The ADC role traditionally hasn’t been one for experimenting. And when League of Legends players pick mages and bruisers in the bot lane, it’s due to the weaknesses that marksmen have in the meta.
However, there are also great off-meta ADC picks in LoL that you should know of!
In this post, I’ll go over the 15 best off-meta ADCs in League of Legends.
I’ll talk about why they’re a good fit for the role, which supports you should pair them with, and which build you should go for when you play them.
So, this will be a long post of me breaking down my 15 favorite ADC off-meta picks in LoL.
And if you want to try some of them out, scroll down and check why they can be worth your time.
Let’s begin!
Top 15 Best Off-Meta Bot Laners in LoL
15. Soraka
Soraka has always been a support champion in League. Her entire kit is designed for supporting because it’s all about healing. But that’s exactly what makes Soraka ADC such a strong pick too!
When you play Soraka ADC, you have advantages that most marksmen simply don’t have.
In other words, Soraka can heal herself and silence enemies while using her auto-attacks to deal damage.
This may not sound like much, but silencing and rooting the enemy Vayne can be lethal for her. And no other ADC pick in League of Legends can heal as much as Soraka can.
So, with a few AD items, Soraka can be an insanely good duelist in League.
The only problem when playing Soraka ADC is the fact that she doesn’t have AD ratios on her abilities. She’s an AP enchanter and you can’t improve her spells by building attack damage.
However, that’s shouldn’t be too big of a problem! With the right combination of runes and items, Soraka ADC can have enough attack speed and damage to bring down the whole enemy team while staying on full HP.
For this, I recommend going for the build I’ve constructed below.
The best supports for ADC Soraka are those that can deal damage and help her through the early game. These can be picks like Brand, Senna, or Xerath.
Runes
- Lethal Tempo
- Presence of Mind
- Legend: Alacrity
- Cut Down
- Bone Plating
- Revitalize
Items
- Kraken Slayer
- Rapid Firecannon
- Essence Reaver
- Navori Quickblades
- Infinity Edge
- Berserker’s Greaves
Read Also: AP Corki Build Guide
14. Heimerdinger
Heimerdinger is well-known as an off-meta ADC pick in League of Legends. And he’s been prevalent in the role during metas where marksmen haven’t had enough power to carry games.
So, the first thing to understand about Heimerdinger is that he’s great at controlling the lane.
And even if it doesn’t sound like much, this is a very important reason why Heimer bot actually works.
For example, just think how exceptional Caitlyn players control everything on the bot side. And Heimerdinger can do that too!
Heimerdinger can place turrets and bully most champions in the bot lane. He almost guarantees a victory in the lane because he’s allowed to play so aggressively early on.
Because of his turrets, Heimerdinger has no problem when it comes to the enemy jungler. He’s quite comfortable and getting ganked as long as his turrets are there to protect him.
And in the worst-case scenario, Heimerdinger’s turrets will slay one enemy before he’s taken down.
Another way to use Heimerdinger in the bot lane is to pull up a big turret with your ultimate. This way you can demolish the enemy turrets and quickly rotate to the mid or top lane.
As far as support picks are concerned, Heimerdinger is quite comfortable with everyone. However, the best matches for him are aggressive supports such as Pyke, Brand, and Lux.
Runes
- Arcane Comet
- Manaflow Band
- Transcendence
- Scorch
- Magical Footwear
- Cosmic Insight
Items
- Sorcerer’s Shoes
- Liandry’s Anguish
- Zhonya’s Hourglass
- Rabadon’s Deathcap
- Morellonomicon
- Void Staff
Read Also: Top 15 Best Off-Meta Supports
13. Teemo
Teemo has always been an off-meta ADC pick in League of Legends. And ever since the early days, Teemo has been present in the bot lane with one build or another.
You have two main ways of playing Teemo in the bot lane. You can either go with a full AP/on-hit build and abuse his magic damage. But you can also play Teemo as a true ADC and build only AD items.
Here’s my build analysis of AD Teemo vs. AP Teemo.
But what makes Teemo a great off-meta ADC pick isn’t really his diversity. Instead, it’s his Q ability, Blinding Dart, that really makes a huge difference in the bot lane.
Thanks to his Q, Teemo can blind the enemy AD carry and stop all the incoming damage. This is such a huge counter to marksmen champions because most of their damage comes from their auto-attacks.
In this sense, Teemo counters all ADCs in League of Legends.
And no matter whether you go AD or you build AP on Teemo, his mushrooms will always be good at stopping the enemy jungler from ganking. You can set your traps all around the bot lane and prevent all ganks.
Teemo’s pretty good with supports that have crowd control which he lacks. These can be Leona, Senna, or Braum.
Runes
- Press the Attack
- Triumph
- Legend: Alacrity
- Coup de Grace
- Bone Plating
- Overgrowth
Items
- Berserker’s Greaves
- Kraken Slayer
- Blade of the Ruined King
- Runaan’s Hurricane
- Guinsoo’s Rageblade
- Wit’s End
Read Also: AP Zeri One-Shot Build Guide
12. Bard
Bard is another fantastic off-meta ADC that can surprise your enemies and set the off-guard. He’s also one of the most fun bot lane picks to play, especially as a carry.
One of the things that makes Bard such a great champion is that his damage is surprisingly overwhelming. Since most people play and build Bard as a support, he doesn’t get to show off the power of his Q and passive.
But with a full AP build on Bard, you can one-shot the enemy ADC from range with a simple auto-attack. His passive allows him to collect chimes and increase his damage as well as range.
And range is very convenient for ADC champions, especially an off-meta pick.
Aside from his damage, Bard has other useful tools for the bot lane role.
For example, Bard can heal himself or his support if he needs to. He can also open a magical portal through terrain on Summoner’s Rift and escape a gank.
Or, Bard can cast his ultimate to freeze himself, the enemy bot lane, or one of the turrets.
There are so many different ways to utilize Bard’s ultimate to outplay your opponents. Bard’s ultimate can also deal damage under certain circumstances, so it’s a great ability overall.
And although you can play Bard with most champions, he’s really great when paired with supports that are like ADCs. Think of a support Ashe, Miss Fortune, or simply Senna.
Runes
- Press the Attack
- Triumph
- Legend: Alacrity
- Coup de Grace
- Transcendence
- Gathering Storm
Items
- Berserker’s Greaves
- Galeforce
- Rapid Firecannon
- Infinity Edge
- Bloodthirster
- Mortal Reminder
Read Also: Top 15 Best Off-Meta Mid Laners
11. Akshan
When Akshan was first teased, we all though that he was going to be an ADC champion. And even though Riot Games released him as a marksman, he ended up as a mid lane champion instead.
However, Akshan can be one of the strongest off-meta ADCs in the whole League of Legends. He’s a powerful pick regardless of what your opponents play.
And if you’re good at playing Akshan, you can always carry your team, even from the bot lane.
It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not, but Akshan does have an overloaded kit. Almost all of his abilities have an extra effect that make him super-useful in many different situations.
For example, Akshan can be a great laner because of his Q mechanic. He can farm safely regardless of whether the support is nearby or roaming.
On the other hand, Akshan has camouflage that allows him to walk while invisible. This effect can be used to set up ganks in the bot lane similarly as you would on Twitch.
Akshan’s damage should never be questioned either. This champion can blow up tanks in a matter of seconds because most of his damage comes from true-damage auto-attacks.
And finally, Akshan can respawn his teammates after they’ve been slain! This is a one-of-a-kind effect in League and it’s damn powerful.
Imagine the game is at the 25th minute and your team has just lost a team fight. The waiting timers are over 40 seconds but you respawn them with Akshan.
This allows your team to challenge the Baron or to simply push forward and get the victory.
Some of the best supports for Akshan include Nami, Braum, and Lulu.
Runes
- Press the Attack
- Presence of Mind
- Legend: Bloodline
- Coup de Grace
- Shield Bash
- Bone Plating
Items
- Berserker’s Greaves
- Immortal Shieldbow
- Rapid Firecannon
- The Collector
- Wit’s End
- Infinity Edge
Read Also: 15 Best Mid Laners for Beginners
10. Cassiopeia
The reason why we put marksmen in the bot lane and allow them to farm safely with a support is that they have the most consistent damage of all. In other words, they don’t depend too much on their cooldowns.
In that sense, Cassiopeia is one of the best champions when it comes to pure DPS. She’s designed to slowly poison her enemies and deal damage over time.
Cassiopeia has a lot of strengths in the bot lane.
First of all, she’s a control mage that usually dictates the tempo of the laning phase. Cass can poke and torture the enemy ADC every time they try to auto-attack.
And she can prevent them from escaping by using her W – Miasma.
Miasma is such a powerful spell because it also counters junglers. By disabling all movement abilities in a certain location, Cassiopeia and her support can always run away safely.
On the other hand, Cassiopeia is one of the best scaling champions in League of Legends. Her ratios are super high and her build gets better the longer the game goes on.
Cassiopeia is also an AP champion and not an AD. This allows more flexibility for your team because they can rely on you to provide all the magic damage in a team fight.
When you play Cass in the bot lane, it’s best to pair her with Nami, Morgana, or Tahm Kench.
Runes
- Conqueror
- Presence of Mind
- Legend: Tenacity
- Coup de Grace
- Transcendence
- Gathering Storm
Items
- Sorcerer’s Shoes
- Liandry’s Anguish
- Seraph’s Embrace
- Zhonya’s Hourglass
- Morellonomicon
- Rabadon’s Deathcap
Read Also: Top 15 Best Off-Meta Junglers
9. Azir
Azir is another mid laner with an incredible DPS potential. And his playstyle is similar to an ADC because most of his damage comes through auto-attacks.
Azir is all about poking his enemies through his soldiers. He can spawn up to 2 or 3 soldiers at a time and move them around in different positions.
Once a soldier is spawned, Azir starts to auto-attack through the soldier. And his damage and attack speed is transfered over to the soldiers too.
In other words, Azir can remain in a safe position while dealing lots of damage through his soldiers. He can dash to a soldier’s location to either press forward or retreat to an even safer spot.
One of the reasons why dealing with Azir is so difficult is that his soldiers are actually untargetable. They can’t be slain in any way by any player, so they’re always annoying to the enemy team.
And finally, Azir has one of the best ultimates for staying safe, which is really important for a carry. His R can be used to push away the enemy jungler or make plays around big objectives.
When combined with supports like Thresh, Zilean, and Lux, Azir ADC can be unstoppable!
Runes
- Lethal Tempo
- Presence of Mind
- Legend: Tenacity
- Coup de Grace
- Transcendence
- Scorch
Items
- Berserker’s Greaves
- Luden’s Tempest
- Nashor’s Tooth
- Zhonya’s Hourglass
- Rabadon’s Deathcap
- Shadowflame
Read Also: Top 15 Best Off-Meta Top Laners
8. Neeko
Neeko is a champion of many talents. Players never found her true role because she can do so many different things. And even though Neeko is an AP mage, many high elo and pro players often go for an AD build on Neeko!
And so, you have two ways of playing Neeko in the bot lane – full AP or full AD.
The full AP build is a standard mage build that increases the damage to Neeko’s abilities. This champion has high AP ratios and scales really well. And because of that, she can often one-shot the enemy carry with only a few items.
But the AD build takes advantage of Neeko’s kiting ability which many ADCs lack. The attack damage playstyle synergizes incredibly with Neeko’s W and does a lot of damage too.
Plus, it’s closer to a marksman playstyle, so it might be better for you if you’re an ADC main.
During the laning phase, Neeko’s pretty good at escaping the jungler’s ganks. She can use her W to disappear and confuse her enemies. But she can also snare multiple opponents down if she needs to.
Once the late game kicks in, Neeko becomes a great team fighter. All of her damaging abilities are AoE and she can control the fight alone.
And if Neeko needs to carry, she can Flash in the middle of the enemy team and ult everyone. This often wins the team fight right away.
The best supports for Neeko are Lux, Pyke, and Brand.
Runes
- Press the Attack
- Presence of Mind
- Legend: Alacrity
- Coup de Grace
- Nimbus Cloak
- Celerity
Items
- Berserker’s Greaves
- Kraken Slayer
- Guinsoo’s Rageblade
- Runaan’s Hurricane
- Blade of the Ruined Kings
- Guardian Angel
Read Also: Top 5 Best AP Bot Laners
7. Jayce
Jayce has never been a meta ADC in League of Legends and that’s a shame. Players love Jayce and his playstyle is pretty close to that of a marksman. But, he has other qualities too.
First of all, Jayce is a champion that does very well on his own. It doesn’t matter whether you pair him with a roaming support or an enchanter. He’s pretty good at farming safely and dueling enemy champions 1v1.
Jayce’s damage isn’t as consistent as that of an ADC. However, Jayce has a high poke and high burst damage that is rarely seen on any marksman in the game.
In other words, playing Jayce is all about poking your enemies from afar with physical damage improved by lethality items. And once their HP is near the middle, you can jump in and assassinate them very quickly.
Each match with Jayce starts off with an underwhelming feeling due to his damage being low. But with each minute his power grows and he becomes a true carry.
When paired with supports like Morgana, Jayce can unleash his whole potential. Morgana keeps his targets stationary and allows him to poke.
But she can also cast Black Shield on Jayce and let him fight in melee stance.
Other great supports for Jayce are Lux, Pyke, and Nami.
Runes
- Conqueror
- Presence of Mind
- Legend: Tenacity
- Coup de Grace
- Absolute Focus
- Gathering Storm
Items
- Ionian Boots of Lucidity
- Eclipse
- Manamune
- Serylda’s Grudge
- Maw of Malmortius
- Serpent’s Fang
6. Kennen
Kennen is a well-known off-meta ADC pick in League of Legends. And everyone remembers the good old days when Rekkles dominated League with Kennen ADC.
If you’re going to try Kennen as an ADC, I’d urge you to do so with the AD build too. Yes, AP Kennen has tons of damage, especially when it comes to dealing AoE magic damage in a team fight.
But with the AD build, Kennen becomes an insanely good ADC champion. All the extra attack speed and on-hit damage make his auto-attacks really scary.
Plus, he can always squeeze out extra damage since the base numbers on all of his abilities are decently high.
Kennen doesn’t have many problems during the laning phase against any matchup. Yes, he doesn’t have the best range and no dashes/jumps either.
However, he also doesn’t use mana so he can always spam Q to farm minions from afar.
Kennen has a weaker early game than most marksmen in League of Legends. But once the mid game kicks in, Kennen becomes one of the best ADCs in the game.
When he starts grouping with his team, Kennen can comfortably deal damage and kite around. His ultimate is there to stun multiple targets and allow his team to win the fight.
The support champions that go very well with Kennen are Blitzcrank, Soraka, and Karma.
Here’s my complete guide to playing ADC Kennen.
Runes
- Hail of Blades
- Taste of Blood
- Eyeball Collection
- Ultimate Hunter
- Triumph
- Legend: Alacrity
Items
- Berserker’s Greaves
- Kraken Slayer
- Phantom Dancer
- Guinsoo’s Rageblade
- Blade of the Ruined Kings
- Wit’s End
Read Also: Top 7 Best ADCs for Pyke
5. Twisted Fate
Twisted Fate is a hybrid champion that can either go AD or AP. His cards do magic damage, but they also benefit from attack damage items. So, TF is pretty good as an ADC too!
Twisted Fate’s E – Stacked Deck passively increases his attack speed with each rank. And as an ADC, you should max your E first.
So, without even buying attack speed items, TF has a very high base attack speed. This allows him to farm easily during the early game as well as deal high damage during the late game.
Twisted Fate’s ADC build consists of attack speed items and on-hit AD effects. The more attack speed TF has the more he can utilize his W – Pick a Card due to building Navori Quickblades.
And the more gold cards you’re throwing the bigger the chances you’re going to win!
Twisted Fate also has a pretty relaxing laning phase. His Q is a long-ranged ability that he can use to farm minions.
And when paired with a support in the bot lane, he doesn’t need to be constantly on the alert about being dived under his turret.
Finally, Twisted Fate has one of the best ultimates in the entire LoL. Destiny is almost a global ultimate that allows him to spot all enemies and teleport to a different place on Summoner’s Rift.
Destiny is great for both ganking and escaping ganks. It takes a bit of practice to know when exactly to use it, but it’s a helpful spell nonetheless.
Braum, Thresh, and, Tahm Kench are the best supports for Twisted Fate in the bot lane.
Runes
- Press the Attack
- Presence of Mind
- Legend: Alacrity
- Coup de Grace
- Celerity
- Gathering Storm
Items
- Berserker’s Greaves
- Kraken Slayer
- Guinsoo’s Rageblade
- Runaan’s Hurricane
- Phantom Dancer
- Blade of the Ruined Kings
Read Also: 14 Twisted Fate Tips to Improve & Climb
4. Quinn
Quinn started off as an ADC champion. And when she was first released, players picked her for the bot lane only.
However, Quinn was never too popular in the bot role due to not being particularly strong, especially in late game.
But things are different now. Quinn is one of the best off-meta ADC champions in LoL and she fits the role pretty well.
She can counter the jungler with her knock-up, blind the enemy ADC so they don’t deal damage, and even reveal the area to uncover lurking opponents.
These are also the reasons why Quinn top works so well – she’s really good at being left alone. And even though Quinn can unleash hell with certain support picks, you can also pair her with roaming supports.
Quinn’s damage is really great, especially if you get an early game advantage. Her build path isn’t similar to many ADC champions and she always ends up tankier and stronger than most ADCs in the game.
In the mid and late game, Quinn can roam with her support or alone to assassinate unsuspecting enemies around the map. Her initial burst is very high, plus she has a way to control the duel.
Quinn’s ultimate allows her to increase her movement speed. And she can use it after each minion wave! Because of this, she can always stay out of harm’s way and move safely around.
Quinn goes best with Bard, Pyke, and Blitzcrank as supports.
Runes
- Press the Attack
- Overheal
- Legend: Bloodline
- Cut Down
- Absolute Focus
- Gathering Storm
Items
- Berserker’s Greaves
- Immortal Shieldbow
- Stormrazor
- Infinity Edge
- Wit’s End
- Guardian Angel
3. Graves
Graves is another ex-ADC champion in League of Legends. Back in the day, he was one of the most played marksmen in the bot lane role. But ever since Riot Games reworked him, he hasn’t been there much.
One of the things that make Graves not valuable for the ADC role is the fact that he can only auto-attack twice before reloading. And his auto-attacks can be blocked by another target.
However, Graves’ abilities also do high damage throughout the game. And as long as you’re aware of his auto-attack mechanic, you’re going to do just fine in the bot lane.
Graves has many tools that make him viable as an ADC.
First of all, he has a dash on his E which is really necessary for dodging abilities and kiting. Second, his ultimate is a long-range shot that’s perfect for taking enemies down.
And third, Graves’ W blinds everyone in a target location which is ideal for both fighting and escaping.
Each time he’s in a fight, Graves can drop down his W to turn the situation into an advantage for his team. This spell is especially powerful with the right support pick such as Pyke, Lux, and Brand.
And with the right build, Graves becomes a monster in the late game!
Runes
- Fleet Footwork
- Triumph
- Legend: Alacrity
- Coup de Grace
- Sudden Impact
- Ultimate Hunter
Items
- Ionian Boots of Lucidity
- Eclipse
- The Collector
- Serylda’s Grudge
- Black Cleaver
- Lord Dominik’s Regard
2. Kindred
Kindred is a champion that most bot laners desperately want to become a meta ADC pick. And rightfully so! Kindred has such a great design for a ranged AD carry that everyone enjoys playing them!
Many things make Kindred a good pick for the bot lane.
For example, Kindred has amazing poke damage that you can take advantage of during the laning phase.
You’ll likely struggle against long-ranged ADCs such as Caitlyn, but you’ll be able to trade with them too.
Kindred’s damage is also great throughout the match. Yes, you depend on your marks to really power up with this champion. However, you can collect your marks each time you leave your lane.
And this brings me to my next point. Use Kindred as a roaming ADC rather than a farming one!
This champion is really good at harassing other lanes, especially when paired with a ganking/roaming support too.
But the greatest thing about Kindred is the ultimate – Lamb’s Respite. This is an on-demand Guardian Angel AoE effect. It saves everyone in the circle and heals them, giving your team another chance at winning the team fight.
The best supports for Kindred are Janna, Lulu, and Renata Glasc.
Runes
- Press the Attack
- Triumph
- Legend: Alacrity
- Coup de Grace
- Sudden Impact
- Ultimate Hunter
Items
- Berserker’s Greaves
- Kraken Slayer
- Rapid Firecannon
- The Collector
- Infinity Edge
- Guardian Angel
1. Veigar
And finally, we have Veigar!
Veigar is simply the best and the strongest off-meta ADC champion you can ever play. He’s a great fit for the role overall and he counters many marksmen that are prevalent in the meta!
Veigar’s biggest strength is his unlimited power source – his stacks of Phenomenal Evil Power. Thanks to his passive, Veigar can increase his ability power without even buying items.
And in a role where free farming is allowed, Veigar simply thrives!
Another tool that makes Veigar an exceptional pick in the bot lane is his E – Event Horizon. With his E, Veigar can stop all incoming ganks but also set up perfect ganks for his team.
Veigar’s Event Horizon is one of the best crowd control abilities in the game. And in the latter stages of the match, he has it available every 5-6 seconds. So, take advantage of that!
However, the real reason why you’d pick Veigar is his one-shot playstyle! Veigar is one of the hardest-hitting mages in League of Legends and he can even assassinate tanks.
And so, when paired with supports like Lux, Morgana, and Seraphine, Veigar is truly scary. These champions allow him to be offensive and do as much damage as possible.
But even if your support plays something else, Veigar bot is a great pick to go for!
Runes
- Electrocute
- Cheap Shot
- Eyeball Collection
- Ultimate Hunter
- Transcendence
- Gathering Storm
Items
- Ionian Boots of Lucidity
- Luden’s Tempest
- Banshee’s Veil
- Rabadon’s Deathcap
- Void Staff
- Horizon Focus
Read Also: The 10 Veigar Tips That Will Get You to Diamond
Conclusion
Those were the top 15 best off-meta ADC picks in League of Legends!
All of these champions can be really good in the bot lane if you know how to take advantage of them. And for that, I hope the insights in this post helped.
Or, I hope that at least I gave you some information on how to approach these exotic picks.
There are tons of other interesting and fun champions that can be played as ADCs. And I’ll keep updating this post when those picks become stronger.
If in case you want to check more similar guides, check my off-meta guides page.
Good luck and have fun!
