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Varus Build Guide by ifound1dollar

ADC Varus: The Hybrid King (Patch 10.24) (Preseason WIP)

ADC Varus: The Hybrid King (Patch 10.24) (Preseason WIP)

Updated on November 27, 2020
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League of Legends Build Guide Author ifound1dollar Build Guide By ifound1dollar 601 42 2,318,347 Views 17 Comments
601 42 2,318,347 Views 17 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author ifound1dollar Varus Build Guide By ifound1dollar Updated on November 27, 2020
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Runes: consistent

1 2 3
Precision
Lethal Tempo
Triumph
Legend: Alacrity
Coup de Grace

Inspiration
Magical Footwear
Biscuit Delivery
Bonus:

+10% Attack Speed
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+6 Armor

Spells:

Standard Bot
LoL Summoner Spell: Flash

Flash

LoL Summoner Spell: Heal

Heal

Threats & Synergies

Threats Synergies
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Extreme Threats
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Champion Build Guide

Varus: The Hybrid King (Patch 10.24) (Preseason WIP)

By ifound1dollar









Hi! I'm ifound1dollar, a Diamond Vayne main in North America (spoiler: this isn't a Vayne guide). I really enjoy making in-depth guides, so here's one for Varus!

This is my in-depth guide to on-hit Varus. I hope you learn a thing or two!







Pros:
+Strong mid/late game
+Multi-target CC
+Long range
+Grievous wounds
+%max Health damage
+Hybrid damage/build
Varus can efficiently deal hybrid damage, which allows him to fit into basically any composition. He's also pretty consistent, as he's useful in all stages of the game; he can fend for himself in lane, and with the on-hit build, he's very useful mid to late game. His ultimate, Chain of Corruption, is a great utility because of it's ability to effect so many enemy champions from a long range. On top of that, he has % max Health damage that's easy to proc, as well as built-in Grievous Wounds.

Cons:
-Weak pre-level 6
-Squishy
-Immobile
-Cool-down reliant
-Skillshot reliant
Varus' main weakness is that he's highly immobile; if he gets caught without an escape, he's dead. He also has very little presence early game, as Chain of Corruption is a major part of his kit. His kit relies on his abilities to detonate Blight, so when he has no abilities up, his damage can be quite underwhelming in a fight. Another possible negative is that he's skillshot reliant - his Q, E, and ult are all skillshots that can be easily dodged.






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

This is the standard ability sequence for Varus. You'll want to start off with a point in either Hail of Arrows for the Grievous Wounds effect or Piercing Arrow for the longer range and higher damage. Level 2 you can get either Q or E, depending on which you started. At level 3 you should get a point in W. You should almost always max Piercing Arrow first, as it's a very strong poke tool and allows you to farm from a distance. If you're building AD, you'll probably want to max Hail of Arrows second, but if you're building AP, it's best to max Blighted Quiver second instead. Max Blighted Quiver last if building AD, and Hail of Arrows last if building AP. A point in Chain of Corruption should be taken at levels 6, 11, and 16.



Passive: Living Vengeance
Cost: None
Cooldown: None
Range: Self

On champion kill or assist, Varus gains 30% bonus Attack Speed for 5 seconds.
On minion or monster kill, Varus gains 15% Attack Speed for 5 seconds.

This ability actually plays a big part in Varus' kit when building on-hit. It's what allows him to DPS as much as possible and pop off in a teamfight after getting just one kill or assist.



Q: Piercing Arrow
Cost: 70/75/80/85/90 Mana
Cooldown: 20/18/16/14/12s
Range: 925-1625

Varus starts drawing back his next shot, gradually increasing its range and damage, then he fires it, dealing minimum 10/47/83/120/157 (+1 per Attack Damage) to maximum 15/70/125/180/235 (+1.25/1.3/1.35/1.4/1.45 per Attack Damage) Physical Damage, reduced by 15% per enemy hit (minimum 33%).

While preparing to shoot, Varus cannot auto attack or use abilities, and his Movement Speed is slowed by 20%. After 4 seconds, Piercing Arrow fails but refunds half its Mana cost.

Piercing Arrow’s damage and Blight stacks detonated scale up to 50% bonus damage based on how long the ability is charged.

Piercing Arrow is Varus' long-ranged poke/execute ability, and a tool to farm from a distance. It's very important to land at all stages of the game, as it detonates Blight, even when not charged up to max. It's also a great poke tool - try to hit an enemy champion directly with it in the laning phase, as it'll deal a large chunk of damage to the first target hit.



W: Blighted Quiver
Cost: None
Cooldown: 40s
Range: Self

Passive: Varus' basic attacks deal 7/8/9/10/11 (+0.25 per Ability Power) bonus Magic Damage and apply Blight for 6 seconds (stacks 3 times).

Varus's other abilities detonate Blight, dealing Magic Damage equal to 3/3.5/4/4.5/5% (+2% of Ability Power) of the target's maximum Health per stack. This damage is capped at 360 against monsters. If the target is an enemy champion or epic monster, Varus's basic cooldowns are decreased by 12% per Blight stack detonated.

Active: Varus next Piercing Arrow deals additional damage equal to 6/8/10/12/14% of the target's missing Health. Damage is increased by up to 50% (to 9/12/15/18/21% missing Health) based on charge time. The damage is capped at 360 against monsters.

Blighted Quiver is the most important part of Varus' kit when building on-hit; it's why he synergizes so well with Guinsoo's Rageblade. The double on-hit passive of the item can apply full stacks of the ability on targets in just two auto attacks, and deals more bonus Magic Damage as well. It's important to get as many stacks of this ability on your enemy as possible, as the % max Health damage is quite strong, especially when building AP.



E: Hail of Arrows
Cost: 80 Mana
Cooldown: 18/16/14/12/10s
Range: 925

Varus fires a hail of arrows that deals 60/100/140/180/220 (+0.6 per bonus Attack Damage) Physical Damage and desecrate the ground. Desecrated ground slows enemies' Movement Speed by 25/30/35/40/45% for .25 seconds and reduces their healing and regeneration by 50%. The slow duration is refreshed if enemies stay within the zone.

This ability is Varus' most reliable way to detonate Blight. It has a decently sized hitbox, and a pretty quick travel time, making it near impossible to dodge without using a dash or blink. It's also his source of Grievous Wounds, which can mean the difference between winning or losing a 2v2 in lane. It's important to time this ability well, as you'll want to negate the enemy ADC's Summoner Heal.



R: Chain of Corruption
Cost: 100 Mana
Cooldown: 120/90/60s
Range: 1075

Varus flings out a tendril of corruption that deals 100/175/250 (+100% of Ability Power) Magic Damage and immobilizes the first enemy champion hit for 2 seconds.

The corruption then spreads towards nearby uninfected enemy champions, applying the same damage and immobilize if it reaches them. The corruption will continue to spread until there are no further unaffected targets in range.

Targets rooted by Chain of Corruption gain 3 stacks of Blight over the duration of the root.

Chain of Corruption is Varus' form of hard CC, and the reason he's so great at teamfighting. This ability has the potential to root all 5 enemy champions, and is a great zoning tool. Late game, when building AP, this ability will to deal immense damage. It has a 100% AP ratio, so after you've finished your Rabadon's Deathcap, this can deal upwards of 800 Magic Damage to every enemy champion!

Tip: After hitting an enemy champion with this ability, the rest of the enemy team will usually try to move away from that ally so they aren't also effected by the Corruption. This can be utilized if you want to break up the enemy team mid-teamfight.







RUNE STATS


OFFENSE
+10% Attack Speed
FLEX
+9 Adaptive Force (5.4 AD)
DEFENSE
+6 Armor or +8 Magic Resist




PRIMARY TREE


PRECISION

Lethal Tempo
Lethal Tempo grants you bonus Attack Speed for 3-6 seconds after damaging an enemy champion. This synergizes very well with Varus, as the on-hit build greatly benefits from higher, uncapped Attack Speed. Fleet Footwork is another option. Varus has a relatively weak laning phase, so the sustain from this rune can help him survive in lane, at the cost of a little less damage late game. Press the Attack can also be useful on occasion, but Lethal Tempo is much more consistent. Conqueror is a rune best designed for bruisers, and therefore doesn't really work well with Varus.


Triumph

Triumph heals you for 12% of your current Health and grants 20 bonus gold on a takedown. This can be the difference between life and death in skirmishes and teamfights, so it's always a safe option. Overheal is another option, because can be useful when running Fleet Footwork or when paired with a healing support like Soraka. Presence of Mind is a very niche option, but doesn't really work with most attack-based marskmen.


Legend: Alacrity

Out of the 3 'Legend' options, Legend: Alacrity is the best option for any marksman, as they rely heavily on Attack Speed. Legend: Bloodline can sometimes be useful, but when building AP it's almost completely useless. Legend: Tenacity isn't a viable option because as a marksman, Varus doesn't rely on tenacity.


Coup de Grace

Coup de Grace is a very well-rounded, consistent option for basically any carry, since it deals bonus damage to enemies below 40% Health. However, Cut Down is definitely a viable option when facing tanky champions, and can synergize very well with Blighted Quiver. Last Stand grants quite a bit of bonus damage, but it's very inconsistent. As a marksman, you shouldn't rely on being low Health to deal damage.




SECONDARY TREE


INSPIRATION

Magical Footwear
Magical Footwear grants free boots after 12 minutes (reduced by 45s per takedown), and grants a bonus 10 Movement Speed. This is a safe option for any champion who isn't running Predator, as a free 300g item is always beneficial. However, Perfect Timing can also be a good option. It can help defend against and pull off dives, or negate a champion like Zed's burst. Hextech Flashtraption is designed for playmaking champions, and won't have much use for a marksman.


Biscuit Delivery
Biscuit Delivery grants 3 Total Biscuit of Everlasting Will that heal for 10% of you missing health, which is an incredibly useful tool for any marksman with a weak laning phase. Though Future's Market can help to hit powerspikes earlier, it's really not worth paying the lending fee, so it's not a good option. Minion Dematerializer is only viable on certain champions with specific playstyles, and Varus isn't one of them.


Cosmic Insight
The third Inspiration tree is a little lackluster for most marksmen. While Cosmic Insight can be slightly beneficial because of the reduced Summoner Spell cooldowns, it's really not a great option for an attack-based marksman. Approach Velocity is basically useless, because you won't benefit much from moving faster towards movement impaired units as Varus. Time Warp Tonic is another rune that's designed for certain champions and playstyles, and doesn't do much for Varus.


SORCERY
Details






ITEMS WIP

AD On-Hit Build:

WIP!



WIP!



WIP!



WIP!





WIP!



WIP!


AP On-Hit Build:

Spoiler: Click to view






I'm extremely greatful for jhoijhoi's Making A Guide, because without it, I wouldn't have been able to create this guide.

If you liked the guide, feel free to vote and/or leave a comment or suggestion!


Feel free to check out my other guides:












November 27, 2020 (Patch 10.24)
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November 11, 2020 (Patch 10.23)
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September 30, 2020
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July 13, 2020
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April 30, 2020
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April 15, 2020
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November 20, 2019
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August 20, 2019
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June 4, 2019
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February 6, 2019
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January 24, 2019
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January 9, 2019
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December 9, 2018
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