League of Legends’ Patch 8.9 was released this week, and despite with a clear focus on spellcaster champions as well as ability power items and everything about mana, we had a couple of changes in some ADC champions, such as Kai’sa or Caitlyn. Moreover, the changes to Epic Monsters – Baron Nashor and Rift Herald – may have some impact on the meta, as the former will be significantly harder to take down, meaning that ADC’s that are able to quickly melt down objectives should be favorited in the upcoming weeks, alongside siege strong champions, considering for instance that the Rift Herald will be a much deadlier weapon to smash down the opponent’s base.

Therefore, even if the champions themselves largely remained unchanged, we still have some noticeable changes in the bot lane’s tier list. But be aware: with Riot deeming marksmen as “way too strong” right now, expect some huge changes starting from Patch 8.11, with the developer planning to nerf both champions and especially items, such as the perennial favorite Infinity Edge and all Zeal items.

But as always, a small disclaimer: don’t take this list way too seriously. After all, those are just the words of “wisdom” of a Gold player - I actually used to be Diamond in a distant past, maybe must count towards something, right? -  Remember that for every match-up and situation there is a pick that will be more effective than others: it depends on what your team and the enemy picks, as well as what your win conditions actually are. So simply trust your guts, be smart, and go get that sweet, sweet LP!

With no further ado, here is my personal take on the 5 strongest Marksmen Champions on LoL Patch 8.9.


5. Ezreal

When unsure what to pick, or if you are one of the first picks (in situations where the enemy team didn’t reveal most of their composition yet), Ezreal is always a safe choice, mostly thanks to the self-peel his Arcane Shift provides. And even if his damage can be considered somewhat subpar when compared to other attack speed heavy marksmen, Ezreal provides a ton of poke damage, making sure you can still be very relevant – even if from a safer distance.

Such reliability is proven once we see the numbers in the professional scene: across all regions so far this year, no other ADC has been picked more often than the Prodigal Explorer.


4. Jinx

Currently holding the second highest win ratio for ADC’s according to champion.gg, Jinx has risen in prominence once again throughout Season 8 after losing some of her popularity following successive nerfs throughout the years.

In a meta where having a strong siege composition is one of the keys to victory, Jinx is able to shine, being able to melt turrets with her Pow-Pow’s attack speed bonus, as well as delivering a lot of AoE damage from safe distances.

But despite becoming a popular pick in solo queue once more, she is for one main reason still rarely seem in the professional scene, which is truly her kryptonite: her lack of mobility and self-peeling makes her an easy target when playing against teams with hard engage champions, transforming her into a champion preferably picked against an opposition without many tools to easily reach the backline – which gives her more than enough room to shine and take the win by herself.


3. Jhin

Jhin’s power was overwhelming on Patch 8.8, in part thanks to a bug on Guinsoo’s Rageblade that provided the Virtuoso with more Attack Damage than intended. That bug was fixed on Wednesday, but nonetheless, Jhin still is able to offer what very few other ADC’s can, making him a very reliable pick for most team compositions.

Following a buff a few patches ago, his Deadly Flourish roots the target following any damage done, making it into an incredible engage tool - especially if combined with Curtain Call. Furthermore, his burst can quickly delete a squishy in a few moments, potentially turning the tide of a close game.

His biggest downside is, similar to Jinx, although perhaps not so extreme as the Loose Cannon, his limited defensive capabilities: if targeted by multiple crowd-control abilities, a trip back to the fountain is almost a certainty for the Virtuoso.


2. Caitlyn

Caitlyn is simply the most complete champion if you want to play the “traditional” ADC style, also, the backliner who tries to position himself as safe as possible while dealing tons of damage from afar. With one of the biggest auto attack ranges in the game, she also offers a handful of abilities that makes her is one of the hottest picks right now – both competitively and in solo queue.

Yordle Snap Trap is a great way to tailor the fight the way you want. By precisely placing traps, you can “guide” how your enemy moves, and catch them unaware to deal a lot of burst damage. Besides, by strategically placing a line of traps under turrets, Caitlyn has a significant advantage while offering her team an additional line of defense (or a line to protection while attacking).

And finally, differently than the likes of Jinx for instance, her 90 Caliber Net actually offers the Sheriff of Piltover some form of escape if hard engaged on, giving her a chance to go out alive and keep dealing an absurd amount of damage to turn the fight in her favor.


1. Kai’sa

The newest ADC of the bunch, Kai’sa received a couple of nerfs on Patch 8.9, after a series of buffs following her release. Her evolved Icathian Rain has lost 2 missiles, going from 12 to 10, and the duration of her attack speed steroid, Supercharge, has been dropped to 4 seconds from 5.

But this wasn’t enough to dethrone her from topping the list: her burst damage still is absurd, with her being able to melt squishy targets in mere moments – especially after building Guinsoo’s Rageblade and an attack speed item – and her ultimate provides Kai’sa an easy way to assassinate an isolated target – which to be honest, are quite frequent to find in the somewhat messy environment that is solo queue.

Besides that, the bonus attack speed provided by Superchange transforms the Daughter of the Void in a true cannon that brings down turrets and neutral objectives with easy, making her a very strong pick for any type of team, and is also able to excel against virtually any type of opposition as well.

Personally, even immensely enjoying playing her, her current status is simply out of the curve, and I expect Kai’sa to be nerfed even further in the upcoming patches. So for now, make sure to practice a lot – the mechanics are not always easy – and go grab that free LP!

Photos courtesy of Riot Games