For those who haven’t been following professional play, Caitlyn is now the most contested marksman on the rift. With no planned nerfs in 10.18, it seems like her dominance could continue to Worlds. Today’s article will discuss her rise to power in pro-play.
Image Courtesy of Riot Games
Lane bullies have always had a place in pro-play, especially in the bot lane. Earlier this year, Miss Fortune, Varus and Kalista were all contested picks, and all of them were notorious bullies.
However, since the start of the year, all these champions have been nerfed. With Lucian being a flex pick for both top and mid, Caitlyn is the best bot lane bully left.
The last changes to Caitlyn were a bonus of attack damage and a bonus of base movement speed. While on paper these might not be the biggest changes, the movement speed one is important. Here’s why
Image Courtesy of Riot Games
Caitlyn’s most common rune choice is Fleet Footwork, which grants 20% bonus movement speed. Another common rune to pick up is Nimbus Cloak, which grants 10%-30% bonus movement speed when using a summoner spell. The longer the cooldown of the summoner spell used, the more speed is granted. So when using flash, she gains a bonus 30% movement speed, allowing her to escape further or close the gap between her and her kill.
Lastly, Caitlyn buys one or two zeal items, with Rapid Firecannon being a must buy, while Statikk Shiv and Phantom Dancer being situational buys. All of these items grand a bonus 7% movement speed and they can stack with each other. Put all that together, and you have a very fast and nimble Sheriff who already has safety in her range and her net. If paired with a long-range mage support, with Lux being the go-to, you have a safe bot lane that can poke from miles away, with little to no retaliation.
The most common answer to Caitlyn has been Ashe. While she may not have the same range, she has the ability to poke back. Ashe also brings better utility with her ultimate and slows on her auto attacks. However, Ashe has recently been hit, so her priority has decreased.
Image Courtesy of Riot Games
Another pick that has been showing up is Jhin. A lot like Ashe, his range is shorter then Caitlyn’s, but he compensates by bringing utility to the team. He can also use Fleet Footwork, as well as Nimbus Cloak and double zeal, as well as having his reload passive grant him extra movement speed. He also recently got a buff on 10.16, so expect to see more of him during playoffs/Worlds.
And lastly, we have Jinx, the loose cannon. While not as common an answer as the previous two, Jinx historically does well into Caitlyn. With enough points into Switcheroo!, she can outrange Caitlyn if she has Fishbones as her gun. She also uses double zeal, as well as nimbus cloak, granting her a massive boost in movement speed, which works well with her passive, granting her even more speed. As one of the few remaining hyper carries, Jinx also outscales Caitlyn and can take over a game.
Be sure to stay tuned, as most regions have already begun their playoffs.
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