Tips for a beginner ADC?

Kotex·1/14/2015, 6:39:06 AM·1 votes·4,500 views

Well not exactly a beginner like i JUST started playing, but ADC is comparatively my worst role in the game. I play as focused as i can, but it just never seems to be good enough. What makes it worse is getting degraded by my team for every mistake i make.

On a good day, and depending on how easy my opponent is making my lane for me i can average around 60 give or take CS around the 10 minute mark

I'd appreciate some solid tips from professional ADC players that could help me improve my ADC role for the times that im tasked with playing it.

9 Comments

Angry Monster1/14/2015, 7:08:05 AM1 votes

First learn how to manipulate a wave. You need to know how to set up a slow push or to stop a slow push in the lane phase. As slow moving wave can force you out of CSing due to minnion argue getting pulled to you.

Understand minion mechanics. Like mentioned before understand how minions argo and how to use it your advantage.

Positioning and understanding enemy abilities. Do you want to be among your minions or is that a death trap due minion block. If its a blitz maybe you want to be behind them, if against an Annie support where the minions are does not matter as much.

Lane power spikes. When you should go back and buy. Some champs do better with a quick pick axe and other are better off holding for that BF sword. Understand what your lane conditions are.

Learn to read what the support is doing. If the support makes a move to make a play and you are not aware enough to follow up an oppertunity turns into a death or lost momentum in the lane.

coppinslinger1/14/2015, 7:46:29 AM1 votes

Here are my tips:

Farming, especially in the first 10-15 minutes of the game, is extremely important on ADC. Make sure you can nab that cs almost perfectly.
In teamfights your mentality should be to auto as much as possible from a point of maximum safety. Stand next to you support/mid-laner/jungler or whoever should be peeling for you. Only attack enemy squishies if it is safe for you to do so. It is NOT your job to dive the enemy back-line. Just auto the safest target you can hit as much as possible.
Bot-lane meta is hyper-aggression at the moment. Since it is a 2v2 lane, gold disparities can be twice as large and losing lanes can snowball twice as hard. Once you've mastered CSing, try to start mastering trading with the enemy laners. Usually an auto + some ability when the enemy ADC comes up to CS (especially the cannon minion. Most people don't want to give up the cannon, so you can usually guarantee a few free hits when the enemy ADC goes to last-hit it) or when the enemy support walks to far forward is a good trade combo. It depends on the champion though.

If you want to improve on CS, try going into custom games and just last hit minions for the first 10 minutes and try to get 90+ (almost perfect). The more you practice, the better you'll get. ADC is a highly mechanical position, so things like orb-walking, trading, positioning, farming, only come with a lot of practice.

Also in teamfights, try and predict what the enemy threat will be, and save your escapes and try to position accordingly. For example, if enemy team has an Irelia, she will likely try to dive you. Hug your support really hard and save your flash for when she jumps on you.

Łukë1/14/2015, 12:18:50 PM1 votes

I mean I'm not pro or anything, but what these 2 guys said is correct. And do u play draft or blind pick?

Drunk Rummate1/14/2015, 3:21:06 PM1 votes

something i've found in the lowest ELOs are that players are too timid. they're focused on CSing (which is good) but so much so to an extent that they don't harass and they don't control the minion wave properly.

Step 1 to learning ADC: Learn minion wave control. Learn how to shove the wave slowly and let minions build up, learn how to freeze the wave on your side of the river without letting it hit your tower, and learn how to reset the wave to the middle on the river.
Step 2 to learning ADC: Learn how and when to be aggressive. Take advantage of experience and minion wave advantages early on. Make sure you attack people if they come forward to attack you, don't just take the harassment for free. Don't fight when your opponent's minion wave is significantly larger than your own. Don't fight when there's an enemy cannon minion early on (those things hurt!)
Step 3 to learning ADC: Learn how to teamfight. Shoot whoever is closest to you. Don't walk into enemies just to hit their backline, let your assassins and bruisers take care of that. Deal as much damage as possible without overextending. If their tanks use key crowd control abilities you can walk forward to attack their backline, but this is extremely situational.

Genreninja1/14/2015, 5:52:40 PM1 votes

I think several people will end up posting the basics. All of that is great beginner info if you want to be like every other ADC. If you want to take it to the next level, I'll cover a few higher concepts.

Power Spikes Learn to abuse your power spikes. Since Agression is "in" this season, prioritize spiking your fight potential. Knowing things like "Tier 1 boots offer no combat value" go a long way. Note their AD and your AD when they are stronger, make your priority Farming and Surviving. When you are stronger, make your priority harassing them. You'll either force them to back off, take free damage, or bait them into a trade that's in your favor.

Resource Management You're not a AP Carry so chances are none of your Items, Runes, or Masteries give you any Mana Regen. So, that means using your mana comes at a much higher cost. It's up to you to decide what that cost is. Generally you don't want to do anything that uses mana unless it will be doing damage to the enemy champion.

That means, use your Auto Attacks to farm, and if you must use an ability to secure farm be sure it's hitting the enemy too. It also means you want to stay calm and take your time lining up skillshots.

Play to your Strength, Learn your Weakness If you have a particularly difficult lane. Take a few games to play the champ you had a hard time going against. What you want to pay attention to is:
The range of their Attacks and Abilities
Their movement and placement
Their cool downs

Don't get wrapped up in "Counters" In bot lane there is a lot of people who look up the counters for every ADC their going against. This is definitely useful, but it isn't set in stone. Don't just look at WHO counters who, but WHY they counter them.

Knowing that a Ezreal counters Jinx is great. But knowing that the only reason he is considered a counter is because he can dodge your Q and R with his Arcane Shift means you can just save your Q and R until he uses his arcane shift and you know he can't escape. Or even bait his Shift with your Q only to rocket him in the face once he can't escape. You can adapt your play style to the situation when you understand your enemy.

Sirin Gioro1/14/2015, 11:48:23 PM1 votes

I'm not good but I have some tips that helped me improve!!! :>

Learn to kite (search orbwalking on youtube)
Learn lane matchups + comps in bot lane E.G: Vayne vs Cait Cait > Vayne pre-6 Vayne > Cait post-6

Burst ADCs (Lucian, Graves, Corki, Vayne) + Blitz/Thresh = Literally perfection (all in bot lane comp) Any ADC + Nami = Perfection Cait + Lulu = Poke

I don't really know about supports thingy. I just know that Nami, Thresh works literally perfectly (#MY OTP AF LOL) with any fkn ADC.

Learn positioning
Learn how to abuse your advantages E.G: Enemy Vayne Flash 1030 (time), and now it is 0730. You still have your flash up. It will be ok to play aggressive as long as enemy jungler doesn't gank (ward river).
Don't use heal for nothing That's really vague but don't use heal when you get poked and you're like 150 hp hugging your tower wtf. Use it when it's an emergency or bait the enemy. Like, enemy jungler dives you @ level 3 because you're 70 HP but you healed, giving you additional 50+ HP. It's better to use it while escaping/chasing. Don't use your heal. I don't even know how to word this. Use it for an emergency, this spell is your 2nd escape/chase since it gives MS buff and also heals your ally.
Learn your ADCs's strengths and weaknesses and powerspikes E.G.: Ashe is weak in lane especially pre-6 but is a late game monster with peel Caitlyn is strong early but falls off late if you don't stomp your lane (HARD), poke-based champion in lane Vayne is weak pre-6 especially against lane bullies but once you survived your lane getting a Bilgewater or don't get shut down, you can 1v1 that Cait thinking that he can beat you 1v1 just because she won lane lmao.

fluffymc1/15/2015, 4:26:15 PM1 votes

Practice how to last hit in bots, than tense it up in real matches. You need to last hit and learn how to control the rhythm of your wave. Its essential to have this skill if you want to win matches. ADC isn't a one person fight. You need to constantly communicate with your support (If your going somewhere, if you need a ward and were. WHEN YOU ENGAGE).

Spiritflare8681/19/2015, 10:13:41 AM1 votes

If you know both your champ, and your enemy's well enough, any ADC can counter any other ADC.

A tip I saw earlier today that makes a lot of sense and could help a lot with CS, take a champion like Vladimir who has a very low base AD. Make a custom game with no bots on the enemy team, and just practice farming the minion wave down bot. This will help you with both last hitting, and controlled pushing. Don't use any runes or masteries, and don't put any points into any of your abilities. only use auto attacks, but build like you normally would an ADC.