League of Legends - Caitlyn Champion Strategy and Item Build Guide

This page contains a champion character strategy guide for Caitlyn in League of Legends (LoL), including stats, skills, and abilities.

 

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Caitlyn

caitlyn

Basic Information

Caitlyn – the Sherrif of Piltover
Class Marksman Role Marksman
Secondary Bar Mana IP/RP 4880/880

Champion Stats

Lv1 Per Lv Lv18
Health 475 +80 1884
Health Regen 5.67 +0.55 15
Mana 314 +35 909
Mana Regen 7.4 +0.55 16.8
Attack Damage 53.7 +2.18 90.7
Armor 22.9 +3.5 82.4
Attack Speed 0.625 +4%
Magic Resist 30 +0.5 38.5
Movement Speed 325 325
Ranged 650

Lore

[Click to read]

Skills

Icon Description
  Headshot

Every few basic attacks, or against a target she has trapped or netted, Caitlyn will fire a headshot dealing bonus damage that scales with her critical strike chance. On trapped or netted targets, this character’s Headshot attack range is doubled.

Headshot can proc on turrets.

 Piltover Peacemaker
(Target Range: 
1250, Cost: 50/60/70/80/90 Mana, Cooldown: 10/9/8/7/6)ACTIVE: Caitlyn revs up her rifle for 1 second to unleash a penetrating shot that deals physical damage (deals less damage to subsequent targets).Revs the rifle for 1 second to fire a narrow piercing shot dealing 30/70/110/150/190 (+0) physical damage. After hitting any target, it deals 67% damage to enemies beyond the first. Always deals full damage to trap revealed targets.
Yordle Snap Trap
(Target Range: 800, Collision Radius: 67.5, Cost: 20 Mana, Recharge Time: 30/24/19/15/12 seconds)ACTIVE: Caitlyn sets a trap to find sneaky yordles. When sprung, the trap reveals and immobilizes the enemy champion for 1.5 seconds.Sets traps that an enemy Champion can spring, immobilizing them for 2 seconds and revealing them for a short duration.Traps last for 30/35/40/45/50 seconds. 3/3/4/4/5 traps may be active at once.Trapped enemies take an additional 40/90/140/190/240 (+0.4/0.55/0.7/0.85/1.0 bonus attack damage)  increased damage from Headshot.
90 Caliber Net
(Target Range: 
950, Cost: 75 Mana, Cooldown: 16/14.5/13/11.5/10)ACTIVE: Caitlyn fires a heavy net to slow her target. The recoil knocks herback.Fires a net, knocking her backwards. The net deals 70/110/150/190/230 (+80% Ability Power) magic damage and slows the first enemy hit by 50% for 1 second.
Ace in the Hole
(Target Range: 2000/2500/3000, Speed: 3200, Cost: 100 Mana, Cooldown: 90/75/60)ACTIVE: This character takes time to line up the perfect shot, dealing massive damage to a single target at a huge range. Enemy champions can intercept the bullet for their ally.Takes a second to line up the perfect shot on an enemy Champion at up to 2000/2500/3000 range. The shot deals 250/475/700 (+200% bonus Attack Damage) physical damage, but other enemy Champions can intercept it.

Strategy

  • Caitlyn excels in dealing attack damage at long distances. Her (Q) Piltover Peacemaker lets you harass and farm at a safe distance when in lane. Remember to take advantage of Caitlyn’s Headshot (passive) – when in lane, you can time your auto attacks to either hit your enemy laners or ensure last-hitting minions.
  • Hitting single enemies with (Q) Piltover Peacemaker deals massive damage.
  • You can combo your (E) 90 Caliber Net to your (Q) Piltover Peacemaker when by directing your Q right after you E hits the enemy champion for significant damage.
  • Master your placement of (W) Yordle Snap Trap, as it is instrumental in maximizing Caitlyn’s damage. Caitlyn basic attacks deal bonus attack damage to enemy champions who step into one of your traps.
  • Place your (W) Yordle Snap Traps to zone the opposing champions to where you want them to be.
  • Practice where Caitlyn’s (E) 90 Caliber Net can go through (i.e. small ledges, gaps, etc.). This is essential for Caitlyn’s positioning and survival.
  • Enemies slowed by your (E) 90 Caliber Net can be dealt bonus attack damage from Caitlyn’s basic attack.

Runes & Masteries

COMING SOON

Summoner Spells

Bot Lane
 
Flash Heal

Item Builds

Bot Lane

Starter Items 1
 Doran's Blade warding totem icon
Doran’s Blade Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation Warding Totem

Starter Items 1

This is the standard starting items for most AD Carries. Doran’s Blade provides decent damage and lifesteal at early game, while Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation gives health regeneration.

Starter Items 2
Cull Icon   warding totem icon
Cull Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation Warding Totem

Starter Items 2

This starter item set focuses on winning your lane via Creep Score. Caitlyn is an item-dependent ADC and needs all the gold she can get quick in order to dish out damage. Cull assists players to get to their main items faster, provided they are keen on keeping up their Creep Score during the laning phase.

Starter Items 3
 dorans shield icon   warding totem icon
Doran’s Shield Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation Warding Totem

Starter Items 3

For more defensive-minded players, starting with Doran’s Shield is a good choice. It provides good coverage for pokes with its passive skill, and it helps players get their Creep Score.

Core Items

Core Items
Infinity edge icon  Boots of speed icon
Infinity Edge Runaan’s Hurricane Berserker’s Greaves

Runaan’s Hurricane – This item offers Caitlyn good Attack Speed values and provides her with creep wave clearing due to its passive which lets her attack multiple targets per her basic attack (up to two more targets).

Full Build

Full Build
 Infinity edge icon Statikk Shiv Icon
Infinity Edge Runaan’s Hurricane Statikk Shiv
 Berserker's Greaves  Guardian angel icon
Berserker’s Greaves Guardian Angel  The Bloodthirster

Caitlyn relies on items to increase her impact in games. Players who want to use Caitlyn should remember that apart from the standard Attack Damage items, Caitlyn truly shines when she gets her Attack Speed items.

Stattik Shiv – Another item that provides Caitlyn good Attack Speed values, Stattik Shiv also gives Caitlyn increased Critical Strike chances whenever she uses basic attacks, apart from a unique passive that adds a bouncing chain attack that procs whenever its charge reaches 100. This is a good option to consider when you already have Infinity Edge, as Stattik Shiv’s Critical Strike chance complements with Infinity Edge’s increased Critical Strike damage values. Moreover, Statikk Shiv synergizes well with Caitlyn’s Headshot passive, as her 7th auto attack can proc Shiv’s passive, dealing massive damage provided Statikk Shiv as a full charge.

Situational Items
 Rapid Firecannon Icon Phantom dancer icon  
Rapid Firecannon Phantom Dancer Mercurial Scimitar
 Blade of the Ruined King Icon  lord dominiks regards icon Mortal Reminder Icon
Blade of the Ruined King Lord Dominik’s Regards Mortal Reminder

Situational Items

Apart from her (E) 90 Caliber Net, Caitlyn has limited mobility and often depends on proper placement and peeling from her teammates during clashes. As such, most of the items that build off Zeal are useful, as it provides her with movement speed and attack speed, respectively.

Rapid Fire Cannon – This item further increases Caitlyn’s auto attack range (when it is fully charged), movement speed, Attack Speed and enhances her Critical Damage chance. Given that she already has an advantage when it comes to her attack range, Rapid Fire Cannon offers good item coverage for what she needs.

Phantom Dancer – This item increases Caitlyn’s dueling potential against opposing ADCs. Phantom Dancer increases Attack Speed, Movement Speed, and Critical Strike Chance. But what makes this item viable is its passive, Lament, which grants 12% damage reduction against the last enemy champion Caitlyn hits. This item is extremely useful for those pesky assassins and divers who often go after ADCs.

Mercurial Scimitar – If the enemy team packs heavy Crowd Control, players can opt to buy Mercurial Scimitar. It provides an active self-cast spell that negates crowd control effects.

Blade of the Ruined King / Lord Dominik’ Regards – These two items are often acquired to address enemy teams that comprise of tanky champions, or champions that stack with health and armor items.

Mortal Reminder – This item is a good option to address enemy champions who are reliant on Health Regeneration, Lifesteal and Spell Vamp.

Playing Against

  • Caitlyn relies on getting her items to provide consistent damage for her team. You can coordinate with your team to gank her lane and effectively disrupt her Creep Score.
  • Like most ADCs, Caitlyn is susceptible to Crowd Control. Given that she has high damage, it would be best to prioritize on eliminating her first during team fights.
  • During the laning phase, try to avoid getting hit by her (Q) Piltover Peacemaker. It is advisable to hide behind your minion wave to mitigate its damage.
  • Be mindful where Caitlyn places her (W) Yordle Snap Trap. It is better to avoid stepping on them, as Caitlyn can dish out massive damage against trapped champions.
  • Caitlyn’s (R) Ace in the Hole can be blocked by your allied champions. It is crucial that when she lines up and targets a low-health champion, you get into her line of sight and to take the damage. Consequently, if you’re the one being targeted by (R) Ace in the Hole, you need to position yourself in between an ally champion that has more health in order to avoid being killed.

Hard Counter

Sivir – Her Spell Shield skill can effectively negate Caitlyn’s (W) Yordle Snap Traps. Sivir can also control her lane, as she has strong lane pushing capability.

Jinx – She has considerable attack range and her auto attacks become splash damage whenever she uses her Switcheroo! skill. Good Jinx players can beat Caitlyn players in the lane due to her high Creep Score potential. Jinx’s Flame Chompers can also trap Caitlyn, leaving her vulnerable to auto attacks, skills and other spells from the enemy lane.

Varus – Varus provides decent poke damage against Caitlyn during the laning phase. His fully-charged Piercing Arrow can go through minion waves and hit Caitlyn for massive damage. Furthermore, his ultimate, Chain of Corruption, gives decent Crowd Control and when it hits Caitlyn, it can leave her susceptible to follow up damage.

Braum – Braum can stun Caitlyn if he gets close enough to her, allowing his teammates to get a quick kill. Moreover, he can also block most of Caitlyn’s attacks and spells, especially her (R) Ace in the Hole, with his Unbreakable skill without taking too much damage.

Strategy video

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