[This article has been updated for patch 10.14]
Patch 10.14 saw a few changes that shook the meta for Summoner Rift’s bottom lane. To be specific, Ezreal got his mobility nerfed courtesy of the increased cooldown on his Arcane Shift while Varus got nerfs to both Piercing Arrow and Hail of Arrows. This gave rise to a new best bot lane combos in League of Legends that you should definitely consider giving a shot!
League of Legends Best Bot Lane Combo – The Rundown
If you want to start tearing up the bottom lane ASAP, we have a quick list of bot lane combos for you. To avoid confusion, we’ll start with the marksman followed by the support champion.
- Ashe and Taric – Strong lane presence with good late game
- Jinx and Soraka – Hypercarry with relatively safe laning
- Jhin and Lulu – Insane burst damage and range with good peel
- Draven and Sona – Good all-in potential with minimal downtime
How exactly do these champion combos work so well? Let’s take a closer look at each combo and see how the champs complement each other
Combo 1: Ashe and Taric
Ashe – The Frost Archer is one of League’s most beginner-friendly champs. She has a decent attack range thanks to her Ranger’s Focus (Q) is a straight-forward DPS boost, while Volley (W) provides her with a poke or a wave clear. In terms of utility, her Frost Shots passive provides soft CC, while Hawkshot (E) allows her to check the map for possible ambushes. Enchanted Crystal Arrow is a global skill shot ultimate that does good damage while also providing hard CC.
Taric – Taric’s a tank that specializes in keeping his teammates safe from trading or ignoring attacks. His Bravado passive is great for making sure he keeps his Starlight’s Touch (Q) ready for sustained heals in case of an extended team fight. Bastion (W) improves both his and his target’s survivability and Dazzle (E) is a CC that has both offensive and defensive uses. His Cosmic Radiance takes some time to kick in, but it can singlehandedly turn around team fights
Why Does It Work?
Ashe may have an easy to use kit, but it has one weakness: lack of mobility. This made her a prime target for previous bottom lane kings Ezreal and Varus. With those two largely our of the picture, she can finally put her superior range and solid damage to good use. She still lacks burst when her ultimate is on cooldown. However, this is where Taric’s insane peel, sustain, and CC come in handy.
Combo 2: Jinx and Soraka
Jinx – If you’re looking for a versatile marksman, you can’t go wrong with Jinx. Switcheroo! (Q) lets her choose between fast, single target DPS or long-range AOE raw damage. While she does not have any teleports or dashes, her Flame Chompers! (E) offer some degree of safety. Her Zap! (E) provides good poke damage and soft CC, while her Super Mega Death Rocket! (R) is great for executing enemy champs or attempting to steal objectives like Baron and Dragon.
Soraka – The Children of the Stars is a favorite support player that specializes in sustaining and zoning. Starcall (Q) is a great way to get some form of sustain while also keeping her HP topped up. This synergizes well with her Astral Infusion (E), which is one of the better non-ult heals in the game. Equinox (E) is also a big threat to bursty champs who rely on abilities to win trades. Her Wish ultimate is great for team fights but is also an excellent way to negate enemy attempts to trade during the late laning phase.
Why Does It Work?
Jinx has a rather awkward early game, which means early games tend to be dictated by the opponent’s actions. With Soraka by her side, the enemy gets fewer opportunities to exploit Jinx’s early game. When she hits her power spike, Soraka is only one of the few champs that can effectively keep up with her sudden burst of mobility.
Combo 3: Jhin and Lulu
Jhin – The Virtuoso doesn’t have much in terms of trading, especially because of his passive. However, his excellent range and excellent raw damage when his Whisper passive’s fourth shot is loaded makes him a very potent harasser. His Captive Audience (E) is mainly used for keeping enemies from getting too close. Dancing Grenade (Q) can be used for all-ins or as a tool for poking enemies standing too close to the minion line. All of these leads in to marking targets with the passive from Deadly Flourish (W), which means anyone touched by Jhin and his support is in danger of being rooted and taking a lot of damage.
Lulu – Easily one of the most versatile champions in the roster, the Fae Sorceress offers plenty of offensive an defensive perks for her lane partners. As a support, she can use Help, Pix! (E) to use her ally as a firing point for her Glitterlance (Q) and the passive autoattack from Pix. Whimsy (W) can be used as a CC tool for peeling or as an attack steroid for the marksman. Last but not least, her Wild Growth Ultimate is one of the best abilities when it comes to denying the enemy’s burst capabilities.
Why Does It Work?
Jhin has two glaring weaknesses: a lack of ability to disengage and consistent downtime when his fourth shot isn’t loaded. With Lulu in the bot lane, these weaknesses stop being an issue. Did someone jump on Jhin? Lulu can just E->W->Q. And don’t think this combo works only because of the peels. Tagging enemies with Jhin’s mark is a trivial matter, thanks to Pix and Glitterlance. It means that Jhin almost always has a chance to root anybody to set them up for a kill.
Combo 4: Draven and Sona
Draven – A Draven player who can consistently juggle two or more axes from his Spinning Axe (Q) will easily out-damage everyone in a typical game of League. He lacks range, but Stand Aside (E), Blood Rush (Q), and Whirling Death ultimate are all there to allow him to get close enough and Juggle his spinning axes. Last but not least, his League of Draven passive helps ensure that he earns gold faster than the enemy marksman. Thos means he can get his key items faster for early power spikes.
Sona – Outside of her Crescendo ultimate, Sona’s kit has less flair than your typical supports. However, she excels at providing consistent utility. She can always heal a bit with Aria of Perseverance (W). Sona can also boost speed for a bit with Song of Celerity (E). She can even poke for a bit with Hymn of Valor (Q). Good Sona players who can manage her Power Chord passive will be able to consistently make a bigger impact, but don’t expect a lot of fancy plays.
Why Does It Work?
Draven isn’t the best when it comes to range, so he has to commit to more all-ins than your typical meta marksman. However, Draven’s flair for dramatic big plays is perfectly matched by Sona’s consistent gameplay. She can provide pressure to make sure Draven doesn’t charge next time without the health advantage. Should he decide to go all in, she can boost his speed during or after Blood Rush. Last but not least, she can top off whatever HP Draven lost during his last all-in attempt. Sona just does a great job of minimizng Draven’s downtime.
Other Great combos worth mentioning
While the three combos in our list are considered the best bot lane combos in Season 9, there are other notable bot lane pairs that are worth mentioning. Let’s do a brief rundown on these duos.
Lucian and Braum – This combination was League of Legends’ best bot lane combo for multiple seasons, thanks to how easy Lucian can guarantee a stun courtesy of Braum’s passive. However, changes to the meta has pushed this combo to the sidelines in favor of meta champs (although it is still a strong combo overall).
Xayah and Rakan– The game’s dedicated duo were considered top-tier threats in the bot lane for a time, but even champ-specific skill bonuses weren’t enough to keep them at the top of the rankings, especially after hefty nerfs on Xayah’s kit. While both champs remain as solid picks, they are no longer as dangerous as they were before.
Kog’Maw and Lulu – Kog’Maw’s insane damage and range is offset by its lack of defensive tools. This is where Lulu’s shields, speed boosts, and CC peel comes in handy. Unfortunately, Season 9’s meta greatly favors mobility and high burst damage, which means Kog’Maw is not as relevant as he is anymore.
League of Legends Best Bot Lane Combo – Conclusion
This wraps up our discussion on League of Legends’ best bot lane combo. We hope this has helped you find the right champion to play with your lane partner. Want to know more about the game? Click here for even more League-related content
