I've mained ADCs since basically season 1.
Top things to consider
-
Don't get obsessed with labels,if you want to be an ADC main it doesnt mean you have to love every adc out there they play really differently,example i hate not being able to duel or kite someone,relying completely on my items and autos and not having any burst,so i almost always play things like Lucian,Jhin,Vayne,Kai Sa,Ezreal,MF and Varus.
Most of the time you can burst or 1v1 people really well with just the base damages when you hit lvl 6. Which you cant say for adcs like Twitch,Sivir,Cait or Jinx who rely almost entirely on items and autos (Vayne being an exception cause she's really good at 1v1)
So figure out what kind of playstyle and champs you like more and try to focus on them,it will save you a lot of time,like me trying to make Jinx into a good duelist even though she's literally not designed or built for it
-
This to me was a big breakthrough,if you don't have a good support or aren't playing with a support,going glass cannon (full damage) is ALMOST NEVER a good idea.
I've done a lot of testing,math and just played a lot of games and i cant stress it enough,going full build will get you 150-200 dps more,but it doesnt mean anything if you die on sight.
The difference this items make is astounding,if you're like me and hate being a glass canon then the solution is right in front of you,just look at all the pro players,they almost always have GA or Tabi in their builds and they play with PROFESSIONAL premade supports that are already well used to playing together.
Now imagine what's it like having to play without a good support while going full glass canon
My build looks something like this if there's an AD heavy comp,which there usually is
and the last item is optional,either go LDR if you need more damage or
/
if the enemy has any ap in their team.
Every item here gives you damage,like i said you lose only about 150 dps while being almost twice as tanky thanks to resistances,shields,% dmg reduction from tabi and pd,lifesteal and finally GA bringing you back up.
is the best item in the game,and that's coming from someone who completely disliked the item for years until giving it another chance this season,the psychological effect it has on people is amazing,i've seen fed zeds and le blancs walk right past me in team fights (plat elo) to target someone else just because they're afraid to pop their ult,die and do nothing but get my GA down and maybe not even that.
I've seen so many people die trying to dive me just for me to tank their damage thanks to armor and % dmg reduction from tabi and pd.
The amount of time that happened compared to me dpsing freely while my team peels perfectly for me so i dont have to fear being one shotted is basically 100-1,and even then we would have won the fight either way,i was just playing with a riskier build so we can win the fight one second sooner