Introduction
ADC carries should have the most perfect positioning during team fights because of their importance to the team. They should deal the most damage, and to do that, AD carries should stay alive as long as they can. But positioning is also crucial at all stages of the game since ADC’s have low health and can be easily bursted by anyone on the enemy team. Here is an “AD Carry Positioning Guide 2022” to perfect your game, win games, and climb the ranks.
Champion Select
If you thought champion select is only about drafts and counters, you are wrong. This is the period of the game where you will devise your entire strategy during the laning phase up until the late game. Look at what the champions your enemy team plays. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of everyone on your team and the enemy team. For example, suppose the opposing support plays Leona. In that case, you should position yourself a little bit safer/farther during the laning phase to prevent being engaged by the opposing bot laners.
AD Carry Positioning Guide 2022: Laning Phase/Early Game
As a general rule, the AD carry should always be parallel to their support in terms of positioning. This is done so that the allied support can follow up with an engage/trade whenever they get caught off guard. Additionally, this type of positioning will make it easier for both the AD carry and support to follow up whenever one engages.
AD carry players should also position diagonally and behind minions to make it harder for the enemy support to engage. There are also champions (like Lucian) where diagonal positioning is important to hit skillshots and deal damage.
Take the photo above as an example. I was positioning diagonally to the enemy support to make it harder for him to engage me while being able to harass with my skill shots whenever I pleased. Another great tip is to always imagine a box during a laning phase to make it easier for you to have perfect positioning.
Isolating minions is also your best bet to win trades. Time your auto attack and/or ability to harass the enemy champion when trying to last hit an ally minion. Remember that it is still important to respect the enemy support when trying this positioning. Rely on your decision-making, but be parallel with your support and never overextend when trying to fight.
AD Carry Positioning Guide 2022: Mid Game
Probably the most monotonous phase of the game for AD carry players. You and your team should be prioritizing minion waves and objectives during this part of the game to smoothly transition into the late game. AD carries usually won’t do anything other than farming minion waves and jungle camps to hit the late game item spike.
Like the laning phase, NEVER overextend when trying to push towers as an AD carry because that will usually result in free objectives to the enemy team. Ask your support to farm with you or ward the surrounding areas on the map.
The secret to winning the mid-game is to learn how to crash waves and be safe simultaneously. Because by doing so, you will get lane pressure and prevent the enemy carry from getting gold from minions. There are a lot of minion wave management guides on the internet, and I suggest checking them out!
AD Carry Positioning Guide 2022: Late Game
This is the phase where the best AD carry players shine. After farming for the whole game, it is now your job as an ADC to deal the most damage and lead your team to victory. You should deal the most damage during team fights, and the only way to achieve this goal is to stay alive at the longest time possible.
There are a lot of things that happen during these scenarios, and even small mistakes can cost you the whole game. Small decisions can make or break your performance during the team fight. Position yourself to prevent being bursted by the enemy assassin or mage. Know their cooldowns, so you can know whether to play aggressively or passively. For example, you should play safer if the enemy Orianna still has her ultimate. You can play more safely to prevent being ulted and losing the team fight by knowing this.
Hitting the closest enemy during the team fight is always the best move to deal damage consistently. Play with your team and never overcommit with your plays. Stay behind your teammates while dealing damage, but stay at a safe range where the enemies cannot jump or hit their crowd control (CC). Usually, it is the job of your teammates to protect you from CC but kite as best as you can and self peel when needed. Here is a positioning example during a team fight:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU4w7zimfjI
Look at how T1 Teddy positions during the team fight. He stays with his teammates and only hits the closest enemy. DWG tried to engage Teddy many times during the team fights, but they could not follow up because of his perfect positioning. This clip showcases the importance of positioning as an AD carry because even though Aphelios does not half self peel on his kit, T1 Teddy could still finish the team fight unscathed.
Additional Tips: Specific Champions
There are League of Legends champions that have self-peel in their kit, so they make it easier for their players to position on all the phases of the game. For example, Ezreal’s Arcane Shift (E) is a teleport ability that lets him quickly get out of unfavorable positions. Of course, there are still specifics that you need to follow to have the best positioning in the match. Here are champion-specific tips to help you with this problem.
Lucian
This dual-wielding champion has a short-range, but his dash makes it more manageable to position. In fact, you can even use the dash for aggressive trades during the laning phase, but I suggest managing your cooldowns effectively because Lucian is really squishy in the early game. During team fights, I prefer kiting dynamically, where I move backward and sidewards to make it harder for the enemy team to hit you because of your short range.
Kai’sa
I would say that she is one of the hardest champions to position with. I suggest using her ultimate for the sole purpose of repositioning only. Also, if you have enough attack speed, the invisibility of her Supercharge (E) will greatly help during teamfights, so use it wisely. Kai’sa has a very short attack range like Lucian, so plan your laning phase carefully and trade with caution.
Ezreal
Probably the champion with the best self peel in his kit, Ezreal’s Arcane Shift (E) is just tough to beat. He can cancel all sorts of abilities, like Blitzcrank’s hook and Leona’s Zenith Blade. Ezreal has the safest laning phase just for this reason alone. Use Ezreal’s Arcane Shift to escape ganks and reposition during team fights. Remember only to use it when needed because it has a really long cooldown. As such, you will be vulnerable to enemy engage during this period.
Jinx
Other than her Chompers, there is actually no self-peel in her kit. It is hard to position as Jinx during the laning phase because of her slow attack speed and low range. Isolate minions using the additional range of her rocket launcher, but stay in a safe range where no one can burst you. Nevertheless, it will get easier on team fights, though, because she gets movement speed whenever she kills an enemy champion. Use this passive to reposition and kite enemies dynamically to make it harder for them to hit you.
Jhin
Like Jinx, the Virtuoso, Jhin, has insane movement speed during the late game, making it easier during the team fights to reposition and kite enemies. Jhin is still prone to engage because of his average attack range, though, so keep in mind all of the enemy positions and cooldowns because once you get crowd controlled, it is game over for you.
Caitlyn
Positioning during the laning phase and in team fights will be a breeze with Caitlyn because of her extremely long range. But people can still make mistakes, especially if they do not know how to play her. Like all other AD carries, hit the nearest enemy champion, even though it is a tank. Do not try to execute the enemy carries and move forward just because you can reach with your attack range. You can also use her .90 Caliber net to kite backward and slow down advancing enemies.
Vayne
The best champion when it comes to repositioning and kiting, it is always a horror to chase down a Vayne player with her ultimate. The invisibility from her tumble will always be a problem for enemy tanks. Not only that, but the bonus movement speed from her passive and Final Hour makes it easier to kite and chase opposing champions. In terms of the laning phase, I tend to play passive as much as possible because of her weak early game. Farm until you reach the late game and destroy your enemies after reaching your item power spike.
Conclusion
That was all you need to know on how to position yourself as an ADC this 2022. The most vital thing as an AD carry is to do as much damage as possible while staying alive. Keep in mind to position smartly always. Track all the enemy cooldowns. Watch the methods of pro players when positioning during all the phases of the game. Good luck on the Summoner’s Rift fellow ADC main!
You can also check out other “how to” guides for specific AD carry champions available on this website to become better at the role! Click on the guides below to begin your journey!