Play mind games with her. She'll try to pull you out of your shroud and charm you. Wait for her charm and hard engage after she uses it.
Azir
Easy matchup, but has an annoying amount of poke. bait him out under his turret and hard engage him. You kill him easily once you have R.
Diana
a race to who gets level 6 first. Avoid her Q especially when she has 6. She's somewhat squishy and you can outdamage her.
Fizz
whenever he does his jump, wait for him to come down and e on him and complete your combo. Whenever he does that just hard engage him.
Heimerdinger
Super annoying and but also super squishy. I see a lot of new players have trouble with him but once your in shroud the turrets he has don't attack you. Do a simple E backwards and Q combo to proc passive and place shroud and hit him with a Q>>AA>>Q combo.
Karthus
he's pretty squishy and with how agile you are it'll be hard for him to hit a skillshot. dodge everything he throws on you and play aggressive.
Kassadin
Very annoying with that magic resist shield, but if you play it right you can easily destroy him. pressure him pre-6, and hard engage when he does. look for good trades.
Katarina
don't let her get level 3 before you, because she can combo and kill you early and snowball off you. you win against her, if your reaction time is crisp you can sit near a dagger and wait for her to engage.
Anivia
so. annoying. SUPER squishy though, play agro against her pre-6 and if she's hiding under turret try to draw her out and hard engage, there shouldnt be a problem then.
LeBlanc
I absolutley despise going against Leblanc. Not because she counters akali a lot, but since she's annoying to play against. She's gonna try to fool your mind completely. whenever she goes in for a trade, play agro against her. wait until 6 for a full engage as she can play with you easily.
Lux
a lot of people have trouble with this matchup but if played right you can easily destroy her. try to draw her out from under her turret by playing back, and once you have 6 go for an E > R and combo her. she shouldnt be able to do anything with your aggression.
Malzahar
Another champion a lot of people have trouble with. always try to proc his shield off and look for a combo. Just never play against him under his turret, as he'll just R you. get rid of his passive and full engage.
Qiyana
skill matchup, dodge her skillshots and be the first to engage before she does.
Veigar
extremely squishy. apply full pressure on him especially after he uses his ring. after that he should easily be killed by any basic combo. just watch out for his CC and you should be fine.
Yasuo
skill matchup. if hes a good yasuo he'll windall your q and e, but usually if you bait him to use it and then engage you can win it. just dodge his tornado and engage.
Ziggs
dodge all of his skillshots and hard engage. super squishy should be easy kill.
Zilean
dodge his skillshots and hard engage on him. He's going to play extremely safe and use his ult exactly when he's going to die. just watch how he's playing and you'll win.
Brand
he can do a lot of damage to you before level 3, but after that you should be quick enough to dodge his skillshots and pick an easy kill on him. I almost never lose this matchup, just play smart.
Aurelion Sol
Squishy. Just mess up his placement and full engage on him. You're going to be too quick for him to do that much damage to you.
Zoe
Yea, if this zoe is good she's going to destroy you. Sometimes i even bring cleanse just to bait her sleep out. Most of the time she isn't but if she is then just watch how she's playing and hard engage after she uses sleep. Sometimes i even bring cleanse.
Vel'Koz
whenever he uses his R, dont be afraid to R and cancel his. dodge his skillshots and finish him. He's squishy and weak, it should be free.
Neeko
annoying but winnable. dodge her skillshots and whenever she R's e out and then re-engage and finish her.
Xerath
Me personally I don't have too much trouble with this champ because I can read him pretty easily, but just try to dodge his skillshots and engage him after his stun.
Karma
Karma is a troublesome pick into akali. She can reveal you in your shroud, poke you, and basically play with you. You want her to play agro on you though, and when she has her cc on you, instead of running away fight her. Try to get as good of a trade as possible.
Zed
skill matchup. whenever he uses his shadow hard engage him, because he won't have any way to run away except for flash.
Orianna
her pokes are annoying but just play smart and engage her if shes not sitting under her turret
Rumble
Don't try to trade with him completely before level 4, and just read when he uses his flamethrower and engage after he uses it. He's pretty much useless after that
Aatrox
Not too much trouble should happen with aatrox, he needs to see you to hit skillshots on you. Try to get a combo in and dodge his cc chain.
Galio
hard matchup but still winnable. Galio's usually engage with their dash. Don't waste your abilities trying to trade him, wait for his engage and E back. Try to be on the lookout for his taunt, and even if he does taunt you in the beginning you should just keep attacking instead of running away.
Camille
Camille could be a big threat if you let her snowball off you. Play agro lvl 2 by poking with Q but dont get too close to her. When lvl 6 wait for her to use her R to use your abilities if possible.
Cho'Gath
you win this lane but you might not win game if it's dragged out. Once you hit lvl 3 play agro and try to get good trades. When he has 6 only engage him when you know you're going to win.
Darius
Darius is a matchup that's like a double edged sword. You can dodge his hook CC with your E, but if you time it incorrectly then you'll die. Try to get the advantage on him by engaging on him first instead of waiting for him to engage.
Dr. Mundo
He's really annoying since he heals but rushing grev. wounds will easily counter him. You can play agro lvl 2-3 and even lvl 6, but only use your R if you know you're going to kill him. He usually baits you under tower by running away and healing just when you think you can finish him.
Fiora
In my opinion this matchup relys on skill. If she parrys your R2 you can lose a fight. When lvl 6, wait until she uses her parry to R2 her. Since she's a melee champ you can abuse her in lane with your Q also.
Gangplank
A good gangplank can change your positioning, heal before you get enough damage to finish him, and outplay you. Wait until you have R to do any risky plays and try to be aware of his bombs before engaging.
Gnar
Gnar in general isn't that good against akali. You should abuse him early and try to kill him before he goes into his other form. When he does go into his other form, try to dodge his skillshots and look for a finish.
Illaoi
For me I like to rely on my reaction time instead of prediction for this matchup. Most of her damage comes from her E so just try to react to the time she does that and then E away and re-engage. You have enough mobility to dodge her skillshots so it shouldn't be too hard for you.
Irelia
This should be a free game for you if you play it correctly. A lot of people feel pressured since Irelia can move around a lot but you outplay her in every possible way. Pressure her lvl 2 and once you have R just full engage her. If you hit all your skillshots im sure you'll win it. You can also wait until she uses her stun to fully engage if you're skeptical of making the first move.
Jax
Another easy matchup that you can outplay. To be honest, I saw some people having trouble with this matchup and it's all because their timing is off. Wait until Jax does his E and then E away from it. Once you hit him with yours, re-engage and unload all of your abilities.
Garen
A LOT of people have trouble with Garen, and I used to have trouble too. Garen can pressure you, abuse you in shroud, and finish you easily, but it doesn't mean it's not winnable. Akali can easily outplay garen simply by just waiting for him to Q a minion or use any of his abilties on minions. If he doesn't and he goes to Q you, let him hit you but exactly before he does, E away and immediatley start running. Garen typically Q>E, so once you E away he wont be able to hit you. Then, re-engage with E and unload your combo.
Malphite
Malphite isn't really strong against you unless you let him be. Once he has R, he can surprise you with the amount of damage he has. Play smart and try to get equal trades with him when he trys to trade with you.
Ryze
Ryze is only difficult to play against if you allow him to poke you. Usually waiting until you have your R to full burst him is the best, but if hes using all of his abilities on minions, engage him.
Syndra
Harmful and disgusting lane to go against. The most annoying thing is she can stop your E and R by pushing you away so you deal no damage. In lane dodge her Qs and try to bait out her E before engaging.
Kled
Another annoying counter to akali. I usually ban him every single time i play toplane since not only does his CC hook reveal you, his other ability reveals you if you're near him. You have to really play this one smart and try to predict when hes going to use his hook. I usually hard engage after baiting it out and engaging with E and trying to trade out as much damage as possible. Sometimes playing agro lvl 6 is also a good option if you can land everything since he might miss his hook. Honestly another good tip is to E whenever he dashes in to avoid fighting but If you have 6 you can kill him if he doesnt have hook honestly. I feel like the biggest problem is the CC that comes after that inital hook.
Renekton
Honestly the more i play against this matchup the more i get used to knowing when to engage and when not to. You barely ever want to engage him pre-6 but if you do you cant back off, you need to give the same aggression as he is.
Yone
Yone is only a problem if he's playing agro and you aren't returning the pressure. Whenever he dashes in with Q, react with E and full combo him. It's usually a free opener that every yone does. You only lose this if you aren't as agro as he is.
Vladimir
Sometimes you'll find a really good vlad and other times you won't. Just play against his heal and whenever he has red bar disengage and then re-engage after. Usually LVL 6 you can outdamage him but just be careful if he runs under turret because that's usually what he does. Rush Morellos after hextech if you're getting destroyed.
Nasus
I put Nasus at extreme only because of how unwinnable it is if he plays it into late game. Honestly you can probably win early game and kill him, but even if you do a good nasus will come back and win game, and if he rushes Magic Res like spirits visage in lane it's a wrap. I would normally play agro lvl 6 but I would suggest bringing ignite top since it's either you crush him in lane or he just slowly snowballs and you lose.
Leona
just gonna leave this threat here because of how she can literally target you in a fight and actually make the game unplayable. Rush QSS and bring zhonyas too so when you're in a teamfight your teammates can take care of her a bit and you can continue fighting.
Ziggs
He's super squishy, you should try to play agro lvl 3 and if you're still not hitting any skills then just wait for 6 and hard engage him.
Talon
This matchup is pretty much just a race for whoever gets R first, since either one of you can kill each other. I would say wait to use E until he jumps on you, then combo him right after.
Tryndamere
THIS IS THE EASIEST MATCHUP. use every single ability except W when fighting him lvl 6, bait out his R, then use W, use your abilities to kill him and it should be free. A lot of people have trouble with this matchup and idk why, he cant see you in shroud and AA is most of his dmg.
Mordekaiser
A lot of people have trouble against morde becuase of his 3 hits that give him AOE damage. I would say wait for lvl 3 and hard engage him after hitting a E. You outdamage him, and Lvl 6 you can outdamage him also. Avoid his Qs and if you're really having trouble rush QSS.
Darius
Darius can be troublesome if he gets a lead on you, so I would say wait for lvl 3 to hard fight him and play against his hook by hard engaging whenver he misses. A lot of the time i try to predict when he's going to use it and then E away, sometimes hitting him, giving me a free combo.
Fiddlesticks
You usually dont see as many lane fiddles as before, but when he uses his heal he does reveal you, but he's also standing still. Rush Morello 2nd item, and whenever he's standing still (ESPECIALLY EARLY GAME) just hit your abilities on him and damage him, You outdamage his heal. Also go zhonyas for his R.
My name is Scyrine (or Josh) and I've been playing Akali since season 8 (before the rework) I have about 6 million mastery points on her on several different accounts. In this guide im going to give you my favorite builds in order to win every game with Akali along with rune pages and matchups, etc. If you have any other questions let me know! You can contact me when I'm streaming, my twitter, or through the discussions page.
Akali With the new season coming in, Akali is already getting nerfed. as of irght now, her winrate is plummeting and will probably go further down as patches come out. But, when played correctly, Akali can be extremley strong and a huge threat to the point where people may think she's still broken.
Pros
→ High damage potential → Extreme mobility and swiftness → Shroud invis → Low ban rate → Easily shreds squishies → Ability to engage and disengage really well
Cons
→ Hard to master → Squishy champion → Destroyed by CC → Hard to come back → Harassed by ranged champions → One missed skill shot can result in a death
Akali has quite a bit of pros along with cons, but I feel like the most important thing out of this is that her role as a champion in fights and securing kills gives a satisfying reward when done right.
This is where I'm going to put notes for the current patch, and anything new for Akali.
PATCH 10.12
Akali Finally got a needed buff, It's a buff that will help with waveclear and give her a tiny bit more damage to get the execute she needs. Here are the details
PATCH 10.13
The Conqueror nerf is unfortunate for Akali. Her ability to stay in fights and sustain longer is somewhat nerfed, and in some cases Electrocute might be a better pick than Conqueror. If they have a squishy team comp and you feel like Electrocute will work better, then 100% do it. Akali works well with both runes, but after this Conqueror nerf, leaning towards Electrocute is completely fine.
PATCH 10.16
THIS AKALI BUFF IS ACTUALLY INSANE! I'm so excited that Akali got buffed this patch, her Q damage helps her scale and ESPECIALLY her E being changed to Magic REALLY helps her. This forces oblivion second item to be essential since the burst helps all of your abilties now!
PATCH 10.19
This nerf was maddening the moment i saw it. It isn't that big, but you know the moment akali's a little bit behind and the minions are suppper low? it gave that back with this nerf. Honestly this doesn't change too much though if you know you're behind just make sure you know you're dealing with lowered Q damage for wave clear.
THIS WILL BE FOR PREASEASON / SEASON 11
So preaseason so far has been pretty good for Akali , but now since shes been good a nerf is coming which is sadly expected. It's gonna nerf her movement and her passive which is huge imo. Running lich bane more would be viable, gain back some of that movement speed and passive damage.
Most of the changes aren't too big, but i will mark whatever is added from last season to this season in red so just look for that.
Akali works well with Conqueror and Domination. These are the main runes that I use in every game i play with akali. I have some other rune choices that are viable on akali too, but Conq and Domination work out the best
I know a lot of people like to run fleet footwork or Electrocute on akali, but Conqueror is just an amazing rune for akali. She's able to continuously fight and gaining more stacks during the fight gives her more of an advantage than other runes
Although akali's energy was reverted to 80, running presence of mind (especially on conq) is necessary. You can get 2 extra Q's off from an extended fight with PoM, so i love to take it with me in most of my games. Presence of Mind gives you the ability to continue fighting with more energy. If you run my eletrocute build, running Triumph instead is a good choice.
Tenacity is such a good rune for akali. Being able to get out of slows and CC quicker allows her to proc her abilities more. I hate being stunned and dying quickly, Tenacity gives the chance to be able to do damage even after getting stunned or immobilized.If their team has low cc, running alactriy is also a nice choice, allows you to proc your passive quicker and take towers faster.
More damage = better. Akali's R is a finisher, and the extra damage with coup de grace helps finish enemies. Always bring this rune over others as enemies might.A lot of people also like to bring last stand, but I would sometimes run it toplane but never really mid It's really a preference but if you think you are going to get more out of last stand, it's still a good choice.
I used to run Sudden Impact with Akali a while ago, but ever since changed to taste of blood because of how clutch it is in laning and late game. Although I would recommend taking sudden impact for eletrocute build, you get a good amout of pen from riftmaker now so it's not necessarily needed.
Ravenous hunter goes well with akali's hextech gunblade to help her sustain in fights. This is a go to rune since she's going to need some health from her damaging abilities to trade successfully with opponents.
Flash Is pretty much used for every champ, and this includes Akali. Flash gives Akali chances to not only disengage, but engage and reposition herself for a kill.
Ignite is also a rune that you want for most Akali games. Ignite not only extends your combo, but gives you the chance to finish off enemies that might get away.
Typically, you should only run Teleport toplane against a matchup that you might lose. If you aren't confident in winning a midlane matchup then bringing teleport is viable also. Compared to Ignite although, Teleport should always be the second choice compare to Ignite.
When I have extra time i'll change this section for the items, but if you want instant information about them, just remember that Riftmaker is really good, and running zhonyas / Demonic Embrace second / third is usally what you want to do.
this is old will changed later < ----Items on Akali can vary for different types of situations. If the enemy team has heavy AP, maybe running Banshee's Veil or Spirit Visage will help. If their team has heavy AD, then running Guardian Angel or Dead Man's Plate is a good buy. All different games are situational, and all different items have different purposes. Here are some items that are viable on akali that you can use for different situations or every situation. [/quote]
Riftmaker is the go to for akali when you are using either Conq / fleet. Akali. It's the core of her build and the item you should always rush. The lifesteal, extra true damage, everything about this item is perfect for akali.
I usually pick Sorcerer's Shoes almost every time I play akali. The magic penetration granted that later combines with Oblivion Orb and Sudden Impact help deal more damage to enemies. I would only go different boots like Mercury's Treads if i'm really behind and the enemies have a TON of CC
I usually build Oblivion Orb immediately after Hextech Gunblade. This is because I love having as much magic pen as possible. Paired with Sudden Impact the magic pen helps burst down enemies that are squishy or have a lot of Magic Res. Although it's a heavy cost it's always a worthy buy.
Zhonya's Hourglass is an extremely valuable item. It helps with engages, buying yourself time for you CD's, and overall just gives you another chance to make something happen. The only time this item wouldn't be a go-to pick is if you're confident you won't need it or you're really ahead to the point where you can spend your money on another item. (for example, buying Rabadon's Deathcap instead)
Rabadon's Deathcap Is such a great item on any AP champion capable of dealing high amounts of damage. Since it's an AP item that scales off of other AP items,it's extremely useful for spiking your damage if you're ahead or even scaling it if you aren't.
I like to build Void Staff only if their team is tanky or is stacking Magic Resist. It has the ability to shred the enemies MR, and with Sudden Impact and Oblivion Orb, your penetration will be insane. Compared to Rabadon's Deathcap I would only really buy this if their magic res. is high. It's still a really good item that I usually build in my comp.
Morellonomicon is an item that's grants grevious wounds to the enemy. Since you should already have Oblivion Orb it should only be about 1400G to purchase, but only purchase this item if it's the last purchase you need or if their team has a lot of healing/life steal.
Banshee's Veil really helps with engaging in teamfights and lowering the damage done by AP. I usually build this item if they have a heavy AP teamcomp or im getting one-hit CC from the beginning of a teamfight. The spellshield has the same traits as Edge of Night and it really helps with engaging an enemy without getting CC'd
Guardian Angel is a really good buy if their team has heavy AD and you're getting picked in teamfights easily. This paired with Zhonya's Hourglass really helps with sustain in teammfights against high AD team comps.
In all honesty, Lich Bane isn't really a worthy buy. A lot of people like it because it procs with Akali's passive, but it's such a heavy cost and the item gives mana that you don't need. It's to the point where saving up a bit more for Rabadon's Deathcap is more viable. Nonetheless, Lich Bane is still a good choice, it provides a good amount of damage.
Another item that's a really good buy if you're going against a heavy AP team. Spirit Visage gives you a good amount of health, magic resist, and even a passive that supports your Conquorer and Hextech Gunblade heal.
Going against a team with a lot of CC? Quicksilver Sash is a really good item to counter that. The fact that it gives you some magic resist and the ability to get out of any CC with a click of a button is a worthy buy. The only problem is that it costs a good amount of gold, but if you can't get any picks because of the enemies hard CC, then its definitley a worthy buy.
Of course there are many other items that work with Akali, but these are the typical items that akali can use to win and carry games. Akali is a pretty flexible champ and can use a good amount of different items in the game to her advantage.
Akali Early
Akali's game could easily be decided early. Her ability to snowball and solo carry a game is honestly impressive. Most akali player mistakes that happen early game is that they play aggressive pre-3, or they get heavily poked. Before you get level 3 you shouldn't look for too much of a hard engage. Once you get level 3 you should be able to pressure your opponent easily. If you start to snowball from a kill, then you should easily be able to carry the game when mid game comes.
Akali Midgame
Midgame is where akali shines the most. Once you hit level 6 the game is in your hands. This is where you should really focus on pushing the wave and roaming to your botlane or toplane. I've went botlane so many times and even if I assist them a little bit it changes the whole game. Akali has an immense 2v1 potentail, so you should abuse it especially during mid-game. When you want to roam remember to shove your lane and sneak to your teammates lane to get easy kills and snowball even harder
Akali Late
In most cases, akali WILL have a somewhat harder time in late game, but she doenst lose any of her potential to win and finish the game. You have to be more strict and less careless about your picks, as one mistake can lead to your demise. I would suggest not being the first one to engage in most cases, and to follow your team in teamfights, delivering final blows to the squishiest opponents. There shouldn't be too much of a problem if you play it correctly
BONUS TIPS FOR AKALI
Although I haven't added a combo section yet, a general idea of a quick full combo with her R is R > E > E > AA > Q >> R although this ISNT a combo utilizing her full abilities, it's a quick combo that does a lot of damage in a short amount of time compared to extended combos
I'm going to record all my combos and skills and publish them soon. Please check back when it's released!
Akali is a very nimble and quick champion, that can easily demolish squishys and even some tanks if built correctly. I spent a good amount of time on this guide, I really wanna share my experiences with akali and hear from you how you feel about her. If anyone has any questions or needs any tips drop a message in the discussion or check out my twitch/twitter. Good luck and i hope you enjoyed this guide!
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