If ADCs are so good, why do we have other roles?

Ill Darkistino·4/16/2015, 8:15:35 PM·2 votes·827 views

I hear a lot of the complaint "ADCs are necessary on every teamcomp, so they must be OP". Part of this is true, as nearly every semi-competitive teamcomp seen to date includes an ADC. However, this statement ignores the ramification that, if ADCs were truly more powerful than any other class in the game, we would see them begin to crowd out other champions in their traditional roles IE: Ezreal and Corki as the best midlaners and Quinn and Vayne running top. In general, AD Carries remain in bottom lane with their supports. Therefore, I simply believe the presence of an ADC on most if not all teams in League simply reflects the unique tower-taking utility they bring in order to win games. TLDR: AD Carries aren't stronger than other classes because they fail to eclipse other classes in their own roles, like ADCs appearing professionally in mid and top.

Thoughts? Responses?

9 Comments

SEKAI4/16/2015, 8:30:51 PM3 votes

Because a selection of champions out of the entire roster being pretty much the only contributing factor to late game's victory is fundamentally broken and utterly un-fun for the rest of those 80% of the players. Especially when it's compulsory.

No thanks to S3.

usul12024/16/2015, 8:22:27 PM2 votes

The exact same reason that our military isn't just artillery. If we only had that, then nothing stops enemy soldiers from walking up to the cannons and dismantling them. the current meta works because each team forms a cohesive unit (ideally, bronze I'm looking at you, kappa) that protect each other through damage, peel, and sustain in a team fight.

Sailor Mint4/16/2015, 8:22:56 PM2 votes

You should ask yourself "why are they picking ADCs" and not "they are picking ADCs, they must be strong".

ADCs are the only class with strong ranged damage that is effective at taking turrets.
Double AD is a sieging comp. You don't plan to fight, just take turrets.
Running too much physical damage makes you easy to itemize against. In a way, the clock is ticking against you.
Overly squishy teams get runover, especially in the current meta.

So, why pick Ezreal and Corki mid and a tower wrecking ADC? So you can take your Triforce spike and start sieging before your opponent really has an answer for it, then hopefully close the game before lategame.

ZeeDrakon4/16/2015, 8:17:33 PM2 votes

erm... they are the most essential part to almost every teamcomp, and they even see play mid because theyre that strong, but a team of 4-5 adcs would be garbage... thats the reason its not played, but its not the role, its just that you need tanks/poke/magic damage

Live2LetDie4/16/2015, 8:28:25 PM2 votes

Adc are mid to late game MVPs that are necessary to be able to finish a game out, considering the other team is running the tank meta. Think of it like this, mid champs are usually reserved for burst champs who are unable to 100-0 a sion or tree but can take out the other mid lane an adc, your top and jungler are usually more sustain than damage or burst so the other teams back line has to get around them, support is almost no damage but straight peel potential to protect the adc as long as possible and the ADC champs are almost all range, auto attacked focused champs that are always in the back line relying on their teammates to peel for them.

So why are ADCs not in other roles? Mainly because their early game is terrible and need a crutch(support) to help them get to late and then needs the whole team to peel for them since they do do the most damage given time.

Mecha MaIphite4/16/2015, 9:17:28 PM1 votes

Early game exists.

Sire Hippington4/16/2015, 11:23:19 PM1 votes

we already have quite normaly an adc like corki or ez mid, and i won alot games with toplane adc, triple adc(top+mid+normal-adc) and even with 5 adc(support ashe and jungle ez ftw)

and what usually is better than 1 adc is and adc with an supprt and an proper frontline, and if you go full ad, stacking armor actually hurts in the early-midgame