Best ADCS of 2024: Which ADC Champs Dominated the Rift?

This year has showcased a diverse array of champions, each bringing their unique flair and playstyle to the bot lane. ADC champions have found their footing and adapted to changes in itemization and metadynamics.

In this article, we dive into the strengths and challenges of crucial ADC champions who were dominant and resilient to the patch changes throughout the year, providing insights into effective build paths and playstyles that can maximize their potential.

Most of the stats that led to our conclusions came from MetaSrc!

Jhin

Jhin has been an excellent ADC throughout all of 2024, mainly due to the AD items favoring him quite a bit. Not only that, but he also has a good amount of Crowd Control (CC) and a massive damage output. His passive can deal enormous damage, which also gives him movement speed whenever he lands a critical hit.

However, he can struggle against tankier opposition, and his reloading mechanism can leave him vulnerable for a short period. On the flip side, his ultimate can help him execute champions who have managed to slip his grasp. It channels a large cone shape where Jhin can fire up to four shots, which stop at the first enemy hit, with the last one always being a crit.

With Jhin, you generally want to build The Collector as your first item, then into Boots of Swiftness and Infinity Edge, after which you can choose to build into Lord Dominik's Regards or Rapid Firecannon, then finish up your build as needed.

Lord Dominik's would be a stellar choice against tanky opponents, thanks to the 40% Armor Penetration, and it works excellently on Jhin for the added 25% Critical Strike Chance!

Jinx

Jinx, a resilient ADC, has been a force to be reckoned with in 2024, boasting consistently high win rates. Even with the removal of Lethal Tempo, she has proven her strength and adaptability, remaining as powerful as ever. Her high win rates are a testament to her resilience.

Bringing a decent amount of CC and massive AoE damage into teamfights, she is a powerhouse in the mid to late game. Her Q can transform her minigun into a rocket launcher, dealing increased damage and AoE at the expense of attack speed. This makes her crucial in teamfights and extremely good at taking out single opponents when paired up with the slow of her W and the stacking attack speed from her minigun.

Her ultimate ability is a global skill shot, which can deal large amounts of damage the lower the HP of the enemy hit. It explodes on the first enemy hit, dealing AoE damage. For her build order, you want to start off with Berserker's Greaves, into Kraken Slayer and Phantom Dancer. This gives her even more attack speed as well as movement speed.

After this, similarly to Jhin, she can choose to build into either Infinity Edge or Lord Dominik's Regard, both being excellent third-item options. She also benefits from the new AD item, Yun Tal Wildarrows, which gives her a 25% Critical Strike Chance and 65 Attack Damage, applying a burn whenever she critically strikes.

Kai'Sa

Kai'Sa, an ADC with exceptional scaling, has been a dominant force in terms of win rate. Her ability to peel for herself, coupled with her excellent sustained damage and incredible burst damage, makes her a formidable opponent.

However, her squishiness, especially when her abilities are on cooldown, and her mana-hungry nature, particularly in the early game, are areas of concern. But her scaling potential is a reason for optimism, as she can become a powerhouse in the late game.

For build order, start with Doran's Blade and a Health Potion. Build into Statikk Shiv, Berserker's Greaves, and Guinsoo's Rageblade. Then, get Nashor's Tooth and Zhonya's, and finish up with a Rabadon's.

Caitlyn

Moving on to ADCs that were not as strong but still close to the top of the list, we have Caitlyn. She has the longest attack range in the game. She is also excellent at zoning her opponents and bringing decent CC with her traps. Caitlyn also has terrific burst and sustained damage output, making her a potent ADC in the early and mid-game.

However, she is incredibly squishy and could do better against tanks. For her build, you start with The Collector into Berserker's Greaves and then Infinity Edge, giving her severe damage and critical chance.

After this, you can choose to build into Lord Dominik's Regards or Rapid Firecannon, in whichever order you prefer. After that, you can build into Yun Tal Wildarrows or Bloodthirster for the lifesteal and extra sustain.

Samira

Samira is a strong ADC who can snowball extremely hard. However, she didn't have the highest win rates throughout 2024; despite this, we still think her ability to impact teamfights and turn the game around lands her in an a good spot.

Thanks to her passive and ultimate, she is also incredible in a teamfight. Her ultimate is only enabled by her passive; she has to land different types of attacks against enemy champions to reach an "S tier" rating to be able to activate her ult. If she succeeds in doing so, she deals massive damage in a large area around her.

This makes her a constant threat throughout the game and allows for an excellent potential for penta kills. Moreover, her W blocks any projectiles in a radius around her by spinning her blades. It also deals damage in two waves at the start of the ability and once again at the end.

However, she is heavily reliant on combos, meaning if you mess up, it could minimize her effectiveness. She struggles against champions who can CC her out of her ultimate, as it's a channeling ability and can be canceled by Crowd Control.

For her build, you want to start by building The Collector into Plated Steelcaps or Mercury's Treads, depending on the opposition. Then into Infinity Edge for the increase in crit damage made by her ultimate.

Similar to many ADCs, you want to build into Bloodthirster and Lord Dominik's Regards in whichever order you deem best. You can finish the build with an Immortal Shieldbow for that extra sustain.

 

As we wrap up our exploration of the ADC meta in 2024, it's clear that this role remains central to shaping team dynamics and achieving victory on the Rift. Champions like Jhin and Jinx exemplify the diverse playstyles that define the bot lane, each bringing their unique strengths and strategies to the forefront. While you're here, make sure to check out our previous installation, where we go into the Best Mid Lane Champions of 2024!

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