IMPORTANT READ ME FIRST

Pantheon ADC is no longer viable in the way it used to be since the rework. Pantheon serves far better as an aggressive support. Strategies from this guide can be adapted for aspiring Pantheon support players, but it is by no means a complete guide. I will not change the guide further, and this will be my last update. Thank you for making this my most popular guide with over one million views.

Hello!

Thanks for having the courage to read my guide considering how weird of an idea Pantheon ADC is.

Bringing Pantheon to the role of ADC is a very interesting and out of meta pick that I discovered by accident when an autolocker forced me to go down there. I ended up carrying hard and decided to experiment some! Pantheon fills a very weird niche that almost no other champion can fill, a role I've coined "Anti-ADC". He crushes ADCs hard, especially with the help of a hard engage support with a lot of cc ( Leona, Nautilus, Thresh). His kit combines ranged poke and a powerful all in to create a horrifying lane opponent who can swap roles smoothly at the mid game to support any team comp. The current meta favors brusiers in the botlane and Pantheon is certainly an exceptionally potent choice among these champions for his combination of devasting all-in potential and decent poke, allowing him to keep up with many different traditional ADCs.

Below you'll find a comprehensive guide on playing Pantheon as an Anti-ADC. This is my first guide on MobaFIRE and I put a lot of work into making it as good as I can with the knowledge I have. Thanks for taking the time to read my guide, please leave feedback so I can make it better for everybody!

I hope to see you all ingame, and good luck in S8!

- Spection

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The risky skill sequence is generally best for players that are new to Pantheon ADC. It supports a more passive poke heavy playstyle. This is emphasized by maxing out Spear Shot first, as it is your main harass tool. Taking Heartseeker Strike as your level one ability is most helpful as it helps out a lot with last hitting in the very early game and helps you conserve your mana, as I've seen that many Pantheon players use their Q an excessive amount in the laning phase, draining mana you could have used more efficiently with Heartseeker Strike. Heartseeker Strike is maxed second as it is your main damage dealing tool at close range and in team fights. Aegis of Zeonia is maxed last as it is mostly a utility and gap closer move and does not deal a lot of damage, nor does the stun's duration increase with level.

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The riskier build sequence is less poke reliant and weaker from levels 1-3. Additionally, this build path considerably harder to utilize during all phases of the game but has far greater kill pressure during the laning phase, allowing experienced players to land a kill or two very early, turning the tide of the lane in your favor. This build path is far more fragile but deals a ridiculous amount of damage and can 1v1 practically anyone except for the most tanky champions and the most mobile champions if utilized right. Heartseeker Strike is maxed first as it is your main all in damage dealing tool. Only put a point into Grand Skyfall if you're getting pushed out of lane and need to recall early for whatever reason or you need to gank for your midlaner. It's generally not advised to put a point into this ability until Heartseeker Strike is fully maxed.

Domination

• Electrocute Is your standard keystone to run on Pantheon. His standard combo procs it, and it gives him an enormous amount of in lane burst. Predator is worth considering for roaming reasons. It also gives you another measure of engaging in your lane. Superior, but only if you have trouble forcing all in fights or you intend to roam a LOT. Dark Harvest is good in lanes where you would max Q and poke out your opponents due to having less opportunities to proc Electrocute
• Taste of Blood is your go-to rune choice. It gives you a helpful amount of in lane sustain, helping you make it as far as possible. Sudden Impact is better if your support grants you a large amount of innate health sustain, or you wish to cheese.
• Eyeball Collection is a superior choice for what you want to achieve. A rune that assists with snowballing is your best option. I would also consider Ghost Poro but only to ward against prolific gank junglers that could shut you down.
• Ingenious Hunter is your best go-to option. Because nearly all of the items you choose have cooldowns, you need that uptime badly. None of the other options come close.

Sorcery

• Scorch is great for throwing lots and lots of Spear Shots. Make sure this is always on cooldown, the damage stacks up a lot.
• Manaflow Band helps to mitigate some of Pantheon's crippling early game mana issues. It's a must.
  
  Stat shards are standard. If you are facing a magic damage dealing lane, make sure to swap to early MR. Health is a great all around choice.

Flash is standard on most summoners and Pantheon isn't an exception. He doesn't really have an escape nor does he have a gap closer after Aegis of Zeonia is down. Highly experienced Pantheon players can escape with Grand Skyfall, although this is very hard to pull off and can be nullified by any form of hard CC except roots, and still doesn't substitute for the unique utility that Flash gives.

Heal is the standard spell on most ADC's and works on Pantheon as well, although it isn't optimal on him unless you have a squishy support that's getting focused or you think your opponents will be playing aggressively. Due to Pantheon's innate tankiness against auto attack reliant champions, Heal isn't so good on Pantheon, but can still be taken for less experienced players.

Ignite is the best summoner spell choice on Pantheon besides Flash. The healing reduction it grants is excellent against Heal and health potions and gives you even more early game kill pressure, which you very much need to get ahead and snowball.

Exhaust can be taken on Pantheon to help with duels and to lock down an enemy more easily, but it isn't recommended due to the fact that it doesn't give kill pressure like Ignite does.

I have much less experience with playing Pantheon in ranked, although I have a large amount of experience with playing in ranked games other than this one.

• The most important thing I can tell you is to have fun. You're playing a game and you should treat it as such! If you fixate on how your support is doing and how poorly your team is doing and how hard you're going to lose, you definitely will lose. If you just play to have fun, you will do really well and you might turn around that game that you thought you would have lost!
• If you're nervous about your ranking (everyone gets nervous when they're in a precarious position), you should be stop playing after your first loss. It may seem like a weird thing to do, but your state of mind and mentality after losing declines, even if you convince yourself you're not. This is the most dangerous thing as you can lose many games in a row with your damaged state of mind, damaging it and your elo further. If you win a couple of games in a row, stop at a point where you feel satisfied and happy. Don't let your winning streak get to your head, or find yourself losing a game when you least want to, such as a series. Be graceful in victory or defeat, whether you carried or got carried. Take each game and ask yourself how you could improve your performance.
• Think! If you want to be smart about how you approach a team fight or initiate a gank, things will go better for you. Before you jump on that Lux with 100 health left, think about where her teammates are, and if she has enough mana to combo you down. If you analyze the situation with enough care you might realize it's not worth the risk and back off, avoiding giving the enemy team another kill. The ability to think about how to approach a situation is what separates great players from good players and will almost certainly decide your ranking.
• Ward. This is incredibly important, especially if you are doing well and attracting the attention of the jungler. As an ADC, the river and tribush are the best places to ward. If the enemy has an a champion capable of stealth, you'll want to put a Control Ward there instead. Often called pink wards, they cost next to nothing and can save you if you get ganked by an invisible champion. If your top laner has taken Teleport, you can place a ward in the bush closest to the enemy side and he/she may gank for you and turn the tide of the lane in your favor.
• Roam. It's exceptionally important to know when and when not to do this, especially if you are winning lane. You have a powerful ultimate that extends nearly halfway across the map, use it! If you see the enemy jungler dying to your team's red buff and you are in range, you can net yourself an easy kill and a free buff. If you sit stubbornly in lane until the landing phase ends when you've already won it, you are not contributing to your team optimally. When it does come time for team fighting, it will be later in the game and you will be less useful. As Jhin would say, every moment matters!
• Be nice. If you are nasty to your teammates after they mess up, you will damage their state of mind and their precision, making them worse players. If you congratulate them on a good double kill, dragon steal, gank, etc, they will play better and respond to you when you ask for help. There's nothing worse than pissing off your jungler and having him not gank for the rest of the laning phase.
• Ping. The second you see an enemy disappear from your field of vision, you should ping to let the team know in the case that they're too busy to notice it. Ping if you're roaming and intend to gank so your team mate can respond. Ping if you want to all in their ADC. It's an extremely good habit that may save your teammate's lives and score you a kill and your support an assist.
• Watch the minimap. It gives you valuable information. You will have better response time when dealing with and preforming ganks, which is imperative to your success as an ADC.
• You get what you get and you don't get upset. If you are playing draft and you don't get the role you want, improvise. Any good player should have skill in at least three roles, although more is always better. It is highly uncommon that you'd have to take your last choice, people in ranked are usually flexible and will let you have a role if you are kind and convincing.
• Ask nicely. If you want a gank or for someone else to give you their role, it doesn't hurt to say please and thank you. It may make them more responsive to you that game and later when playing with others!
• Know when to duel. If you think you can take someone 1v1 (you probably can), you should make sure their team won't interfere to save them. If you think you can kill that person before the team gets to you, make sure you have a warded escape route that you can reach before the other team can.
  

The laning phase decides how much of an impact Pantheon will have on the game. You MUST snowball to be useful to your team, if you fall behind and your enemy gets ahead, you will probably lose the game unless someone else carries for you. A "standoff" is where neither you nor your enemy is able to make any progress. A standoff occurs when all 4 players are of equal skill and neither team is getting a gank. A standoff is generally unacceptable for Pantheon, as the enemy ADC will almost always be able to farm better than you can, getting ahead even though you haven't been feeding. If you don't think you can defeat your opponent, don't pick Pantheon. Pantheon is incredibly weak until level 3. When you approach the lane, do so with great caution. If you have a support with Relic Shield, allow him or her to last hit for you, which should help you slightly. Use spears to last hit and only venture in to strike at a minion with the aid of pressure from your support. This has become slightly easier for [Pantheon] because cannon minions usually don't spawn as much as they did in the past. If you can use Heartseeker Strike to zone the enemy ADC by causing them to be hit by all 3 attacks, you can farm in relative peace. If the enemy ADC is being aggressive, allow your lane to be pushed to the turret so you can farm in safety. Your weakness disappears at level 3. As soon as you hit level 3, you should start looking for opportunities to all in on the enemy ADC or support. You have a powerful gap closer and solid CC. If you have a hard engage support, coordinate carefully with them so you can both focus the same person. Pantheon's level 3 powerspike is very terrifying indeed, your combo can bring the enemy ADC to half health. If you're having a rough time in lane, coordinate with your jungler for a gank. You must get ahead! If you can't pick up a kill in lane, wait until level 6. If the enemy midlaner is being reckless or you can see the enemy jungler and you are relatively sure he is alone, utilize that opening. You can pick up a kill or two which is all you need to stay ahead of your opponent and win the game. Keep track of who has summoner spells Flash is particularly important to keep track of). and who doesn't so you can attack someone and be sure that you kill them. At around 15-20 minutes, the laning phase ends and you should begin to group up with your team. By now, you should have a couple of kills and at least one completed item and boots, and you should be working on your next item. Your role will depend on how well or poorly you did in the laning phase, and what kind of role you want to fill to help your team the best you can.

The first thing to consider when you group up with your team is what role you want to fill. If you have a lot of bursty champions that are fragile, you might want to fill a tanker role. Pantheon is very versatile, you can easily adapt my build to fit your team's needs. If you are building tanky for whatever reason, you must adapt your play style accordingly. You should always be leading your team. When a team fight begins, use your ultimate right into the middle of them and use Aegis of Zeonia on the champion you deem to be the greatest threat, such as their ADC. Unload all of your abilities on them and try to do your best to finish him or her off! Alternatively, you can save your ultimate to catch runners if a team fight is going your way. If you must sacrifice yourself to win a team fight, do so without hesitation! You are a a glorious spartan! If needed, tank the turret for your team. This is applicable in a variety of situations, from ganks to pushing towers. Your passive makes you very resistant to turrets, use it! If you've chosen the risky build, you should be much more careful. Your damage output will be absolutely insane. Your burst combo should oneshot anyone who isn't building full tank. However, you are pretty squishy against AP champions. When your team initiates a team fight, you should very carefully place your ultimate. If you place it too close to your team, you won't do any damage and you'll take damage trying to get to their team. If you place it too far, you'll get bursted down and your team won't be able to help you. If you time it right, you will be able to do a lot of damage before the enemy team can respond! Positioning is very key. Catching a single lone champion off guard away from the group can turn the game in your favor, but if you get caught off guard it can spell doom for you and your team. Be careful! Your team needs you to succeed. If you abandon them to split push or go farm, you probably won't win. If you need to roam or you want to pick a lone straggler off, make sure that you have vision of the enemy team. If you don't, it's better not to risk it.

Here, I will be uploading Youtube Videos with some analysis and breakdown vids. I only have one as of now, but that will change.

This video was generously recorded and provided by GenShadow. Thank you for your help! You can find his guide on Jungle Skarner here. Please give it a visit! Play Video

Flex Queue has its own section because it's pretty complex and very important to understand if you want to excel in this ranked queue. I will briefly explain Flex Queue before I talk about how to take advantage of it the best in Ranked.



Exploring this system is extremely important to doing well in Ranked, and I will help you to understand the most efficient method in my opinion to winning the most games possible.

The first thing to note: DO NOT PLAY RANKED AS A GROUP OF 5 UNLESS YOU ARE TOTALLY PREPARED TO DO SO. This is an excellent way to tank your elo 80 or 90% of the time unless you have carefully assembled a group of 5 people that you trust and are prepared to communicate verbally with.

Have you noticed all the gold and platinum people in mid to high silver? That's what I'm talking about. These gold and platinum players will generally group up and queue in groups of 5 to most quickly and efficiently climb back to the rating they were at previously. These groups are almost always in direct communication with one another. This generally spells death for you, unless you are a member of one of these groups, in which case you should ignore what I'm saying. You will almost always lose games with a group of 5 people in ranked unless you are as prepared as the people you will likely be facing.

Now that you know not to do this, it's time to understand the positives and negatives of queueing up alone, or with a group of players.

Solo queueing is when you just click the button and don't bother to make a party. When doing this, you will almost always get put with 9 other people who are solo queueing, but you can be placed with or against any size team comp below 5. The other team will almost always mirror your team comp.

Example: 2 groups of 3 people and 3 groups of 2 people queue at the same time. The team comp will be 2 + 3 = 5, 3 + 2 = 5 to ensure the most balanced team experience. The last group of 2 will have to wait until another game can be found for them.

DO IF:

• You are confident in your ability to carry despite the skill or lack thereof of your teammates.
• You are able to take advantage of the likely disorganization of the enemy team.
• You do not need or want the extra IP.
• You want to have lightning fast queue times.
• You play solo carry champions well. ( Ivern happens to be one!)

DON'T IF:

• You want to play with friends
• You need/want the extra IP.
• You work well with others and have a method of verbal communications.
• You can TRUST your fellow teammates.
• You are good at champions that require their team to excel.
• You don't mind the extra queue time.
• You are prepared to deal with a coordinated enemy team.

Now that you understand the pros of cons of queueing up alone or with a group, it's time to discuss whether queueing with 2 or 3 people is optimal.

2 ∞ Duo queueing is the most frequent type of group, and it is also, in my opinion, the most effective. Some effective duo queue comps are:

• Mid and Jungle ∞ This is the best duo queue set up in my personal opinion, allowing insane roaming potential and coordinated 4 man ganks.
• ADC and Support ∞ The most common duo queue comp. Pretty effective but only due to the fact that the two likely trust one another and are good at working together, but not as globally relevant as Mid and Jungle.
• Top and Jungle ∞ This comp is rarer but only effective if both players are highly map aware. If they aren't, the jungler will just camp top and let the other lanes sink while top gets ahead, resulting in a probable loss. If both players are map aware, it can result in deadly and effective ganks that are often more successful then Mid/Jungler ganks.

Duo queueing remains the best and most effective way to win. Here's why.

• Finding one partner is pretty easy.
• The really good players who are desperately trying to get back out of silver or bronze stay in larger groups, meaning you will see much less of them.
• Coordinating large groups can be a challenge while coordinating closely with one person is much easier and can be done at a high level without verbal communication.
  To sum it up, queueing with 2 people ensures a nice balance where you have someone to work with but you aren't in any risk of facing groups of 4 or 5 coordinated people, maximizing your win chance.

3 ∞ Queuing with a group of 3 is suboptimal. Here's why.

• You're more likely to face large groups of skilled players.
• There are not a lot of triple comps that are very effective.
• Coordination between 3 people can be challenging if the 3 don't know one another very well.

To sum it up, the new dynamic queue system only works in your favor at either extreme. Queueing with a group of 4 other people is very effective if you all know one another and know how to work as a team, and queuing alone or with one other person is very effective because it means you won't have to face these titanic groups and causes the course of the game to depend more upon your personal skill, rather than the cooperation of your team members.

After having read this guide, I hope you have a good idea of how to play Pantheon as an anti-ADC. I worked pretty hard on this guide and I'm relatively proud of what I've put together, but it needs a lot of work! Please give me comments and thoughts on this guide. I'm still expanding! Feel free to shoot me a friend request on League of Legends, I probably won't respond to PM's on this website too readily. I'm always up for games!

• I would like to thank darnair for helping me to test Pantheon Anti-ADC with different champions. I would have never have made this guide if it weren't for your support and encouragement!

Please check out my Ivern Guide! I've worked for a while to make it great. It features a very unique way to play Ivern!

Please also check out my new Soraka guide. She is my best champion and I like to play her in a somewhat different manner.

• I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to jhoijhoi for her wonderful guide on making guides which I would be so lost without.

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Jan 6th ∞ Build published!
Jan 6th ∞ Added supports into the build threat list.
Jan 7th ∞ Added a section on general ranked play. Ingame guide in progress!
Jan 19th ∞ Ingame section published. Support synergy being worked on. Thanks for 6k views! :)
Jan 21st ∞ Major overhaul to safe and risky builds.
Jan 25th ∞ Lost my progress on support synergy, have to start from scratch. Bummer! Thanks for 10k views, I never thought this guide would reach so many eyes. It's mind boggling!
Jan 27th ∞ Added level of rarity to the build threat list.
Feb 12th ∞ Added Duskblade of Draktharr to the build list.
Feb 15th ∞ Some grammatical and formatting errors fixed. Added Jhin to the build threat list.
Feb 17th ∞ Some grammatical fixes, along with the addition of an expansive chapter on the new dynamic queue.
Feb 26th ∞ Grammatical overhaul and minor build fixes. Thanks for 25k views!
March 2nd ∞ Hit Gold again! Thank you for 30k views!
March 8th ∞ Thank you to ltvara for my first commendation! It means the world to me that someone enjoyed my guide so much. More content to come soon, busy with life
March 20th ∞ Thank you so much for 50k views!!!! I'm astounded by how much attention this guide has gotten. Thank you all for your attention! More changes to come as I begin spring break!
April 2th ∞ Thank you for 50k views overnight, for a total of like 130k! I am completely floored with the thought of getting so many vies in a couple of months. I will keep the content and updating coming!
April 6th ∞ Testing completed on Guinsoo's Rageblade. Thank you for 150k views!
April 19th ∞ Thank you for 200k views! More content to come this weekend.
April 26th ∞ Updated Guinsoo's Rageblade. Removed boot enchantments. RIP. ;( Updated Taric and made some grammatical corrections.
May 23rd ∞ Added a section with video gameplay. More to come!
May 31st ∞ Thank you to Avare for my second commendation. I am humbled to receive two commendations. I never thought this idea would take off to become such a reputable and popular guide! Thanks to all of you.
June 23rd ∞ Thank you all for 300k views! This is a momentous occasion. I hope to continue pushing out changes to make this guide even better!
July 9th ∞ Finally got to platinum. Quite the grind!