Weird Picks #44: Marksman Crittlesticks

Are you just TOO good at playing marksman? Is your champion spacing artistic perfection? Maybe it's time you give everyone else a chance. Actually, maybe it's time you make them THINK you're giving them a chance. If you're looking for a fun non-meta ADC to test out, why don't you give Marksman Crittlesticks a try?

Weird Pick #44

Marksman Crittlesticks

March 2016

Introduction

Are you just TOO good at playing marksman? Is your champion spacing artistic perfection? Maybe it's time you give everyone else a chance. Actually, maybe it's time you make them THINK you're giving them a chance. If you're looking for a fun non-meta ADC to test out, why don't you give Marksman Crittlesticks a try?

How to Play

Primary Runes

Lethal Tempo, Triumph, Legend: Alacrity, Coup de Grace

Secondary Runes

Taste of Blood, Ultimate Hunter

Abilities

Q, E, Q, E then prioritize R > E > Q > W

Core Items

Infinity Edge

Berserker's Greaves

Statikk Shiv

Rapid Firecannon

The Bloodthirster

Lord Dominik's Regards

Why It Works

Long Targeted CC Duration
Weighing in at an absolutely absurd 2.25 seconds of fear time, Crittlesticks has an 11 second cooldown spell with a longer duration than Amumu's ultimate. This allows him to drop in plenty of free hits, allowing him to come out on top of many otherwise unwinnable trades.

Powerful Early Game Nuke

If you manage to drop down the creep wave, Crittlesticks can easily get multiple bounces on a single enemy champion. His base stats on Dark Wind (E) are fairly high, which allows him to trade well, despite having no AD ratios.

Strong Base Damage on Ultimate
Late game, Crittlesticks might find his ultimate to be a bit lacking. However, early on in mid-game, his ultimate is still absolutely devastating and clocks in at 625 damage at level 1. This combined with the fact that you've maxed your fear means that he can easily get a full duration onto a single target with ease.

Potential Pitfalls

Weak Late Game (No AD Ratios or Steroids)
Despite his strong 1v1 abilities early to late game, Crittlesticks contains no true steroids, nor any attack damage ratios to speak of. This means that if he doesn't snowball early on, allies will soon start to wonder if maybe you're trolling.

Reliance On Secondary CC
As a champion that relies primarily on his CC to take down enemy opponents, Crittlesticks as a marksman relies on his support to either deal excellent damage early game to burst enemies during the fear duration, or provide enough CC to keep them occupied. After his initial CC burst, he often loses trades if he continues to push on into a sustained battle.

Conclusions

Crittlesticks is one of those old classics that worked great as a completely unexpected champion selection. With his awkward running animation and stringy-looking attack animations, watching enemies die to this scarecrow is always good for laughs.

Suggested Rating: Low Tier 3/Tier 4

What do you think about Marksman Crittlesticks? Comment below!

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