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How I like to AD Carry

How I like to AD Carry

Updated on March 17, 2012
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League of Legends Build Guide Author lil miffy Build Guide By lil miffy 12,647 Views 6 Comments
12,647 Views 6 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author lil miffy Build Guide By lil miffy Updated on March 17, 2012
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Choose Champion Build:

  • LoL Champion: Ashe
  • LoL Champion: Vayne
  • LoL Champion: Kog'Maw
  • LoL Champion: Sivir
  • LoL Champion: Tristana
  • LoL Champion: Miss Fortune
  • LoL Champion: Caitlyn
  • LoL Champion: Ezreal
  • LoL Champion: Twisted Fate
  • LoL Champion: Graves

Introduction

Hey all, this is lil miffy and I've been playing in the league since season 1. A friend introduced me to the game and I guess I blame him for my problem with the game. I play every week and so have gotten a good experience with many of the different champions. This guide is just meant to be some advice on the various AD carries, the main role I play when ranking. These are only my opinions. These are only my opinions! I'm not saying I'm right and others are wrong, this is just how I play my ad champions.

So try and be nice! Any constructive criticism would be helpful and I will continue to check back and update/edit this guide as times goes on. :)

I'm still working on aesthetics and I will put up information about specific champions soon!
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Why AD Carry?

I'm not going to lie and say I'm 1900 ELO, I am stuck in ELO hell. I didn't take it very seriously at the beginning of the season and now it's hard to get out. Recently I have started playing almost exclusively AD carry and have seen slight improvements in my win ratios and KDA ratios.

Anyways, AD carry is the late game powerhouse of the team. He/she can shred down the enemy team if protected and will lead you to victory if positioned correctly. If the carry is given time to farm and get gold during early game, the benefits will be seen in late game team fights where the whole enemy team is dead before they can even initiate.

If you want to be the one who destroys people late game, has the patience to farm and last hit during laning phase, and have a clear mind about positioning and when to fight or flight then AD carry may be the role you want to take up and learn. AD Carry can be boring because you do the same thing usually. If you want something more variable then go for tank or jungler.
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Runes


I run the exact same runes on almost all of my carries besides Ezreal.

One, because I'm poor and lazy to buy new rune pages.

Two, because I think that carries shine in late game and therefore armor penetration is most valuable during late game when most champions have got at least a little bit of armor. This is why I run armor pen quints and marks.

For seals and glyphs, I choose armor and mr/level to provide some survivability because a dead carry is no use. Armor for a better laning phase (in the current meta) and mr/level because ap carries start getting their AP later and later into the game so you won't get bursted down late game in one combo. That's bad for you and your team...

(On Ezreal I take CDR glyphs because he needs to use his spells a lot in order to be effective, Q)
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Masteries

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Summoner Spells

These are the only masteries I'd take as an AD Carry.

Flash - This, in my opinion, is a must have summoner spell on almost any champion. It is useful in too many different ways. It helps in making offensive and defensive positioning moves and can get you out of so many sticky situations and net you so many kills. Even with the nerf (flashing into the wall multiple times), it is still the most important summoner spell.

AND

Exhaust - this can be a good spell to take if your team does not have an exhaust and there is a really strong ad carry (trist/kog etc.) on the other team. This summoner spell is better for late game whereas ignite is more of an early game spell. I usually take this spell on heroes with good escape or that need help out dps-ing other carries. (Ezreal, MF etc.)
Cleanse - this is the second most common summoner I run with my champions. I almost always run this on caitlyn and vayne, especially vayne because it is important for her to stay mobile and fighting if she is going to carry her team. If there are more than 3 heroes with hard CC on the enemy team than I usually take cleanse so I can attack without being interrupted. (Note: it can be hard to time when to use cleanse since the enemy team may chain their CC together. Also, cleanse DOES NOT get you out of suppress, malzahar and warwick)
Heal - if you don't need exhaust because other people on your team has taken it or if you want to be a little bit elusive, then take heal. It will help in 1v1 fights especially if the enemy team has little CC and your teammates can exhaust those pesky carries for you. It also helps if you see a burst ap champion on their team (Leblanc, Akali, Kassadin, etc.)
Ignite - if you're tristana laning with alistar, then definitely get this summoner spell for early first blood. pulverize, rocket jump, explosive shot, headbutt, ignite, AA, AA, AA --> first blood. Anwyays, if you think you will be able to dominate your lane WHILE being able to kill your enemies in lane, then take it so you can completely shut down their AD carry.
Ghost - I use to run this ashe sometimes, but I don't really think it's that useful anymore... so I guess it's just here for old sakes?

In the build guides I just added the summoner spells that I run most commonly with each champion. Once again, it depends on your team comp, enemy team comp and many different factors.
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Items

The most standard build for most AD carries as of now seems to be:
Berserker's Greaves - these are the most standard boots that you could take, i wouldn't recommend taking anything else unless you are playing ezreal. I'll talk about boots in the following section.
Infinity Edge - the standard item for any ad carry, the crit chance and the attack damage is invaluable. almost every ad carry should get this item.
Phantom Dancer - gives your dps a HUGE boost. more crit chance and a crazy boost to your attack speed and movement speed, makes you hit harder and run away faster.
Bloodthirster - gives sustain in fight so you can last longer. with a fully stacked BT you will have an extra 100 attack damage.
Last Whisper - late game the enemy team will see that you are destroying them in team fights and that they should get some armor. no worries for you, because with this item you got 40% arpen and those tanks will just fall.
Banshee's Veil or Guardian Angel or other Situational/Defensive Item

I feel as if this is a pretty good outline for a standard game and what to follow. However, all the games that you play are different so that you need to change your build accordingly to what your team needs and what the enemy team has.

Good Alternate Items
Guardian Angel - my favorite defensive item that I get most often. If you're doing well and fed, then the enemy team will start focusing all its firepower on you to take you down as soon as possible. get this and you'll be twice as deadly. your team can whittle them down while the enemies focus you and when you revive, you can kill them all!
Banshee's Veil - this item is also good if you need some more health and are getting bursted down by chain casters. the shroud from banshee's veil can save your life many times and it gives a decent amount of MR.
Frozen Mallet - this is a good item if you are doing well but could use a little more sustain. you will become tankier and harder to kill. I would recommend this item if you guys are winning and want to win quickly. Don't take this if you are getting focused down, take BV or GA instead.
Black Cleaver - This item is great on attack speed based champions such as TF or Vayne. They both have skills that proc every couple of hits so increasing their attack speed significantly increases their DPS. Sometimes I take this skill over last whisper. It reduces the armor of champions so it's also a good alternative to last whisper if the team is not all getting a lot of armor.

Too much magic damage
Force of Nature - champions with a lot of sustained AP damage can be shut down with a FoN. (Ahri, Cass, etc.) If they don't have much CC yet you need the MR, then get this item. It gives some good health regeneration and you also get increased movement speed that's always good.
Hexdrinker - This is a good early/midgame item that offers a good shield from annoying AP casters that may be owning you like Kassadin or LeBlanc. It loses its effectiveness during late game but if you are absolutely getting raped mid game and you are unable to do anything, then this item may help a little bit.
Quicksilver Sash - like the summoner spell cleanse except for better because it can cleanse malzahar's and warwick's suppressions
Spirit Visage - item that gives you good life steal and health and magic resist. gives good sustain and yea. it's usually more commonly seen on off tanks like Warwick or Dr. Mundo, but i think it's also viable on ad carries
Wit's End - gives you attack speed and also a good amount of MR when attacking continuously. this is a good defensive item if you find yourself dueling ap carries all the time or there is just a lot of magic damage on their team. eg. chogath, malphite, and ap carry

Getting destroyed by Tanky DPS/AD Carry
Atma's Impaler - pretty cool item i guess, most carries have about 2000 health at level 18, this means that this item gives you about 40 AD which is a pretty decent amount, along with getting critical strike chance and armor. If you are doing well and just need some more armor while getting stronger, then take this item.
Randuin's Omen - pretty good item most often seen on tanks. it will help you with your dueling capability and will help your team a lot. usually though leave this item to the tank
Thornmail - Master Yi? Tryndamere? they all up in your face? then buy a thornmail and watch as you rape THEIR faces

You are God
Madred's Bloodrazor - just gives your more dps and 4% magic damage, that's guhrreat. Also, this can be a pretty good situational item if you're enemy team is stacking a lot of health eg. Dr. Mundo, Cho'Gath. I usually get this if 3 people on their team are over 3000 health or so.
Ionic Spark - lets you push your lane extremely fast. if you want to win the game fast or you are Sivir etc, this item can synergize very well. pretty monster in crowded team fights since the passive can hit all of the champions at the same time
Sword of the Occult - highest amount of AD when stacked completely, and super cheap. if you think you are invincible, then get it.
Tiamat - once again a great team fight ability, the splash damage can be brutal. gives you a good amount of AD along with some more sustain
Bloodthirster - you can always get another bloodthirster for more of that life steal etc. remember the days with 3 bloodthirsters on cait?

Specifics
Malady - can synergize well with twisted fate due to his stacked decks ability. Gives him much needed attack speed to proc his E and also more magic damage
Manamune - some people get this item on Ezreal but I never do. I guess I can see how it is viable as Ezreal is very dependent on spamming his spells. However, I think that trinity force and late game solves most of your mana problems, there are better items to get that will help you carry. If you insist, get it early game so you can start building up the AD.
Trinity Force - i usually get this item on Twisted Fate and Ezreal because of their reliance on their abilities to do damage. I believe it's more important on ezreal but it can be valuable on twisted fate too. The sheen proc synergizes well with all of your abilities and it provides you with more tankiness to survive longer. It's an expensive item though so make sure you're not delaying your build too much and falling behind.
Youmuu's Ghostblade - this is pretty uncommon but I build this on Ezreal at times (as you can see, Ezreal is a very different champion from most carries, this can be good and bad, depending on your team and how you play as well). The armor penetration and CDR both help ezreal immensely. The active is also not that bad so I get this sometimes when I want to change things up or if i'm looking for a cheaper build.
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Doran's and Wriggle's

Yes, Doran's Blade and Wriggle's Lantern get there own section because they are just that important. These are both very situational items that I and many other people get for many of my games.

Recently I have started shying away from the doran's blade starting item even if i have a soraka or sons in my lane. The extra mobility with Boots is just much more useful and if you practice, last hitting shouldn't be a problem anymore.

That said, I believe that Doran's and Wriggle's are items to get when you are on the defensive or hard pressed for money. Usually, I try to farm up to at least 1650 gold so I can buy my B.F. Sword right away when I port to base the first time. However, things don't always work out like that and so if I have to base before I have that much money, I try to buy doran's blade and vampiric scepter to give me more sustain in lane.

If things are still not going well and you are being denied hard by enemy Graves or Caitlyn, then a wriggles lantern may be a good choice to give you extra sustainability both with the life steal and the armor that it offers. It also offers a free ward so it takes a little bit of pressure off your support. Ideally, you don't want to buy any of these items so you can focus on building your core, however, if the situation calls and you need to be less squishy, wriggle's may be the way to go early game.
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Ashe


Pros
+ Best Initiation of any AD carry with Enchanted Crystal Arrow
+ Good Chasing Mechanism with Frost Shot
+ Good Tower Defender and Keeping Enemies at Bay with Volley
+ Good team utility and ward with Hawkshot

Cons
- Extremely weak early game, and needs farm.
- Doesn't have such a great escape mechanism, that's why sometimes people run Flash and Ghost
- Sometimes not as fun to play as other carries
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Vayne


Pros
+ Best 1v1 fighter
+ if you are winning, then you will just snowball harder, no one can escape you with Night Hunter with Final Hour activated
+ if you are losing, just farm and you will still be able to dominate late game
+ tank shredder due to passive Silver Bolts
+ Tumble gives Vayne a lot of mobility in team fights along with the stealth when Final Hour is activated
+ Condemn is a great skill for laning and can result in easy kills

Cons
- shorter range than most so may be a little hard to last hit
- if you miss your Condemn you will miss out on a lot of dps
- can be shut down with oracles
- needs to be in midst of the fight if want to do maximum damage, prone to CC that will significantly limit her DPS
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Kog'Maw


Pros
+ good poke with Living Artillery
+ tank shredder with heaps of magic damage from Bio-Arcane Barrage
+ high range so can kill enemies from afar
+ deceptively strong

Cons
- absolutely NO escape mechanism
- has a weak early game and needs farm and a baby sitter ( Soraka)
- prone to ganks and burst AP champions
- Icathian Surprise sort of useless as the game progresses
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Sivir


Pros
+ On The Hunt is a great team wide buff offensively and defensively
+ Spell Shield will save your life so many times if used correctly, counters so many different champions and so useful
+ Boomerang Blade can do so much damage in team fights or small skirmishes if can hit both ways
+ Ricochet is a great tower pusher and team fight ability

Cons
- relies on Boomerang Blade early game for the bulk of her damage
- can run into mana problems early game that will lead to failed banks and deaths
- very short range so is easily harassed
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Tristana


Pros
+ strong early game, first blood chances with Rocket Jump and Explosive Shot combo
+ range increases as game progresses, can deal damage from afar
+ easy to last hit with Explosive Shot which can also push lanes extremely fast
+ Rocket Jump resets on champion kill or assist so has good mobility and chasing power in team fights
+ Rapid Fire WAS the strongest AS steroid until Fiora was released, still it gives your attack speed a serious boost, further increasing his dps

Cons
- can run into mana problems early game due to attempts at killing
- can push lane too hard due to Explosive Shot (luckily Tristana has a pretty good escape mechanism
- for Buster Shot to be useful, tristana needs to be in the midst of the fight, unless you are using it defensively
- has a terrible mid game where she is just so weak that she can't do anything even if fed early game, just farm until late game and you will be a god.
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Miss Fortune


Pros
+ good mobility with passive Strut
+ Double Up is elusive harass in the laning phase
+ Impure Shots is a good AS steroid especially against pesky champions with healing like Dr. Mundo, Swain and Vladimir
+ Bullet Time is extremely powerful in aoe teams or narrow corridors where the enemies stay within the range

Cons
- once again, can run into mana problems if Make it Rain is spammed too much
- in my opinion falls off pretty hard late game
- almost useless if don't have a good early game with a couple of kills and lot of farm
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Caitlyn


Pros
+ best laning phase out of any of the champions here. has a long range to out cs any opponent and passive Headshot leads to winnning almost any lane
+ Yordle Snap Trap can lead to easy kills especially laning with Taric
+ Ace in the Hole makes sure that nobody gets away from the fight and has good early game power
+ pretty good escape mechanism with 90 Caliber Net

Cons
- in my opinion not as strong as other carries late game due to skill set, (three of them are basically useless during team fights)
- hard to play due to the need to balance harass, farm, and watching for ganks
- not really that fun to play
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Ezreal


Pros
+ good mobility and kiting ability with his spells and Arcane Shift
+ can be very fun to play and also can be built AP carry if you're getting bored.
+ team buff with Essence Flux, helps with late game
+ has a blink

Cons
- need to land skill shots ( Mystic Shot) in order to be most effective
- has a pretty weak early game until Ezreal finishes his trinity force and first B. F. Sword
- pretty dependent on team if he is to succeed
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Twisted Fate


Pros
+ global ult Destiny makes for some easy ganks, however, less common when he is in bot lane
+ like Ezreal, he can be played AP which is also very powerful
+ can shred through tanks with hybrid ad/ap damage
+ Pick A Card has a lot of different uses, mana, slow, stun

Cons
- hard to master his Pick A Card ability. in clutch situations, it's hard to choose the right card
- doesn't really have any type of escape except for his stun
- Wild Cards is useless when playing ad tf
- using ult incorrectly can lead to death
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Graves


Pros
+ extreme natural tankiness
+ aoe ult is great for team fights
+ has an AS steroid that has decreased cooldown with attacks
+ Buckshot does some insane damage especially in the laning phase
+ Smokescreen allows graves to have some cc and also making him a potent duelist

Cons
- if not fed, can fall off a little bit during late game
- can push lane relatively easily, so prone to ganks in laning phase
- can have some mana problems during early game
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Conclusion

Thanks for reading through everything here and I hope you learned at least something.

Big thanks to jhoijhoi for all of the bb coding and format, I suck with web design so that definitely was a big help.

Please comment and vote if you can!
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