Twitch has a rather unique playstyle as an ADC. His overall macro game is that of a typical marksman but his micromechanics is more similar to that of an Assassin. In this guide, we’ll show you everything you need to know to get you started playing the Plague Rat.

What sets Twitch apart from other ADCs is his ability to enter stealth. The only other ADC who has built in invisibility is Kai’Sa and her stealth doesn’t really have a long duration. Twitch’s stealth combined with his hyper carry kit makes him a nightmare to deal with in the late game, especially during team fights. It takes a while to get things going when playing as Twitch but as soon as you hit your power spikes, you’ll breeze through the game and shred all of your opponents whenever they get too near.

Champion Abilities

Like what we’ve mentioned before, what makes Twitch really standout is his invisibility. This makes him play more like an assassin, carefully picking your spots and looking for the perfect opportunity to strike. His kit revolves around this playstyle while increasing his overall DPS.

Passive – Deadly Venom

Twitch’s attacks infect the target with Deadly Venom, which deals true damage each second, stacking up to 6 times, and lasting up to 6 seconds.

Deadly Venom is one of the most underrated passives in the game. A lot of players tend to underestimate the damage Twitch deals because of this passive. Keeping the stacks up can burn off a huge portion of your enemy’s health. It’s pretty handy when trading against the enemy ADC in the early game.

Q – Ambush

Twitch becomes Camouflaged and gains 10% Movement Speed. This bonus triples when he is nearby an enemy champion that cannot see him. Twitch gains bonus Attack Speed for 5 seconds after exiting Ambush. Ambush resets when a champion dies while affected by Deadly Venom.

This is Twitch’s signature ability and what makes him such a strong champion. Ambush opens up a lot of opportunities for Twitch to just wreak havoc on his enemies especially during team fights. With this ability you can sneak up on your opponents, find a position, and just rip them to shreds with your high damage from your basic attacks.

W – Venom Cask

Twitch hurls a cask that adds a stack of Deadly Venom to all enemies struck and leaves behind a toxic cloud that persists for 3 seconds. Enemies that remain within the cloud have reduced Movement Speed and receive an additional stack of Deadly Venom each second.

Venom Cask is great for setting up kills and a great way to open up a fight right after you use Ambush. The slow from this ability isn’t that strong but buys enough time for your teammates to follow up and initiate a fight. While the ability doesn’t do damage on its own, it still manages to increase your overall DPS since it applies stacks from your passive, Deadly Venom.

E – Contaminate

Deals magic damage to each nearby poisoned enemy, plus physical damage plus (+33.3%) magic damage per stack of Deadly Venom applied to them.

Contaminate is Twitch’s main source of damage when it comes to trading in the laning phase. Chaining it with your other spells and weaving it with your basic attacks can be a very powerful combo that can take out a huge portion of your enemy’s health. As the game goes on, you won’t be relying on Contaminate for damage as much. Instead, you’ll be using this ability to secure kills.

R – Spray and Pray

For 6 seconds, Twitch gains 300 Attack Range and Bonus Attack Damage. For the duration, his basic attacks become piercing bolts that deal 10% less damage to subsequent targets, down to a minimum of 60%. Activating Spray and Pray does not end Camouflage.

Spray and Pray is the reason why Twitch is a hyper carry. When combined with Runaan’s Hurricane and excellent positioning, you can absolutely decimate the enemy team during team fights. It works best when your opponents are caught in a choke point and happen to be grouped together.

Runes and Item Builds

For items, you’ll be focused on building attack damage and attack speed on Twitch. Basically, work towards increasing his overall damage output.

Starting Items

Twitch starts the game like a standard ADC. You’ll go with Doran’s Blade and some Health Potions. This gives Twitch everything he needs in the early game from damage, to some health, and even a bit of life steal. If you’re against opponents who can counter you in the early game, you can just opt for Cull instead to help you farm. 

Mythic Items

All Mythic ADC items are viable on Twitch. It just mostly depends on preference and the situation you find yourself in. The best option of course is Kraken Slayer as it increases Twitch’s overall damage output. However, Galeforce and Immortal Shieldbow aren’t bad choices as well. Take Galeforce if your enemies have a lot of mobility and can get to you very quickly. Galeforce’s active gives you a dash that you can use as an escape tool or as a gap closer against your opponents. Immortal Shieldbow, on the other hand, gives you a lot more survivability and is best used when you have opponents who can easily burst you down.

Full Build

After purchasing your Mythic, the next item you should rush is Runaan’s Hurricane. This item gives you attack speed, critical strike chance, and a bit of move speed. It also turns you into a team fight monster thanks to its passive, Wind Fury, which fires 2 additional bolts whenever you use your basic attack. For boots, always go with Berserker’s Greaves for the attack speed. Next go for Infinity Edge for more crit and damage. For your final two items, build Lord Dominik’s Regard and Mortal Reminder. These items increase your damage against champions who have more health than you and reduce the enemy team’s healing capabilities.

Other Viable Items

Most items meant for ADCs are good and viable on Twitch. The Collector is an excellent pick up as it allows you to instantly execute low health targets. Guardian Angel is a great item that gives you both survivability and damage. Blade of the Ruined King and Bloodthirster are great lifesteal items if you need the sustain. Phantom Dancer is also a decent attack speed item that helps you kite and gives you more attack speed. There are a lot of different item sets that you can use on Twitch so we encourage you to try them all out and see what works best for you.

Runes

For runes, go with the Precision tree and take Press the Attack as your keystone. This increases your overall damage and syncs incredibly well with your attack speed buffs and Kraken Slayer’s passive. Next, take Presence of Mind for the mana regeneration, Legend: Alacrity for the attack speed, and Coup de Grace for more damage on low health champions. For secondaries, take Taste of Blood and Ravenous Hunter from the Domination tree. These will help you increase your sustain and healing capabilities. For rune shards, take Attack Speed, Adaptive Force, and Armor.

Useful Tips

1. Make the most out of the stealth and bonus attack speed from Ambush. Use it to position yourself well during team fights or when setting up a kill. It’s all in the ability’s name. Try to act like what would you do if you were to actually ambush your opponents.
2. Twitch is weak against champions who can burst him down. Champions like Draven, Lucian, and Jhin can easily shut him down because of their high damage output. Try to ban these champions during champ select so you’ll have an easier time.
3. For summoner spells, always take Flash and Heal. If the enemy team has a lot of crowd control, you can swap Heal for Cleanse. 

So there you have it! That’s all you need to know about playing Twitch in League of Legends. Be sure to check back with us again for more awesome guides on your favorite games. Have fun and we’ll see you on the Rift!