The best marksman champions in League of Legends

May 2022 · 12 minute read

Some champions in League of Legends are just flat-out stronger than others.

For the marksmen and markswomen of League, there are several types of champions to play. There are attack-speed-focused hyper carries like Jinx and Tristana, and then there are the face-melting high early damage carries like Draven and Jhin. Fortunately for players, the ADC meta in Patch 12.10 allows players to choose whichever one suits their tastes because all the marksmen champions are mostly viable right now.

This list of top-tier champions can change depending on a number of factors. Sometimes the meta shifts for no apparent reason other than players’ tastes, but usually there’s some kind of balance adjustment behind those changes. It can be difficult to keep up on the flavor-of-the-month champs, so let us do that for you.

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Here are our top five ADC for League’s Patch 12.11.

Jhin

Pros

Cons

Jhin possesses a strong kit for the current meta, with great scaling and the ability to shred through the enemy front line in a matter of seconds. With low mobility and having to reload your gun every four basic attacks, however, it’s not easy to get the hang of the champion.

Item build

Jhin’s greatest weakness is his low mobility, which is a pain in the neck in the current meta. With hypercarries being so popular, enemy teams can often eliminate you in the blink of an eye.

To count this as Jhin, you should stack AD and lifesteal. Fleet Footwork, the main rune in your tree, is pretty much self-explanatory. You want to increase your movement speed and gain a bit of health as well.

That won’t always be enough, so players should go for Nimbus Cloak, which boosts your movement speed after you use your Flash and Heal. You should be picking these Summoner Spells in almost every game. Gathering Storm and the rest of the runes are pretty obvious picks as well. They increase your damage and survivability versus other AD carries in the lane. If you get matched against an AP champion like Veigar, though, don’t shy away from some additional magic resistance.

Ability priority

On Jhin, your priority will be R>Q>W>E. His ultimate, as mentioned, is a powerful skill when finishing off your enemies. It’s also key in lowering enemy tanks’ health before pivotal teamfights begin. You should always maximize this ability when you get the chance.

Besides that, you want to prioritize your Q and your W. The former is a great wave clear tool, which will come in handy during the earlier phases of the match, while the latter is great for poking down your opponents.

Game plan

With Jhin, you’re able to go for aggressive plays from the early minutes of the game. With your low mobility, though, it’s dangerous to do so, especially without a support who will bail you out when needed. Therefore, aim to scale early and make it to the mid-game unharmed.

The fun begins for Jhin past the 20-minute mark. You will start dealing impressive amounts of damage at this stage of the game. But don’t try to make solo plays, and be careful when overcommitting in teamfights. With your kit, you should prioritize the front line, while also helping your team from afar with your ultimate.

Zeri

Pros

Cons

Zeri was one of the most popular AD carries at the beginning of season 12, cementing herself as one of the better marksmen in both solo queue and competitive play. But she’s only recently returned to the meta after receiving major buffs in Patch 12.11. And despite a recent hotfix, she’s still incredibly strong.

Item build

Zeri relies on powerful auto attacks, that due to the passive on her Burst Fire are treated as abilities. Furthermore, they can be charged in a couple of ways, transforming her into a truly dangerous marksman. Thus, to maximize her potential, especially in the late game, where she’ll already have tons of attack speed, it’s wise to go for Lethal Tempo. With that under your belt, you will gain additional attack speed, and while fully stacked, additional range, which should make her even more deadly in teamfights. 

The remaining runes from the Precision tree are natural for hyper carries from the bot lane. Triumph allows you to heal yourself with every elimination, which in critical moments may save your life. Legend: Alacrity influences your attack speed even more. Last Stand, on the other hand, is a bit unusual, but with Zeri’s popularity on the Summoner’s Rift today, we expect every enemy diving to finish her off. Thus, she’ll probably be low on health, and it’s best to deal as much damage as possible in such moments. 

For that same reason of being constantly targeted by opponents, it’s wise to go for Conditioning and Overgrowth from the Resolve tree. Both of them combined will increase your resistances and health throughout the course of the game, making you a little more tanky in the late game. 

Ability priority

While playing Zeri, there’s one logical ability priority: R>Q>E>W. Burst Fire is treated as an attack, and thus, your main source of damage. By putting points in it, you’ll increase the damage you deal, both in the burst and while you’re charged up. Afterward, players should maximize Spark Surge, so that they have a shorter cooldown on their escape mechanisms. This skill at the same time enhances the damage of your next three Burst Fires, so with both abilities maxed out, you may start doing some serious injuries. 

Game plan

Zeri is exceptionally great in the late game, however, this comes with a cost. The Spark of Zaun doesn’t do well in the laning phase and has many issues once she falls behind in the early minutes of the match.

Thus, throughout the first 15 minutes of the game, Zeri players should mainly focus on farming and collecting gold. There are, naturally, matchups that you can win in two-vs-two combat in the bottom lane, though, there are few of them and in most cases, the risk is not worth it unless your jungler comes around. 

The fun on Zeri begins once you are around levels 12 and 13, and should have two or three full items under your belt. At that point, Zeri should start dealing significant damage and cooldowns on her primary abilities shouldn’t be high either. On top of that, it should also be the point in the game where group fights for neutral objectives begin, and you should definitely stick around for them. Although, watch out for overextending. Just stay back and shred through the enemy front line. The farther the game develops, the easier it will become for you. 

Lucian

Pros

Cons

As opposed to many other AD carries on this list, Lucian is a marksman who relies on his abilities and his power spike in the mid game. This, however, doesn’t mean that you’re automatically out of the equation when the game goes for longer than 30 minutes. With Lucian’s kit, you will be always able to make an impact.

Item build

With Lucian’s unique passive ability, which makes you shoot an additional auto-attack after every ability, players should aim to deal damage by spamming abilities left and right, and following through with some auto-attacks. To fully unleash his full potential, your best option is Press the Attack, which makes you deal more damage to champions you hit three consecutive times.

Because Lucian is mana-heavy, to refill your mana as much as possible, going for Presence of Mind is almost compulsory. Following that, choose Legend: Bloodline and Coup de Grace. The former grant you permanent lifesteal, which you will lack, while the latter allows you to deal more damage to low-health champions. This will come in handy when trying to finish tanks or in one-vs-one scenarios. Magical Footwear and Biscuit Delivery will also be helpful when laning and hitting your spike.

Ability priority

Lucian’s ability priority is R>Q>E>W. Besides your ultimate, your Piercing Light is your main source of damage. Later on, focusing on Relentless Pursuit makes the most sense. You’ll shorten the cooldown of your main escape tool while also allowing you to close the gap between you and the enemies more efficiently.

Game plan

With Lucian, it’s tough to come up with a game plan, since it depends on your team’s composition. The Purifier has all the necessary qualities to go for early trades and skirmishes, and if they’re profitable, you’ll hit your main power spike even quicker.

Lucian’s main advantage is his kit and the trading potential that comes with it. No matter the state of the game, if played correctly, the champion should be able to deal a considerable amount of damage. With your E and skills that are targeted in certain directions, the major part of your gameplay will be movement and your positioning in teamfights, so keep it in your mind.

Twitch

Pros

Cons

Twitch is somewhere between an AD carry and an assassin. The Plague Rat has a unique set of abilities that make him the perfect champion for flanking enemies and surprising them with a burst of damage. Mastering Twitch, however, requires players to have in-depth knowledge about positioning. 

Item build

When playing Twitch, players will rely on their auto-attacks to dish out damage, which are enhanced every time they use the champion’s ultimate ability. To increase the damage, it makes the most sense to pick Pres the Attack as your main rune. After landing three shots on an enemy, they will take additional damage and will be more vulnerable to damage from all other sources in the following few seconds.

From the Precision tree, it’s sensible to go for Presence of Mind, Legend: Alacrity, and Coup de Grace. The former helps you replenish your mana efficiently, which comes in handy in the early stages of the game.  The second rune grants you attack speed once you score a takedown. And the last will make you deal more damage to champions low on health, which is ideal when cutting through tanks and bruisers. 

As your two runes from the second tree, there are hardly better options than Magical Footwear and Biscuit Delivery from Inspiration. You don’t want to be wasting gold on boots, and during the laning phase will be looking to get health and mana from any source that you can. 

Ability priority

When playing Twitch, maximize your abilities by picking R>E>Q>W. Contaminate (E) is your main damage source outside of your auto-attacks, so putting points in it is pretty much essential. Once the mid-game comes around, you want to start utilizing your kit and potential to surprise enemy carries, so putting points in Ambush (Q) as your second skill outside ultimate makes the most sense.

Game plan

With Twitch, there are a couple of viable ways to play the game. He’s an AD carry that’s capable of taking out enemies in the blink of an eye. But he requires some practice since trading kills isn’t always the most effective play. 

Twitch excels in the late game, so you can always bide your time and execute your assassin strategy past the 30-minute-mark. There will be certain matches where it’s fine to stay behind your frontline instead of making the game-winning play. Simply dealing damage and staying alive is sometimes the smartest move. Simply follow through with your tanks and look for opportunities to ambush your enemies.

Ashe

Pros

Cons

When it comes to old-school champions in League, Ashe probably stands out as one of the best-known champs. The Frost Archer has had her kit changed throughout the years, but her main two abilities, Volley and Enchanted Crystal Arrow have remained mostly untouched.

Item build

Still, Ashe is one of those champions, whose main source of damage is her auto attacks, which can be empowered with one of her skills. Thus, to increase her potential with the basic attacks, it’s wise to pick the Precision tree, with Lethal Tempo as the main rune. It has been created for champions like Ashe since it makes you stack additional attack speed with every basic, increasing your range once fully stacked. It’s a superb tool for late-game carries. 

Down the line, players should aim to influence Ashe’s greatest assets and help her with her biggest cons. The Frost Archer is very mana-hungry, especially in the early and mid-game, so choosing Presence of Mind will aid in that instance. Legend: Alacrity allows Ashe to gain even more attack speed. One of the major runes for her is also Cut Down. It’s made for AD carries who will be standing behind their front line and hitting enemy tanks. With that, you’ll deal more damage to champions with more maximum health than you, which will be almost everyone in Ashe’s case.

In the last two runes, it’s wise to go for Biscuit Delivery and Approach Velocity. The former will gift you with biscuits that will replenish your health and mana in the laning phase. The latter, on the other hand, goes perfectly with your ultimate, gifting you movement speed once you head towards impaired enemies.

Ability priority

On Ashe, your priority in terms of abilities is R>W>Q>E. Volley (W) deals a lot of damage and is an AoE spell, allowing you to handle the waves better if you’re struggling early or to finish off enemies. Hawkshot (E) doesn’t do much besides revealing enemies’ positions, so it’s much more sensible to increase the damage of your basic attacks with Ranger’s Focus (Q) instead. 

Game plan

Ashe shines the most in the late game, where her auto attacks are superior and she doesn’t have those long cooldowns to worry about. Although, you must first reach the 30-minute mark, which isn’t the easiest task when playing the Frost Archer. 

She’s a mana-hungry champion, so going for early trades and skirmishes may be often unfavorable. You might just want to sit out of your lane and play it safe, unless, naturally, your jungler is willing to aid you. In these cases, with Volley, you possess a tool strong enough to come out with a kill or two. 

As Ashe, you somewhat take the lead in the mid and late game, which is a rare responsibility for a marksman. This is because of your Enchanted Crystal Arrow, which is one of the longest stuns in the game. Therefore, in the late game, you should set the pace by using your ultimate on one of the squishy targets or just follow your front line with it. If landed properly, this should gift your team the first kill in a teamfight and put you in an advantageous position. 

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