Give bot lane a second shot with Lucian

Have you ever wanted to dive through the air and shoot two guns at the same time? Who hasn’t, is the real question.

With Lucian, the Rift’s very own action hero, you can do just that.

Lucian has been seeing a lot of competitive play of late. In fact, he’s already been featured in 22 games in the LCS this season -- a darn sight more than anyone would have predicted at the end of last season. So why are we seeing him dashing around the map, guns blazing? Are the LCS pros channeling their inner Bruce Willis? Or is there something more dwelling beneath the surface? We spoke to Mash, WildTurtle, Zven, and Stixxay, to find out.

Safety’s On

Lucian’s safe early-to-mid-game and laning phase has made him a comfortable pick in the current meta. Mash, of Team Impulse, showed up huge on Lucian against Cloud9 in Week 2 of the NA LCS, going 7/1/3 and helping his team to their first win of the 2016 NA LCS Spring Split. Safety was his number one concern.

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“For AD carries it’s about very safe picks. Right now it’s Lucian, Ezreal, Corki, and some Kalista. Very self sustaining AD carries that have escapes or some sort of mobility."

"You want to blind pick AD carries sometimes and you don’t want to get counterpicked," Mash continues. "Let’s say you pick Vayne. Then they’ll just pick Thresh and Kalista and you’re donezo.”

The ADC itemization overhaul that was introduced in the preseason gave Lucian a much needed boost in the form of the Essence Reaver. The combination of crit, cooldown reduction (CDR), and mana sustain makes it a much better first item for Lucian than the tradition Infinity Edge or Blade of the Ruined King of old.

WildTurtle agrees, saying Essence Reaver is the best item for Lucian yet.

“All the items, they compliment him really well. Like when he gets Essence Reaver, and the crit item [Rapid Firecannon], it gives 30% CDR and a lot of crit already. That's like 50% crit and 30% CDR. So everything in this current meta benefits Lucian.”

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Essence Reaver into Rapid Firecannon with CDR boots splattered in there seemed to be the pros' optimal build path for Lucian. Though what comes after generally depends on circumstances. If the opposing team has a lot of crowd control and you need the early Quicksilver Sash then Stixxay says Scimitar is a good choice. It’s also good against a champion like Zed, as you can use the QSS to remove Zed’s Death Mark, avoiding the additional damage from his ultimate. On the other hand, WildTurtle favors IE or Bloodthirster. “Generally you want to go BT when they have a lot of poke or more threats. But if they have more squishy targets, Infinity Edge is always a lot better.”

Zven was a lot more detailed in his descriptions. “I think the optimal build path is CDR boots, Essence Reaver, Rapid Firecannon, Infinity Edge, and then the last two items are either Hexdrinker (into Maw), QSS (into Scimitar), BT, or Last Whisper.”

Always Shoot First

Playing Lucian is all about spacing your auto attacks out in between every skillshot to proc his passive, Lightslinger. After using an ability, his next auto attack shoots twice -- making it a great dps tool. For every hit of Lightslinger that lands, it reduces the cooldown of Lucian’s dash -- Relentless Pursuit (E) -- something that might be the difference between life or death in a teamfight.

Mastering this is essential to playing a great Lucian.

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He’s a high skillcap champion that requires a great understanding of his combos if you want to use him efficiently. Zven thinks that the best way to combo with Lucian is, “Something like E­-auto-­Q­-auto, and then either back out or throw W-­auto if it’s an extended trade. If you don’t put autos between your spells you lose a lot of damage and CDR on your E as well.”

Zven also stressed a liberal approach to using your ultimate, The Culling. “Don’t be afraid to use The Culling at Level 6 if you can get most of the shots on champ in lane, just for poke,” he says.

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Isn't there something so satisfying about The Culling? Running backwards with both guns blazing while an assassin chases you down, only to find themselves dead from all the damage. For Mash, it’s his favorite part of the champion. “I just love The Culling. When you 100 to 0 someone it’s just the best feeling ever. Especially when you’re chasing them and they Flash and you Flash as well.”

Keep Your Friends Close

Whenever you talk about an ADC, it’s almost impossible to talk about them without also talking about their faithful support standing next to them. Or in front of them, as is the case with Braum, who is largely regarded as one of the best supports for Lucian. Why? Because their passives both synergize so well together. The double shot of Lightslinger will proc Braum's Concussive Blows faster, making it easier to keep targets locked down.

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WildTurtle also thinks that Nami and Janna are great picks for their peel and how their skills interact. “They just have really good compliments on his doubleshot. And if you give Nami's E on Lucian, he can get the doubleshot damage, or Janna's shield. He just meshes really well with peeling and ranged supports.” In their match against NRG on Sunday, Adrian and WildTurtle showed off the Janna/Lucian combo, using it with devastating results.

Whether you’re looking to hit the 2016 ranked season running or recreate a Matrix fight scene, Lucian is the champion for you. He’s blasted his way into the meta and should be around for the foreseeable future. Locked, loaded, and hunting his opposition down. Let us know what you think of Lucian, and who your favorite Lucian player has been this season!