Ezreal is a bot laner. At least that’s what you’d like to think. But over the course of LoL Patch 11.11, thanks to a few stat buffs as well as item buffs, Ezreal has found his way to the mid lane and Korean Solo Queue is buzzing.
In this guide, we’re going to be looking at this unique mid lane champion and how ShowMaker, DAMWON KIA’s starting mid laner, has been abusing this ADC gone mid laner on the Korea Solo Queue server.
- ShowMaker isn't the only great Korean player. There are many more, and we've wondered why Koreans just excel at League of Legends for some reason.
What Build is ShowMaker Using for Ezreal?
For starters, you’ll want to take Conqueror as your main rune path for that extra attack damage. As a secondary path, ShowMaker chose Biscuits, so he can continuously spam his Q spell during the laning phase without having to worry about running out of mana – a problem Ezreal has in the early game.
As for items, ShowMaker focuses on getting his sheen first. Why? Because of the extra damage. Sheen also builds into Divine Sunderer, which was buffed in LoL Patch 11.11 to deal an additional 12% target max Health physical damage.
Once you’ve got Divine Sunderer you can focus on building Manamune for that extra attack damage and mana. Being able to spam Q over and over is what makes Ezreal such a great pick in the mid lane, since no other champion can compare to his poke.
- Wondering who you might face in the mid lane? Well, it could be a mid lane mage like Annie or even an assassin like Akali.
ShowMaker tops off his Ezreal build with Frozen Heart and Serylda’s Grudge. If you’re playing against auto-attack heavy comps, go for Frozen Heart third, since this will make Ezreal tanky, give him mana and cripples enemies attack speed, while Ezreal gains attack speed thanks to his passive.
Which Abilities does ShowMaker max out first?
As mentioned above, ShowMaker made sure to max out his Q first, since this is his main damage source. Hitting opponents with Q also reduces the cooldowns of his other abilities, which is why ShowMaker tries to continually push and bully the opponent out of lane with his Q.
After Q is maxed go for E. Arcane shift is Ezreal's main escape tool or engage tool, depending on how confident you are. The combo ShowMaker goes for most of the time is W, E and then Q for maximum damage output, especially in the early stages of the game when his lane opponent doesn’t have enough resistance built up.
- You might not build Duskblade or Eclipse on Ezreal, but you do on other champions who might try to kill you, so it's always good to know about them.
How does ShowMaker Play Ezreal?
In the laning phase, ShowMaker goes for a controlled style. He pokes out his opponents with ease since Ezreal does have a longer range than most mid laners. He uses his Q to get as many minions as possible and keep the cooldowns of his abilities as low as possible, thus winning and pushing the lane.
Thanks to his W + Q combo, ShowMaker is also able to quickly take tower plates, earning him gold, so he can rush his Sheen. He doesn’t try to go in for unnecessary 1-vs-1, merely out-farming the opposing mid laner.
The mid and late game is when Ezreal really pops off. ShowMaker avoids fights until he has his second item, which is when Ezreal really spikes. He is able to continuously poke at opponents during team fights and his ultimate is a great cleanup tool.
Side laning with Ezreal isn’t the easiest, but he can use his E in case he ever steps too far forward. He also has a lot of movement speed, which means he can quickly flank any teamfight and dish out damage from the side.
So while Divine Sunderer is still such an insane item, try out mid lane Ezreal à la ShowMaker to show off your skill shots. ShowMaker makes it look insanely easy and his playstyle is smooth and fun to watch, so go on op.gg and watch some ShowMaker Ezreal replays to learn from the master.
The guides, the videos, the lore, it's all in here! Earlygame leads your path to Challenger!