Ezreal, The Prodigal Explorer







Let's Get Started~

I am Coach Mithos and this is my guide to Ezreal, The Prodigal Explorer. This will be a comprehensive guide; I am going to give you the play by play of not only how to utilize Ezreal effectively, but also how to build him adequately. I have broken the guide into 3 sections; 'Advanced Players', 'Beginner Players' and 'In Depth'. Advanced players might be familiar with Ezreal, the ADC role and overall League of Legends mechanics - this section is to the point with no frills. Beginner Players might be new to Ezreal, the ADC role or League of Legends fundamentals - this section will have more clear reasons and explanations. The In Depth section will be comprehensive and thorough as it explains the method to the madness. I hope you all enjoy and as always - Happy Gaming and Happy Learning~

Advanced Players

Runes

You already know the ways of the explorer? You landing those skill shots? No problem CSing and staying alive? Awesome, here's the breakdown.

• Advanced

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PRECISION TREE

• Conqueror - adapative dmg, bit of healing, synergizes with Ezreal's passive, check
• Presence of Mind - mana regen, really nice
• Legend Bloodline - 9% Lifesteal, not bad
• Cut Down - we don't have a lot of HP, they do, consistent Dmg

DOMINATION TREE

• Eyeball Collection - more adapative Dmg, thank you~
• Ingenious Hunter - lowers cooldown of Tear AND Sheen, we take those

SHARDS

• Middle, Left, Middle - top middle is a must, rest are preferential

Summoner Spells

SPELLS Summoner spells are pretty static on most ADCs. Flash - no brainer, arguably most powerful summoner spell in the game. Heal, standard to keep you alive spell. Exhaust is most useful when the enemy team has a lot of hyper mobile or close range champions. In short, flash 99% - Heal vs Exhaust, basically preferential / game dependent.

Skill Path

• Advanced

Ezreal

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ABILITIES

• [Q] Mystic Shot - primary source of dmg, cooldown reduction on contact
• [W] Essence Flux - secondary source of dmg, mana refund
• [E] Arcane Shift - free flash, ONLY use to reposition or secure priority target kills
• [R] Trueshot Barrage - aim twice, fire once

Item Build Path

ITEMS Grab your tear and pots, then head to lane. The primary focus is CSing and your secondary focus is harassing opponents. Take a quick back for Sheen and boots if applicable. Your ideal build path is going to look like this: Sheen -> Warhammer -> Boots of Lucidity -> Manamune -> Grudge -> Trinity This allows you to get grudge early without sacrificing Dmg in the process. Grudge allows you to be a utility ADC, keeping your distance while slowing enemy targets which also makes them easier prey for your allies. With these four items you've got most of your dmg which means your last two items are essentially as needed. Hard time killing things, more Dmg. Dying before you can kill things, more resistances.

Beginner Players

Runes

New to Ezreal? Skill shots not your thing? Miss some CS here and there? Assassins make you angry? Don't fret, I got just what you need.

• Beginner

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INSPIRATION TREE

• First Strike - gives us a little gold, gives us a little dmg
• Magical Footwear - free boots = free 300g
  • Perfect Timing - if you're planning on going hourglass, grab this instead
• Future's Market - gets our items faster, nothing wrong with a little 'good debt'~
  • Biscuit Delivery - trouble staying alive in lane, take this instead
• Cosmic Insight - cooldown reduction, please and thank you

DOMINATION TREE

• Eyeball Collection - adapative Dmg is always useful
  • Taste of Blood - if laning is tough, take this instead
• Ingenious Hunter - this lowers cooldowns on items, making things a little easier

SHARDS

• Middle, Left, Middle - Atk spd, Dmg, Armor, keep it simple

Summoner Spells

DISCLAIMER Just because everyone else is bringing it doesn't mean you have to as well. Just because it is a good setup doesn't mean it's a good setup for you. Summoner Spells are designed to help make a given situation easier for you to handle. They're supposed to assist with your unique style of play. Summoner Spells are only useful if you know how to correctly use them; concentrate on that and pick the spell that helps your playstyle the most. Exhibit A - there are a lot of players, from Iron to Challenger, who will pick the Summoner Spell 'Cleanse' because there is "a lot of CC on the enemy team." On paper, this seems like a great idea, but Cleanse, even among high-level players is an extremely niche spell and can be difficult to use. Because of this, there is frequent misuse of the spell along with players simply forgetting they switched from Heal or Exhaust to Cleanse. This results in many unnecessary deaths or misplays simply due to the unfamiliarity of the Summoner Spell. I'm not saying you shouldn't ever use certain spells; I'm saying that even if it is the "right choice", due to experience or lack thereof, it may not be the "right choice" for you. HEAL / FLASH As far as ADC summoner spells go, you'll most likely always want to take flash, which is arguably the strongest spell in the game. After that, you're looking for spells that are going to help you stay alive. Heal, Exhaust and Barrier all fit the bill for this category, but heal has the best overall utility for experienced players. If you're familiar with the role of ADC and just new to Ezreal, you probably know how to use Heal effectively so you can stick with that. The Heal and Flash combo is the primary setup across most ADCs. EXHAUST Exhaust is very niche because of Ezreal's mobility. Often times you can simply Arcane Shift away from any danger, so having Exhaust isn't as effective. (because you just blink over a wall and they can't follow, which means you didn't need to Exhaust) However there are certain games where Exhaust can shine quite well. These games include enemy compositions that are high in mobility and concentrated dmg. Exhaust can render these targets ineffective for 2-3s giving you enough time to get away or for your team to assist. BARRIER I would recommend barrier to those new to League of Legends or new to the ADC role - it's easier to use, has a shorter cooldown and can prevent more dmg than Heal can restore. Technically, Heal is better than barrier, because of other factors I'll explain later, but if we're talking about helping you get acclimated to a new champion and a new role, barrier is easier and safer to use / learn.

Skill Path

• Beginner

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ABILITIES

• [Q] Mystic Shot - primary source of Dmg, cooldown reduction on contact
  • If you want to get good at Ezreal, you'll have to learn how to hit your skill shots. There is no easy way around this, so practice, practice, practice. Your [Q] is a narrow lined skill shot and it damages the first thing it hits as long as it's not a structure. This will not only be your 'poke' during and outside of the laning phase, but also where most of your Dmg will come from.



• [W] Essence Flux - secondary source of dmg, mana refund
  • Your [W] is a slightly wider lined skill shot compared to your [Q]. It marks the first champion or structure it hits and can be denotated by Ezreal with another spell or auto attack. This spell helps you hit a single target with a burst of Dmg.



• [E] Arcane Shift - free flash, ONLY use to reposition or secure priority target kills
  • Your [E] is a (within range) target location spell. This is Ezreal's utility spells that keeps him out of trouble. Use this spell mainly to keep you out of danger. Once you become more comfortable with Ezreal, you can use this spell aggressively. For now, play slow, line up your shots, stay calm and use this spell to stay safe.



• [R] Trueshot Barrage - aim twice, fire once
  • Your [R] is a global lined skill shot. This spell does full Dmg against champions and half Dmg against minions and monsters. This is a spell you do not want to miss. It provides a burst of Dmg to every champion it passes through. Remember, line up those skill shots, take your time and practice a lot.

Item Build Path

ITEMS

• Starting
  • Before you leave the fountain, make sure to grab your tear and 2 pots. This will give you a head start towards stacking that tear you'll need for later. Your primary focus in the laning phase is to get as much CS as possible. Killing creeps is the single most effective and consistent way to acquire gold in League of Legends.
• Early
  • I know that you're thinking "I need to stack this tear as soon as possible" but don't be afraid to recall with 1000g and pick up a Sheen and boots. The Sheen syngerizes well with Ezreal's kit because every time you use a spell you get extra dmg. Since Ezreal is specifically an "AD CASTER" and not a standard ADC, you fire a lot of spells compared to other ADCs; this means you'll get a lot value out of Sheen.
• Core
  • As that you're acquiring enough gold, you ideally want to build your items like this: Sheen -> Warhammer -> Lucidity Boots -> Manamune -> Warhammer -> Last Whisper -> Grudge -> Warhammer -> Essence Reaver
• Ideal Core Build
  • The idea behind Ezreal and this build is to be able to have as much mana as possible so that you can consistently 'poke' enemies from a distance utilizing Ezreal's long range and high mobility. This is why you start tear and rush the Manamune so that you can get your Muramana ASAP. Afterwards you acquire Serylda's Grudge which allows you to slow any target that is damaged by your spells. Due to the sheer amount of cooldown reduction in this build, and naturally built into Ezreal's kit, slowing enemy targets allows for you to more easily continue hitting your skill shots while allowing openings for your allies to follow up. The Essence Reaver allows your Sheen to be upgraded, helps scale your Dmg and ensures you don't run out of mana.
• Mythic & Final Items
  • Now that you have your core items, time to pick out your mythic item. Your options, because you're utilizing Essence Reaver (instead of Trinity or Sunderer) are Crown of the Shattered Queen and Eclipse. This mythic may change each game depending on how you're playing. If you feel the need to keep playing safe, grab the Crown and follow it up with the Hydra to round out your build. (You will most likely need to last item Hydra, if you grab Crown, due to the lack of self healing in this build). If you feel like you can play a little more aggressive or aren't worried about assassins, grab the Eclipse. Since the Eclipse has some built in self healing you have more options for your last item. Feel free to pick up the Hydra, Zhonya's or Maw - whichever one you feel you need the most.
• Niche
  • Don't forget about changing your boots to fit the game you're in. If there are a lot of physical Dmg enemy champions or champions that mostly auto attack, change those lucidity boots for the steelcaps. If you find yourself against a lot of magic Dmg or CC heavy teams, mercury treads will grant a lot of value.

IN DEPTH COMING SOON...