Rising Spell Force (Passive)

Every time Ezreal hits a target with an ability, he gains a stack of Rising Spell Force. Each stack gives him bonus attack speed, stacking up to five times. In Mayhem, where cooldowns are short and spell casts are constant, you hit max stacks almost instantly. This turns him into a machine gun between spell rotations.

Use this to take towers and win extended brawls. The attack speed steroid is massive, so weaving auto-attacks between Qs is not optional—it is your main damage source. If you only cast spells and never right-click, you lose a huge chunk of your DPS.

Stacks fall off quickly if you stop hitting abilities. In a messy teamfight, this is rarely an issue, but if you whiff a full rotation, your damage drops significantly until you land something again.

Mystic Shot (Q)

Ezreal fires a skillshot that applies on-hit effects and reduces the cooldown of all his other abilities by a flat amount if it connects. This is the engine of the entire kit. In Mayhem, the cooldown reduction feels almost broken because Q itself is on a very short cooldown. Landing one Q brings your E and W back up almost instantly.

Targeting is straightforward: it is a linear skillshot that stops on the first unit hit. You use it to fish for damage, last-hit minions under the tower, and check bushes. It applies Sheen effects, so always auto-attack immediately after casting if the target is in range.

In the early game, use Q to poke enemies off the wave and to trigger your Passive. Do not spam it mindlessly into minion waves if you are trying to harass a champion behind them; the projectile stops on the first target. You need to find angles or wait for the wave to thin out.

In teamfights, Q is your reset button. Hit a tank, get your cooldowns back, and look for a W or E play. If you miss Q in a duel, you lose the CDR, which means your escape (E) stays on cooldown longer. That is the punishment window: a missed Q leaves you vulnerable for a few critical seconds.

Leveling priority: Max this first. It is your primary damage tool and cooldown accelerator.

Essence Flux (W)

Ezreal fires an energy bolt that passes through minions but only attaches to champions or objectives. It deals magic damage and marks the target. Hitting the target with an ability or auto-attack detonates the mark, dealing bonus damage based on their maximum health and healing Ezreal if it was a champion.

In Mayhem, the healing on W is noticeable. It makes sustain fights very winnable. The damage is magic, which helps you shred through enemies stacking armor. Use W to set up burst combos: W into Q or W into E is your standard trade pattern.

Targeting is easier than Q because it goes through minions. You can use it to harass freely from behind a wave. However, the projectile is slower and narrower, so good opponents will sidestep it if you are predictable.

Early on, use W to sustain yourself and set up short trades. If you land W, immediately follow with Q to proc the mark and heal. If you miss W, you lose the heal and the burst potential, but the cooldown is manageable.

In teamfights, spam W on cooldown to keep your health up and add damage to your rotation. Prioritize hitting the marked target to trigger the heal. The punishment for wasting W is mostly lost sustain; you do not lose cooldown resets like you do with Q, but you miss out on crucial healing in a poke war.

Leveling priority: Max this second for the heal and burst, or third if you desperately need the E cooldown, though maxing W is generally better for Mayhem's sustain meta.

Arcane Shift (E)

Ezreal blinks to a target location and fires a homing bolt at the nearest enemy unit. This is your escape, your reposition tool, and your finisher. In Mayhem, the blink distance and cooldown are generous, making Ezreal incredibly slippery.

Hit logic is simple: you blink, and the game finds the nearest valid target in range to shoot. This includes minions, monsters, and champions. Be very careful about blinking near low-health minions; the bolt will waste on them instead of the enemy champion you are trying to kill.

Use E aggressively only when you have a clear kill or when your Q is up to reset the cooldown. A common combo is E in, W-Q immediately to proc the mark and start resetting. If you E in and miss Q, you are stuck in the middle of the enemy team with no escape.

Early fights revolve around using E to dodge key enemy abilities or to close the gap for a surprise W-Q combo. Do not use it just to move faster down the lane; walking is safer. Save the blink for when the enemy engages on you.

In teamfights, E is your "get out of jail free" card. Use it to dodge CC or reposition when divers jump on you. If you waste E for damage, you have no answer to a hard engage. The punishment for wasting E is severe: you become an easy target for assassins or crowd control, often leading to instant death.

Leveling priority: Max this last. The cooldown reduction per level is nice, but the damage gain is minimal compared to Q and W.

Trueshot Barrage (R)

Ezreal channels briefly and fires a global ultimate that deals massive damage to everything it passes through. Damage is reduced by a percentage for each unit hit, but in Mayhem, the base damage is high enough that it still hurts even after passing through a wave.

Use R to start fights, snipe low-health enemies recalling under their tower, or clear waves when you are pushed back. Because Mayhem is a constant brawl, you will have R up frequently. Do not hoard it for the perfect play; using it to chunk the entire enemy team before a fight is often better than saving it for a kill.

Targeting requires prediction. The projectile is wide but not instant. Enemies with high mobility can sidestep it if they see it coming from a distance. Fire from fog of war or during moments when the enemy is distracted or crowd-controlled.

Early on, use R to impact other lanes or to turn a losing fight. In ARAM Mayhem, this usually means firing down the lane to soften the enemy team before you engage. If you miss R completely, you lose a huge chunk of burst and pressure, but the cooldown is low enough that you will get another chance soon.

In teamfights, fire R when the enemy is grouped or locked down by your teammates' CC. A well-placed R can turn a close fight into a wipe. The punishment for wasting R is mostly lost pressure; you lose the ability to force the enemy to recall or to start a fight on your terms.

Leveling priority: Put points in R whenever available (levels 6, 11, 16).