Ashe's Season (A Christmas Guide)

CAUTION, GUIDE UNDER HUGE CONSTRUCTION

MY GUIDE IS UNDER SOME REALLY BIG CONSTRUCTION, EXPECT TO SEE IT UNARCHIVED SOON
SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE

Introduction

Merry Christmas (if it's still even winter), and welcome to my merry Ashe guide!
In this guide I will talk about gameplay, item choices, rune choices, pros/cons, mastery choices, and her many abilities, with some pictures and videos to help you better understand.
Ashe has many slows, a stun, and an ability to ward an area, preventing a potential gank, making her very good at closing gaps, and is a good champion for starting summoners. Anyways, my name's Devdevil, and I hope you enjoy my guide.

Please review my whole guide and try it out before downvoting, and let me know what should be changed please!

Key

Some sentences or words I highlight within this guide. Different colors may mean different things.

Things in green are tips and tricks on how to use an item or ability.

Sentences highlighted in red are warning you of mistakes you might make.

Things highlighted in yellow are things to be cautious of.

Things highlighted in blue are calculations.

The highlighting key does not apply to the Introduction, Pros/Cons, Conclusion, Frequently Asked Questions, and titles.

Key for terms used within this guide

Pros/Cons

spaaaaaaace

Pros

+ Good slows and stuns
+ More of a chance to land a critical hit with
+ Can prevent possible ganks with
+ Very low cooldown on late game

space

Cons

- No escape if stunned, feared, slowed, etc.
- Very Squishy
- Must aim correctly
- Slow movement speed early game

Summoner Spells

Good Picks

is a useful spell to use, because the enemy team will want to focus you, because you have the least health, and are the easiest to kill. Therefore, it is wise to take Flash in case this occurs, because you can't depend on 's slows to always save you. A useful way to use Flash is to Flash over a wall, leaving your opponent on the other side, and escaping safely. But be warned: if you overestimate the range of your Flash, you may find yourself up against a wall, on the same side of your opponent, instead of over it.

Sometimes you may not be able to chase after an opponent because they are saved by the turret, or have allies coming to save them. In this case, is useful to have at hand in case this happens to you. Sometimes it is useful to check how much damage your Ignite does, then how much health your low-health opponent has, but in most cases you have to act fast. Be aware that Ignite is a spell in which you select a target, so don't ignite the wrong target!

Other picks that can work

Since the usual ADC summoner spell is , doesn't it make sense the enemy ADC will have one too? can get rid of Ignite (but not the healing debuff) ASAP, as well as poison. A useful combo with Flash, but I suggest Ignite over this because you should never put yourself in a position that bad requiring 2 summoner spells. 's can help with that.

can be useful to counter an ignite or poison, just like , but it will also shield you from attack damage as well. I don't suggest this, however, because your should be the only escape you need, and you shouldn't replace Flash with this, because it's not as effective. And if you replace Ignite with this, you will not have an effective offensive summoner spell. Also, your support may already have a shield as an ability.

This may be a good summoner spell to slow your enemy down to secure a kill, or when running away, but it's not useful to have because your support should already have this summoner spell. And again, is not as effective as or . Also, already provides many stuns herself, as well as a stun.

is usually only used by top lane, but can be useful for getting back to your lane quick and easy. It can also be used as a backdoor when pushing your lane a lot, and can combo with 's . By firing her ultimate, you can then teleport to a place next to them while they are stunned, and maybe get a kill, although I don't suggest this because you will either have to give up a very good escape spell, or an effective offensive spell.

Spells That Don't Work

Both and are absolutely horrible to get, because your support should be healing or shielding you, and if you constantly waste your mana, try to work on that, because it's not a good habit to have. Also, your support may have one of these summoner spells.

is completely unnecessary, because already has an ability like this, and your support may already have this. And really, if you're actually taking , you're either trolling, or are extremely new to League of Legends. Just, don't take it. Let your jungler jungle in peace.

is not as effective as or , because of its 540 second cooldown, and the only effective way to use it is if you die constantly, but that would imply feeding. may be good for getting back to your lane, chasing, or running away, but if you are stunned, slowed, or feared, that Ghost is pretty useless. Also, Flash is much more effective.

Runes

Domination

Electrocute

Predator

Fleet Footwork

Phase Rush

Having this will up your chance to land a critical hit, enabling you to have more of a chance to secure a kill, and goes well with 's passive, . The total critical chance will be 2.52.

Increasing your damage is always important for securing a kill as well, and for harassing. With the nine of these, it will total 8.55 attack damage.

These will provide you with the defense you need, having armor for the enemy ADC's harass, and health for taking additional harass, and keeping you alive. There's a big difference between 0 health and 1 health. And with these, you will have 7.05 armor and 21.40 health.

greater quintessence of armor penetrationgreater quintessence of armor penetration

Since the enemy ADC or support will probably also have armor, you will want to get rid of that, with these useful runes. They will give you a nice 9.99 armor penetration.

Masteries

Offensive

Having will increase your effectiveness with your summoner spells, and increases your attack speed, letting you deal out more damage quicker, having more chance to land a critical, and make your enemies' health bars deplete faster.

As before, depletes your opponent's health bar, giving you more attack damage for harass and when charging into battle, and same goes with . Additionally, if your opponent also happens to get health runes or masteries, it won't even matter.

Getting will increase your critical chance, going with your runes and 's passive, giving you more chance to land a critical hit. gives you straight up attack damage, letting you harass better early game, and maybe even getting first blood!

Later on will be more effective, because you will have more of a chance to land a critical, but still, it is still effective early game. is useful because the enemy ADC/support may also have armor, and this will be the best way to get around that, as well as late game.

Having this will definitely get you a kill. This can also work on , if I remember correctly, so you will be able to get first blood easily. I hope. Anyways, having will also harass, if your enemy hasn't recalled by then, which would be rather rare though.

Defensive

Both keeping you alive, let's start with . It gives you health, letting you take some more damage and harass. Same goes with , it let's you take harass and damage from the enemy ADC, and letting you knock them down faster, harder, and easier, without having to worry about your health that much.

Utility

Having this enables you to get back into battle quicker, letting you help your allies in their time of need (e.g. team fight, gank, or help a team member). Having is also why I don't suggest getting , because of this usefulness for being able to get back into the fight ASAP.

Items

Please note that these items do not work for all situations!

Starting items

These are the usual items for an ADC, APC, or even top lane. It gives you more movement speed early game, which helps because of 's slow movement speed early game. Having s lets you recover after a burst or harass from the enemy. Recovering using Health Potions lets you stay in lane more, for pushing or defending the lane. But be aware not to waste your Health Potions, like if your lane is nicely pushed. Don't try to finish off the turret when it's low, because if your minion wave is big or even medium size, the minions will get it for you. Having the will also allow you to build them into easily, giving you more attack speed with the movement speed. In short, s for opponents with harass, and for avoiding harass and chasing or escaping opponents.

Early Game

will be very cheap to get, since you already got . Next, getting helps with both health, attack damage, and life steal. Useful, right? I would suggest getting two of these if you are behind, for better effectiveness in the game. , the ultimate attack damage item, which you will build into , a useful combo with your runes, masteries, and 's passive. Although, if you are behind in farming, I suggest getting , an excellent item for farming minions, especially minion waves. But, if you're doing fine, continue on with , and you will get soon.

Mid Game

Okay, so now you have , as well as your handy dandy . You might have sold it or something to get , but that will be fine as well! Start bulding your , unless you already have it. In that case, begin building . Getting first will lower the overall cost of , and getting will allow you to farm much better, being able to hit 3 targets at once. This is also useful for team fights, when the enemies are all bunched together. 's works well with this as well, letting you slow 3 enemies at once (Triple Kill).

Late Game

Okay, so now you have , and you're farming minions much better, increasing your gold income and (possibly) kills. With your extra gold, you should get next, enabling more sustainability with the life steal. If you are poisoned, bleeding, or anything else that lowers your health overtime, find the nearest minion(s) and regain your life from the minion, letting you stay alive. This does not work on though, because it takes away your ability to heal yourself. Also with this money, you will want to get by getting first, and by getting the . And because of your ability to attack faster, will help you keep up with your enemies if they try to run away.

Finished

Okay, so now you're done, you have your and your and stuff, now you might be crushing your opponents by now...? Anyways, Phantom dancer is perfect for ADCs, giving an all-around boost to your damage stats, and with your shiny Black Cleaver, you will be chewing your way through your opponent's armor, giving the full effect of your damage to those tanky guys. Won't want them to miss out on anything!

Alternate Build

So, I was showing my "oh so pro" brother my guide, when he said he preferred different items. I was thinking, "WHAAAAAAAAAA?" But then he explained. Now I will too! I organized them in order of buying. Start with the same items, and some s. Then get for sustainability in your lane, letting you farm more and stay in lane more than your enemy. Oh, and get quickly after. Afterwards, get rather than . Why? Because gives you no attack damage, so for sacrificing 20 attack speed you get some critical chance, attack damage, and attack speed. Get sometime around here. Next, get . It doesn't increase your critical chance as much because it focuses more on increasing the damage dealt by your critical chance, that's why you have . Afterwards, your opponent's armor will become a problem. So getting instead of will help you. Black Cleaver is more useful for tanky Champions that deal attack damage, and with Last Whisper it will give you armor penetration at all times, not having to stack in order to get more armor penetration. is useful for staying up, because of longer time staying dead late game, but (quoted by my brother): "Anything that you think would help you ADC more can help as well. Maybe even leave that slot empty for buying sight wards." Anyways, that's his way of explaining!

Skillsequence

Focus

While not in combat, Ashe's critical chance increases every 3 seconds. It is removed after her next attack.

Extremely useful for getting into battle, and early game. Be aware that 's passive means that the first hit you make in the game will be a critical shot, so use it wisely! Also, take note (by pressing C or whatever button you use) of Ashe's critical chance rising while you are not in battle, or waiting for something.

Frost Shot

Toggle: Ashe's basic attacks slow her target's movement speed by a percentage for 2 seconds.

As said in the items section, this also can work with , which can be useful for chasing multiple targets. If you are running away, DO NOT turn around to slow the enemy down with this, because it only slows yourself down! Also, make sure you do not accidentally leave this on, because it can waste your mana, and then you will not have enough mana for actually charging into battle.

Volley

Ashe fires in a cone, dealing physical damage to each target hit. Each arrow will only hit one enemy, and each enemy will only be hit by one arrow. It also applies Frost Shot based on it's current rank, even if it is not active.

is useful for checking bushes and harassing. Late game you will see the cooldown on it become quickly smaller, letting you spam it more. Take into consideration that it only hits one enemy, so enemy minions can block it and save your target a few hits. Also, it does not apply if you have not learned it yet. It is useful to aim this when the enemies are bunched together, but do not get close enough for them to easily focus you. Again, DO NOT shoot this to slow the enemy when running away, it does not help.

Hawkshot

Passive: Ashe gains extra gold whenever she kills a unit or destroys a structure.
Active: Ashe sends a Hawk Spirit on a scouting mission to a target area in the map, revealing terrain as it travels in a straight line and granting vision of the target area for 5 seconds. The Hawk Spirit will not reveal stealthed units or objects.

With the passive, will be able to farm more effectively, and push her lane better, as well as snowball to victory. This allows her to buy items faster, and makes last-hits more important. With her passive, preventing ganks will be easy. But stay on the defensive while it is down, and use it when the jungler is MIA, or another lane enemy is. Quickly check the map before using it, as to not waste it if all enemies are already in view. Take care that it doesn't reveal stealthed enemies, so if you are going up against any stealthed unit (like ), do not use it, then charge into the bush you revealed, or whatever area you might think is safe. This also can prevent your team from being baited by the enemy.

Enchanted Crystal Arrow

Ashe fires a missile that passes over all units until it hits an enemy Champion or leaves the map. If the arrow collides with an enemy champion, it will deal magic damage, stun and add a slow to the champion hit. It will also explode after the hit and deal half damage to all other enemies in a small area around the Champion hit. The duration of the stun increases the farther the arrow travels before impact and caps at 3.5 seconds. Both slows are 50% and last for 3 seconds.

Extremely useful for initiating on the enemies, extremely effective when they're bunched up. Aim it not based on where they are, but where you think they will go, for a better chance of hitting them. I wouldn't suggest aiming farther than half the map, but if you think it is wise, remember to aim based on where you think they're going, not where they are. This is one of the spells I suggest turning around and using when being chased, but try not to use this on just one enemy, unless necessary.

A video on Ashe's Ultimate

My reasons for the skillsequence

Ability Sequence
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18

I suggest getting first, because it is useful for checking bushes and is 's primary harass and damage ability. When using this, try not to get too close that you might be grabbed or stunned (e.g. 's or 's ). Later on the cooldown for this will drop dramatically, letting you spam it more, and dish out more damage. And sometimes if you're close enough, you can use instead of , when checking a bush.

You may be wondering why as the second ability to get. That's because it will prevent early ganks, in case your support hasn't warded yet and you're on the offensive. Firing it into the river is a good place to land your Hawkshot, but also if you want to check Blue Buff, Dragon, or one of the Tri-Bushes. Also, you can benefit from farming more from its passive.

I suggest getting this as your fourth spell to get because your support may already have a slow (or ), so may not be really necessary until you're level four. But if you feel you and your support do not have enough CC, get third then. I don't suggest taking it second, because you will have only a little bit of a view of the river, and not as much as you desire for complete safety, or your ward that you/your support placed went down.

Getting this every 5 levels starting at level 6 is not rocket science! If you miss getting it one level, you will not get the full effect of it. Do not upgrade one of your abilities when you can upgrade your ultimate, because you will be able to level up every ability to its fullest even if you upgrade your ultimate at levels 6, 11, and 16. Every ability excluding the ultimate has a max level of 5, and the ultimate has a max level of 3.

What to level up first

>>>

is your highest priority, because it is your ability that does the most damage to your enemies, and is the most effective than your other abilities. Afterwards will be your second priority because it is your second-most effective ability, letting you harass, check bushes, and the higher level it is, the lower the cooldown is, letting you spam it as much as you want.

Next there's to think of. Taking it will increase the slowing and mana cost, making it more effective, and mana hungry. I prioritize this over because leveling up Hawkshot will only increase the range of it and the mana cost, as well as the effectiveness of the passive. Although this may be useful, it does not help you secure a kill or get away as much as the other abilities.

Strategy

Teamwork

Teamwork is always essential within a game. Just having the best players will not matter if your team does not communicate. Using communications like calling MIA and pinging is on of the most important ones. Also, be sure to check with your team when their ultimates are ready, allowing you to combo your ultimate with theirs, and having an effective teamfight. It is also essential to talk to your support, when you are laning with him/her. Ask him/her if their ultimate is ready, and tell when yours is up, letting you secure a kill. Does your team not speak English? Although this may hinder you somewhat, try to ping as much as you can to communicate with your team still. Communication is key! If you see a teammate having trouble, look at their items that they're buying, and suggest some items for them. Don't just call them a noob and criticize them, it doesn't help, but merely makes matters worse.

Ganks

First off, discussing how to be safe from ganks. Being cautious when 's is down, or when you have no Sight Wards up is always smart, not cowardly. If you want to try and take down the turret, ask your support to either place a Sight Ward in the place you think is best, or ask them to get some Sight Wards. If is ready, fire it off into the river right before you go to try and get the turret. This will give you some time to fire off a few at the turret, then head back to safety when is down, or when you have no Sight Wards in play. Be cautious and glance at the mini map now and then (bottom right corner), and see if all the enemies are in view. If not, be cautious. Safe than sorry is a good rule to follow!

Ganking areas

using your ult to gank

Conclusion

Thanks for reading!

Have a good Christmas, and Happy New Year! Wait...is it still winter? I guess in Frejlord it doesn't matter :)
As I said before, is a basic but strong ADC, good for any new and starting summoners, bringing the essence of Frejlord to your soon-to-be frozen enemies on the battlefield.
Anyways, thanks for reading, if you liked it, click the thumbs up button, if I helped you with anything and if you found anything wrong, let me know!
I will work more upon this as time goes on, so expect to see some some improvement!
Check out my other guide if you want to support as !
Oh, feel free to submit any victory screenshots when using this guide, or even a build similar, I'll be sure to credit you and say my thanks! :)
Good luck on your game!

Coming Soon

~~More detail on strategies~~
~~A thank you chapter for all the people who helped me with the guide!~~
~~Some fancy banners :)~~ (Thanks to TinyStar for them)

Did you know this about Ashe?

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What if I have lots of mana, can I have 's on all the time then?

A: Unless you have 2 billion mana, it wouldn't be wise to freely waste your mana. You never know when you'll need it, especially in team fights! Also, even if you have as your support, it wouldn't be wise still to always have it on. has cooldowns, so she can't always give you the mana you need!

Q: Why not max first to get more gold?

A: Although it does give you more gold per kill, it only increases it by 1 each level, when you can increase the damage of 's by much more. You can't get extra gold if you can't even catch a champion and secure a kill!

Q: When do I know when to use 's ?

A: Well, if you were communicating like I suggested, your team will have told you that their ultimate is ready, then someone will say "initiate," or will ping, signalling you to fire off the ultimate. Then a tanky champion on your team should charge in and do some more stuff, letting you stay back, shoot, and win.

Q: Any further tips to know about ?

A: Hm, let's see. Well, if you have a tanky support, like , you'll want him to go in front of you when checking a bush. Don't let the enemy team have an easy path to you. Although you are supposed to focus the APC and ADC, that doesn't mean make yourself vulnerable just to try and get a kill. Get your initiator and tank in front of you, so that when needed they can easily start a fight, and win!

Feel free to ask a question, and I will answer yours, and maybe post it here!

Thanks!

I would like to show my thanks to these following people, as well as anyone who thumbs upped my guide:

TinyStar

The Persister

JhoiJhoi

demonsovereign

Change Log

December 20, 2012 - Guide created!
December 21, 2012 - Added banners and added a thank you chapter, and strategies.
December 22, 2012 - Added matchups
December 23, 2012 - Provided a FAQs chapter, and changed a few pictures
December 30, 2012 - Changed some things to columns
December 31, 2012 - Fixed runes and calculations
January 1, 2013 - Added some Fun stuff about Ashe in the Conclusion
January 6, 2012 - Took away match ups and synergy, replaced by "How to Use Your Ult to Gank"

Ashe's Season (A Christmas Guide)

Ashe's Season (A Christmas Guide)

Recommended Items

Spells:

Flash

Ignite

Items

Ability Order

Frost Shot (PASSIVE)

Ranger's Focus (Q)

Volley (W)

Hawkshot (E)

Enchanted Crystal Arrow (R)

CAUTION, GUIDE UNDER HUGE CONSTRUCTION

MY GUIDE IS UNDER SOME REALLY BIG CONSTRUCTION, EXPECT TO SEE IT UNARCHIVED SOON SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE

Introduction

Please review my whole guide and try it out before downvoting, and let me know what should be changed please!

Key

Some sentences or words I highlight within this guide. Different colors may mean different things.

Things in green are tips and tricks on how to use an item or ability.

Sentences highlighted in red are warning you of mistakes you might make.

Things highlighted in yellow are things to be cautious of.

Things highlighted in blue are calculations.

The highlighting key does not apply to the Introduction, Pros/Cons, Conclusion, Frequently Asked Questions, and titles.

Pros/Cons

Summoner Spells

Good Picks

Other picks that can work

Spells That Don't Work

Runes

Runes

Masteries

Offensive

Defensive

Utility

Items

Please note that these items do not work for all situations!

Starting items

Early Game

Mid Game

Late Game

Finished

Alternate Build

Skillsequence

Focus

Frost Shot

Volley

Hawkshot

Enchanted Crystal Arrow

My reasons for the skillsequence

What to level up first

Strategy

Teamwork

Ganks

Conclusion

Thanks for reading!

Coming Soon

Frequently Asked Questions

Feel free to ask a question, and I will answer yours, and maybe post it here!

Thanks!

Change Log

League of Legends Champions:

MY GUIDE IS UNDER SOME REALLY BIG CONSTRUCTION, EXPECT TO SEE IT UNARCHIVED SOON
SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE