[9.12] Vayne to Diamond

Table of Contents

Introduction

Abilities

Runes

Items

ADC Matchups

Support Matchups

Conclusion

►Introduction◄

Hello everyone, I'm Uncouth. I've mained ADC for the last 4 years. I used to two-trick Kalista/Vayne in season 5/6 but then began switching to more traditional AD Carries. I ended last season Diamond 4.

In case you were curious, I'm almost always playing hyper-carry champions like , , or in Solo Q and competitive. These champions fit my "high-risk, high-reward" playstyle as an ADC main, and are super fun to play in my opinion. If you like to carry games too, then you've come to the right place!

I love to answer questions about builds or talk league in general, so feel free to pop in my live stream whenever I'm live and ask me anything, or just say hi!

►twitch.tv/uncouthlol◄

I also answer questions on discord now too!

►https://discord.gg/uXwjpxZ◄

Vayne is surprisingly one of the most effective ADCs recently. While her early game isn't superb compared to some meta champs such as , however, her mid to late game power spikes are what make her so good at the moment. She is able to self-peel, and out bring out consistent DPS higher than every other champion in the game in the late game. She not only is a tank shredder in teamfights, but also perfect for dueling other ADCs once she has some items. Her build path and make winning vital fights in the mid and late game easy with her mobile and high damage-dealing kit.

TLDR: is an excellent champion in the current meta.

Champions like focus mostly on winning over the early-mid game, snowballing his lead to win the game. However, is a champion that suffers early game, in order to become that juicy late-game hyper carry we all know and fear.

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PASSIVE: Night Hunter

gains 30 movement speed towards visible enemy champions within 2000 range.

While this passive is simplistic and seems negligible, it is actually vital to ’s ability to chase and secure kills. 30 movement speed is enough to secure a couple extra auto attacks when chasing down a low HP enemy, and can make a big difference in teamfights. This is especially true because of the bonus movement speed applied to while she is in her . It is important to note that the passive only works when champions are visible, unlike abilities like ’s W, which allows him to see when enemies are nearby.

It is also important to note that you will gain the bonus movement speed from enemies within a 2000 unit range. Additionally, keep in mind that can only gain the movement speed bonus while moving towards enemies, so this is only helpful for certain situations, NOT just a flat stat-like passive for running away or towards allies.

Q: Tumble

tumbles forward and deals extra damage with her next basic attack.

is her most versatile ability, and the reason she is such a slippery ADC to play against. While you can’t use it over terrain, it gives her extra mobility and damage in critical fights where she needs slightly more damage, or a way to dodge a skillshot such as ’s . Additionally, you can use it as an auto attack reset just to get some extra damage off. Using this in lane to get off some quick trades will highly benefit you if used correctly.

You can choose to use both offensively and defensively to gain the most out of it. Be mindful not to charge in 1v2 in lane, but you can get off some decisive trades and escape sticky situations when you absolutely need to. is also helpful for landing tricky CS, but be careful not to blow all of your mana just for the extra AD on securing the minions, although it can be helpful when farming under tower.

✦ You cannot use when in the animation, only before and after.
✦ If you into terrain, your auto attack will reset much faster, and can reset instantly if timed correctly (Try this in training tool first)!
✦ forces you to move in some direction, so try to use it sideways most of the time.
✦You used to be able to through some terrain, click here if you’re interested!

W: Silver Bolts

’s basic attacks and apply a stack of for 3.5 seconds, dealing bonus true damage after 3 stacks have been applied to the same target.

Our build path revolves around for the maximum amount of damage and efficiency when playing . It remains as one of the only abilities in the game that deals Percent HP True Damage, and is why building in absolutely essential. While you generally have to auto attack the same target 3 times in order to proc , it will only require two attacks to proc 14 %HP True damage.

is especially powerful versus tanks, and is the reason why is considered such a monster to play against when facing compositions with lots of Armor or Health. Also, keep in mind that we can only apply to a single target at a time, and switching targets will dissipate all current stacks on the previous target.

✦Try to focus down the same person to use most effectively, but don’t bait yourself into dying, no matter how tempting the third proc may seem.

E: Condemn

fires a bolt that knocks back an enemy, dealing more damage and stunning them if hit against a wall.

’s is one of the hardest abilities on ADC to use effectively, as most people tend to use it incorrectly or otherwise waste it completely. It is used most of the time to either pin a target against a wall that you need to stun, or disengage an enemy from jumping onto you and/or your team. If you use and the target does not connect with any terrain, (Including , , and ), they will only be knocked back without being stunned. Using for the knockback can still be very useful when disengaging from champions like or , but can also be fatal if in a fight versus a carry like or who can run you down if you don’t land the stun.

While your other abilities grant you damage and mobility, this is your only real form of realistic self-peel and crowd control, so try your best to use it wisely! It is a long cooldown and drains lots of mana.

✦You can while is being casted to redirect the target into a wall. This is possibly the most “Flashy” mechanic she has.
✦You can for the final proc on a Low HP Target, since can be used immediately after an auto attack.
✦ deals double damage when your target collides with terrain, and does more damage than a basic attack early game.

R: Final Hour

For 8 seconds, gains bonus AD, triples her movement speed bonus from , and
her grants Invisibility for 1 second with a reduced cooldown by 50%.

Final Hour grants Vayne a total of 5 bonuses for 8-12 seconds.

1. gains 20/30/40 bonus AD, amplifying both her basic attacks and tumble damage.
2. grants true invisibility for 1 second.
3. cooldown is reduced by 50% (The cooldown doesn’t begin until you’ve basic attacked).
4. ’s bonus is tripled, giving her 90 movement speed towards enemy champions.
5. ’s duration is extended by 4 seconds for every kill or assist received within 3 seconds

When you enter , you are looking for a time to deal as much damage as possible, and essentially enter “pop-off mode.” Being patient with is generally OK, however, keep in mind that the duration is extended by kills, so don’t be afraid to use it if you know you can secure an easy first kill. Despite how desirable it is to just every time it’s off cooldown, try to use it patiently to both dodge abilities and deceive enemies with your movement. You can easily pull off some nice jukes as long as you in a direction your opponents don’t expect. Just be careful not to directly into the bulk of the enemy team.

✦Try to trick your opponents by moving in a single direction, then constantly changing directions with your invisibility.
✦You can surprise your opponents if you while invisible for 1 second.
✦Be conservative with , because an enemy can easily disengage if you can’t secure a kill with it in time and gain the advantage.
✦It is OK to use it defensively, like when a begins using on you, use it as soon as you expect him to throw his

Fleet Footwork

Although all three of these Keystones are viable, I highly recommend taking , as it is the most effective on a game-to-game basis. can always benefit from early survivability and sustain, but doesn't always benefit from extra early-game damage, making a more optimal choice in almost all scenarios. Feel free to experiment with the others, since this can be up to preference.

Triumph

is the most beneficial of these runes in most cases, simply because of the close calls that can get in when fighting. While isn’t too bad of a choice, is generally the most commonly taken because of its helpfulness in winning teamfights where you’re constantly getting taken to low HP as an ADC. can work in some situations when you have a champion such as or on your team to make the rune as effective as possible.

Legend: Alacrity

For the next line of precision, we want to take because of the bonus attack speed it grants us. We don’t need any tenacity as an ADC, so is out of the question since we don’t plan on front-lining for our team. While seems like a more viable choice, the attack speed is going to be more valuable. Our first item grants us plenty of lifesteal, so we value the attack speed much more in this case.

Coup De Grace

For our last rune in the precision tree, is the best choice because of the overall damage output. Analysts and all pro players take over the other choices because quite simply-- it does more damage. Options like are better on champions like , who rely on being low HP, however, every ADC currently benefits more from than the other options available to us.

Absolute Focus

In the sorcery tree, we want to amplify our damage as much as possible. For this reason, our first choice is , which grants us Bonus Adaptive Damage while we are above 70% health. While this might seem unconventional since it only works when high HP, pro players and most high elo players take this option because they find that it ends up dealing more overall damage than any of the other rune choices..

Gathering Storm

Finally, our final choice in the Sorcery tree is . This rune is commonly taken on ADCs because of the scaling AD it grants us. The longer the game lasts, the more we gain from it! This also works wonders with our build choice-- since we are building critical strike items, this will essentially grant double the damage we are earning from items like and , which we coincidentally buy around the time that starts to take large effect on the game.

Starting Items

►Doran’s Shield◄

When considering starting items, you generally want to account for the support matchup more than anything else. If you are versus a ranged poke champion such as , , or , you will want to take . You will regenerate health back from the poke they deal to you, giving you an easier time sustaining and farming during the laning phase. Taking is essentially the safer route to surviving the lane phase.

►Doran’s Blade◄

is a riskier pick, but more rewarding for certain lane matchups, and scales better into the mid game. Since it grants you extra HP and Lifesteal, it is still a nice choice for laning as long as you are constantly pushing to regenerate some extra life. If you are verus melee supports such as or , and passive ADC’s such as or , you can almost always get away with taking because of how often you will push the lane without being harassed.

Core Items

►Blade of the Ruined King◄

Our first pickup is going to be . It not only grants an optimal starting build path with , but also early kill pressure from the . greatly benefits from this item because of its stats well, granting her much needed AD and Attack Speed to keep the champion relevant in the early game. Most importantly though, it synergizes perfectly with her next essential item, , since you’ll be able to deal % Health damage twice with the on-hit passive.

►Guinsoo's Rageblade◄

is the core part of our build because of ’s W, . Her W will proc off of every other auto attack, which shreds both squishy and tanky targets in the mid to late game. Regardless of how much armor the enemy has, you will deal % HP Physical and % HP True damage. Once you reach this item, you’ll want to start looking to make plays on the map by either roaming to mid / top lane, or staying bot and pushing with good vision. As long as you keep your stacked from the minions, you will be able to fight anyone who challenges you alone. You can easily fight anyone aside from assassins like or once you finish this item. This is similar to champions such as or who want to start teamfighting once they finish building their .

Boots

►Berserker’s Greaves◄

is by far the most offensive choice of you can take. This grants you an additional 35% Attack Speed and will strongly improve your early game damage on any champion. While they do grant great offensive stats, they offer no defense compared to the other choices. When thinking of when to take , think about it the same way between and . In this case, if you don’t think you’re going to get one shot by anyone or versus a Full AD Team, then strongly consider taking these!

►Ninja Tabi◄

Similar to , these are the boots you want to take when you are deathly afraid of being one-shot by someone like , , or simply against a Full AD team. is by far the best defensive choice to take when playing ADC. It grants you a total of +20 Armor, in addition to reducing all basic attack damage by 12%. Take these boots over when you need the extra defensive stats the most!

►Mercury’s Treads◄

As a Disclaimer, I want you to strongly consider the other options before choosing . These boots can be helpful in some scenarios, but generally the stats from the other boots offered are much more valuable than . From these boots, you gain +25 Magic Resist in addition to 30% Tenacity against certain CC types. Most of the time, consider taking items such as or instead! Take these boots only when versus extreme amounts of AP and CC (Especially slows!)!

Offensive Items

Phantom Dancer

is generally the most optimal 3rd item pickup for for two reasons. The main reason is the extra attack speed/critical strike chance-- granting you a much more consistent damage output in fights when your isn’t stacked up. Secondly, the survivability from the item makes you much harder to kill from champions such as , , and other assassins/bruisers that are looking to take you down.

Rapid Firecannon

is the second most optimal item you can buy, and is also often taken third. It grants you with the range needed to stay away from potential threats such as , , , etc. It grants a great amount of crit and attack speed as well, and is always a safe buy when you need some extra damage.

Infinity Edge

is only needed when you know you're going to need more damage, and that you can survive without an extra defensive item. You must always build this AFTER a item such as or , or else it is effectively useless. Anyways, if you're versus plenty of tanks like or , this item can work wonders for you.

Statikk Shiv

generally isn't as great of a pickup compared to and , it can be useful in some scenarios. For example, if you're team is heavily lacking wave clear, or if you are verus squishy champions that you're looking to really pop in fights. Otherwise, is going to be much better suited.

Runaan's Hurricane

is another item that is extremely situational. You can build this in very rare instances where you believe that the enemies are constantly clumping and readily available to hit. It does not work with , but the reason we consider taking it is for the extra AoE damage. I would recommend against it, as its really only useful every 1 in 30 games or so.

Mercurial Scimitar

is a very common and great option as a final item in the build. It serves you both offensively and defensively, granting you some extra damage and lifesteal, in addition to some MR and the active that removes all crowd control effects. Take this when versus champions like , , or who can easily CC you and deal lots of Magic Damage.

Maw of Malmortius

is a Magic Resist item taken in more extreme situations where you are versus heavy AP burst mages. If you find yourself facing a fed , , , or high magic dealing champions, this will save you in many instances where you would've died. Another choice is to grab a and just wait until late game to finish upgrading it.

Wit's End

While I don't generally recommend this, another Magic Resist alternative is . It grants you lots of Magic Resist and on-hit damage, which synergizes very kindly with your and . It also steals the enemy's Magic Resist with each basic attack which can be powerful when the majority of your team deals Magic Damage. Overall though, stick to except for some extreme situations.

Defensive Items

Guardian Angel

is one of the best defensive items for and All ADCs. It costs a low amount of gold compared to other Defensive options, and gives you nice stats in addition to the unique passive. Getting an "extra life" is great in situations where you generally get one shot by someone like or , because they will have used everything to kill you, and give your team enough time to respond and save you the second time around.

Frozen Mallet

is my personal favorite pick up defensively on , and can be built very early on. I tend to build this whenever I think there is a threat of me being one shot on the other team. Don't be afraid to build this third or fourth item after your , because you will already have plenty of damage and Lifesteal at your belt. It works great for kiting and staying alive in crucial fights, and optimizes Health, which works well versus all kinds of damage.

Randuin's Omen

isn't always the greatest choice, but definitely works well in some cases. When simply isn't enough to save you, this works great into Full AD Teams, and works especially well versus enemies that rely on Critical Strikes, such as , , or . Just try to be careful with itemizing this when you absolutely need it, because you won't benefit from the active very much.

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►Laning◄

can be one of the most annoying matchups during the laning phase because of her attack range advantage and poke. Your best way to deal with this is to try and position yourself behind your own minions and avoid short trades. After level 6, you will certainly lose every fight if you’re hit by her , so if you’re planning an all-in, make sure you’re ready to dodge it with your or ! Also, it is very common for junglers to try and gank an at level 6, so save your in case she randomly ults you to setup the gank!

►Mid-Late Game◄

Once you’ve obtained some items, you can easily kill in a 1v1 situation, but it’s very dependent on whether or not she hits her still. For this reason, I highly recommend taking as a third item to guarantee that you kill her. In teamfights, you’re going to both deal incredible amounts of damage to a front-line, but if you manage to reach her, you’ll need to get up close or she will just kite you out. Her range and slow advantage makes it difficult to fight unless you are right on top of her. Try to use your high mobility to your advantage!

►Laning◄

is another really annoying laner to deal with. She has the highest base attack range in the game (650), which makes it very hard for you to farm. She’s one of your hardest counters, because of her ability to shove waves constantly, and disengage with her while dealing tons of damage to you. Your best chance of winning lane is calling for ganks because of how overpushed she will be. Try to farm the best you can, and make sure you start when against her. Lastly, keep an eye out for any sneaky traps next to the turret when you’re pushed in.

►Mid-Late Game◄

Even later on, can still be a nightmare to play against. She can deal half of your HP with a crit when she has and . Even worse, she can do this from 800 range away. The best way of handling a when isolated is to use your slow to try and catch up after she E’s away. In team fights, you’re going to want to stay away from her until your team catches her with CC and you are guaranteed the ability to hit her safely. To win versus her, melt the enemy frontline before she melts yours.

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►Laning◄

is your hardest counter when playing as . He deals far more damage than you level 1 because of his , and you will never win in short or extended trades. Your only chance of winning a trade or duel is when he doesn’t have any Spinning Axes. You can pressure him when he’s about to catch one, CC him, or wait for them to expire. Don’t expect to do anything but farm unless you get this opportunity or get ganked, because fighting him is usually impossible.

►Mid-Late Game◄

After the lane-phase, you’re win condition is generally the same. Your team needs to CC the draven and catch him out as much as possible. He lacks real mobility other than his , making him easy to hard engage onto. Fighting him alone is very difficult, but can be managed if you have your stacks of , and land a nice onto him. Because of how dominant is in this matchup, I’d consider banning him or occasionally when thinking about playing .

►Laning◄

is much easier for you to deal with in lane. You can dodge his easily with your and as long as you position behind your own minions, you’ll deny him plenty of poke and stacks. You can take trades with him with an Auto frequently as long as the enemy support isn’t in a position to attack you. All-ins on aren’t as easy because of his , but he is definitely kill-able for you in lane.

►Mid-Late Game◄

After the laning phase, ’s poke starts to get much more annoying, but you can still deal with him with your mobility. As most 1v1’s are for , you’re going to want to try and get up and close, but be as deceptive as possible with your s. He can poke you down pretty hard when you’re clearing waves, so be mindful of his position. Since he always builds he is effective at catching you with his team around. Lastly, always keep in mind that he might use when you’re low HP or in a fight. Try your best to dodge this because it does up to 1000 damage since the rework!

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►Laning◄

is another aggressive laner that you’ll have to play defensively against before level 6. His + Auto is really difficult to out trade in most scenarios. Your best time to trade with him is when he has already used his , and his 4th shot isn’t available. is also very immobile in the early game, so try and take advantage of this and ask your jungler for help when he can. If you find yourself fleeing a gank, try and save your for a crucial ability like his . After level 6, you can hard engage on him. does really well versus him because he can’t out-DPS you in a 1v1 or 2v2 and you can kill him before he gets any damage off.

►Mid-Late Game◄

Post-Lane, try to get directly onto in fights. As mentioned earlier, there’s really nothing he can do to you when your damage deletes him before he can even get off a third auto attack. Be careful of his and try to save your for his 4th shot. If he is fed, be careful that he doesn’t poke you with his poke. Similarly to , he can easily catch you out of position with help from his team since his slows and his roots. Lastly, don’t be afraid to try and cheese when he goes for farm because of his weakness in duels. Just try to make sure it is a 100% play that won’t get you killed.

►Laning◄

is more-less a skill matchup for . You win in any extended trades versus her, but can be poked down by her Rocket Form easily due to the increase in range. It’s easy to fight her head on because you can avoid her by dodging with , or fighting in the minion wave. The one condition that can either get you killed or cost you a kill is her . She can use this alongside other CC to keep you stun locked and put you at a major disadvantage. Try your best to dodge all CC when laning against her because of this. Final note: Be careful for her

►Mid-Late Game◄

Later on, your team fights will depend on whether or not is fed and / or is getting resets. If she gets her passive when fighting you, she will gain tons of mobility and attack speed-- making it extremely hard to fight her. She can essentially run you down if your team dies before you. The good thing is that she is quite easy for you to kill as long as she doesn’t run your whole team down. Dodge her to avoid getting hunted similarly to and his .

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mafia jinx

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►Laning◄

When laning versus , try your best to avoid isolated trades because of her . Since it targets all nearby targets, you will take a lot of damage when not near minions if you try to trade. Try your best to avoid her because of its high damage that applies two stacks of Plasma. She can surprise you with some insane burst with the Plasma Proc and , so be ready to in case she is guaranteed to land it! Pay close attention to her items because her Evolve passive can be very powerful once she reaches the minimum amounts. This matchup is highly dependent on skill-- try your best to land your and it could be what wins you the fight.

►Mid-Late Game◄

Similarly to you, she also builds and is very strong with it. Generally, you are going to be stronger than her when you’re even in items because you benefit from it more than she does. In team fights, she might attempt to dash to you, so be ready to react in case she does! Finally, her damage is very dependent on her items since she can evolve her abilities, so always make sure you’re pressing Tab to see what items she’s purchased! (Needs 100 AD, 100 ATK SPD, or 100 AP for evolves)

►Laning◄

is a lane dominant champion that relies on her stacks to deal high amounts of burst damage and execute. Since her passive lets her dash on every auto attack, slowing works as an attack speed debuff--- so encourage your support to take or play something that can slow her (Ex: Soraka, Nami, Janna). If you don’t have any ways to lock her down, try and play it safe because she will always win in extended trades versus you. Keep her from getting a lead because she falls off very hard in the late game.

►Mid-Late Game◄

After the laning phase try to be careful because she will reach her core items of and . She out-damages you and is very hard to deal with if she is snowballing. Your easiest guarantee of winning is to wait until late game because of how hard she falls off. You are one of the hardest scaling champions in the game and can easily win as long as you hit late game. Her 6 item is very weak and she becomes entirely dependent on her support and , so keep an eye on her support!

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►Laning◄

is one of the weakest laning phase AD Carries, so try and abuse him if possible. If you have an aggressive support like or , try to setup plays to keep him from scaling up. Be careful when he activates his , as it grants him bonus attack range and % HP Damage. It lasts for 8 seconds, and after he’s used it is your best time to trade. The cooldown is 17 seconds, so you have 9 seconds to make an all-in or even just secure a nice trade. If he lands his Q, , try to back off because it heavily reduces your armor.

►Mid-Late Game◄

becomes a much larger problem in the mid to late game. Once he’s reached his he will become incredibly strong versus tankier targets. He’s a late-game monster like you, but a big trade-off. He has much more range than you, but you are much more slippery because of your and invisibility. Your ideal play is to get directly onto him and finish him quickly before he can finish you. Try to get your team to focus him with their CC as much as possible.

►Laning◄

is another lane dominant champion that is like a slightly easier version of . His all-ins are extremely dangerous, but you can counter him by dodging his with your . Be very careful of his level 2 power-spike with his Q E and combo. This can take you down to ~30% HP if you aren’t careful. Try to push the lane early so he doesn’t hit level 2 before you, and avoid fights unless his abilities are on cooldown. He has very high cooldowns in the early game. (Q = 9s, E = 22s)

►Mid-Late Game◄

’s core build involves buying a and for CDR and health. He will be hard to kill when he has these, so I don’t generally recommend trying to fight him unless he has used his spells already. In teamfights he’s going to be slippery like you but with long CD’s that he will rotate in between his . Try to use your team for cover or dodge horizontally if he tries to kite you with it, as it can 100-0 you if you get hit by all of it. Your general win condition versus is to play for late game and try to take advantage of his spell-relient kit with long cooldowns.

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►Laning◄

is annoying to lane against because of her Q, . It deals double damage if it kills the minion it bounces off of, dealing massive damage to anyone behind it. This is her main way of poking you down and harassing you aside from her Auto Q. She wins short trades, but you do much better in extended trades. Her passive deals extra damage on the first hit, but her following auto attacks are extremely weak. Keep an eye on your minions HP to dodge her Q, and farm up unless you get a good opportunity to hard engage.

►Mid-Late Game◄

In the Mid Game, can pack a serious punch with her Auto Q combo because she generally builds lethality items like . She isn’t a DPS type of champion like , but she can single-handedly win a teamfight with her . You can interrupt this with your , but I’d usually recommended just fleeing unless your team’s lives depends on it and you’re not in a vulnerable position. To win versus her, try to hard engage because she can poke you down to below 50% HP with ease.

►Laning◄

is usually your easiest matchup as , and you hard counter her. This is because the only ability she can is your , and she can’t out-damage you because of how easy it is for you to dodge her . In the lane phase, you want to avoid her by standing away from your minions when she activates it, as it will poke you down significantly over time. Be careful not to overstay in lane once she is level 6, because she can easily run you down with .

►Mid-Late Game◄

is still very easy for you to take care of in the Mid-Late game, but she does provide a lot of utility with her ultimate. While she will almost never be able to kill you, you can get run over by her team with the movement speed bonus they gain. Careful when defending turrets because her deals massive damage later in the game, doing around 600+ damage if she hits it on both sides. Stay on your feet and ready to react when playing versus and you’ll do very well.

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►Laning◄

is really annoying to lane against because of her hard engage. If she s on you with her , you’ll most likely die because of the insane burst damage with . To avoid this, try to poke her down a bit when she goes for farm. She has extremely low attack range, and if she is ~70%HP or lower, she won’t risk jumping in because she would die before she could finish stacking her E. Push in the lane as much as you can because it is hard for her to farm under turret because of her AoE damage upon killing a unit. At level 6, she does even more burst damage and I’d recommend avoiding any fights until you have a major advantage. You will likely lose in any 1v1 against her unless you land a decisive to either cancel her jump, or stun her while she needs to stack the .

►Mid-Late Game◄

Out of Lane, you need to still be worried about her trying to duel you, as you generally lose because of her insane burst. Aside from that, your objective is the same-- try to out-damage her in fights, but avoid her unless you have some kind of clear advantage. (Ex: Her is down, or she is low HP) Try to focus her down if she ever goes for a risky jump to finish one of your allies, otherwise she will get the reset and get out safely.

►Laning◄

Laning versus is pretty easy early on, but don’t underestimate his damage. His deals damage based on how many stacks he has on you, dealing up to 150 damage in the early game (~2 auto attacks worth) with full stacks. Avoid his , and if you have several stacks of poison applied, try to stay out of range of his . His grants him extra AD and attack range, making it extremely hard to fight him unless you can get close in range. If you don’t see in lane, he could be stealthed with his , so always be prepared to fight him! Final note: you can dodge his auto attacks if you move horizontally in the early game because he will have low attack speed.

►Mid-Late Game◄

is much harder to deal with in the late game. He will go out of his way to try and assassinate you before you can react with his stealth. Your best chance of surviving these engages it to instantly him back and away-- unless you believe you are stronger. It’s essentially fight or flight, so always think to yourself how you should react if he appears out of nowhere. If you expect him to show up, you will find yourself having a much easier time fighting him. In teamfights, try your absolute best not to clump next to your team unless you are all prepared to hard engage onto potentially showing up with his . Lastly, try to warn your team with pings if you think he is on his way to a fight! You’ll be more aware of this than your team.

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►Laning◄

is an extremely lane-dominant AD, so you’ll be playing defensively during the laning phase. His and are extremely difficult abilities to deal with, as they poke you down hard without much counter-play. Do not try to trade with unless he has already used one of these abilities, or else it is nearly guaranteed you won’t come out on top. Try to farm the absolute best you can, and don’t push up. His is lethal long range CC that can setup easy ganks, similar to ’s .

►Mid-Late Game◄

At pretty much all points out of lane you’re going to need to be very focused when near . If he lands a , you will die instantly. You should position yourself behind your team because it will stop on the first ally hit with it. Aside from this, try to dodge his in the mid-late game because it can deal some heavy damage if they choose to build Lethality items. Don’t expect to win 1v1 if he hits his -- he has 25 more attack range and you won’t be able to fight back while you’re snared.

►Laning◄

is a winnable lane for because your mobility helps tremendously when dealing with her spells. depends on hitting you with her feathers, but you can out of bad positions and continue dealing damage in extended trades safely. Try to abuse her as much as possible when her is on cooldown-- play around it like ’s W. Avoid getting hit by her with 3 feathers or more, or else you’ll take lots of damage and be snared. Overall, keep an eye on her feather locations, cooldowns, and trade accordingly with your .

►Mid-Late Game◄

Fighting works essentially the same later on. Watch closely where her feathers are located, and position yourself with or even when chasing to prevent getting one shot by multiple feathers. Try not to fight in tight spaces in the jungle, where her feathers have the largest advantage. If your team is trapped in a chokehold, she’s guaranteed to snare most of your team and deal tons of damage. If you’re hard engaging on her, be prepared for her to use and potentially with to one shot you!

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►NOTE◄
If you want to fully understand what I'm referring to in this section, please take the time to watch this video by xFSN Saber. It fundamentally explains how to classify different support champions, and how to play with/against them. He is an excellent AD player and an excellent coach, and I highly recommend checking out his YouTube or Twitch channel for more detailed explanations on laning as an AD Carry.

What is Catch?
Catch usually counters Trade

Catch supports are ones that are able to catch an enemy and force them out of position. The most obvious example of Catch is ’s . He can directly pull an enemy into him and his team in order to get either free kills, secure objectives, or help win an upcoming fight. The term overall is generally synonymous with “Pick.” These supports have the ability to catch and secure an enemy out of position with ranged CC, making them a large threat, especially to ADCs.

What is All-In?
All-In usually counters Catch

All-In supports are similar to similar to Catch supports, but involve putting themselves into the fights first. They come with more CC and tankiness, but much less range. They are able to serve as top tier tanks, and are great at both peeling and disrupting enemies. ’s , or ’s combo are perfectly examples of All-In. Their abilities are not hard to use or land, but must risk themselves by hard-engaging in order to make a play.

What is Poke?
Poke usually counters All-In

Poke supports are mostly consisted of the “off-role” supports, like or , but also include some like who can spam her from long range. The purpose of picking these supports is to deal damage without being retaliated against. Poke supports always take for their gold income, and generally want to push lane in order to harass the enemy ADC while they are CS’ing under turret.

What is Trade?
Trade usually counters Poke

Trade supports are focused on enhancing their ADC’s trades and being able to sustain through difficult lanes. Most Trade supports are also efficient at using Poke. Champions like with her are able to both heal her ADC, while damaging the enemy. Shielding supports like and are also great at Trade, and can help sustain ADCs with poor early game like to late game.

Now for the actual matchups!

Alistar

Primary: All-In
Secondary: Catch

With Alistar?

►When playing with , your win condition in lane is to get an excellent all-in. His combo will CC lock the enemy for around 3 seconds, so make sure you’re on the same page in order to follow up properly, you don’t want to leave him hanging! Try to ping your jungler for ganks, because is exceptionally good at setting up ganks and turret dives once he hits level 6. You can easily the enemy ADC into terrain if your knocks them up in a good position for you.

Versus Alistar?

►When playing versus , you have to be careful once he hits level 2. His knockup combo range is about the same as your auto attack range, making poking him a risky choice unless your support can back you up. Try not to clump with your support, or else his will hit you both and make his life much easier. If he is level 6, don’t risk staying under turret with below 50% HP, or else he can easily turret dive with his . Lastly, you can him out of his combo if you think he’s about to engage onto you.

Bard

Primary: Trade
Secondary: Catch

With Bard?

►While and aren’t the greatest combo, you can still setup some neat plays with his and your . Since his Q stuns them against walls, this can definitely help you setup some neat stuns and CC lock the enemy for a while. If the enemy support is melee, try to help your harass them if possible. Possibly the most important thing to keep in mind when playing with is to stay safe when he is roaming. He will often leave lane to collect chimes and make plays in the jungle/mid, so don’t risk dying while he does this. Don’t get upset because he left you, because he will help other lanes win and provide a lot of pressure as long as you don’t die.

Versus Bard?

► can be a handful to deal with, so try to avoid making trades with him if possible. He can heal himself or his ADC with , although they aren’t super powerful. Ping your team when is missing because he will often spend most of the time roaming to make plays around the map and collect his chimes. If you can collapse on him alone, it’s generally a free kill. Lastly, be ready to dodge his if you sense that you’re about to get ganked, as you’ll have to burn either , , or just die most of the time.

Blitzcrank

Primary: Catch
Secondary: All-In

With Blitzcrank?

►When playing with , you want to give him the opportunity to actually the enemy. Usually your best chance of accomplishing this is by keeping the minion wave in the middle of the lane, or on your side of the lane. This way there’s a chance of pulling them under your turret, and also lets you setup ganks easily. can pull off ganks by running up and ing them, then pulling them after they’ve run away or blown . When playing with him, try to immediately after he has pulled them to CC chain as much as possible.

Versus Blitzcrank?

►When playing against , your main goal is to stand behind your minions and keep enough distance that he cannot out of a bush or chase you with his . If possible, recommend that your support picks , in order to his and other forms of engage. To succeed as versus , save your for his grab, and try to keep your distance. Most Blitzcrank’s don’t try to pull , and run you down by going for the knockup instead! Note: Don’t as he is pulling, or he will pull you even further!

Brand

Primary: Poke
Secondary: Catch

With Brand?

►Playing with is going to make your life a lot easier in the early game because of how aggressive he is. As long as he is landing his often, he will be able to alleviate pressure away from you, allowing you to CS comfortably. However, you should try to help him when possible so that he doesn’t run the risk of getting engaged on 2v1. If hits his stun, be ready to hard engage since because of the heavy damage the both of you can deal to a single target. Later on, doesn’t provide you much as a support, but deals insane damage with his ultimate in teamfights.

Versus Brand?

►Playing against is an absolute nightmare if unprepared, but you can definitely survive the lane and make picks on him if played correctly. First off, you need a . This will let you constantly take advantage of the passive healing, since his abilities burn you overtime for several seconds. His main form of poke comes from his , so be ready to away from the center of the circle in order to dodge it. Even moreso, constantly move around in between your auto attacks in order to lower the chances of him hitting you. Lastly, don’t clump up when he uses his , unless you want to get melted in 2v2’s and teamfights.

Braum

Primary: All-In
Secondary: Catch

With Braum?

►When playing with , try to focus on farming unless he manages to apply his . This can be applied by his auto attacks, or by . If he manages to apply it, consider engaging unless there is an obvious reason not to (ex: backs off, or you are at a severe health or mana disadvantage). He is going to help you greatly in skirmishes and teamfights with his heavy CC and peel that keeps you safe and dealing as much damage as possible. If gets caught, go near him if possible so that he can use his to jump to you and get out. Other than this, stand behind his shield and focus any targets with .

Versus Braum?

►When playing versus , abuse him by poking him down behind minions. The only way he can apply his is if lands a Q or jumps to a minion and autos you. You can easily harass him when he walks up to hit minions, and your is great for getting off quick and easy trades. If you get applied just walk back until it expires-- it deals heavy damage in the early game, and the CC is going to get you killed most of the time. Once he’s 6, be aware that he can engage with his from long range and set up easy ganks for his jungler. As long as you keep these in mind, won’t be much of a problem.

Fiddlesticks

Primary: Poke
Secondary: All-In

With Fiddlesticks?

► is great at constantly annoying the enemy. His crow will deal lots of damage with Aery or Comet in the early game, making his poke game quite strong. You can mostly just sit back and focus on farm unless gets someone surprisingly low. Keep in mind that can set up kills with a , fearing the enemy for a couple seconds as a point and click ability. When level 6, try to coordinate an All-In with his out of vision.

Versus Fiddlesticks?

►Facing is really annoying, but not super effective. Quite frankly, it’s almost impossible to dodge his crow, so I recommend just taking the magic resist rune instead of HP, and to start with a . Be careful of his , and to keep your distance if you sense a gank coming. After level 6, he will try to out of vision over a wall or out of a bush so be careful. If he does, him right away in order to avoid taking damage from the circle.

Janna

Primary: Trade
Secondary: Poke

With Janna?

► is going to help you tremendously with your poor early game as , because of her shield, and ability to poke down the enemy. Try to 1v1 trade with the enemy ADC or Support when you get a shield, since there’s no way they can fight back without a second hand. Your will most likely be poking down the enemy quite often with her and , making laning a bit less stressful for you. The downside is that you have little kill pressure in this lane, but you can likely force them out of lane or gain a CS advantage. Later on, will be super helpful in keeping you alive in those fights where it really matters most.

Versus Janna?

►Playing against can be frustrating because of her long range, but dying to her is difficult unless they have an ADC like or . Focus on the CS in this lane, and try to stay out of range of her. I strongly recommend positioning yourself on the opposite side of the wave, so that there is a diagonal line between you and . If she tries to harass you, try to get your support on the same page and fight back 2v1 so that she doesn’t win free trades, or give her ADC good trades. Play it safe unless you have an aggressive support that can easily fight back. Additionally, you can out of her ultimate, to cancel the healing.

Karma

Primary: Poke
Secondary: Catch

With Karma?

►When playing with , you can utilize the high mobility and CC she has to become a hyper carry quick. Since her shield gives a lot of movement speed, you’re going to be even more slippery with your , and they’ll have a much harder time killing you in fights. During lane, try to follow up with poke, and ping for ganks because of ’s catch potential. She can run someone down easily if she gets in range of her , which snares enemies who stay connected to it. Most often, you’ll get free flashes from enemies who are scared of the stun. Keep track of your ’s cooldown, (about 45 seconds), because it can easily dictate who wins a fight.

Versus Karma?

►’s poke can be really annoying to deal with, so try to save your in order to dodge her Q. It deals a lot of damage early on, and has a wide hitbox, meaning you have to dodge really wide to avoid the damage. Although gives a shield, it’s not that large and can be broken with just an auto most of the time. Constantly keep track of her cooldown, since that will be how she pokes you down in lane, and is a good indicator of whether she’s going to try and poke you or not. Additionally, don’t let her finish her , which will root you for up to 2 seconds if used with .

Leona

Primary: All-In
Secondary: Catch

With Leona?

►Playing with means you need to be ready to engage with her if she chooses to. She can deal an insane amount of damage, while completely CC locking a single target for several seconds. She will soak up all of the damage thanks to her and bonuses. Try to position yourself to the enemy who is CC’d, or deal as much damage as possible. Since you do plenty of single target damage with , getting kills in lane can be easy if you’re healthy enough to do it. At level 6, her can reach and stun enemies from extremely far, which is fantastic for ganks. Try to ask your jungler to come help once the time is right.

Versus Leona?

►Playing against a is easy for because of your massive tank shred. In lane, you should be mainly concerned about her hitting her , which is the beginning of her massive CC combo that can get you killed really quick. If you know she is going to hit it, you can her as she uses it, which will push her off before she can stun you again. In teamfights, be ready to dodge her , since it can snipe you from very far, making you an easy target for the enemy team. If you’re getting hit by them consistently, I recommend building a to get out of bad situations before its too late.

Lulu

Primary: Trade
Secondary: Poke

With Lulu?

►Playing with a helps you become an unkillable hyper-carry, and is great with . However, this effect doesn’t totally kick in until the mid-late game, meaning you need to try and farm up and survive during the early game. can poke and harass quite well, but doesn’t do great in all-in’s until she is level 6. Once she has her , you can generally win fights because of your stats. You gain extra damage from her Pix, movement speed, a shield, and lots of bonus health to save you in the difficult fights where you need it.

Versus Lulu?

►When playing against a , don’t get in range of her , or she will get lots of poke on you during the laning phase. It’s about the same range as your attack range, so it’s recommended to avoid trading with her if possible. Be prepared for her to use on you for the polymorph effect. This can be really annoying and turn a fight quickly since it prevents you from attacking. As you want to be as slippery as possible, so try to bait out her polymorph, or see if she grants movement speed to her ally first since they both use the same cooldown. Finally, be careful not to get baited by her heal, since it knocks up nearby enemies and can turn fights into a disaster if not prepared.

Morgana

Primary: Catch
Secondary: All-In

With Morgana?

►If you have as your support, do your best to farm up, and try to follow up if she lands a that won’t get you killed. Be aware that if your isn’t on the same page, it isn’t worth trying to attack someone even if they are binded-- since they can still attack you back. While can use her to protect you from CC, don’t always depend on it, as it’s rare for the majority of ’s to use it effectively 100% of the time. At level 6, your might want to hard engage using her and . If so, just follow up and ping which target you want to focus after the stun and/or bind connects.

Versus Morgana?

►Playing against is simple-- dodge the . This is really easy if you have a minion wave to play around, since you can maneuver your way to safety most of the time with ease. If you find yourself getting pushed in without any minions all the time, you’re going to need to play it safe. Ask yourself: Will I die if I am rooted where I’m standing right now? If the answer is yes, you need to be ready to to safety, or stand further back. Additionally, be prepared for her to engage with and once she hits level 6. This can be hard to play around, so try to keep your ready around this time!

Nami

Primary: Trade
Secondary: Catch

With Nami?

►When playing with , you want to trade as much as possible in lane. Don’t go crazy with it, but her W, , will both heal you and deal significant damage to the enemy. Additionally, her giving your auto attacks more damage and a slow, which is great for catching up to enemies as . also has a lot of catch potential because of her , which can stun multiple targets if it lands. At level 6, her is great for cutting off enemies, since it slows heavily, or can zone the enemy towards you. Try to call for ganks at level 6 or just farm up and she can use it to easily disengage.

Versus Nami?

►When playing versus , you cannot afford to trade. She is essentially the queen of trades because of her , meaning you need to either commit to a hard engage (catch or all-in), or avoid fighting completely and go for farm until you have a better advantage. Try to save your for her . While it’s easy to dodge, the punishment for getting hit is very large. The stun can easily turn fights, and cause lots of headaches for yourself, so really try to dodge it to win fights. At level 6, just do your best to sidestep her , or try fight if she’s already used it to 2v2.

Nautilus

Primary: All-In
Secondary: Catch

With Nautilus?

►Playing with , he’s going to have to hit his hook, or otherwise be completely useless. is very tanky, but deals little damage overall and is basically a CC meat shield for you. In lane, he has no way of dealing damage except for his hook, so you’re mostly on your own. Your best bet of winning a lane with him is to keep the minion wave in the middle of the lane. This way, has a decent chance of landing his hook, while also keeping the enemies farther away from their tower. Once he’s level 6, you can easily commit to roams or ask for a gank. Since it’s literally a point and click knockup, it’s almost guaranteed death for anyone who doesn’t have or form of escape.

Versus Nautilus?

►Playing versus is super easy as . You can shred his health, and easily dodge his with your . His abilities are mostly useless against you as long as you dodge the hook. If he does get onto you, just him off, and kite him afterwards. He relies on getting off his auto attack in order to snare you, so the will come in handy for this. Once he’s 6, he will use on you almost every fight since it’s guaranteed to hit (even when invisible). With this in mind, be ready to disengage to safety if necessary after he’s used it. Overall, this is one of the easiest supports to play against as .

Pyke

Primary: Catch
Secondary: All-In

With Pyke?

►Playing with is great as because of how dangerous and slippery you both are combined. can make great picks with his and combo, which is super effective early game. As long as you’re attacking the same target as , you will pick up some easy kills if you avoid getting CC’d. An easy way to get kills in lane is to, if possible, stand away from the bot-side wall so that can hook them towards the wall in order to set up am easy . This is a super lethal combo, and at level 6, you guys are even more dangerous. ’s execute will make fights easy as long as you don’t get hit by any big CC.

Versus Pyke?

►Playing versus isn’t too difficult, since you can easily dodge and juke his with your . Try to deceive him with your movement by changing directions while walking away, and using at the last second. If he ends up connecting a , and tries to follow it up with his , just him away, or to the side. You can even stun him if you combine the two, and could possibly lead to a free kill. When it comes to skirmishes post 6, try to stay away from ’s melee range. While it’s OK to stand over tanks that you’re shredding, a will delete you with his short Q and auto attacks since he builds full AD.

Rakan

Primary: All-In
Secondary: Trade

With Rakan?

►When playing with , focus on utilizing his trade potential during lane. While he can choose to All-In with his , it can also serve as a quick trade. How it works: he uses to knock them up -> You attack the target(s) -> uses and jumps back to you for the heal and shield. This can be used over and over again to get pressure in the lane, and potentially get them low enough to set up an All-In. Also, can heal you quite often if he is good at hitting his . At level 6, make sure you’re on the same page for a hard engage, because has fairly long cooldowns and isn’t useful after he’s used everything-- make it count!

Versus Rakan?

►Playing against means you’re going to have to be on the lookout for several things. First off, recognize that his cooldowns are very long in the early game, and if he misses his , you can punish him for about 15 seconds after. Also, try to position yourself behind the minions so that he can’t land his , which grants a heal to himself and his ADC. If you’re playing against a and , be super careful of their early game damage. They can easily cheese you, so be ready to or if they are close to you-- they shred quick with her . If lands an engage on you at level 6, be sure to the ADC away, not . Rakan can’t do anything to you after his combo, and the ADC becomes the main threat.

Sona

Primary: Trade
Secondary: Poke

With Sona?

►When playing with , you can play slightly more aggressive when her is available. will often walk up to poke on her own, but you can maximize damage by helping her for a safe + auto every so often. If the enemy does trade back with an auto attack, it’ll be mitigated by her . Remember not to go too ham with the early trades, since her heal is quite low in the early game. At level 6, she can make a great engage with her , but overall, is at her strongest during the late game.

Versus Sona?

►When playing versus she’s going to constantly poke and harass you, making a must-- regardless of the matchup. While it’s generally difficult to avoid her , you can tell when she’s going to try and poke. You have two choices here: Walk back and try to avoid it, or try to trade/engage back with your support onto her. For this reason, supports like , , or do great if they can catch her. At level 6, be ready for to or away from her in order to win fights. If she lands , winning fights will be almost impossible.

Soraka

Primary: Trade
Secondary: Poke

With Soraka?

►When playing with , you’re going to be soaking up most of the damage, meaning the hard engages are not your friend. is great at both poking, and healing you up after a bad or even trade-- however, if you or her get blown up, the healing obviously can’t be used efficiently. For this reason, try to play cautiously when you trade, and avoid enemy CC as much as possible. Especially in the early game, when her cooldown is still relatively high. can also do a great deal of poke with her and , and are quite annoying to deal with. At level 6, her will help save you when you’ve gone too far away from her in fights, and overall, works great with .

Versus Soraka?

►If you’re up against a , you want to mitigate as much poke as possible. Her is very predictable, making it easy to or sidestep out of the way when necessary. Additionally, since the cooldown on is relatively high in the early game, you want to try and force All-Ins or catch out the enemy ADC. Having a support like or make it easy to catch out a . Later on in the game, will be your primary focus when given the choice. One last tip, is that it is vital that you build an , since it reduces all healing effects that provides. This can win you games in some cases.

Tahm Kench

Primary: All-In
Secondary: Catch

With Tahm Kench?

►If you’re playing with , you’re going to survive a lot of close calls thanks to his , which makes you completely untargetable. is great at catching enemies off guard with his dangerously long slows from , and helps you run down enemies as . Additionally, he can eat and spit out an enemy with , meaning that you can position yourself towards a wall to and stun them once he spits them out. At level 6, doesn’t gain much, but his can be very helpful for roaming, or ganking your own lane with the help of a jungler.

Versus Tahm Kench?

►When facing , you’re going to stand behind minions as much as possible. ’s only kill condition on you is if he lands his , settings up the rest of his damage/combo. It also slows for a heavy amount, and is almost certain death if he eats you too. For this reason, do your absolute best to keep him at max range when attacking him. You can shred him with , but you have to keep your distance. At level 6, can roam with , so be prepared for unprecedented ganks from the enemy bot lane!

Taric

Primary: All-In
Secondary: Trade

With Taric?

►When playing with , you’re going to play it a bit safe in the early game, unless taric can land a nice stun with . His grants you bonus stats and allow him to heal you with , meaning that trading isn’t necessarily out of the question. The heals are quite minimal, so mainly focus on potential All-Ins that can be setup with a , or a gank. At level 6, you can become completely unkillable as , which is super powerful with your . You can dish out loads of damage without punishment, which is a big reward if set up properly in fights.

Versus Taric?

►When up against , there isn’t much you have to do. The most important two things are to dodge his with your , and to disengage when he uses his . While grants bonus armor, you’re going to be able to shred them regardless because of the heavy true damage with . Try to stay out of his melee range, since his auto attacks deal a surprisingly large amount of damage in the early game because of his attack speed buff. Lastly, just disengage if you can’t confirm a kill when he uses his . It’s super powerful if you are stuck in a fight while this is active.

Thresh

Primary: Catch
Secondary: All-In

With Thresh?

►When playing with , you’re playing completely around his ability to catch out the enemy. He can’t really poke enemies because of his short attack range, so you’ll usually trade by hitting anyone hooked by . Often a will also set up a play by walking into the enemy and using to secure a hook, making it easy to catch out an enemy. Because of his large amount of CC, you can easily secure a stun when appropriate. At level 6, becomes a raid boss of a CC support, keeping enemies locked in place as long as he does his job. Lastly, make sure you’re ready to click his lantern in time!

Versus Thresh?

►When playing versus , you need to be careful because you’re usually walking on thin ice. Save your to dodge the hook if possible, since it will be your if he lands it. Additionally, be careful if he walks up close to you, since he can you for the slow and guarantee that he lands a hook. He can be frustrating to deal with, but try to mind game him with jukes and random maneuvers as best as you can. Lastly, be prepared that he might set up a gank with his , potentially bringing a jungler into lethal range very quickly. At level 6, stay out of his melee range and you can usually avoid his . However, if necessary, through it to reduce the amount of time slowed.

Vel'Koz

Primary: Poke
Secondary: Catch

With Vel'Koz?

►When playing with , he’s going to be doing most of the work early on. He has insane range with his , which is how he take control of the lane. While he can be caught out easily, his also slows to help disengage, and potentially catch out an enemy. Additionally, he can use to catch enemies if they’re within a close enough range. To win with , just farm up, and pressure the enemy if can get them to low enough HP. At level 6, he can use to finish off any low HP enemies that flee from you both in fights.

Versus Vel'Koz?

►Playing versus can be tough, so I recommend taking to sustain against him. His main source of poke comes from his , so be ready to dodge it by using your minions. He can use some complex geometric equations to hit you, so counter him with your math skills you learned and probably forgot. After level 6, fights will be rough as will shred your health, so be ready to him in order to cancel it, or run out of it. is also completely immobile, so try to catch him out when possible.

Xerath

Primary: Poke
Secondary: Catch

With Xerath?

►When playing with a , he’s going to be constantly poking out your opponents with long range. Playing with is actually very similar to laning with a , since they both use their long and range to their advantage. While lacking heavy CC and healing, his ability to pressure and siege/anti-siege is enough to serve as a surprisingly useful support. The main problem however, falls with his immobility-- so don’t give up your life if he over-steps after getting caught. Try to use his pressure to your advantage and get the most CS you can during the laning phase.

Versus Xerath?

►Playing against isn’t too rough, since you can always out of his . Try to play aggressively with an All-In support if possible, since is completely immobile. If you aren’t confident in dodging his every ~9 seconds, it is strongly recommended to pick up a . Out of lane, be ready to dodge his , since it’s his only real CC, and can wipe you out in teamfights if he lands it. Once he uses , be ready to dodge, weave, and the best you can!

Zilean

Primary: Poke
Secondary: Catch

With Zilean?

►Playing with can require a lot of patience overall. It can be a bit frustrating if he’s not talented at landing his , but all it really takes is for one good combo in order to set up a kill. If he hits two s on the same target, it will instantly explode the first, and stunning all surrounding enemies, meaning that he can truly blow up the enemy bot lane if used correctly. Regardless of his performance with poking in the early game, is meant to scale extremely well with his and later on in the match. It’ll help you tremendously, and allows you to play more aggressive in teamfights since you get an extra life!

Versus Zilean?

►If you’re against , all you really have to do during the laning phase is dodge his . They do some meaningful damage with , but are quite predictable to dodge since the range is pretty short. Do your best to dodge them early on and you’ll do well during the lane. Later on, he’ll likely try to use his to slow you first, and then throw his . Lucky for you, you can use for the full dash even while heavily slowed, meaning that you can still dodge it after this. Post-level 6, be ready for his , since it can drastically turn the tides of a fight when he or his ADC gets a free revive. Don’t let it surprise you, keep it in mind before you choose to fight!

Zyra

Primary: Poke
Secondary: Catch

With Zyra?

►When playing with , let her do the poking. She can make lane a breeze for you since you can spend most of your time farming, and occasionally harassing. If you choose to harass, you should do so while she has plants attacking. This generally guarantees that you win the trade, since it’s like they’re taking heavy minion aggro simultaneously. Additionally, if she manages to land her , you can chunk them really hard or even kill them if follows up with you. At level 6, her do tons of damage, and is great for winning 2v2’s and teamfights later on. Just try your best not to use until after the knockup! You don’t want to push them out of it :D

Versus Zyra?

►When playing against a , is once again a must. Regardless of her ability to land or , her (little plants on the ground) are going to attack you after she casts her other abilities. With this in mind, you want to keep your distance from these plants in advance, since they can pack a real punch. You can also walk over the seeds of the plants to destroy them before spawning. Additionally, her is super dangerous, and generally hard to see. Luckily, the cast time is quite long, so make sure you ward a bush if you think she’ll try to catch you from it. At level 6, try your best to dodge her knockup, but keep in mind that the knockup doesn’t damage you-- the initial cast does.

►Conclusion◄

Thank you guys so much for checking out my guide! I spent a lot of time making sure it looked the exact way I wanted it to, and made this entirely by myself! I'm a total enthusiast, and I hope you are all too :D. If you want to talk more about or any ADC/League-related shenanigans, hop in my livestream when I'm live and we can chat! Thanks again for reading folks!
http://www.twitch.tv/uncouthlol

P.S.

I'm considering adding sections on Mid-Late Game and Teamfighting. Let me know in the discussion section if that's something you guys are interested in, and what kind of stuff you'd like to see in it!

[9.12] Vayne to Diamond

[9.12] Vayne to Diamond

Recommended Items

Runes:

Spells:

Flash

Heal

Items

Ability Order

Night Hunter (PASSIVE)

Tumble (Q)

Silver Bolts (W)

Condemn (E)

Final Hour (R)

Threats & Synergies

Ashe

Caitlyn

Ezreal

Jhin

Kalista

Lucian

Miss Fortune

Tristana

Twitch

Varus

Draven

Kog'Maw

Sivir

Sona

Soraka

Zyra

Taric

Nami

Janna

Thresh

Lulu

Alistar

Karma

Braum

Pyke

Sona

Soraka

Zyra

Taric

Nami

Janna

Thresh

Lulu

Alistar

Karma

Braum

Pyke

Champion Build Guide

[9.12] Vayne to Diamond

League of Legends Champions: