides usages in initiating and escaping fights, with Volley applying a stack of Frost Shot when hitting a champion, allowing Ashe to prominentally maintain the tempo of the bottom lane fighting, giving her a reliable poke among keeping opposing players away from Ashe.

It's Hard to Escape Her:

There's a reason Ashe is labeled the Frost Archer, because almost every ability of her's grants the possibility of an opposing player to never leave her grasp. Using the toggled "Q" spell, Frost Shot, Ashe can keep whoever she attacks in a permanent slow until she runs out of mana or the opponent is slain; the latter happening much more than the former. This is key in quickly ousting opposing AD champs and AP Bursty Champs from leaving an initiating push by your front line, or keeping said opponents from escaping a teamfight or a retreat to their back line. But Frost Shot is not only effective offensively, but defensively. Applying Frost Shot on incoming junglers can give you the edge in speed as Ashe escapes to safety, especially useful in terms of keeping Ashe or one of her teammates alive while chased. Her Volley, like said above, also applies Frost Shot to keep attackers at bay, or escapees continually in the line of fire for you and your teammates. While these abilities are well used in the line of fire, her ultimate trumps all.

The Enchanted Crystal Arrow:

Ashe's bread and butter ultimate provides an automatic stun on contact, a longer stun the farther the shot goes, with decent base damage and a satisfying crunch when it connects against an opponent. But her ultimate is much more than just a arrow to the face, this ultimate has the ability to turn 1v1s and teamfights in the blink of an eye. With most well-working teams, an Enchanted Crystal Arrow to any character is a universal sign to focus the retriever of the Arrow. With a properly assembled team, this arrow connection means certain death, and a disadvantage placed upon the opposing team now being one to two champions down, considering the Arrow also provides and AOE slow to recipients around the Arrow's explosion. It's offensive mechanics are not to be overcomed by its defensive strategies as well. Ashe's Arrow is her main escape mechanism, given a guaranteed stun for Ashe to escape intact. The Crystal Arrow can also be used as a baiting mechanism for greedy opponents: having the Arrow connect while tower diving, or stunning an opponent to allow your jungler or team to jump on the opponent, giving your team a 4v5 advantage.


These are just a few facts to throw about around Ashe's abilities in Summoner's Rift. Though she is a straight-forward fighter with a simplistic skill set, she maintains an amount of Utility and Raw power, with a dash of Mischevious Intents to create a ball of success for all Summoners to enjoy.