T1’s Keria Breaks Out Unorthodox Caitlyn Pick in LCK Match
T1’s superstar support, Ryu “Keria” Min-seok, surprised fans with an unconventional Caitlyn pick during his second-week match against Kwangdong Freecs. This unexpected choice has caused many players to consider banning Caitlyn in their ranked games, not to avoid facing her, but to prevent their teammates from picking her.
If you find yourself supporting as Caitlyn, it’s important to note that she heavily relies on the enemy team composition. Since solo queue teammates are not as reliable as pro teams, Caitlyn support should only be picked in specific situations. However, if you do choose to play her, here is the best build to use.
Runes
Keria used the Hail of Blades keystone, along with Taste of Blood, Zombie Ward, and Treasure Hunter. With this keystone, Caitlyn can quickly cast her first three auto attacks, dealing significant poke damage when her opponents are within range. Zombie Ward allows her to place more vision on the map and gain permanent adaptive AD by eliminating wards. Magical Footwear and Biscuit Delivery allow her to stay in lane longer and poke enemies with her abilities during the early game.
Items
For support Caitlyn, it’s best to start with Spectral Sickle for extra poke. Umbral Glaive is an important core item since it helps Caitlyn clear enemy vision quickly and activates her Zombie Ward rune. Chempunk Chainsword is a good choice against healing opponents, while Rapid Firecannon provides Caitlyn with increased range to harass enemies. Lord Dominik’s Regards is useful against tankier opponents, and Infinity Edge can be a strong final item option for increased damage in teamfights.
Why Caitlyn Support Isn’t Ideal for Solo Queue
Caitlyn support can be challenging to pull off successfully since her strength lies in lane and her ability to apply poke pressure against shorter-ranged enemies. In T1’s match against KDF, Keria had the advantage of freely attacking Zeri and Yuumi, who have limited range. If these enemies miss their abilities, they are unable to safely farm until later levels, and Caitlyn and Varus can easily punish them. However, in the later stages of the game, Caitlyn support can become a liability without enough crowd control from her team and struggles against tanky opponents with crowd control.
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