League of Legends patch 13.12 brought some major nerfs to some of the best ADCs and biggest winners of patch 13.10’s changes, making the best ADCs on patch 13.12 look very different from before.
Half the battle of climbing in League of Legends is knowing which champions you should be picking to maximize your gameplay.
There are now over 160 champions in the game, all with an entirely different set of abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Fortunately, ADC is a bit more straightforward than other roles in League of Legends.
In the ADC role, damage is the absolute priority. The glass cannons of the game, ADCs are designed to sit at the back of team fights and pump out damage, letting their teammates tank the bigger hits and staying out of harm’s way.
The best ADCs in League of Legends are those who can maximize that damage while minimizing risk. Many more modern additions to the role have some kind of escape mechanism built into their kit with a dash, blink, or invulnerability, but good players will still punish you for poor positioning even if you’ve got a few safety nets.
Patch 13.10 brought sweeping changes to the role, and those changes have come with a hefty stack of buffs and nerfs to whip them into balance. Build paths are still up in the air as of the current patch, with players still trying to find out what the best options are. That said, we’ve got a pretty solid idea of what the best picks are.
Here are the best ADCs on patch 13.12.
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Who is the best ADC in League of Legends?
The highest win rate ADC on patch 13.12 is Karthus at 55.54%. Karthus has everyone but Seraphine handily beaten when it comes to average win rate, and his pick rate has been steadily rising since the start of Season 13. He’s not extremely popular, but players who know how to use him are getting a lot out of it. The most popular ADC on Patch 13.12 is Ezreal at a 22.8% pick rate, followed by Jhin at 19% and Miss Fortune at 15.5%.
That being said, the best ADC in League of Legends is constantly changing. League’s regular updates and patches mean that champions are constantly gaining and losing power, and can be either the best or the worst character in the game depending on how they’ve been affected by the game’s most recent update. That, and people are still figuring out optimal builds on the new patch. Everything is subject to change.
Ezreal, the Prodigal Explorer
For a long time, Ezreal has been good* with an asterisk rather than just outright good. The fact that he’s so skillshot dependent makes his DPS pretty inconsistent. Combined with his lack of CC and utility outside of his dash, Ezreal has long stood as a stable and lane safe ADC that, for most players, was missing the carry part of ADC.
However, the patch 13.10 item changes have inspired players to try out some different builds than they normally would on the champion. Now that he’s got some more diverse build paths, Ezreal is extremely strong if he’s building properly.
When should you pick Ezreal?
Ezreal is easily the most blind pickable ADC out there. Virtually no unplayable support pairings, extremely safe laning, the ability to push a lead and play well from behind, and not a whole lot of really bad matchups. Champions like Draven and Vayne can run down Ezreal and tend to be strong picks against him, but an Ezreal player who understands how to position properly can work around these soft counters.
The real question when picking Ezreal is whether or not you think you can land all your skillshots. If the answer is yes, then you should. If it’s no, leave him be. There’s no shame in sticking to an auto attack focused ADC if that’s what you’re used to, Ezreal’s playstyle isn’t for everybody.
Ezreal best ADC build and runes in League of Legends
Ezreal’s best rune setup is currently PTA. First Strike was prominent on him for a while when Essence Reaver was the item you rushed first on him, but his strongest build currently gets a lot more mileage out of PTA’s continued damage bonus than First Strike’s burst. Presence of Mind and Coup de Grace are standard on Ezreal, while Legend: Bloodline’s bonus health and sustain and very useful.
Inspiration is always a safe secondary, with Magical Footwear and Biscuit Delivery being universally useful.
Ezreal’s build looks pretty similar to how it did before, except Essence Reaver is replaced by Trinity Force. You’ll want to grab Tear fairly early on to get it stacked up, but make sure to finish Trinity Force before you grab Manamune. Sherylda’s third is usually your best choice to get slows on your Qs and some armor pen, but Ravenous Hydra can be a great choice third if you find yourself sidelaning more often than not or getting harassed by a poke comp. Whichever one you don’t get third, grab it fourth unless you need a defense item.
Frozen Heart is a defensive item that’s unique to Ezreal when it comes to ADCs, but he can also go for typical ADC defensive options like Mercurial Scimitar, Maw of Malmortius, or Guardian Angel depending on what you’re up against and personal preference.
Nilah, the Joy Unbound
This champion didn’t exactly make waves upon her release. She didn’t dominate the win rate charts and become the best in her role immediately, nor did she have an abysmal win rate on release like Zeri or K’Sante. She was viewed as a niche champion with certain uses, one that wasn’t worth playing over other choices in the role.
While she is still a bit niche and works much better with some team compositions than others, her ability to block auto attacks and outscale the opposition has allowed players who have mastered her kit to excel.
That said, Nilah doesn’t play like a typical ADC champion. Knowing how to stay alive at short range and use her mobility isn’t easy, and her power curve is unlike any other champion in the role. There are a lot of pros and cons attached to Nilah, and learning how to mitigate those downsides while best utilizing her strengths will take some time.
There’s also the added layer of trying to determine how the 13.10 ADC itemization changes will affect her. They could end up creating an incredibly strong item combo on this champion, or they could end up making her awful. At this point, it’s truly hard to say.
When should you pick Nilah?
Nilah has been at the top of the win rate charts for a while now despite having a generally low play rate, and she’s only been getting better from patch to patch as players figure out the absolute best build path for the champion.
She’s also very strong with a number of enchanters, and, considering how meta enchanters are, this puts her in a great spot in your typical ranked game. However, putting her with a carry support champion like Pyke can also allow Nilah to play a more “supportive” role where she focuses on wave clearing, starting fights with her ult, and trying to keep other carries alive by spreading her W shield.
She may not have the range of most other ADCs in League of Legends, but she makes up for it with gap close and utility. Learning Nilah will take some time considering that her playstyle differentiates her from other champions in the role, but she’s well worth the time investment.
Nilah best ADC build and runes in League of Legends
Nilah wants to sustain and keep fights going for as long as possible, so having a rune page that enhance her strengths is a strong choice.
Conqueror is the go-to for Nilah, especially considering that she’s “melee”. She does have some range with her Q autos, but she’s coded as a melee champion and gets some additional benefits with certain runes and items. Conqueror being one of them. Triumph, Legend: Bloodline, and Last Stand reward Nilah for staying in the fight.
Meanwhile, Domination provides some more damage and snowball potential with Sudden Impact and Treasure Hunter. Against heavy poke lanes, running Resolve with Revitalize and Second Wind is also a great option. If you’re having a hard time with Nilah through the laning phase, Resolve gives you a bit more room to make mistakes.
Build-wise, things are up in the air for Nilah. Her best Mythic item is yet unclear, but Navori Quickblades seems to be her best bet for how valuable the bonus cooldown reduction is on her. Rushing Ravenous Hydra into Immortal Shieldbow tends to be your best bet on this champion due to how much sustain these items offer her, with Phantom Dancer being a great follow-up and Lord Dom’s being a strong pen option.
Nilah’s builds before 13.10 were diverse, so it’d be no surprise to see this evolve as the Nilah mains cook up a new build.
Jhin, the Virtuoso
Jhin’s generally high play rate and win rate consistently keep him right on the edge of making it onto this list. With how strong and unique his kit is on paper, one small change can push him over the edge into being one of the best champions in the role.
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On patch 13.10, we got several changes. And, while the meta is still developing, the new and improved Stormrazor is carrying Jhin’s win rate to new heights. For those who want to pick apart the enemy team from range and one-shot the competition, Jhin should be your go-to.
When should you pick Jhin?
Fortunately, Jhin is fairly first-pick friendly for an ADC. He doesn’t have too many bad matchups outside of hard-engage champions like Jarvan that can put him in a bad spot that he can’t escape from. While Jhin may not have mobility like a few other ADCs, he does have a ton of movement speed at his disposal.
Just be aware that Jhin’s moment to moment gameplay differs heavily from other champions in his role. That, and that his objective damage is extremely lackluster outside of securing low objectives with his fourth shot % health damage. If you’re looking to shred through towers or early drakes, Jhin isn’t the best choice.
Jhin best ADC build and runes in League of Legends
For Jhin’s runes, you’ll want to play around his long range and grab runes that give him the ability to pick off targets from afar. Fleet Footwork allows him to create and maintain distance while trading with the opponent, Presence of Mind gives him more mana to poke with, Legend: Bloodline is the best Legend option for him, and Coup de Grace is great for taking down enemies on low health.
Meanwhile, Sorcery is the definitive best-in-slot secondary with Gathering Storm and Absolute Focus providing great value on the champion at all points of the game.
Jhin’s build looks about the same as Jinx’s, and this has emerged as the best build path for ADCs that are focused on auto attacks and want to keep their enemies at a distance. Stormrazor’s slow is especially useful on Jhin when it comes to trying to land his W after an auto attack, and Infinity Edge grants him the one-shot potential he’s really looking for. If you’re in need of some extra mobility, Galeforce is still a strong option.
Rapid Firecannon is set to be a must-build item on conventional ADCs, and Jhin makes especially good use of it as a poke-heavy champion. Bloodthirster is strong not for the lifesteal, but for the bonus AD on its passive, and Lord Dom’s is the go-to pen item on Jhin.
Karthus, the Deathsinger
Is Karthus technically an ADC? No. Has that kept Karthus from being one of the best bot laners in the role for the better part of a year? Also no.
Despite maintaining a fairly low play rate, Karthus has had one of the best win rates in the role for a very long time. And, with his play rate only going up, this champion’s is right on the edge of prominence.
With an eye-wateringly high win rate of 56.48% in Plat+ ranked matches on the current patch, he’s the highest win rate champion in the role and more than worth giving a shot if you’re ok with playing a character whose focus isn’t on auto attacks. Getting the hang of his Qs takes time, but those who invest time in learning this champion will be rewarded.
When should you pick Karthus?
Picking Karthus is a great choice if your team lacks AP damage. If you’ve got an AD mid/jungle combo, Karthus stands to gain a ton of value. His built-in pen on W combined with his naturally high damage make him a pain to deal with for those who don’t itemize into magic resist.
And, while he has great objective damage, his tower damage leaves something to be desired. If you don’t have an AD threat on your team that can push through the enemy’s defenses, you may have a hard time physically winning the match even if you’re ahead. Otherwise, Karthus is fairly safe. Even if he gets focused heavily and dived in the early game, his passive makes sure that he’s always useful.
Karthus ADC best runes and build
Dark Harvest is Karthus’ bread and butter. Having stacking damage over the course of the game on low targets combined with his ultimate and passive is a lethal combo. Cheap Shot pairs well with Karthus’ W, Eyeball Collection rewards him for kill participation, and Ultimate Hunter is a bit self-explanator with a global ult.
Meanwhile, Presence of Mind keeps Karthus’ mana sustained in lane and Last Stand synergizes well with his passive.
Karthus’ build path is all about being a glass cannon. Building any sort of tank items on this champion is a bit counter-intuitive considering that his passive ensures he’ll be able to do damage no matter how quickly he gets focused down. Aside from Zhonya’s for the Stasis active, defense should rarely be taken as Karthus.
Liandry’s tends to be the best Mythic choice. The % health damage combined with a ton of ability haste gives Karthus exactly what he wants out of an item. The base pen on Shadowflame helps here as well. Rabadon’s third is a great choice, although you can nab Zhonya’s here and push your Deathcap to being your fourth item if there’s something you really need Stasis for.
Veigar, the Tiny Master of Evil
Even after a series of nerfs following his rise to the top of the meta, Veigar has emerged as one of the strongest carries in League of Legends both as a mid laner and an ADC. Or, well, APC. He doesn’t play remotely like a normal AD carry champion, and he requires a bit of a different skillset in comparison to other champions in the role.
That said, good Veigar players are really hard to shut down. As long as you don’t get caught out of position, Veigar is fantastic at creating space and harassing the enemy. What’s more, his infinite AP scaling makes him a ticking time bomb. Even if you don’t have the best early game, this champion will always be effective.
When should you pick Veigar?
Veigar is one of the best champions on the patch, so there aren’t too many places you wouldn’t want to pick him. If your team is AP heavy and lacks tower damage, then Veigar probably isn’t the best pick. Otherwise, he’s pretty strong. Veigar can definitely struggle against heavy poke champions like Caitlyn and Varus, but the low cooldown on his Q makes it pretty easy to farm under tower in the event that he gets pressured out of the lane. It’s a bit more difficult to farm under tower and clear waves after his early game nerfs on patch 13.7, but it’s much easier for him to deal with these problems in bot lane than it is in mid.
If you manage to pair Veigar with Senna in bot lane, you’ll have yourself one of the hardest scaling lanes in the game. Don’t pick him expecting to kill the enemy bot lane early, but, if you’re able to weather the storm of the early game and get some AP stacked up, Veigar is incredibly lethal. In fact, his ability to stack AP gives Veigar a ton of build flexibility. You’ll see what that means soon.
Veigar best ADC build and runes in League of Legends
Veigar is a champion that can easily 1-shot most champions late game, so grabbing First Strike to aid that 1-shot potential while making some bank isn’t a bad choice. Footwear, Biscuits, and Cosmic Insight are pretty standard Inspiration runes. Taking Sorcery for Manaflow Band and Transcendence is also great. Veigar’s runes aren’t anything special, and they’re pretty bogstandard runes when it comes to burst mages.
His build is where things get interesting.
You’ll always want either Rod of Ages or Everfrost into Archangel’s Staff and Rabadon’s Deathcap, but Veigar’s build is incredibly flexible beyond that. Dead Man’s is a popular item for that reason. The only thing worse than a small man with a stick that can one shot people is a small man with a stick that can run incredibly fast and one shot you. Even items like Silvermere Dawn can be great. If you need the cleanse, why not? Veigar stacks AP anyways, so there’s no reason not to experiment.
Void Staff is a must buy against tanky team comps that are building a ton of magic resistance, but he doesn’t always need it. Think more about what you’re getting out of your items beyond the stats when playing Veigar. Building items that you typically wouldn’t build on mages can win you games. Hell, selling boots and holding onto Dead Man’s Plate without using auto attacks can be a viable way to nab a sixth item, something very few champions can do.
Get creative! Try something different. If there’s an item with an active or passive that seems like it’d keep you alive, grab it.
So, there you have it — the best ADCs in League of Legends as of patch 13.12.
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