Ezreal is a caster marksman and typically goes in the bottom lane as the ADC. He is known for his poke abilities and mid-to-late game damage. Ezreal has been relevant in the game since his introduction and is always seen in the competitive scene. He is a great champion to learn and very fun to play.

Runes

Ezreal will usually always run Kleptomancy in the Inspiration tree, since he is always using his abilities and his Q counts as an auto-attack. This means every time Q hits someone, you will proc Kleptomancy. With Kleptomancy, you can obtain a gold lead over your opponent and sustain in lane. Kleptomancy gives you items or gold for 2 auto-attacks after using an ability. This means Ezreal can get gold or an item on the first auto-attack after he hits a Q on a champion.

In Inspiration tree you also take Magical Footwear. This allows you to get free boots and a cheaper upgrade for your boots. This allows you to save the 300 gold you would spend on boots and use it elsewhere in your build. Next is Biscuit Delivery. This rune is great for sustain as you get free Total Biscuits of Everlasting Will. The last thing you take in the inspiration tree is Cosmic Insight. Cosmic Insight gives you a free 5% cooldown reduction, max cooldown reduction, Summoner Spell cooldown reduction and item collection reduction. These are all great on Ezreal and it’s the best in the final category of the Inspiration tree.

The secondary tree will be Sorcery. In the Sorcery tree, you will be taking Manaflow Band. Manaflow Band gives you additional 25 maximum mana for each ability you land, for up to 250 mana. This works great on Ezreal as he need as much mana as he can get. Next is Transcendence in the Sorcery tree. Transcendence gives you an additional 10% collection reduction when you reach level 10, and this is big for Ezreal because he is a caster. The lower the cooldowns on Ezreal, the quicker he can put out his damage.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Ezreal has great poke potential and a lot of range to deal damage from afar. He is slippery and hard to catch. Having most of his damage done through skills, this a big strength for him as there aren't many ADCs that come close to his range. His power also lies in his abilities to dodge skill shots such as Blitz and Thresh's hooks.

Ezreal also has great agility, meaning he can move around the map and lane fast. His E acts as another Flash as it is also a blink. This is very useful against teams with lots of crowd control. It also helps him get into better positions to deal out damage. The best use of his E is as a getaway tool. It is important to not use his E unless you have to.

Ezreal’s weaknesses come in the form that he has a relatively low amount of health. This is why your E is very important, as it is an ability that makes up for his low amount of health and keeps you at a safe distance. His E is as much a strength as it is a weakness because the CD on his E is extremely long. I can't stress how important it is to only use E when you need to get away.

Ezreal is also pretty weak before he gets his items. He will do a relatively low amount of damage, so it is best to focus on getting your core items before trying to blow someone up.

Ezreal Build Paths

Ezreal’s core build will usually be the same. Ezreal will always build a Manamune because he needs the mana and it provides him with damage. Ezreal will go Boots of Lucidity for the cooldown reduction it provides, but he may also Ninja Tabi for the armor if he is facing a heavy attack damage team or a very aggressive laner such as Draven or Lucian. It all depends on the situation.

This is where Ezreal’s build can go in different directions. Ezreal is best when you buy a Sheen before you finish Manamune, as it can empower his auto attack and his Q. The Sheen can then be built into a Trinity Force or an Iceborn Gauntlet. Trinity Force is the option for the most damage while Iceborn Gauntlet gives you armor instead of the damage. The decision is based on how laning and the game is going. If they are a heavy AD team, go Iceborn Gauntlet. If not, go Trinity Force.

Third item and so on is entirely up to you. The best option for 3rd item is Blade of the Ruined King. Blade of the Ruined King is great as it gives you attack damage and life steal. It also gives your autos and Qs the ability to do 8% of the target's current health as physical damage. This is great for Ezreal since he has no sustain or life steal up to this point.

Finally, Ezreal can go many items for his last two. He can build a Mercurial Scimitar if the enemy team has a lot of crowd control. He can also build Hextech Gunblade for additional attack damage and magic damage. Lord Dominik’s Regard if the enemy team has a lot of healing. The safest option for last item is Guardian Angel as it gives you attack damage, armor and revives you if you take fatal damage. Below is a build that is common.

Using Ezreal’s Abilities

To get the most damage out of Ezreal, you must land your W on someone and then Q them. The W explodes on the person who has it on them to deal a chunk of damage. The W can be procted by your Q, E and R, Ezreal’s auto-attacks also proc the W on the enemy. You will probably never use your E to proc it, as your E is your most important ability and you need it up at all times. In the latter stages of the game, your W-Q combo will delete most of their health bars.

Early Game

The goal in lane is based on who your support is. Ezreal has kill pressure when paired with a aggressive support. When facing an aggressive support, it is best for Ezreal to farm using his Q and occasionally trying to poke the enemy laners. The one thing you must do is get a Tear of the Goddess on your first trip back to base.

Ezreal goes through mana fast being a caster adc, and getting your tear early gives you extra mana and helps you get max mana stacks on your Tear of the Goddess. Ezreal is the only champion who builds Manamune, once your tear reaches max stacks, it transforms into Muramana, a stronger item that gives you more damage. You want to reach this transformation as soon as you can, obtaining a Tear of the Goddess on the first base will get you your transformation the quickest.

On your way to lane you will want to spam your Q and W so your Tear can get stacks. Never use E to stack your Tear of the Goddess in lane. Your E is your only getaway tool and it has a high cooldown, only use it when you need to.

Mid Game

Ezreal starts his power spike after he obtains Manamune and Trinity Force/Iceborn Gauntlet. You can either go Trinity Force or Iceborn Gauntlet on Ezreal. Trinity Force is great as it gives you a lot of different stats such as attack damage, cooldown reduction, attack speed, etc., and includes a Sheen. A Sheen works just as Kleptomancy does, after you use an ability, your next auto-attack will do bonus damage.

Ezreal’s Q automatically applies the bonus damage if it hits an enemy or minion, since his Q is an auto-attack and an ability. Iceborn Gauntlet is the safer option and sometimes even better. Iceborn Gauntlet is just a defensive Trinity Force. It gives you the same Sheen ability, 65 armor, 20% cooldown reduction and 500 mana. The decision of which one depends on the matchup and composition of the enemy team.

Once you have two to three items, you become pretty strong. Your W-Q combo will do tons of damage as you poke. In the mid-game you should have your tower and should be looking to either farm and push top or get a Dragon/Rift Herald if they are up. Ezreal does a lot of damage to objectives once he has obtained his core build. In mid-game teamfights or small skirmishes, it is best to stay behind your team and throw out a lot of Q’s. Even before the engage you should be throwing Q’s at your opponent and hopefully force them to back off.

Late Game

Ezreal’s late game is very good. His Qs chunk squishies and even hurt beefier opponents. When pushing with your team, your ultimate ability can wipe out minions waves no matter where they are on the map. Ezreal R is a great way to start a fight as it helps chunk down the enemies' health before they can even engage on you, therefore, giving you a health advantage and a head start in the fight.

At this point in the game, Ezreal destroys towers with ease. Pair up with your teammates to destroy towers fast and get to the nexus. Ezreal W does a ton of damage to objectives when detonated, plus the Sheen damage from your item. Ezreal is a safe pick as he scales nicely throughout the game and has a good escape ability in his E. If ever caught out use your E, it acts as a Flash and can save you in many situations.

Conclusion

Ezreal is a strong ADC who uses his poke to win trades and inflict damage from a safe distance. He is great for sieging and objective control. He is worth picking up and mastering as he is always relevant in League of Legends' solo queue and competitively.

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