The ADC role is, by definition, one of the best roles for actually carrying games in League of Legends. And a great way to take advantage of it is to play champions that already dominate it, regardless of the patch, meta, or elo.
Here I have compiled a list of the 10 best ADC champions overall. These will range from the ones that are often meta to the evergreen ones that have been having a solid impact for years.
I will also cover a few niche picks and good solo carry picks as well. So, let’s begin.
10. Twitch
Everyone who has played League for a while knows how powerful Twitch is. And when the late game hits, it is almost impossible to win against this champion.
Here is why you should consider playing Twitch:
- He allows you to make sneaky plays with his Q camouflage
- Buffs for his damage and attack speed make him extremely powerful
- Great AoE that is perfect for winning team fights
- Insane solo carry and late game potential
A key thing to achieving his late game power spike is playing it smart through the early game. So let me outline a few tips that will definitely help hit your first power spike as early as possible.
When it comes to farming, you will want to use E to get all the 3 minions in the first wave. And you should also be aiming to have around 75 CS by the 10th minute. Trading-wise, you will rarely want to do it unless your Q is up.
On level 6, you can take advantage of the enemy laner. Assuming you have your Noonquiver, you can exhaust the enemy ADC, get a good angle, and start firing at them with your ult activated. And unless the enemy has peel, you will usually win the fight.
If you play a decent early game, you will be able to force and win fights against the enemy. You can do this by denying them CS, starting dragons or killing towers, and forcing them to defend.
If you have performed poorly for whatever reason, there is still hope. You can farm on the sidelines and look for kill opportunities on unsuspecting enemies. There is plenty of time to recover until the late game, especially in lower elos.
9. Samira
Samira is one of the beefiest ADCs, and she is unbelievably hard to kill. And as if that was not enough, this champion also has insane mobility and damage. The only con Samira has is that her ban rate is high as well.
Here is what makes Samira one of the best ADCs:
- Insanely high snowball potential
- Great team fighting capabilities
- Fun to play
- Challenging skill ceiling
Since Samira is a champion that relies heavily on mixing abilities and auto-attacks to create combos, she is really enjoyable to play. Unlike many other ADC, she is not a champion that just sits there and right-clicks.
To make the most out of Samira, the main thing you will need to learn is when to go in and when to go out. She has the potential to 1v5 the entire enemy team, but a miscalculation will easily cost you the game.
All this means that she just requires practice, do not be afraid, and with time you will learn how to execute her properly.
8. Tristana
Tristana is one of the best ADCs for beginners for a reason, and this is backed up by the experience of many boosters, as it is their go-to pick for soloq. Tristana has an insanely high snowball potential and amazing burst damage.
Here are all the Tristana pros summarised:
- Very high burst damage
- She easily damages turrets with her E
- High mobility
- High snowball potential
Despite her low range, she has a very strong lane presence and the ability to pressure enemies. Her aggressive playstyle is rewarded since each time you fully stack her E, the cooldown of W is reset.
Due to her E, Tristana is also really strong at closing out games. She can delete towers with few charges of the spell, and the process is especially fast when there are teammates around to support her.
A good tip I can give you when it comes to playing Tristana is to take Exhaust. It is extremely helpful for reducing enemy damage since you will often fight them face-on at a small range.
Another good alternative would be to Cleanse. It is helpful for removing all the CC and it can save you 1300 gold that you would spend on Quicksilver Sash or similar items.
To play Tristana well, you will need to know your matchups and synergies well, and you will also need to focus on positioning. All these things will come naturally as long as you play enough and pay attention.
Read Also: All League of Legends ADCs Ranked on Attack Range
7. Jhin
Jhin might not be the best ADC in terms of strength, but his aesthetics and clean mechanics make him appealing to so many players.
To perform well with Jhin, you will want to keep your CS high, play safe alongside your support or other teammates, pay attention to enemy movement, and have good recall timings.
When I see beginner Jhin players, the biggest problem they seem to have is farming after laning phase has finished. They go bot, and since the champion is really vulnerable, they die silly deaths. So, if you want to avoid this, simply keep catching mid waves with your support, and let the strongest (solo champion) allies defend the bot lane.
The second point about not playing solo ties in with the last one. In the previous case, I explained how dangerous it is to be alone in the bot lane. The reasoning is the same for every other place on the map. If you ever wander around in the fog of war without assistance, you will die quite fast.
Here are some pros of playing Jhin:
- A big range provided by W and R
- High damage output
- Extremely rewarding and satisfying to play
Since Jhin is not the greatest carry by himself, you will want to carry by making good calls for your team. When you see an objective coming up, pay attention to what enemies are doing. This will allow you to respond fast and offer resistance to their calls
Finally, as Jhin, you will want to have great recall timings. Spending gold before an incoming fight is essential. It can easily turn the tides of a fight, and it will make you a much more threatening presence in the long term.
6. Ashe
Despite being simple, Ashe is one of the best champions to teach you the importance of kitting. She excels at this, and kitting well is a requirement for playing Ashe well.
Ashe’s kit is full of slow, so she’s one of the best utility ADCs in LoL. Her basic attacks slow the enemy, and so does her W, empowered Q and R. This is something that annoys the hell out of enemies and makes her one of the best picks for lower elos.
Here is what makes Ashe one of the best ADCs:
- Essential for learning to kite
- ADC with great amounts of CC
- Great scaling
- Global presence with ultimate
Most enemies are completely oblivious to the amount of slows Ashe has, and it messes up their calculations when attempting to kill her. You will learn to make use of this the more you play the champion.
As Ashe, you will mainly want to be scaling, but you should not be afraid of going all in when an opportunity arises. The best way to gain lead is by playing under your tower and making a play with your jungler. Ashe simply has too much CC and it would be a shame not to use it in collaboration with your jungler.
In the later stages of the game, you will want to be grouped and under the protection of your team. Keep in mind that Ashe does copious amounts of damage to objectives with her stacked Q, and you should definitely make use of it if an opportunity arises.
5. Caitlyn
Caitlyn is one of the best beginner ADCs, and one of the best champions overall. She is a strong lane bully with a low-skill floor, and she gives a lot of room for improvement.
Caitlyn also has:
- Versatile itemization: crit, lethality
- High damage output
- Biggest auto-attack range in the game
- Fun gameplay
To make the best of this ADC, you will want to make use of her huge range early on. Make sure you poke enemies at any chance you get. You will notice that you will have the most opportunities when enemies go for CS.
You should also look to zone enemies under their towers. This will not be hard since you will be able to push really fast as Caitlyn. When enemies are under their tower, it will make the game much easier for you since you will be able to poke them for free, and you will have priority on objectives.
In the game’s later stages, you will definitely want to play team fights. There you will have more safety due to having allies around, and you will be essential for dealing damage to enemy carriers.
4. Yasuo
Besides being a household name of hated champions in League, Yasuo is mostly known for being one of the strongest mid laners. Somehow, many people miss the fact that Yasuo is a great bot lane champion as well.
Here is why I like playing Yasuo as ADC:
- Annoying to enemies
- Wind Wall is really powerful
- Strong dueling
- Satisfying and unique playstyle
What makes Yasuo one of the best ADCs are his unparalleled dueling capabilities, as well as his Wind Wall. The Wind Wall can be used to block all incoming projectiles as well as ranged auto-attacks. It is not really hard to see how this is useful in the bot lane.
When I play Yasuo ADC, I almost always run Ignite. It is the superior spell, in my opinion. It helps to duel, and if you are a regular Yasuo player, you will simply be conditioned to use it anyway.
I would suggest playing Yasuo with a knock-up champion, especially if you are not an expert in landing tornados. This will help you majorly since it will allow you to ult much more frequently. Here are the best supports for Yasuo in the bot lane.
As Yasuo ADC, you will often have the opportunity to kill enemies at levels 2 and 3, especially if you hit these levels faster than enemies. You can simply go in and ignite enemies before they can use their heal.
Another major spike for Yasuo ADC is level 6. It is the time when your ult unlocks, and landing it on two targets is extremely rewarding in lane. The only thing you do not want to do as Yasuo ADC is fall behind since you will already be lower level due to sharing XP with support.
Read Also: Top 7 Best Synergy ADCs for Braum
3. Kai’Sa
I put Kai’Sa on the list of best ADCs because of her insane carry potential and very high skill ceiling. She has a very high damage output and a highly aggressive playstyle, which makes her deadly in the hands of an experienced player.
Here are all the advantages of playing Kai’Sa:
- Versatile with three build paths: Marksman/Assassin/AP mage
- Satisfying playstyle
- Insane burst and DPS
- Safe pick with lots of defensive options
- Decent lane pick
As Kai’Sa, you will want to trade on your own terms.
Short trades going in and out are perfect for this champion. In case you are struggling with a matchup during the lane, you can use your Q to quickly shove waves. It deals double damage to minions below 35% HP.
When it comes to the later stages of the game, Kai’Sa is somewhat more flexible than other ADCs. She performs well in team fights, but she can also hold her own and fight many champs in the side lanes.
2. Draven
Draven is one of the most aggressive ADCs, and getting an early Dirk can help you easily win 2v3 fights. If this does not make him one of the best ADCs, I do not know what does.
Here are all of the Draven pros (for those who are not sold yet):
- Carry in all game stages
- Flexible build paths
- Amazing for low elo
- Fun to Play
To make the most out of Draven, you should be looking to all in as early as level 2. This is one of his biggest power spikes, and if you have an Exhaust with you, there will be no trouble cashing in on the enemy champions.
If you are playing a really hard matchup, your best bet is to wait for level 6. This is when your ult comes up, and since it is a significant damage buff, it can help you win even in the hardest matchups, provided you can hit it well and consistently.
The main thing for Draven is not to fall behind. When you are even or ahead, you will be a major threat to enemies. This will allow you to contest objectives in the mid to late game easily, and it will help you close out games.
1. Karthus
As many of you probably know, Karthus is a champion that was traditionally played in the jungle, sometimes in mid and top too. In season 9, however, there was a nerf for all the ADCs, and people started playing AP champions in the role.
As time went on, people discovered that Karthus is one of the best AP champions to play in the ADC role. Even after the OG AD champions received buffs, Karthus still held his place in the top 10 best picks in bot.
This is why you should play Karthus in the ADC role:
- Insane poke and lane control
- Global impact
- Strong when behind
- Great for carrying
To perform well on this champion, you will want to play the laning phase aggressively and outpush the enemies. This will force them to play under their tower, and it will allow you to poke them relentlessly.
When doing this, you should always pay attention to the minimap, as you will always be a target for the enemy mid laner and jungler. Another thing you will need is warding well. Wards placed deep into the river, or the enemy jungler will often save your life.
In the mid and late game, you should strive to be in as many team fights as possible. Karthus passive is simply too strong not to be used that way. Even when behind, you will be really strong when it is time for fights.
Read Also: 6 Best Synergy Supports for Karthus APC
Conclusion
It is hard to make a list of top 10 best ADCs, since there are so many options to consider. With some thinking, though, I compiled a list where everyone can find a fitting champion.
For beginners, I would recommend Ashe and Caitlyn. And for those who like playing the game slowly and dominating the late game, I would recommend Twitch.
There are also some options for those who like more off-meta picks. I’m talking about Yasuo and Karthus, of course. And for those who enjoy dominating all phases of the game, Draven is definitely the champion to go for.
