League of Legends’ patch 8.6 is just around the corner, and it is a quite big update, bringing a ton of changes, many of whom involve our beloved botlane. Are the buffs given to Lucian, Kai’sa and Quinn enough to shake the marksman meta? Or will Rakan become even more dominant as he is less “dependent” on Xayah? Will the changes to Guinsoo's Rageblade have a huge impact for the certain champions known for “abusing” the item? And finally, what is about Shurelya's Reverie and how it can change the way more aggressive supports play?

Many questions, for which we maybe don’t have all answers yet. But with this list, I hope I help giving you an insight of how things can shape throughout the next couple of weeks, and how you can use it to your advantage in order to climb the ladder as quick as possible.

But beware: maybe you shouldn’t take this list way too seriously. After all, those are just the words of “wisdom” of a Gold player. (I actually used to be Diamond in a distant past, maybe must count towards something, right?) Remember that for every match-up and situation there is a pick that will be more effective than others: it depends on what your team and the enemy picks, as well as what your win conditions actually are. So simply trust your guts, be smart, and go get that sweet, sweet LP!

Anyways, here is the list including my personal thoughts about the top 5 best ADCs and Supports on patch 8.6:


ADC’s:

Honorable Mention: Kai’sa

The Daughter of the Void has been having a hard time since her release, and despite being a champion that does really well when ahead, Kai’sa struggles a lot in the laning phase, getting hard punished by champions with considerably more range.

To tackle these problems, Riot prepared a package of changes for 8.6, including more range on her Q and auto attack, and improved AP ratios. Will that be enough to transform her in a highly contest pick? Still uncertain, but it is nonetheless surely worthy keeping track of how she will be able to progress on 8.6.


5. Caitlyn

With a very dominant lane phase due to her incredible range, Caitlyn probably still is the best siege champion in the game, where smartly placed traps can turn to be a game changer. Indeed, she might not be as strong as before after receiving some nerfs in previous patches, but she still a good all-around carry with a strong lategame.


4. Tristana

With an amazing wave clear that can render enemies’ pushes useless – even with the changes to Statikk Shiv, which starting tomorrow will no longer deal bonus damage to minions, Tristana becomes a monster late game, where her superior range aided by the attack speed steroid provided by Q makes all difference.

Apart from that, her Rocket Jump – which is reseted on champion kills or assists – is one of the best forms of self-peel for ADCs in the game, allowing her to disengage or reposition herself with ease.


3. Varus

As Varus, it is all about long distance poke and teamfighting: with a range of 925, his Piercing Arrow is one of the best tools to annoy your enemies, being a source of constant harass that can quickly poke down squishy champions. His ultimate is an effective way to engage the opposition, and by itself can help your team to win pivotal teamfights.

Coming to patch 8.6, there will be likely a change on Varus’ optimal build path, taken into consideration the changes to Guinsoo's Rageblade, which until now was the preferred item to rush early on in the game. However, with his stacks giving now bonus attack damage instead of pure flat AD, it will probably become an option as the second or third full item, after Infinity’s Edge and an attack speed item.


2. Jhin

The buffs on patch 8.5 certainly did the Virtuoso well, and with a higher damage output he can outlast the lane phase relatively unscathed, shining in the later period of the game once he has at least 2 completed lanes.

However, the biggest factor for him ranking so highly is due to the changes with his Deadly Flourish, which now roots an enemy damaged either by Jhin or any of his allies, making it into a really powerful engaging tool, especially if combined with Curtain Call.

This new found popularity is also mirrored in the professional scene: in last weekend’s NA LCS, Jhin was picked 6 times – and was on the victorious side 6 times.


1. Xayah

The marksman I actually thought it was going to receive some nerfs on patch 8.6, Xayah was left untouched by Riot’s balance team, and should extend her dominance in the bot lane further – well, at least for two more weeks.

Owner of an oppressive and unforgiving kit, her burst can destroy even the tankiest of enemies, and when put together with Rakan, creates a duo that is simply overwhelming in lane. Use the next weeks to “abuse” with her as much as possible, as nerfs in the upcoming patches look inevitable.


Supports:

5. Janna

Janna, as usual, is the best companion for a rather passive ADC, who wants to farm up in order to becoming a destruction machine in the lane game – with Tristana and Jinx being the two best examples.

With a really straightforward kit, she is an ideal champion for players just starting playing support, which provides much needed shielding, healing and other defensive capabilities to the marksmen and the rest of her team.


4. Thresh

Perhaps the most “classical” pick if you want to bring the fight to the enemy, Thresh offers an extensive pick, ranging from Death Sentences that can change the course of a game to Dark Passages that take your teammates to safety.

With the changes on Duskblade of Draktharr, expect more melee assassins being picked in the midlane, which makes Thresh the champion to go to offer safety to your carry. And with the new Shurelya's Reverie, he can move towards high priority targets quicker, and find the perfect angle to catch unaware with a well-timed hook.


3. Alistar

With a relatively weak lane phase, Alistar goes well with ADCs who can’t stand their ground in the first minutes of a game, especially against an aggressive opposition. But if the enemy decides to play passively, the Minotaur is the perfect pick, as this allows him to go roaming and potentially grabbing important kills early on in the game.

However, after laning phase is where he truly shines, with an unstoppable engage kit that can catch multiple targets at the same time, changing the course of a fight…and of a game as well.


2. Taric

Two words explain why the Shield of Valoran is ranked so highly in this list: Cosmic Radiance. Perhaps the best ultimate for any support, its ability to provide invulnerability for the entire team is a truly game chancer, despite the relatively high cooldown, and it is the main reason that we have seen Taric picked so often in the professional scene this year so far – over than 350 games, according to Games of Legends.

Despite not being as fabulous as his ultimate, the rest of his kit offers enough survivability and crowd control to justify his high pick ratio at the moment.


1. Rakan

If Xayah tops the list for ADCs, nothing but fair that her lover Rakan leads the charge as the most effective support on patch 8.6. Simply overwhelming when paired with her, the Charmer received a couple of buffs on 8.6 to make him less dependent on his sweetheart.

While it is no easy to master Rakan, a good player can make most of his (for some obnoxious) kit, and be a pain to the opposition – especially those without much mobility, making him the ideal pick if at least one of the enemy’s carries has no escape or self-peel skills.

Besides, Shurelya's Reverie works perfectly for him, allowing for even faster engages to catch and CC’ing the opposition, resulting in a fast and clean teamfight win.

(Pictures courtesy of Riot Games)

Disclaimer: The following article was written freely based on the author's opinion, and it may not necessarily represent Inven Global's editorial stance.