Patch 10.5 is set to change the landscape of the bot lane with some significant balance adjustments. Here are the 5 most anticipated AD – Support duos in the upcoming patch:
1. Miss Fortune & Leona
This duo focusing on all-in potential once again tops the list in patch 10.5 without either of them receiving a nerf. At level 6, they can easily eliminate any enemy carry caught out of position or any enemy jungler attempting an ill-timed gank.
Both Miss Fortune and Leona scale well from mid to late game, providing plenty of crowd control and damage in team fights. The versatility this duo brings will help them continue to dominate the bot lane for the foreseeable future, until another ADC receives buffs or one of them incurs a significant nerf.
2. Senna & Nautilus
Senna and Nautilus are one of the most fearsome bot lane duos from previous patches, before Senna took a hefty nerf in patch 10.3. However, clever and creative League of Legends players have found ways to mitigate this nerf, as demonstrated by FlyQuest’s recent performance against Dignitas in the LCS.
Now, Nautilus will soak up nearly all the minion stats in the early game while Senna primarily earns gold by harassing opponents with the support item, Relic Shield. This allows Nautilus to hit his power spike early with Hextech Rocketbelt while Senna starts farming minions to build damage items as usual. The end result is a duo capable of executing kills and zoning effectively in the late game, ensuring victory in major objective skirmishes or tower sieges.
3. Aphelios & Thresh
After receiving yet another nerf in patch 10.4, it’s clear that Aphelios’ priority has diminished in recent times. However, with his inherent strength, he remains a viable and powerful ADC compared to many other champions in patch 10.5. The key lies in pairing Aphelios with an aggressive support who can effectively protect their ADC.
Thresh provides exactly what Aphelios needs, with the ability to use W – Dark Passage to safely retreat in dangerous situations and E – Flay to stop enemies from diving in. Additionally, Thresh can easily initiate fights and set up kills with Q – Death Sentence and R – The Box, allowing Aphelios to excel and giving his team an advantage during major objective contests.
4. Kalista & Taric
Another LCS bot lane duo, Kalista & Taric, makes the list after their shocking performance even surprised the casters in the match between Team Liquid and 100 Thieves on February 29. Kalista and Taric have incredible synergy post-level 6, with Kalista able to throw Taric into the enemy team and easily knock them up and stun them with E – Dazzle.
Taric also offers a lot of utility for his team. The damage immunity provided by R – Cosmic Radiance can completely turn the tide of a fight or provide his team with the necessary power to wipe out enemies. His excellent healing with Q – Starlight’s Grace and shielding with W – Bastion also helps his ADC or frontline survive in team fights.
5. Ezreal & Braum
Ezreal and Braum have essentially been a standard combination since Season 9 due to Ezreal’s ability to easily stack Braum’s passive through his Q – Mystic Shot. Braum is a support who can both initiate and disengage from fights with his R – Glacial Fissure, providing a lot of protection and utility for his team’s carry.
When played well, Ezreal becomes very hard to target and can deal tons of damage while still keeping himself safe. He is a threat in dragon or Baron steals with the high damage output from a distance. However, Ezreal is quite skill-reliant; if you can’t skill shot well or dodge effectively, it’s best to avoid picking him in crucial ranked matches.