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 available. There are attack-speed-focused hyper-carriers like Jinx and Tristana, and then there are face-melting high-early damage carries like Draven and Jhin.
Fortunately, the ADC meta in Patch 13.19 lets players choose whichever suits their tastes, because all the marksmen 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.
Best AD carry champions in League of Legends Patch 13.19
Ezreal
Pros
- Perfect for kiting
- Good scaling
- One of the safest laning phases
- A pleasure to play when fully mastered
Cons
- Weak early
- Takes time to master him
- Struggles later in the game against other meta hypercarries
Ezreal has been a weak pick so far this season. That said, the abundance of hypercarries have allowed him to rise as a perfect counter, especially during the laning phase. Thanks to his long-range abilities, he can damage the enemy bot laners without getting hit in the process. On top of that, he’s a great pick when you’re looking to get lane priority.
Item build
Ezreal has had several different types of rune setups over the past few years. Now that scaling ADCs are meta, however, Ezreal wants to get a more offensive rune that allows him to get stronger early-game trades. Therefore, Ezreal players go for Press the Attack with the goal of using the rune’s effect to prevail in two-vs-two situations and mid-game skirmishes. Presence of Mind, Legend: Bloodline, and Coup de Grace are the minor runes from the Precision tree.
The secondary tree for Ezreal is Inspiration, with Magical Footwear and Biscuit Delivery as the filler runes. It’s more gold-efficient than the Sorcery rune tree, and it grants Ezreal additional sustain for the laning phase.
With the changes to Trinity Force in the mid-season patch, Ezreal players are reverting to the old build of previous seasons. Trinity Force and Manamune are the two core items, followed by Serylda’s Grudge for the maximum ability haste and damage output. After that, get Ravenous Hydra for the lifesteal and round off the build with one between Frozen Heart and Guardian Angel. In most scenarios, Frozen Heart will be the better defensive item since it further increases Ezreal’s mana and it also grants more ability haste.
Ability priority
Ezreal has only one max order: R>Q>E>W. Mystic Shot (Q) is his spammable spell and main source of damage, which also allows him to reduce his other abilities’ cooldowns. After that, you want to prioritize Arcane Shift (E) since it’s his main escape and repositioning tool. Max Essence Flux (W) last.
Game plan
Ezreal’s has great scaling, but in the current meta, you’re bound to play aggressively and use your range advantage to push waves and get lane priority. You want to bully out the enemies by quickly pushing waves and trying to capture neutral objectives like Dragons. Since most meta ADCs are hypercarries, they will be much weaker than you, and they won’t win the skirmishes during the early stages of the game.
Ezreal’s best item spike is at three items, once he upgrades Muramana into Manamune and picks up Serylda’s Grudge. Try to fight as soon as you reach that spike by poking and kiting the enemies in the middle of the fight.
Draven
Pros
- Enormous damage
- Global ultimate
- Snowballs harder than any other marksman
Cons
- The most difficult ADC to master
- Easy to shut down
- Requires exceptional positioning
Welcome to the League of Draven. The Glorious Executioner is back at the top of the ADC tier list, smashing bot lane with his spinning axes. Ever since Riot introduced the ADC buffs and item changes, he has been quite popular, especially in the higher parts of the ranked ladder.
Despite being one of the toughest champions to master in the entire game, he’s sitting at a 8.3 percent pick rate. Having said that, his ban rate is even more astonishing: a whopping 28.5 percent ban rate at platinum Elo and above (according to U.GG), with the ban rate rising up to 61.5 percent at master and above. If that doesn’t prove his power…
Draven Item build
Draven hasn’t been heavily changed throughout the years. Since his release in 2012, the Glorious Executioner has always been an auto-attack-dependent champion. In the end, his entire kit revolves around his Spinning Axes (Q) that are so powerful they can cut through the toughest bruisers and tanks.
To further empower his strengths, the best keystone rune for Draven is Lethal Tempo from the Precision tree, which increases the champion’s attack speed. Not only that, but it can also enhance his attack range when it’s fully stacking, as well as exceed the 2.5 attack speed limit.
While the main keystone rune has remained the same for the last few seasons, there is a new set of minor runes that has been rising in popularity. In the second row of the Precision tree, Draven can choose any of the three available runes. Overheal grants an extra shield that protects him, while Triumph gives additional gold that can further fuel Draven’s snowball. Lastly, Presence of Mind can be great for early-game trading when he struggles with his mana pool. Overall, players have started running Overheal more often, but all three runes work: choose according to your needs or playstyle.
The other two runes are Legend: Bloodline for extra lifesteal and Last Stand to increase his damage while low on health.
In the second tree, contrary to lots of other ADCs, players shouldn’t be looking for extra resources and utility from the Inspiration tree. Therefore, go for Eyeball Collection and Treasure Hunter from the Domination suit to enhance Draven’s snowball potential. Despite the nerfs to Treasure Hunter in this patch, Draven is one of the few champions who still want to run this rune.
Build-wise, Draven will now have a new Mythic item going forward: Youmuu’s Ghostblade. It’s the best lethality item among the various choices, and it also synergizes with his W, Blood Rush, making Draven particularly mobile. That said, he still rushes Essence Reaver first for the mana restore on auto attacks. If you’re well ahead of the pack, get The Collector to further push your lead. Otherwise, get Bloodthirster and Lord Dominik’s Regard for more damage and lifesteal. To round off the build, get Rapid Firecannon for the additional range on auto attacks.
Ability priority
On Draven, there’s really only one way to prioritize your abilities: R>Q>W>E. His Q, Spinning Axe, is the main tool to deal damage, clear waves, and handle skirmishes that come both in the early- and mid-game. Afterward, start leveling up W, Blood Rush, for the increased movement and attack speed. There isn’t much value in leveling up his E past one level, Stand Aside, so max it for last.
Game plan
As Draven, you have enormous trading potential from level one. Therefore, if you’re in a favorable matchup, you shouldn’t hesitate to engage in two-vs-two duels, especially if your jungler comes down to lend you a hand. With Draven’s passive, which grants you stacks of Adoration with every Spinning Axe caught and minion killed, you always want to make sure you can cash out a few stacks to build a gold lead. If you manage to do so consistently, you will be miles ahead of anyone else.
But with every pro, there comes a con. Draven is a powerful champion who can slice through enemy tanks as easily as he cuts through squishy opponents. The price for his massive damage is his low mobility and sustain. Despite having Blood Rush, which grants him a small boost in movement speed, he doesn’t have any other defensive tools, making him easy prey for enemy assassins and fighters.
Therefore, you should always stand by your support or tank, who can delay enemies’ attacks and dives targeted at you. This way, you will be able to stay alive and have an impact on many late-game teamfights. Last but not least, don’t forget that you have a brilliant finisher in the form of your Whirling Death, but you can also use it as a poking device before a battle starts.
Jhin
Pros
- Safe laning phase
- Long-range ultimate
- A pleasure to play when fully mastered
Cons
- Reload mechanic takes time to get used to
- Can be shut down easily
Jhin is another champion who was indirectly buffed by the crit item changes. He’s one of the best ADCs at absorbing pressure thanks to his strong wave clearing and doesn’t need as many resources to deal damage.
In a meta where bot lanes are always looking to find action and initiate a snowball, Jhin is one of the best candidates to neutralize this plan.
Jhin Item build
Jhin’s reload mechanic doesn’t make him rely on attack speed, so Fleet Footwork is the best rune you can go for. It gives him additional healing and a movement speed bonus that can be used to kite enemies and quickly reposition from dangerous spots.
The minor runes from the Precision tree are Presence of Mind, Legend: Bloodline, and Coup de Grace. We mentioned how attack speed is not effective on Jhin, so getting extra lifesteal is always better. For the secondary rune, choose Sorcery and get Nimbus Cloak and Celerity instead. This will further boost Jhin’s movement speed and increase his chances of escaping from enemy threats or dodging spells. Celerity/Gathering Storm
Jhin’s build has undergone changes with the new ADC itemization from Patch 13.10. He now rushes Stormrazor instead of the Mythic item Galeforce to take advantage of the item’s Energized auto attack and extra movement speed. Given the higher cooldown on Galeforce and the bonus AD scaling on the passive, it’s now built second on Jhin. Get The Collector or Rapid Firecannon as the third item slot, and follow it up with Lord Dominik’s Regard to deal more damage later in the game. Round off the build with a Guardian’s Angel or Bloodthirster, depending on the situation.
Ability priority
Jhin has only one max order: R>Q>W>E. His Q, Dancing Grenade, is the most important ability because it allows him to clear minions and potentially harass enemies with the bouncing mechanic. Since his E, Captive Audience, is a trap and it’s not a reliable spell to hit, always max his W, Deadly Flourish, second.
Game plan
Jhin doesn’t differ much from other ADCs in terms of item spikes: He’s at his strongest at two items and keeps up his spike until the fourth or fifth item. Therefore, taking advantage of that time window is key to success.
During the early game, try to harass the enemies with the grenades or your fourth shot. Even if the enemy manages to trade back slightly, the damage from the critted shot will always be higher. Jhin also offers a great setup or follow-up with his W, making it easy for junglers to gank the lane.
To be a great Jhin player, it’s essential to have a strong understanding of your positioning. Avoid fighting at close distances or in narrow spaces since it kills your kiting potential. During teamfights, you can use your ultimate to initiate a fight or to clean up low-health targets: assess whether your team has good engage tools and adapt accordingly.
Nilah
Pros
- Gains more experience than traditional bot lanes
- Great all-in potential with her kit
- Can dodge incoming auto attacks
Cons
- Short range
- Needs to be paired up with specific champions
Even though she is rarely present in the pro play meta, Nilah is recording impressive numbers across multiple Elos in solo queue, according to U.GG. In an uncoordinated environment like solo queue, Nilah is less likely going to be punished at her weakest, allowing her to scale and become a menace in the late stages of the game. If you like close combats but also want to play a marksman, Nilah is the right champion for you.
Nilah Item build
The rune setup for Nilah is quite different from most ADCs: she goes for Conqueror as the main keystone rune, followed by Triumph, Legend: Bloodline, and Last Stand. This combination ensures great combat stats for Nilah while also guaranteeing a good amount of lifesteal, a key stat for her kit.
For the minor runes from the secondary tree, most choose Domination with Sudden Impact and Treasure Hunter. Since Nilah is quite reliant on her ability to scale and get access to her core items, Treasure Hunter further accelerates that process by giving her extra gold. Sudden Impact, instead, is a generally good rune to have, as she dashes a lot with her E.
Regarding her itemization, Nilah’s build is one of a kind and nothing like the other marksmen. She goes for The Collector first, followed by Navori’s Quickblade, Immortal Shieldbow, and Bloodthirster. Not only does this combination give her a high amount of critical strike chance but it also gives her 28 percent lifesteal to heal up most of the damage taken. Round off the build with Guardian Angel or Lord Dominik’s Regard.
Ability priority
When you’re playing Nilah, you should always go for R>Q>E>W in terms of your ability priority. The starting ability order is also the same, even though you can get W, Jubilant Veil, at level two if you know the enemy will be looking to poke and harass you with auto attacks.
Game plan
Nilah can be considered a non-traditional marksman due to her base attack range and weak early game. The goal during the laning phase is to survive and farm as much as possible without dying. Unless you have a favorable matchup or the jungler coming to help, it will be hard for Nilah to prevail over the two-versus-two.
Wait for the right item spikes and take advantage of the passive to get a substantial experience lead over your opponents. Bear in mind that levels give extra stats so you will still be at an advantage even if you’re even in farm with your enemy counterpart.
In teamfights, always look for the right moment to dash in and use your E-R combo to deal as much AoE damage as possible. If you have at least three items, you should be able to win the fight and “whip” the enemies down with your critical strikes.
Vayne
Pros
- One of the best late-game carries
- High mobile with her Q
- Shreds through tanks
Cons
- Sub-par laning phase
- Needs a lot of time to ramp up her damage
Vayne has been off the radar for quite a while, but she’s finally getting some love and recognition she deserves. Thanks to her new build, she has been able to partially fix some of her key weaknesses while retaining her strengths as a late-game carry with high mobility.
The numbers are speaking for themselves: over 51 percent win rate across multiple Elos, with an astonishing 54 percent at master Elo and above, according to U.GG. If you’re a mechanically talented player who loves to carry teams on your back, this is the right pick for you.
Vayne Item build
Just like most ADCs, Vayne relies on her auto attacks to deal damage, so, it’s important to get attack speed as well as attack damage. So the best keystone rune for Vayne is Lethal Tempo, which is perfect for teamfights and extended skirmishes.
Aside from Lethal Tempo, opt for Triumph, Legend: Alacrity, and Coup de Grace. Never run Last Stand on Vayne since she won’t be able to proc the effects. If she drops low on health, chances are she might be dead a few moments later.
The secondary tree for Vayne is Resolve which might be a weird combination at first. That said, Conditioning and Overgrowth make her just a little tankier and harder to take down, and there aren’t other good runes. Theoretically, you could run Domination with Taste of Blood and Treasure Hunter, but it’s a high-risk, high-reward setup which I don’t typically recommend.
When it comes to the build, this is where things have changed drastically for Vayne compared to past seasons. She rushes Statikk Shiv first since it helps her to quickly clear minion waves: it has always been Vayne’s main weakness that has gated her from becoming stronger. Now that there’s such an item, she won’t lose lane priority as much.
After that, Vayne players go for Trinity Force for the Mythic item. It gives her all the stats she needs, and it synergizes well with her kit since she can proc the Spellblade passive consistently. To round off the build, pick up Blade of the Ruined King, Wit’s End, and Guardian Angel for the best mix of offensive and defensive stats. Immortal Shieldow and Phantom Dancer are great alternatives if you’re looking to increase her damage output. Anathema’s Chains, instead, can be built against single-carry team comps.
Ability priority
When you’re playing Vayne, you should go for R>Q>W>E in terms of ability priority. This is because the new build wants to take advantage of the Spellblade procs rather than the on-hit passive from W, Silver Bolts. Maxing Q, Tumble, lowers the cooldown to two seconds, greatly increasing Vayne’s dodging and short trade potential. Max E, Condemn, last since it’s a situational spell.
Game plan
Vayne’s trickiest moment in the game is the laning phase and until she closes out the Statikk Shiv. Due to her lack of wave clear early on, as well as the low damage output, there are high chances you will be pressured in the first few minutes. The goal is to survive and farm as much as possible without giving away too much advantage to the enemies. Give up a bit of minion CS if that means you can stay alive for longer.
Once you get the Statikk Shiv, you can look to play a bit more aggressively but try to keep your focus on getting as much gold as possible from minions. You’ll scale later anyway, so there is no need to force plays: wait for your opponents to make the mistake or let your teammates set up actions.
In the late stages of the game, use your Qs to kite back and draw a distance from your enemies while auto-attacking them to death. If you don’t get caught, you’ll likely come out victorious.
Ziggs
Pros
- Magic damage dealer for more hybrid damage output
- Great wave clearing
- Perfect to neutralize bully laners
Cons
- Doesn’t offer DPS like other bot laners
- Can be vulnerable due to the lack of escape tools
Even though he’s still not a popular champion in the bot lane meta, Ziggs is one of the underrated picks of the patch. With the rise of long-range champions like Jhin, Ezreal, and Caitlyn, Ziggs shines as a great answer to prevent them from snowballing in the early stages of the game.
Additionally, the champion has a global ultimate and scales well in the late game by becoming a poking machine with his Qs. His win rate is well above the 51 percent mark, according to U.GG, with almost zero percent ban rate, meaning that he can be played in the majority of the matches.
Ziggs Item build
Just like his mid lane version, Ziggs’ main keystone rune in the bottom lane is Arcane Comet. It further empowers his poke potential throughout the entire game, and it’s the comet is easy to hit if you apply the crowd controls.
For the remaining runes from the Sorcery tree, go for Manaflow Band, Transcendence, and Scorch. This combination allows him to get essential stats like mana and ability haste while also adding a bit more damage to his poke and damage rotations. If you know you will be playing towards the late-game, you can consider swapping Scorch for Gathering Storm to get additional adaptive force as the game progresses.
In the secondary tree, choose Magical Footwear and Biscuit Delivery from the Inspiration tree. The former is a great way to save up 300 gold, which can be used to complete the core items earlier. Biscuit Delivery, on the other hand, grants extra mana and health to survive the early laning phase and potential skirmishes.
Liandry’s Anguish, Archangel’s Staff, Shadowflame/Rabadon’s Deathcap, Voidstaff/Rylai’s Crystal Scepter
Build-wise, Ziggs’ items are almost identical to the mid lane version. He still wants to rush Liandry’s Anguish and Archangel’s Staff to get the damage over time passive and the mana. Then, get Shadowflame and Rabadon’s Deathcap to maximize the champion’s damage output. Round off with either a Void Staff or Rylai’s Crystal Scepter, depending on whether you need the passive slow or extra magic penetration.
Ability priority
On Ziggs, there is only one ability order: R>Q>E>W. His Q, Bouncing Bomb, is his main wave clearing and poking ability so always max it first. After that, level up E, Hexplosive Minefield, to deal more AoE damage and increase the amount of slow applied.
Game plan
Ziggs is a scaling champion, so the main goal early on is to sit back and play safe by focusing on farming the minions. Ideally, you want to avoid fighting against the enemy bot lane without poking or harassing first, or else you will lose most of the two-vs-two skirmishes.
Thanks to his high damage, it will be almost possible for the enemy bot lane to match your wave-clearing potential. Ward the surrounding areas to know whether you will be susceptible to ganks and try to take down the first turret as quickly as possible with Ziggs’ W.
In the late game, stay in the back lane and throw as many bombs as possible before the start of a fight. If one of the enemies is caught or engaged, follow it up with all your abilities and the ultimate: a well-landed Short Fuse can blow up an entire team. Be consistent, and watch out for your positioning so you don’t get caught in the mix.
