I miss when ADCs needed to build AD items to deal damage

Nameless Voice··13 votes·1,458 views

I've noticed this trend lately, where ADCs don't even build big ADC items early any more, they simply rush attack speed or penetration items.

Nearly every game, I see ADCs building item 3085 as their first item, or item 3142 and item 3071, or sometimes item 3046. They might build a item 1038 first, but they almost never aim to build one of the big three items early any more: item 3031 item 3072 item 3508

Back in previous seasons, ADCs did no damage without AD. AS was useful as a later multiplier stat, for being able to last-hit a little easier, and for Vayne, but most ADCs couldn't really do much damage with AS alone.

It took me a while to realise why this was happening - it's because of Fervor of Battle. More attack speed lets ADCs apply the stacks faster and build up damage, giving them effectively a free item 1038 by level 7.

With all that free damage, suddenly building AD doesn't seem that useful - instead, ADCs rush attack speed to apply the free damage faster and armour penetration to make each point have more value.

The keystones in general have really been warping champion balance for the entire season.

14 Comments

Geshultz4 votes

First off item 3031 and item 3508 are crap items to rush first due to lack of crit and most adcs scale better with a BF sword first then a major crit item since then. Blood thirster since it was changed has never been a good rush to item. as it lost a lot of its ad. Overall its more optimal on all ADCs to get a major zeal item after your bf sword because it gives way better powerspike earlier into the game instead of the other items which require crit to scale decently with making them shit items to rush. The other reason is that item 3031 and item 3508 have worst build paths then any major zeal item.

XeroKimo1 votes

I remember sometime around like S4 or S5, people were starting to rush IE over BT this was like sometime just before the BT changes I think, and people were like OH IE is broken man, gives ADCS too much dmg early..... I was thinking bruh, I've done that on like half the adcs since S3 and you're complaining about this now?

TurquoiseYoshi1 votes

Not only that, but Hurricane is such a good rush after BF Sword because it gives a bit of waveclear to survive the ADC's weak point until they get another major item that they can actually use with the extra attack speed.

Mizaya2 votes

Can't really generalize all the ADCs into one build though. Runaans is far and away the best item to deal with big frontlines, ghostblade is early game power, same with cleaver but it's pretty much exclusive to lucian.

Sivir, Ashe, and Cait all still go the crit build. Lucian goes Ghostblade + Cleaver. Ezreal goes Iceborn + Manamune. It really depends on how well a carry can utilize crit. or how much % of their damage is pure autos. Ashe has a smoother crit scaling than everyone else, sivir has bouncing crits, cait has bonus headshot damage. Lucian and Jhin meanwhile get a lot of damage from abilities.

As for fervor, not even everyone is using it. Warlords is just as popular.

INoble KnightI3 votes

MF uses Ghostblade and Cleaver if I'm not mistaken as well.

Ryuyah1 votes

item 3142 item 3085 item 3071 is pretty scary on Ashe

the weeaboo1 votes

[{quoted}](name=WE Mizaya,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=hOP31p3N,comment-id=0000,timestamp=2016-10-02T14:57:12.773+0000)

Can't really generalize all the ADCs into one build though. Runaans is far and away the best item to deal with big frontlines, ghostblade is early game power, same with cleaver but it's pretty much exclusive to lucian.

Sivir, Ashe, and Cait all still go the crit build. Lucian goes Ghostblade + Cleaver. Ezreal goes Iceborn + Manamune. It really depends on how well a carry can utilize crit. or how much % of their damage is pure autos. Ashe has a smoother crit scaling than everyone else, sivir has bouncing crits, cait has bonus headshot damage. Lucian and Jhin meanwhile get a lot of damage from abilities.

As for fervor, not even everyone is using it. Warlords is just as popular.

Don't forget BC on MF as well

GoronMuncherV1 votes

Those were the days. First item item 3072 or item 3031 follow by a ton of item 3046s ;D

AirKingNeo1 votes

The cycle continues.

Start of Season: "Last Whisper sucks, AD Carries do nothing to tanks cry cry"

Buffs Last Whiper Upgrade armor pen

Tank Meta: "AD carries don't deal any damage."

+5 AD on IE and ER

Mage Meta (Right now): "AD carries deal too much damage."

Can we just agree that AD carries didn't need all these buffs but instead the tank meta needed to die and not both, thus AD carries are OP.

Geshultz1 votes

{quoted}

The cycle continues.

Start of Season: "Last Whisper sucks, AD Carries do nothing to tanks cry cry"

Buffs Last Whiper Upgrade armor pen

Tank Meta: "AD carries don't deal any damage."

+5 AD on IE and ER

Mage Meta (Right now): "AD carries deal too much damage."

Can we just agree that AD carries didn't need all these buffs but instead the tank meta needed to die and not both, thus AD carries are OP.

Actually ADC normally do around 2nd most damage on your team. Mages do the most mage normally through burst/aoe damage or heavy poke.

AirKingNeo1 votes

Yeah because this mage meta is really annoying. Assassin meta will be fun though. For Kayle players.

ForgiveColour1 votes

LOL THIS THREAD IS LEGIT CANCER sorry buddy you have no idea what youre talking about

Sylvant1 votes

your title is very misleading. ADC are building almost entirely AD items and whats wrong for having AS/Crit item as first item on an ADC? I mean come on, what other class is using those items anyway? Its also quite nice that the meta is more diverse now and there is a handful of adcs going away from the standard items

Vallalan1 votes

uh adcs are building ad. its just people have gotten smarter. they rush the BF sword for raw ad and then get attack speed for the most efficient way to spend their gold until they can complete both items.

an IE by itself with no attack speed is not so hot because your attack speed is so slow and you wont get enough autos off to take advantage of your very little 20% crit. granted if you do crit its going to hit like a truck that early. but in terms of efficiency. BF sword (and maybe pickaxe or caulfields as well) into completed zeal item is definitely the way to go. it simply more bang for your buck.

AD champs are still building ad? what is this? I dont get your point. the one time that I think people had a valid complaint this season about adcs is when we were buidling shit like maw/steraks and BT and still dealing fuck tons of damage while surviving the focus of 3/4 people.

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