League of Legends: Twitch sneaks into S tier on Patch 10.9

Twitch has been virtually absent throughout League of Legends Season 10 so far but has suddenly skyrocketed to a 52.24% win rate on Patch 10.9 claiming a place in the bot laner S tier.

We’ve all seen the montage clips of Twitch players flanking an entire enemy team and instantly blowing them up with Spray and Pray. And doubtless, we’ve all tried to recreate them in our own solo queue games. Despite that, it has surprisingly taken Twitch until Patch 10.9 to make his mark on the Season 10 League of Legends meta.

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The ADC role has been one of the most difficult to carry with in 2020 as the champion pool simply lacks the damage to compete with the strong bruisers and mages of the current meta. If not for the high DPS kits of the likes of Aphelios and Miss Fortune, it could be argued that marksmen would be completely banished from their own role as Cassiopeia, Syndra, and Yasuo all boast high win rates in the bot lane.

However, one champion has appeared from out of nowhere and risen from the ashes of the fallen crit ADCs before him to reclaim a place in the bot lane S tier for the first time in years. Twitch’s 52.24% win rate is the highest of any marksman on Patch 10.9 and is a signal to all ADC mains to capitalize and start playing the Plague Rat right now.

Here are the 3 main reasons for Twitch’s success in the bot lane on Patch 10.9:

Twitch has an excellent laning phase, especially after Level 6

Very few marksmen that scale with crit items can say they have a strong laning phase, but Twitch is one of them. Despite having a relatively short auto-attack range when compared to his ADC counterparts, Twitch’s kit lends itself well to snowballing through the laning phase by shutting down his lane opponents, particularly when matched with an aggressive support.

Venom Cask has two key components that make it perfect for trading in the bot lane 2v2 and seeking out early kills. First of all, a 25% slow may not seem like much, but if placed correctly the ability can force an enemy to blow a Summoner Spell or walk in range of a deadly hook or stun. Combine this with the second component, the Deadly Venom stacks, and it’s clear why a well-timed Venom Cask is an ideal tool for picking up kills in the laning phase.

That’s not to mention how destructive the Plague Rat can be once he gains access to his ultimate, Spray and Pray. Simply put, if Twitch’s support partner can land any form of crowd control – such as Leona’s Solar Flare or Annie’s Summon: Tibbers – the marksman will melt his opponents in an instant and set up an unstoppable snowball.

Ambush is the perfect mid game roaming tool

Whether you’re extending a lead or trying to find picks to close a gold deficit, Twitch’s Ambush is one of the strongest mid game abilities in League of Legends. Completely invisible to his opponents, Twitch can roam from bot lane to mid lane, mid lane to dragon, or top lane to Rift Herald with ease and catch the enemy team off-guard before a team fight.

The most powerful aspect of Ambush can be seen when Twitch is ready to rotate after destroying a bot lane tower or a major objective is about to spawn. Rather than recall and simply return to lane like other ADCs, Twitch can cast Ambush and walk up the river undetected to surprise a mid or top laner and win the ensuing 2v1, claiming a free kill for his team.

Spray and Pray can single-handedly win a team fight

As mentioned earlier, everybody knows how deadly Twitch can be if allowed to flank a team and cast Spray and Pray while his opponents are grouped up. However, it’s not as easy as it looks. To pull this play off you either need a completely oblivious enemy team or incredible patience.

When your inventory includes a Blade of the Ruined King, Runaan’s Hurricane, and Infinity Edge, you are ready to look for 1v5s. Obviously, for the most part, you should be playing like a standard marksman, sitting on the backline, and providing damage from afar. But, if the opportunity presents itself to melt a grouped up enemy team around a key objective, go for it.

Cast Ambush, walk around your opponents without being spotted, and line up behind or to the side of their backline. Wait for your team to engage and while the enemies are distracted from the front, cast Spray and Pray and immediately wipe out their carries before they can respond.

This is a strategy that should rarely work and be used sparingly, so don’t attempt it during every single team fight you’re involved in. But when all hope looks lost, Twitch is the only marksman that can provide a game-changing 1v5 play and pull a win from out of thin air.

Climbing the League of Legends solo queue ladder as an AD carry on Patch 10.9 is an incredibly difficult task due to the number of strong champions in every other role looking to blow you up. Picking Twitch is one way to increase your chances of success and occasionally make incredible plays for your highlight reel.