With numerous changes in items, maps, and gameplay… Season 14 is considered a pivotal update for League of Legends. Many champions have had to adapt to new items to optimize their gameplay for the new season. Even a veteran champion like Ezreal is no exception.
Recently, a “one champ” Ezreal player with a Challenger rank on the Western server discovered a new extremely strong build for this character. Specifically, this player will use Black Flame for Ezreal after completing the basic damage items. This is an item that very few players consider when building Ezreal, as it has a purchase rate of only 1.09%.
It is important to note that in Season 14, Black Flame has a new passive where magic damage dealt to targets below 35% health will critically strike for 120% damage. However, Ezreal’s W ability can trigger this critical effect even if the target has not reached this health threshold. As a result, with Black Flame, Ezreal’s W – Q combo can deal an enormous amount of damage in the late game.
The reason is that the explosion damage from Ezreal’s W will be calculated after the target is hit by the Q ability. Therefore, as long as the opponent is hit by Q and is reduced to below 35% health, W will always deal critical damage. Besides this interaction, Black Flame itself also provides 120 AP and 12 magic penetration, significantly enhancing the damage of Ezreal’s W and ultimate ability.
Essentially, this is a new and extremely powerful build for Ezreal in the current Season 14. It helps players avoid being heavily countered if opponents build a lot of armor since the magic damage from W and Ezreal’s ultimate is quite significant. This also compensates for the lack of magic damage for teammates if positions like Top Lane and Mid Lane choose champions focused on physical damage.
In summary, the “new” Black Flame is proving to be very suitable for Ezreal as it significantly increases this champion’s damage output. Players should look for ways to maximize this item on Ezreal to climb ranks more effectively in the new season.