As AD Carry, is it better to stay alive and attack harder targets than to kill enemy carries?

Solution 1:

You should always be targeting the immediate threat. If the bruiser is the one dealing out all of the damage then attack them. You should never be targeting the tank. That's what they want you to do. Killing the tank may give you an advantage, but all that time spent killing him could have been spent killing everyone but him.

However, don't play risky. I hate to say it, but don't ever especially in solo que rely on the tank or the support to keep you alive. Not only is it a very tough task since you can be killed so easily, but that also assumes that the tank/support knows what they are doing (which is rare) Staying alive especially late game as the carry is very essential, being that you are the primary damage dealer and your death could mean a hard push on your team or even an ace. Also, you will most likely be losing some stacks, bloodthirster or something of that nature.

If your team is mad at you for not targeting the right people, make sure you know who the threat is going into a teamfight and know where they position themselves. If you have to seperate from the team to get a good attack advantage don't be afraid to. The brush is a very good friend of the squishy AD carry.

Solution 2:

As an AD carry your damage potential is only limited by your survivability, so your positioning in team fights is paramount. In team fights you should always prioritize the enemy carries, but do not sacrifice your positioning to attack these high-value targets.