Caitlyn
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Excellent (8/10)
High Investment Required
Epic Relics
Paid Relics
Caitlyn is a high-ceiling champion who transforms from inconsistent to a powerhouse with heavy investment. While her base 3-star form can struggle with RNG and consistency, her 6-star power and specific Epic relics turn her into a premier control and burn champion capable of clearing the hardest content.
Ace in the Hole (Optimal)
Essential for consistency. It recycles 'missed' Flashbombs (those that deal overkill damage) back into the deck, ensuring her trap density remains lethal and mitigating RNG.
Provides immediate value by triggering Flashbombs whenever you play a 3+ cost card. This proactively clears the board rather than waiting for the opponent to draw cards.
At 6 stars, this ensures you have the mana to cast 'Ace in the Hole' every round, maintaining immense pressure and removal.
Strategy
This build maximizes the power of her 6-star constellation. Hextech Rifle and Harmless Scarecrow create a loop of trap generation and activation, while Hidden Tome ensures you can always cast your win condition.
The Finisher (Burst)
- Maintains trap density to ensure strikes deal maximum damage.
Triggers an immediate Nexus strike upon summon. Since Caitlyn deals damage equal to triggered traps on strike, this converts her into a massive burn spell.- A second copy doubles the immediate burn damage, often ending games the moment she hits the board.
Strategy
A setup designed to bypass board states and nuke the enemy Nexus. It is particularly effective if you can delay the game slightly to build up a critical mass of traps before dropping Caitlyn.
Sustainable Control (F2P/Rare)
Generates a 'Piltover Peacemaker' every round (via her champion spell). This allows for consistent trap generation and ensures you always have a Caitlyn in hand to replay if she is removed.
Provides a strike on summon to trigger her trap-damage ability and remove a unit.- Adds a second strike for board clear and burn, effectively utilizing her high attack stat.
Strategy
For players without premium relics, this build focuses on grinding out the opponent. Use the fleeting champion spell to stack Flashbombs and items, and use Stalker's Blade to control the board.
Other Relic Options
Useful for consistency in drawing Caitlyn and creating copies of her champion spell, though often less impactful than damage-focused relics.
Powerful for doubling 'Ace in the Hole' and other spells in slower matchups, but Caitlyn often wins before reaching 6 mana.
A necessary defensive option in adventures with heavy removal or Mutators like 'Misbegotten'.
While 'Mischiefmaker's Flute' is sometimes discussed, it is generally considered suboptimal compared to Harmless Scarecrow as Caitlyn does not strike frequently enough to maximize its value.
Constellation
Caitlyn is extremely constellation-dependent. Her 1-star and 3-star powers (doubling and tripling trap damage) are fundamental to her kit. Without her 'support stars' (intermediate nodes), her trap generation feels lackluster. She requires significant investment to feel 'complete'.
Caught In My Trap
Your traps deal double damage.
On the Case
+1 Starting Mana. When an ally is summoned or attacks, plant a Flashbomb Trap in the top 8 cards of the enemy deck.
Caught In My Trap II
Your traps deal triple damage.
Officer Backup
Game Start: Summon Sting Officer.Review
Summons a Sting Officer with items. While decent for early blocking and planting traps, it is often overshadowed by the immense power of her 6th star.
Manaflow
Game Start: Get a mana gem.Review
Provides Manaflow. This is crucial for aggressive strategies, allowing you to drop Caitlyn on Turn 1 or play multiple 3-cost cards earlier to trigger Harmless Scarecrow.
Perfect Aim
Round Start: Create an Ace in the Hole in hand if you don't have one. When one of your traps activates, reduce its cost by 1.Review
A massive game-changer. It generates 'Ace in the Hole', a powerful removal and burn tool that scales with trap triggers. It drastically alters her playstyle from passive trap-waiting to active removal and Nexus sniping.
Gameplay Tips
The Switcheroo Specialist
Caitlyn is arguably the best champion for the 'Switcheroo' weekly mutator. Her starting deck is intentionally filled with weak cards, which cripples the AI when decks are swapped. Furthermore, her star powers function independently of her deck, allowing you to win using the AI's deck while they struggle with yours.
Trap Mechanics and 'Missed' Shots
Her signature relic, Hextech Rifle, refunds Flashbombs that 'miss'. A 'miss' is defined as a trap that activates but hits nothing (e.g., empty board) or deals overkill damage. Importantly, traps on cards that are tossed do not count as missed and are lost forever.
Milling as a Win Condition
Caitlyn is one of the few champions who can viably win by milling the opponent. Between her traps forcing draws and the sheer volume of cards the AI draws to process Flashbombs, long games often end in the opponent decking out. This is a viable strategy against high-health bosses like The Watcher or Baron.
Aggressive Support Drafting
Because Caitlyn's own deck provides the control, look for support champions that accelerate the game or multiply damage. Teemo is a top-tier support pick; his ability to plant Puffcaps synergizes with Caitlyn's trap multipliers, often resulting in triple damage mushrooms.
Managing the Board
Caitlyn struggles against 'Go Wide' (swarm) strategies and high-health/Regen units if she cannot stick on the board. Prioritize drafting defensive powers like Stun or Frostbite to survive the early turns until your trap density reaches critical mass.