Ezreal’s Passive: Rising Spell Force Explained
Ezreal’s passive, Rising Spell Force, is a crucial element of his kit that significantly impacts his damage output and overall effectiveness. In essence, it grants him attack speed each time he successfully hits an enemy with an ability. This stacked attack speed allows Ezreal to become a formidable force in sustained fights, enabling him to deal significantly more auto-attack damage, especially when weaving spells between attacks.
Understanding Rising Spell Force
Rising Spell Force is a stacking passive that triggers upon landing any of Ezreal’s abilities on an enemy target. This includes his Mystic Shot (Q), Essence Flux (W), Arcane Shift (E), and Trueshot Barrage (R). Each successful hit grants him a stacking bonus of 10% attack speed for 6 seconds. This effect can stack up to 5 times, reaching a maximum of 50% bonus attack speed. It’s important to note that the timer for each stack is independent; refreshing one stack doesn’t refresh all of them. You need to continually hit abilities to maintain the maximum attack speed bonus.
The attack speed gained from Rising Spell Force is vital for Ezreal’s success. He is relatively reliant on weaving auto-attacks between his abilities to maximize his damage output, especially in the later stages of the game. The bonus attack speed from his passive allows him to do this much more effectively, turning him into a high-damage hybrid carry. Mastering the ability to maintain these stacks is a key skill for any aspiring Ezreal player.
Maximizing the Impact of Rising Spell Force
To truly leverage Ezreal’s passive, players need to be mindful of their ability usage and positioning. Here are some key strategies:
- Prioritize Q Hits: Mystic Shot (Q) has a short cooldown, making it the primary tool for stacking and maintaining Rising Spell Force. Focus on landing Qs consistently, even if it means sacrificing a bit of safety to do so.
- Weave Auto-Attacks: Don’t just rely on abilities. Use the increased attack speed to your advantage by weaving auto-attacks between each spell cast. This significantly increases your overall damage output.
- Utilize Essence Flux: Essence Flux (W) is a longer-range ability that can be used to safely stack Rising Spell Force from a distance. It can also be used to apply on-hit effects, further enhancing its utility.
- Strategic Arcane Shift: Arcane Shift (E) is an escape tool, but it can also be used aggressively to secure a kill or to stack Rising Spell Force. Be mindful of its cooldown and use it wisely.
- Ultimate as an Initiator: Trueshot Barrage (R) can be used at the beginning of a team fight to quickly stack Rising Spell Force, allowing you to enter the fight with a significant attack speed advantage.
- Itemization Synergy: Items that provide on-hit effects, such as Muramana, Trinity Force, or Iceborn Gauntlet, synergize exceptionally well with Rising Spell Force, as the increased attack speed allows you to apply these effects more frequently.
Countering Rising Spell Force
While Rising Spell Force is a powerful passive, it’s not invincible. Here are some ways to counter it:
- Punish Aggression: Ezreal needs to be relatively close to the enemy to consistently hit abilities. Punish him when he gets too close, forcing him to retreat and lose his stacks.
- CC and Burst: Crowd control effects, such as stuns and snares, can interrupt Ezreal’s ability casting and prevent him from stacking Rising Spell Force. Burst damage can quickly eliminate him before he has a chance to ramp up his attack speed.
- Mobility and Range: Champions with high mobility or long range can avoid Ezreal’s abilities, making it difficult for him to stack his passive.
- Vision Control: Denying vision can make it harder for Ezreal to safely poke with his Mystic Shot, hindering his ability to stack Rising Spell Force.
- Focus in Team Fights: Don’t let Ezreal freely auto-attack in team fights. Focus him down quickly to prevent him from dealing sustained damage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Does Rising Spell Force stack with other attack speed buffs?
Yes, Rising Spell Force stacks additively with other sources of attack speed, such as items (e.g., Berserker’s Greaves) or other champion abilities. This makes Ezreal extremely potent when combined with other attack speed buffs.
2. Does the attack speed bonus decay if I don’t hit abilities?
Yes, the attack speed bonus from Rising Spell Force decays individually for each stack after 6 seconds. If you fail to hit abilities, your attack speed will gradually decrease.
3. Can I stack Rising Spell Force on minions or monsters?
Yes, Rising Spell Force can be stacked on minions, monsters, and enemy champions alike. This makes it useful for clearing waves and securing jungle camps.
4. Does the effect of Rising Spell Force appear visually?
Yes, Ezreal gains a visual aura around him when Rising Spell Force is active. The intensity of the aura increases with the number of stacks. You can also see the buff stacks displayed above his health bar.
5. Does hitting an enemy with Trueshot Barrage grant multiple stacks of Rising Spell Force?
No, hitting multiple enemies with Trueshot Barrage (R) only grants one stack of Rising Spell Force, despite affecting several units simultaneously.
6. Does Rising Spell Force affect my casting animation speed?
No, Rising Spell Force only affects your attack speed, not your ability casting animation speed.
7. Is there a range limit for stacking Rising Spell Force?
No, there’s no range limit specific to stacking Rising Spell Force, but the range of your abilities dictates how far you can be from your target to effectively stack the passive.
8. Can Rising Spell Force be affected by crowd control?
While crowd control doesn’t directly affect the Rising Spell Force stacks that are already applied, it can prevent Ezreal from gaining new stacks or maintaining existing ones.
9. How important is it to manage Rising Spell Force in lane?
Managing Rising Spell Force in lane is crucial. Consistently landing Mystic Shots allows you to harass your opponent more effectively and gain an early advantage.
10. Does Rising Spell Force affect my attack damage?
No, Rising Spell Force only affects your attack speed, not your attack damage. However, increased attack speed results in more auto-attacks, effectively increasing your overall damage output.
11. Which Ezreal builds synergize best with Rising Spell Force?
Builds that focus on weaving auto-attacks between abilities synergize best with Rising Spell Force. These often include items like Trinity Force, Muramana, and Blade of the Ruined King.
12. What happens if I die with Rising Spell Force active?
Upon death, all stacks of Rising Spell Force are lost. You will need to re-stack the passive after respawning.
13. How does Rising Spell Force interact with attack speed reduction effects?
Attack speed reduction effects, such as those applied by items like Frozen Heart or abilities from champions like Malphite, will reduce Ezreal’s total attack speed, including the bonus gained from Rising Spell Force.
14. Is Rising Spell Force considered a buff that can be purged?
No, Rising Spell Force is not considered a buff that can be purged by abilities that remove buffs.
15. Does using Arcane Shift through an enemy apply a stack of Rising Spell Force?
No, using Arcane Shift (E) doesn’t automatically grant a stack of Rising Spell Force. It must hit an enemy with its damage component to trigger the passive.