Tristana has the best self-peel of any ADC: W jump resets on kills, R knocks enemies away, and her range scales to 669 at level 18. She's an all-in burst ADC early and a scaling monster late.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Draw a Bead
Passive
Increases Tristana's Attack Range as she levels.
Draw a Bead: range increases per level. At level 18, you have 669 range — longest in the game.
Q
Rapid Fire
AS Steroid
Tristana fires her weapon rapidly, increasing her Attack Speed for a short time.
CD: 20/19/18/17/16 · Cost: 30/35/40/45/50
Q gives massive AS boost. Activate before trading.
W
Rocket Jump
Jump · Reset
Tristana fires at the ground to propel her to a distant location, dealing damage and slowing surrounding units for a brief period where she lands.
CD: 22/20/18/16/14 · Cost: 30/35/40/45/50
W is a long-range jump that resets on kills/assists and full E bomb detonations. Chain jumps in fights.
E
Explosive Charge
Bomb · Stack
When Tristana kills a unit, her cannonballs burst into shrapnel, dealing damage to surrounding enemies. Can be activated to place a bomb on a target enemy that explodes after a short duration dealing damage to surrounding units.
CD: 16/15.5/15/14.5/14 · Cost: 50/55/60/65/70
E places a bomb on a target. 4 autos detonate it for massive damage. Fully stacked bomb resets W.
R
Buster Shot
Knockback · Burst
Tristana loads a massive cannonball into her weapon and fires it at an enemy unit. This deals Magic Damage and knocks the target back. If the target is carrying the Explosive Charge bomb, the bomb detonation radius is doubled.
CD: 100 · Cost: 100
R knocks an enemy backward dealing high damage. Use for self-peel or execute.
Skill Leveling Order — Max E first, then Q, then W · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take E — bomb | ||||
| 2 | Take W — jump | ||||
| 3 | Take Q — AS | ||||
| 4 | Level E | ||||
| 5 | Level E | ||||
| 6 | R — Buster Shot | ||||
| 7 | Level E | ||||
| 8 | Level Q | ||||
| 9 | E maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level Q | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level Q | ||||
| 13 | Level Q | ||||
| 14 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 15 | Level W | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level W | ||||
| 18 | E maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Core Build
Kraken Slayer
True damage + Q AS steroid.
3100g
Berserker's Greaves
AS.
1100g
Phantom Dancer
AS + MS for kiting.
2600g
Infinity Edge
Crit multiplier.
3400g
Situational
Lord Dominik's Regards
Armor pen.
2900g
Bloodthirster
Lifesteal.
3400g
Guardian Angel
Revive.
3200g
Kraken → PD → IE. Q AS + W resets = chain-killing carry.
Runes
Precision Primary
Press the Attack
3 autos to expose — matches E bomb stacking.
Triumph
Heal on takedown for W resets.
Legend: Alacrity
AS for faster E stacking.
Coup de Grace
Execute.
Domination Secondary
Taste of Blood
Sustain.
Treasure Hunter
Gold.
Shards
Attack Speed · Adaptive Force · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Tristana
01
Early Game
E Bomb All-In
- Level 2 all-in: W jump onto enemy → E bomb → Q AS → 4 autos = bomb detonation = kill.
- E on tower deals massive damage. Trist is the fastest tower taker in the game.
- W jump is long range. Use to escape or engage.
- R knocks enemies away — self-peel or execute combo.
- Play aggressive early. Your all-in is one of the strongest.
02
Mid Game
W Resets, Tower Taking
- Push towers with E bomb. You take towers faster than any other ADC.
- W resets on kill and full E bomb detonation. Chain jumps in fights.
- R → E bomb for burst: R knocks them away while bomb detonates.
- Range increases per level. You outrange most ADCs by mid-game.
- Q + E + 4 autos = massive single-target burst.
03
Late Game
Longest Range ADC
- 669 range at level 18 — longest of any ADC. You outrange everyone.
- W resets chain through teams. Kill → jump → kill → jump.
- R knocks assassins away. Best self-peel of any carry.
- E bomb on objectives shreds baron/dragon fast.
- You're both a burst ADC (E bomb) and a DPS ADC (range + Q AS).
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Tristana
Tristana bursts with E bomb, self-peels with R, and chains W jumps through the team on kills.
1
Burst — E Bomb
Single target
01
E bomb on the priority target.
02
Q for AS. 4 autos detonate.
03
Full bomb detonation resets W.
Don't W into 5 enemies. Wait for bomb detonation reset, THEN jump.
2
Reset — W Chain Jumps
Cleanup
01
W resets on kill/assist.
02
Jump to the next target.
03
Chain through the entire team.
3
Peel — R Knockback
Self-defense
01
R knocks assassins away.
02
R deals high base damage. Can be used as execute.
03
W away after R for maximum distance.
R → E combo: R knocks them back while E bomb is ticking. They fly away and the bomb detonates mid-air for guaranteed burst.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Tristana.
Basic
E Bomb Stacking
E needs 4 autos to detonate. Q AS boost lets you stack faster. Always Q before E-ing a champion.
Intermediate
W Reset
W resets on kills AND full E bomb detonations. Stack E bomb → detonate → W reset → jump to next target.
Basic
R Self-Peel
R knocks enemies back a long distance. Knock away divers to save yourself.
Advanced
R + E Combo
R while E bomb is on them. They fly backward and the bomb detonates. Guaranteed burst + displacement.
Basic
E on Towers
E bomb on towers deals massive damage. You take towers faster than any ADC in the game.
Intermediate
Range Scaling
Your range increases per level. At 18, you have 669 range — outranging every other ADC.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Tristana struggles against ADCs who outrange her early and champions who can survive her E bomb burst. She excels in all-in lanes.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Caitlyn outranges you until level 13+. Traps under your W landing.
All-in at level 2. Don't let her poke you down.
Ashe perma-slow prevents your W engage.
W over her slow. All-in fast.
Ezreal E blinks away from your all-in.
Wait for his E cooldown, then W → E bomb.
Wins Against
Kog has no escape from W all-in.
W onto Kog → E bomb. He dies.
Twitch is weak in lane. W all-in destroys him.
All-in level 2.
Vayne is weak early. W all-in dominates.
Level 2 all-in. Don't let her scale.