06-30-2011, 03:50 PM
This is my first guide, so this will be a bit unorganized and a bit rushed.
This guide is meant for players that have some familiarity to the game and know some of the lingo that goes within the game.
[spoiler]Due to the recent influx of rage inducing players that has no idea on how to play Akali, I take it upon myself to create a guide to encourage more Brb.uers to play someone that has a high skill ceiling.
[/spoiler]
Akali is one of the champions that I used quite a lot, whether it is solo or team queue. She can deal high amounts of damage and can manage to get the top amount of kills in the game. However, she has a high learning curve that tends to make her an unlikely choice.
There are many pros and cons to considered when playing Akali.
Pros:
Deals high amounts of burst
Her passive (which I can explain later)
Great mid game and decent late game
Can get fed pretty significantly, make Mejai's a decent choice
A great escape
Can strike fear into enemies
Cons:
Hard to farm in the earlier game unless you can last hit well
Squishy
Lack of CC control save for shroud
Late game can tend to run off
Oracles can shut her escape down
Her cons tend to push everyone away. After all, they are significant. However, it's not significant enough to warrant her into the garbage tier.
I'll start off with the rune and mastery page to get you started. You need runes and masteries that gives Akali 10 AD and 20 AP. The reason being is her passive. For the first 10 points of AD she gains, she gets 10% spell vamp. For the 20 points of AP she receives, she can deal 10% more bonus damage in magic. It is practically mandatory that you at least get her AD up by 10 points for the spell vamp. She needs the spell vamp to offset her early game squishiness.
For my masteries, I put points under 14/16/0. Reason being to make her less squishy and to activate her passive along with some spell penetration.
Summoner Spells:
Ghost - A great tool for chasing as well as positioning
Ignite - If you picked up Burning Embers under the offensive tree, then this is a really good choice for Akali. The 10 AP bonus upon cooldown is a great boon under the earlier game as well as the reduced healing against opponents like Vlad and Mundo.
Flash - I don't like this spell, but it is a viable spell for Akali due to its both offensive and defensive properties.
Exhaust - If you don't like ignite, then pick this instead. This is great to slow enemies down.
Usual Build (key items are bold):
Start off with a Doran's Blade (if you don't have the AD portion of her passive active) or Boots and three health potions
Hextech revolver (but don't build Gun Blade until late game or sell it for something else at late game)
Merc Trends or Sorc Shoes (if team has only one that has a hard cc)
[b]Rylai's
Lichbane[/b]
Banshee's Veil
Deathcap or Hourglass
Good items:
Void Staff
Abyssal Scepter
Gunblade
Thornmail (for heavy enemy AD)
Quick Sliver Sash (Warwick, Malzahar)
Will of the Ancients
Remember, you have to build against the team you are facing. Do not follow the build gu`ide exactly. Make the necessary changes to the build when facing against the specific team.
Not recommended items:
Trinity Force (Great, but not great for Akali)
Boots of Swiftness
Reason for the build:
Doran's Blade is a given. You have to activate her passive.
Boots and three potions is if you have her AD portion of her passive down
The revolver is to give some sustainability for the spell vamp and to help deal extra magic damage.
Rylai's is a good item for the extra hp and the slow for spells as well as the AP
Lichbane is needed to deal extra damage after casting a spell, since the proc adds Akali's AP on to a physical attack
Banshee's Veil is needed on every champion since it can block magic attacks, some of which can deal a stun or do heavy damage
Deathcap and Hourglass are two items that is dependent on the enemy team and I usually switch around them.
Merc trends are a good item against a team that is dependent on magic attacks or on crowd control abilities like slows and stuns
Sometimes, I switched the banshee's with the Abyssal if I feel that the CC isn't a threat or a factor.
If the enemy team is using magic resist items, then get a Void Staff for the 40% penetration.
WoA is a great item for team fights and if your team happens to be more spell dependent.
Gunblade is more of a luxury item and I would stay off of building it until after a Deathcap or Lichbane
My thoughts on Mejai's:
Great item if you can snowball the team. I always assumed the worst during late game. If you are rolling the enemy team, then by all means, get it.
Skills (in a nutshell):
Mark of the Assassin (Q) - Throws a kama at a target dealing magic damage and leaving a mark on the target. Attack that target with a physical attack will, essentially, make the kama explode dealing addition magic damage. This skill is and always will be the first spell to max as the slow from Rylai's will make this a great single target slowing tool.
Twilight Shroud (W) - Throws a cloud of smoke. If an enemy enters the smoke, they are slowed. If Akali enters it, she gains invisibility and some defense bonuses as well. Attacking from the shroud will caused her to reappear. This is a great escape as well as a good offensive tool as well. Be careful, oracles or a pink ward will leave Akali very venerable.
Crescent Slash (E) - Akali attacks everyone around her in one swoop. This skill is meant to be used for farming, but it is great during team fights for the slow from Rylai's as well as ensuring a kill.
Shadow Dance ® - Once Akali gets a point in this skill, she will gain a Mark of Shadows. The marks will fill up to three times and will recharge itself if she kills or helps kill an enemy or through time. She will charge at an enemy dealing magic damage and will allow her to be at melee range at target enemy. This skill allows Akali to be a great pursuer since the range is good enough to chase, but do not use it to engage first into the enemy unless you want to gank a lonely enemy or if you are sure that the enemy does not have heavy cc.
Skill order:
Get a point into every skill
Max Q first follow by E and then W last. If you reached to level 6, 11, and 16, put a point into R.
To play:
Try to get a solo lane or mid, since she is a great candidate for both, unless you preferred someone else like Ashe or Twisted Fate to take it. Last hit minions using auto attacks, using Q, or using E. You need the farm in case you cannot get a kill or an assist against enemy laners. Once you get R, Akali really starts to shine, as she can rush the opponent and deal significant amounts of damage. I usually like to head towards mid for a gank if I get a duo lane, since R is a great tool to gank helpless opponents. During the course of the game, your primary target is the squishy, or the ones that have the lowest amount of magic resist/health. The job of an assassin is to beat up the squishy so that the enemy will not have the damage dealing power it once had. Make it a 5v4 so that your team has the advantage.
Take heed. You will be either the first or second in line to get a beating if you make yourself a threat. That's ok, because the enemy team can sometimes be unorganized when targeting a person. Remember to rush at the squishy once the tank or tanky initiator enters the fight first. Use the shroud to your advantage to slow the enemy attacks and to slow them down.
Use these combos to achieve some significant burst: Q, R, E or R, Q, R, E.
I hope you all enjoy my words of wisdom when using this Ninja champion. Now go on and show these noobs how to "Honor the blade's edge."
This guide is meant for players that have some familiarity to the game and know some of the lingo that goes within the game.
[spoiler]Due to the recent influx of rage inducing players that has no idea on how to play Akali, I take it upon myself to create a guide to encourage more Brb.uers to play someone that has a high skill ceiling.
[/spoiler]
Akali is one of the champions that I used quite a lot, whether it is solo or team queue. She can deal high amounts of damage and can manage to get the top amount of kills in the game. However, she has a high learning curve that tends to make her an unlikely choice.
There are many pros and cons to considered when playing Akali.
Pros:
Deals high amounts of burst
Her passive (which I can explain later)
Great mid game and decent late game
Can get fed pretty significantly, make Mejai's a decent choice
A great escape
Can strike fear into enemies
Cons:
Hard to farm in the earlier game unless you can last hit well
Squishy
Lack of CC control save for shroud
Late game can tend to run off
Oracles can shut her escape down
Her cons tend to push everyone away. After all, they are significant. However, it's not significant enough to warrant her into the garbage tier.
I'll start off with the rune and mastery page to get you started. You need runes and masteries that gives Akali 10 AD and 20 AP. The reason being is her passive. For the first 10 points of AD she gains, she gets 10% spell vamp. For the 20 points of AP she receives, she can deal 10% more bonus damage in magic. It is practically mandatory that you at least get her AD up by 10 points for the spell vamp. She needs the spell vamp to offset her early game squishiness.
For my masteries, I put points under 14/16/0. Reason being to make her less squishy and to activate her passive along with some spell penetration.
Summoner Spells:
Ghost - A great tool for chasing as well as positioning
Ignite - If you picked up Burning Embers under the offensive tree, then this is a really good choice for Akali. The 10 AP bonus upon cooldown is a great boon under the earlier game as well as the reduced healing against opponents like Vlad and Mundo.
Flash - I don't like this spell, but it is a viable spell for Akali due to its both offensive and defensive properties.
Exhaust - If you don't like ignite, then pick this instead. This is great to slow enemies down.
Usual Build (key items are bold):
Start off with a Doran's Blade (if you don't have the AD portion of her passive active) or Boots and three health potions
Hextech revolver (but don't build Gun Blade until late game or sell it for something else at late game)
Merc Trends or Sorc Shoes (if team has only one that has a hard cc)
[b]Rylai's
Lichbane[/b]
Banshee's Veil
Deathcap or Hourglass
Good items:
Void Staff
Abyssal Scepter
Gunblade
Thornmail (for heavy enemy AD)
Quick Sliver Sash (Warwick, Malzahar)
Will of the Ancients
Remember, you have to build against the team you are facing. Do not follow the build gu`ide exactly. Make the necessary changes to the build when facing against the specific team.
Not recommended items:
Trinity Force (Great, but not great for Akali)
Boots of Swiftness
Reason for the build:
Doran's Blade is a given. You have to activate her passive.
Boots and three potions is if you have her AD portion of her passive down
The revolver is to give some sustainability for the spell vamp and to help deal extra magic damage.
Rylai's is a good item for the extra hp and the slow for spells as well as the AP
Lichbane is needed to deal extra damage after casting a spell, since the proc adds Akali's AP on to a physical attack
Banshee's Veil is needed on every champion since it can block magic attacks, some of which can deal a stun or do heavy damage
Deathcap and Hourglass are two items that is dependent on the enemy team and I usually switch around them.
Merc trends are a good item against a team that is dependent on magic attacks or on crowd control abilities like slows and stuns
Sometimes, I switched the banshee's with the Abyssal if I feel that the CC isn't a threat or a factor.
If the enemy team is using magic resist items, then get a Void Staff for the 40% penetration.
WoA is a great item for team fights and if your team happens to be more spell dependent.
Gunblade is more of a luxury item and I would stay off of building it until after a Deathcap or Lichbane
My thoughts on Mejai's:
Great item if you can snowball the team. I always assumed the worst during late game. If you are rolling the enemy team, then by all means, get it.
Skills (in a nutshell):
Mark of the Assassin (Q) - Throws a kama at a target dealing magic damage and leaving a mark on the target. Attack that target with a physical attack will, essentially, make the kama explode dealing addition magic damage. This skill is and always will be the first spell to max as the slow from Rylai's will make this a great single target slowing tool.
Twilight Shroud (W) - Throws a cloud of smoke. If an enemy enters the smoke, they are slowed. If Akali enters it, she gains invisibility and some defense bonuses as well. Attacking from the shroud will caused her to reappear. This is a great escape as well as a good offensive tool as well. Be careful, oracles or a pink ward will leave Akali very venerable.
Crescent Slash (E) - Akali attacks everyone around her in one swoop. This skill is meant to be used for farming, but it is great during team fights for the slow from Rylai's as well as ensuring a kill.
Shadow Dance ® - Once Akali gets a point in this skill, she will gain a Mark of Shadows. The marks will fill up to three times and will recharge itself if she kills or helps kill an enemy or through time. She will charge at an enemy dealing magic damage and will allow her to be at melee range at target enemy. This skill allows Akali to be a great pursuer since the range is good enough to chase, but do not use it to engage first into the enemy unless you want to gank a lonely enemy or if you are sure that the enemy does not have heavy cc.
Skill order:
Get a point into every skill
Max Q first follow by E and then W last. If you reached to level 6, 11, and 16, put a point into R.
To play:
Try to get a solo lane or mid, since she is a great candidate for both, unless you preferred someone else like Ashe or Twisted Fate to take it. Last hit minions using auto attacks, using Q, or using E. You need the farm in case you cannot get a kill or an assist against enemy laners. Once you get R, Akali really starts to shine, as she can rush the opponent and deal significant amounts of damage. I usually like to head towards mid for a gank if I get a duo lane, since R is a great tool to gank helpless opponents. During the course of the game, your primary target is the squishy, or the ones that have the lowest amount of magic resist/health. The job of an assassin is to beat up the squishy so that the enemy will not have the damage dealing power it once had. Make it a 5v4 so that your team has the advantage.
Take heed. You will be either the first or second in line to get a beating if you make yourself a threat. That's ok, because the enemy team can sometimes be unorganized when targeting a person. Remember to rush at the squishy once the tank or tanky initiator enters the fight first. Use the shroud to your advantage to slow the enemy attacks and to slow them down.
Use these combos to achieve some significant burst: Q, R, E or R, Q, R, E.
I hope you all enjoy my words of wisdom when using this Ninja champion. Now go on and show these noobs how to "Honor the blade's edge."