How do I deal with ADCs as a mage?

NuggeTech·12/10/2017, 10:53:39 AM·23 votes·1,987 views

I very rarely play AD champs. In fact all the champs that have reached lvl 5 on my account are mages with the exception of MF. Yet no matter how bad or good I play, and no matter what I try, I always lose to them. Since tank is becoming meta it is already hard to kill them and I target the squishy targets.

Supports, ADCS, and my mid-laner are the two options I have. I can take care of the support and try my best to not lose my lane. But as soon as an ADC say a Vayne pops up no matter what, I will lose to them. Their dmg is way too high and their items make sure they always survive fights. And in a game where my mid laner is AD and the jg is twitch, its a lost game for me.

I really don't know how should I build in this scenario. Please help me out guys

58 Comments

Disembark12/10/2017, 1:27:28 PM22 votes

Pro-tip: play Vayne or other ADCs that you think are "op", you will probably see their weaknesses first hand when you get abused on them - then you will know how to play against them. Here are my tips from experience

Zhonyas, honestly tabis doesn't matter because it's better if you're able to 1-shot them with sorcs
You shouldn't find yourself in a situation where Vayne can 1v1 you. Literally you should NEVER ever be in a position where Vayne can safely 1v1 you. That means in a teamfight don't "run for your life" the second Vayne tries to go for you, kite into your tanks and she will eat CC and she will get 1-shot.

Thats where Zhonyas is super important - if Vayne wants to try and assassinate you in the backline - she will HAVE TO put herself in a very dangerous position and if you pop zhonyas, she now finds herself completely boned (cause she used her single target DPS on you - and can't kill you anymore 100% boned).

SAVE FOR CC FOR HER. Looking at your previous game Vayne did not buy QSS. The second she gets CC'd she is 100% BONED. Don't show out your Q willy-nilly, the cooldown is long enough for her to kill you. (As lux), Save your Q for when she pops out of stealth. Trust me, you will 1-shot her long before she can kill you if you hit her with Q + E + ult no matter how fed she is.
twitch jungle This is actually up to your jungler to abuse. All you can do is play pretty far back and not take bad trades (aka stay healthy).

Twitch has freaking completely shit ganks - his only benefit is "suprising you". If you are FULL health, not pushed up further than 1/2 lane, then you can literally just walk out of his gank.

ALSO - be very wary if your enemy goes into you "randomly", assume twitch is coming if you don't see him on the map. Don't be like "oh this guy is so stupid I win this trade". No. You're probably going to die.

Weiss Guertena12/10/2017, 1:44:06 PM9 votes

You're doing wrong by thinking you can actually carry as a mage - which is a non-ADC class and as such isn't allowed to carry by Riot's balance philosophy. So this is how you actually win:

1.) Pick a mage like Morgana Orianna Karma , so you can shield and protect your ADC. 2.) Pick a CC powerhouse mage, so you can CC the opposing ADC for long enough that your ADC can kill them.

Remember, this is 2017 meta. You either play an ADC or an ADC's bitch if you want to win.

Elkington12/10/2017, 3:14:51 PM8 votes

If you can't deal with an adc as a mage, I'm not sure what to tell you. They have it the easiest against adcs, followed by assassins.

I would suggest practicing landing your spells in a custom or something. Either that or play Annie or TF, Vayne can't flashy outplay the Tibbers drop and Gold card.

Battalion12/10/2017, 12:04:30 PM8 votes

item 3157 item 3047

These will be your best friends. I suggest you build these and stay behind your front line (tanks/melee).

Edit: Also item 3151 this will give you some additional health, decent AP, and that'll help you out against those pesky tanks.

Niyume12/10/2017, 4:53:22 PM6 votes

You don't. You just accept the fact that ADCs being broken is profitable, and start maining anything and everything that builds AD, or be non-competitive.

DuskDaUmbreon12/10/2017, 3:48:15 PM5 votes

Try playing the ADC (or any champion) you have problems against. There is no more obvious way to find a champion's weaknesses than by getting your ass handed to you on them.
Save CC for them. Assassins and ADCs have one very common weakness: CC. It takes their only survivability away. It takes away the ADC's sustain, and the assassin's mobility. It's why Elise, Ahri, and Evelynn are insanely strong against ADCs in particular - they have hard CC and burst.
It's entirely possible that you're just missing a lot of your abilities. You have the potential to 100-0 any ADC you find, but only if you actually are close to them (in level and items) and you land everything
It could also be that you're just not playing the right mages. Some mages just aren't good against some ADCs. Lux has a hard time killing highly mobile champions, because she can't land her Q to ult them with.

Beastrod12/10/2017, 4:59:22 PM5 votes

As an ADC main, a 1v1 fight between an ADC and most mages is purely a skill matchup, but this skill matchup should never happen. The stage in the game when an ADC has kill pressure on a solo laner is going to be later mid game to end game, and at this point you should be grouping with your team and not find yourself in a 1v1.

If you do find yourself in a 1v1 (this kinda goes for teammights too) save your CC. This is what the APC have over ADC, the ability to CC champions (besides the vayne and Xayah at who need some sort of set up first). If you land your CC, the ADC is dead because you full combo. If you are in a team fight and you land your CC on the ADC, then they are definitely dead as your team should follow.

Tldr: land your CC, and you win.

If you are playing a burst mage (assassins, Victor, ect) it's all about positioning. Don't put yourself in a spot where they get the jump on you, you need to get the jump on them. If you see the ADC split pushing bot by themselves, sit a bush or over a wall, and when they get close burst them ADC don't have a lot of health, and rarely build defensively until their 5th or 6th item. If you are teamfighting, there are a massive amount of variables you need to consider to determine what you should do, but at least you should have your team around you to help deal with the ADC.

AirKingNeo12/10/2017, 4:45:01 PM5 votes

You use your Q, W, E, and R.

If you can find those buttons, you can deal with an ADC.

Christopher RPh12/10/2017, 12:01:13 PM3 votes

item 3047

Kaìju12/10/2017, 4:15:37 PM3 votes

What position are you playing a mage as and what mages are you playing?

TeCoolMage12/10/2017, 5:40:30 PM3 votes

Depends on the mage you're playing.

Stars Shaper12/10/2017, 9:20:31 PM3 votes

The best way is looking for one shot or nearly-oneshot windows so that the ADC is forced to retreat or just die.

This is only achievable by landing a hard CC that allows you to land a full combo on them.

Żügżwäng12/11/2017, 4:24:58 AM3 votes

The adc can't hit you if you burst them down first. I usually go all in on damage/mag.pen ... relying on my positioning and team to stay out of danger. If you think particular opponents are troublesome, build defensively accordingly, but not before youve finished 3 items. Honestly, in bronze, I would just build straight damage, it will help you snowball ahead, and youll be able to kill tanks. Later ELOs require some more strategic buys where you max/min damage/defense. For example, I like to take velkoz, if the adc tries to duel me, I pop barrier and all in them with my combo. Unless they're way ahead, they don't stand a chance. Always know your opponents. If you're up against vayne, don't let her break your channel with her E, but that's understood, every game, be aware of what you need to do to outplay your opponent so you're not surprised... if you see an Ashe, be ready to side dodge if you see her getting too close (especially if her support is pushing up with her), since she's likely posturing up for an all in combo.

I see you like to play Ahri/Lux mid.

For Ahri, you should be able to kill the ADC from your combo. Use your R to close the gap then charm, then use your other skills Q/W, and other 2 Rs to skirt around them hitting killing them. The ADC should never stand a chance if you land your shots. Don't use your Q to run in, because you won't kill them and then you're vulnerable. W is only good for a few extra bits of damage. If you need to, land a few Q's from the edge, then when you think you can combo them, then go in with R.

Lux. Again, they shouldn't be able to get anywhere near you. If you miss your Q or E you're likely dead. Use E to zone, then Q once they are slowed. Or use Q to force them into E if they want to dodge. If you hit Q and E, then R them. Lux is relatively predictable with her strategy, so practicing so you're comfortable landing E right at max distance is what'll raise your skill cap. You may want to start taking comet, especially for lux since they can't dodge it when you hit them with your spells.

ChemicalBuster12/10/2017, 8:28:58 PM3 votes

hard cc

Snowplosion12/10/2017, 7:35:57 PM2 votes

item 3151 item 3020 As an ADC this combo scares me. It reduces my MR to about ten, which makes it so a Syndra Ult basically is a one shot on its own.

SB Arneeman12/11/2017, 8:07:39 AM2 votes

You should almost never be in a 1v1 situation against their adc outside roams in the laning phase. You want to follow up the engage of your frontline to kill their adc most of the time. A lot of champions can also oneshot the adc, especially if you farm well and buy the right items. Magic pen is the optimal stat for damage right now, so you want to get item 3020 item 3151 on pretty much all mages.

Not all midlaners should even have to deal with the adc either. There are many good midlaners with high dps, I currently main Azir . Then you can just shred the frontline and win fights that way. You also outdamage the adc with even items, especially since you will be higher level.