Ezreal

Ezreal plays nothing like the other marksmen on this roster. His power doesn't come from auto attacks but from Mystic Shot, which he throws constantly, and every shot that connects shortens all of his cooldowns. Played well, the champion spirals into a state where Arcane Shift is almost always available.

He is the hardest carry on this roster to catch, and the most demanding. An Ezreal who misses deals nothing: his mana evaporates and all he has left are ordinary auto attacks. If you aim well and you can stomach losing a game because you shot badly, he's your champion.

His main strength is safety. Arcane Shift crosses a wall, dodges a lockdown, escapes a dive. No other marksman has such a clean button for cancelling a mistake. Add a long shot range and constant lane pressure and you get a champion who can play aggressively without ever truly exposing himself. Essence Flux doubles his value in botlane: it cuts the enemy carry's attack speed while it heals and speeds up your own.

Against that, some of the weakest sustained damage in his class. In a fight that goes long, a traditional carry passes him comfortably. He leans on his mana pool before his first big item, and Arcane Shift is expensive: casting it on reflex to reposition means being empty at the exact moment you need to leave.

Max Mystic Shot and use it constantly: on the enemy champion when the window is clean, on the back minion when it isn't. Every shot that lands returns part of your cooldowns, so an Ezreal who hits is an Ezreal who can afford to stand forward.

Watch your mana like a fuel gauge. The classic mistake with this champion is poking without counting, then finding nothing left to shift out with when the jungler shows up. Always keep enough for Arcane Shift. Only spend Essence Flux in a real trade, on the enemy carry: the attack speed cut wins an auto attack duel on its own.

Once your mana item is settled you're a different champion: you can finally cast without counting, and that's when the cooldown spiral pays off. That's Ezreal's true spike, ahead of any damage item.

After that, armor penetration matters more to you than critical strike. Your profile comes from abilities, not auto attacks, and critical strike doesn't apply to them. Your ultimate is a map spike rather than a power spike: it finishes an enemy across the Rift and steals objectives, as long as you don't waste it on waves.

You play far back, further than your auto attack range suggests. In a fight your job is to fire Mystic Shot into the scrum the moment it's up. Hitting the wrong body doesn't matter, keeping the cooldown cycle turning does.

Hold Arcane Shift as an answer, never as an entry. The mistake that loses games is shifting forward to line up a shot and then dying with no way out. Your ultimate fires from a long way off, over terrain: open a fight with it from your safe position, or cut off an escape down a corridor.