ADC/Marksman is my main role in ranked when I play League of Legends, and through my Carry Time guides, I would like to impart my knowledge of ADC-oriented champions to you guys.

My favorite champion (ADC or otherwise) is Caitlyn, the Sheriff of Piltover. She is one of the most picked champions in ranked and competitive play and it is clear why: Caitlyn has the highest attack range in the game along with amazing poking and push ability and massive amounts of damage. If you build her right, she is a force to be reckoned with on Summoners Rift.

Runes

Marks - Attack Damage x9 - The standard choice for most attack damage oriented champions. Having these equipped will give you extra attack damage so you can last hit minions easier as well as harass. Caitlyn’s Q (Piltover Peacemaker) has an insane amount of range, and combined with that extra attack damage, can be trouble for enemy champions.

Seals - Armor x9 - Since ADC’s are played in the bottom lane, these are essential for survival. They protect you against the enemy marksman and the damage they deal. These are a must have in game and are great for defense.

Glyphs - Magic Resist x9 - These are good against enemy support players who poke/harass a lot and are able to dish out magic damage, like Annie or Sona. If you have a champion like that laning against you, it is better to get flat magic resist rather than scaling magic resist.

Quintessences - Lifesteal x3 OR Lifesteal x2 and Attack Damage x1 - Having Lifesteal Quintessences will give you a ton of sustain which is extremely valuable early on in the game. Once you build a Doran’s Blade or a Vampiric Scepter, you can stay in lane more and be able to survive, so make sure to equip these. Alternatively, if you have trouble last hitting, you can always have one Attack Damage Quintessence.

Masteries

I take the standard route of 21/9/0 masteries, which is pretty typical for AD Carry oriented champions. You want to be able to inflict as much damage as possible, so I definitely recommend taking points in the AD-oriented masteries. Fury is really good as it gives you increased attack speed, which is great for pushing lane. Other masteries like Brute Force, Martial Mastery, Warlord, and Havoc give you extra attack damage, so again, if you have trouble last hitting, those masteries are great to put points in. As for the defense mastery tree, picking up points in Veteran Scars and Recovery will give you increased health per second, as well as increased health overall, so those are a wise choice. Block and Unyielding reduce the amount of damage you take from enemy champions, again great to invest points in as well.

Summoner Spells

My usual choices are Barrier and Flash. Barrier is great in fights, helps you survive in lane, and prevents you from dying in certain situations. This spell is also great for baiting, so if you have an enemy champion diving you under your turret, you can pop Barrier and bait them into dying. As for the Flash spell, it is essential for almost every champion in game. It gives you an escape, and a lot of AD carries lack a natural escape. A well-timed Flash can save your life in a fight and help you survive against enemy skills and ganks. I pick up this spell every time I play.

Abilities

I like to fully level up Caitlyn’s Q (Piltover Peacemaker) as soon as possible. I level up her E (90 Caliber Net) at level 2 so she has an escape and some utility. Once in a blue moon, I will level up Caitlyn’s W (Yordle Snap Trap) at level 1 so I can pre-emptively place it in brush so when enemy champions step over it, they are revealed. However, I do not really recommend this, as Caitlyn is way better by leveling up Piltover Peacemaker. It gives her damage and allows her to hit harder. So, I usually level up Q at level 1, E at level 2, W at either 4 or 5, then I just fully level up her Q from there, and then the rest of her abilities soon follow.

Obviously, you should level up her Ace in the Hole ultimate ability whenever possible. Caitlyn’s passive (Headshot) grants you critical damage, and that is great for poking or harassing the enemy champion laning against you. That combined with her Piltover Peacemaker is a deadly combo once you build items on her.

Build

This is my typical full build for Caitlyn. Boots are a must for all champions, and Caitlyn in particular has a really low base movement speed of 325, so Berserker’s Greaves boots are definitely needed on her, plus they give you a little bit of extra movement speed. The Bloodthirster item is extremely valuable early on in the game. It gives you quite some attack damage, which is great for Caitlyn’s pushing, poking, and harassing. A ton of Lifesteal is gained from this item as well, so the earlier you can buy it from the shop, the better, as it gives you much needed sustain. I then like to build into Infinity Edge. It gives you extra critical chance along with extra damage, and it goes together really well with Caitlyn’s passive Headshot ability. Infinity Edge helps you destroy enemies in lane and will really help you against tankier champions.

When it comes to late game, Last Whisper grants you extra damage as well as armor penetration, so this is great against beefy enemy tanks that have built a lot of armor. Phantom Dancer is definitely a good item if you need that extra attack speed to push and kill minions. You can also substitute in Statikk Shiv (which charges up and deals damage to targets). Statikk Shiv is better early game as it builds out of Avarice Blade, which grants you extra gold to help you if you are behind.

Phantom Dancer, I find, is better late game, as it makes your auto attacks hit harder, and once the game drags on for a while, I feel that Phantom Dancer is the better choice overall. As for the Guardian Angel item, I rarely get to the point where I need to buy it because the games I am in don’t usually last that long, but when they do, Guardian Angel is an essential item. It grants you Armor and Magic Resistance, but most importantly, it allows you to revive after death, and that can be extremely valuable in team fight situations. You can also substitute in Banshee’s Veil, which is great against ability power and magic oriented champions because it creates a shield that blocks an enemy ability which can prove to be quite useful.

Hopefully this guide helps you out if you decide to play Caitlyn in game! She is a great champion that is a serious threat in game and is fun to play. Good luck on Summoner’s Rift and carry on!