Before the term Marksman came into play, ADC or AD Carry was the name for this class of characters. The reason for this name is due to their characteristic of dealing continuous physical damage and carrying the team in the late game, which is the privilege of long-range champions like Caitlyn, Vayne, Tristana… Later, as more Fighters and Assassins began to deal physical damage, the name Marksman was established.
That is the story of the name; the Marksman class has had a gameplay style that has remained almost unchanged since League of Legends was created. Their main job is to farm and farm, build items, and take down all enemies in front of them. This is still true today, as most of a Marksman’s time in a match will be primarily “playing with minions.”
However, League of Legends is a game that is always evolving, and the way the game operates has changed drastically since its early days. In this 10th season, League of Legends is seen as a stage for solo lane and jungle players, as they possess all the necessary elements to dominate the match. From dealing significant damage early on (Fighters with Black Cleaver or Assassins with lethality items) to mobility and agile movement, and the element of surprise in every move…
This leads to the fact that typical League of Legends matches occur at a breakneck pace; if you’ve been following the Grandmaster rank in Korea, you may notice that a match can end in around 20 minutes. This is the time when solo lane and jungle champions have 1-2 core items, and they deal overwhelming damage early on, allowing them to sweep through the map and continuously eliminate enemies. Due to such a fast-paced, powerful playstyle, the number of solo lane and jungle players is extremely high.
Meanwhile, what are Marksmen doing at the 15-20 minute mark? The answer is still the same: farm and farm. Your teammates might be engaging in wild fights on the other side of the map, skirmishing somewhere, but you are still just playing with minions. This playstyle causes new players, who should be learning the basics of last-hitting, to skip the Marksman role and play other champions instead.
“Then why not join the fights?” some might say, but my friends, Marksmen depend on items, and they depend heavily on them. If you bring out a Critical Strike item at the 20-minute mark, the damage is hardly significant; without damage, you can’t eliminate enemies, and falling behind only leads to further setbacks. The rapid pace of the game, where every champion deals substantial damage, including Supports, is causing the Marksman position to be increasingly undervalued.
A few years ago, champions like Vayne, Kai’Sa, Xayah… were readily cared for by teammates to carry the team, but now they are no longer prioritized. Instead, champions like Senna, who doesn’t farm, and Varus, who deals lethality with utility early on, are the top choices. It is true that Marksmen need to trade off for late-game power; however, when most matches are determined in the mid-game, it is understandable that Marksmen are gradually losing their influence.
Perhaps Riot Games, alongside boosting Marksmen’s power, needs to do one more thing: reduce the damage of champions that shouldn’t possess so much damage. Defensive, utility Supports and tank champions need to have their damage reduced to ensure the important role of a primary damage source, the Marksman, is valued.