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Are non-ADC Bot Laners still viable?

HéntaiSénpai·9/5/2018, 6:01:37 PM·3 votes·5,277 views

Recently I have been wondering about the state of bot lane. ADCs are back, to a point, and there are still others who show up, Heim, Swain, etc. We don't see bruisers all to much anymore, and there are only a select handful of mages used. My question is why? I've been playing Darius bot and doing fairly well. He punishes squishy ADC/Supports. I also played Syndra Bot with my buddy who played Brand, and we won, both lane and game. I feel like the bot lane Meta is still wide open to playing any champion, and I feel the reason it is left to be unexperimented with is because ADCs, as a whole, are comfort picks for bot laners. The meta has been ADCs bot for so long and now that other champs are viable, people still choose to play ADCs, because it's what has been happening for several seasons now. It's hard to change a habit, and this habit being, ADCs bot, nothing else. I just wanted to see what everyone else's opinion was on using other champions bot lane aside from ADCs.

28 Comments

theChibiTina9/5/2018, 6:10:10 PM8 votes

You're absolutely correct. When ADCs became useful in bot lane again after the whole fiasco, I remember people going off about how they were upset that the diversity is gone without understanding that the diversity went away not because of non-ADC bot laners being irrelevant, but because people just weren't playing them. The people playing in bot lane are choosing to play ADCs because that's what they prefer to play. You can play other champions just fine, but it's the player base themselves removing the diversity and not the balance state of the game.

GeminiRune9/5/2018, 6:06:36 PM3 votes

It's still quite viable in my eyes. Realistically the item buffs of recent patches gave marksmen the ability to hold their own come mid game; not necessarily drowned out by a mage mid game. But if you play it right and have a trustworthy and understanding partner, you can still make some things work. Swain + Pyke is still a common and oppressive duo for example.

5041545249434BOD9/5/2018, 6:21:46 PM2 votes

Are none-adc's Viable?

Do you actually believe they ever were outside of LCS? cause they weren't. Just like everyone going miss fortune support when they don't understand it was played into Zyra specifically.

Kaìju9/6/2018, 4:20:50 AM2 votes

Because mage players generally queue mid and bruiser players top. ADC players like myself who want to play ADC will pick them in their own only playable slot, bot lane.

Daddy Ants9/5/2018, 7:25:42 PM2 votes

Just because they aren't played in every single game does not mean they aren't viable.

The "something new" phase has died out.

They are viable but people just prefer to play their Marksmen.

BestPudgeNA9/5/2018, 7:15:00 PM1 votes

Only Swain and only because his passive makes him broken in 2 v 2s. Not only are ADCs the best only bot laners atm, but you should be looking to pick marksman Junglers whenever they fit the team comp and Vayne as a counter pick to tanks in mid and top.

saltran9/5/2018, 9:59:01 PM1 votes

Yes, they are viable for soloQ.

Whisperwind239/5/2018, 10:14:15 PM1 votes

I mean all i ever see is jhin and kaisa now, so diversity has definitely went down.

ShadWooo9/6/2018, 5:11:45 AM1 votes

Not really. Draven, Jhin, Lucian, Mf at least there 4 adc are extremely opressie in lane and also safe. Also mana band rune nerfed. And stormrazor gave adcs really strong powerspike on a cheap item. It is really hard to win as non adc and even if you win lane it is only going to work if enemy picks no dedicated tank. If they do and that tanks gets mercury+1 mr item like spirit visage, you will not be able to kill that tank (because he will keep at least 2lvl advantage whole game).

zoliking9/6/2018, 6:10:41 AM1 votes

Never were, never will.

Galiö9/5/2018, 6:16:56 PM1 votes

Situationally Vlad, Swain or Heimer. Other than that no. (Competativly speaking)

In solo queue u can get away with anything until about mid diamond as long as you dont have someone give up and flame.

Even if you do well and they lose lane for example itll be 'your fault' youre our of the game.

So even though it's easily possible in solo q, for players mentalities you cannot play anything but marksmen or you'll prob lose.

Ashe mage AD9/5/2018, 6:25:36 PM1 votes

I never stopped playing them lol.

D357R0Y3R9/5/2018, 6:35:23 PM1 votes

First of all, melees are garbage bot lane and were garbage even during 8.11 Dopa said it, and nobody believed him

playing a melee vs ranged match up is just impossible in league, well not impossible but really hard then and i'm not biased because i main adc, when people started to spam melee botlaners it was just free win

the things that were viable bot lane were Mordekaiser Vladimir Swain Brand

Vlad got nerfed and isn't strong anymore in any role, if he gets buffed he would be playable bot Swain is still above average bot lane, still played in pro and by high elo adc players Mordekaiser while being a melee is sleeper op, he will never get nerfed because nobody realises that he's op

and the mordekaiser "mains" from the boards are going to downvote me because they don't know how to play morde and can't abuse him http://eune.op.gg/summoner/userName=neme25stati But fact is that mordekaiser bot lane players who are a minority all climbs high Remember when an EUW player got challenger with morde bot only before 8.11? https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/7tnsme/my_name_is_rubick_i_hit_challenger_by_playing/

Brand idk about him

HéntaiSénpai9/5/2018, 6:42:44 PM1 votes

To be honest with you all, I was just curious as an ADC main myself. I main Sivir, but had recently just been experimenting with other champs and wanted to see what the community itself thought about it.