Akali Build Guides - LoL Strategy Builds, Runes and Items

Akali Build Guides, Runes and counters

Akali is a champion in League of Legends who excels in team fights and can quickly eliminate enemy champions. To optimize Akali's performance, players should consider using specific runes and items. Players should also be aware of Akali's counters, such as champions with high burst damage or crowd control abilities that can disrupt her gameplay.

In game, Akali players should focus on targeting squishy enemy champions and using her shroud ability to escape dangerous situations. This will require careful management of her energy levels to ensure she can use her abilities effectively. As Akali levels up, players should prioritize upgrading her abilities in a specific order to maximize their effectiveness in team fights.

One key item for Akali is Hextech Gunblade which provides both attack damage and spell vamp, allowing her to sustain herself in fights while dealing significant damage. Other items like Zhonya's Hourglass or Rabadon's Deathcap can provide additional health or range for increased survivability or damage output.

Akali's ultimate ability, Perfect Execution, allows her to dash to a target location and deal damage in a ring around that point, making it a powerful tool for engaging or escaping from fights. However, its long cooldown means that players must use it wisely.

Best Akali Builds

Akali is a versatile champion that can be played in various roles, but she's best known for her prowess in the mid lane. One of the reasons why Akali is so popular among players is because of her unique playstyle, which allows for both aggressive and defensive maneuvers. However, to maximize her potential, it's crucial to choose the right build that suits your playstyle and adapts to different situations.

The Hextech Rocketbelt Build

One of the most popular builds for Akali in mid lane is the Hextech Rocketbelt build. This build prioritizes early game damage and sustain, allowing you to dominate your opponent in the laning phase. The core items for this build are Hextech Rocketbelt, Sorcerer's Shoes, Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass, Void Staff, and Rabadon's Deathcap.

Hextech Rocketbelt provides Akali with additional mobility and burst damage. Sorcerer's Shoes increase magic penetration, making it easier to deal damage to enemies with high magic resistance.

Zhonya's Hourglass offers protection against physical damage by providing armor while also allowing Akali to become invulnerable for a short period. Void Staff increases magic penetration even further by ignoring some of the enemy team’s magic resistance. Finally, Rabadon’s Deathcap boosts overall ability power by 40%, making every spell hit harder.

The Night Harvester Build

If you want to play Akali in the mid lane, you can try the Night Harvester build. This build is good for doing lots of damage quickly and moving around fast. Sorcerer's Shoes (or Mercury Treads), Lich Bane (or Horizon Focus), Zhonya's Hourglass (or Banshee's Veil), Void Staff, and Rabadon's Deathcap. These items will help you win the game!

Night Harvester provides Akali with additional burst damage and mobility by allowing her to deal extra magic damage to enemies after using an ability. Sorcerer's Shoes or Mercury Treads provide additional movement speed or tenacity, depending on the enemy team composition. Lich Bane or Horizon Focus enhances Akali's auto-attacks after using an ability while also providing additional mana and ability power.

Zhonya's Hourglass or Banshee's Veil offers protection against physical or magical damage, respectively. Void Staff increases magic penetration even further by ignoring some of the enemy team’s magic resistance. Finally, Rabadon’s Deathcap boosts overall ability power by 40%, making every spell hit harder.

The Heartsteel Build

For players who prefer a more defensive playstyle, the Heartsteel build is a good option for Akali in mid lane. This build offers sustain and tankiness, allowing you to survive longer in team fights and skirmishes. Sunfire Aegis, Demonic Embrace, Cosmic Drive (or Banshee’s Veil), Void Staff, and Spirit Visage.

Sunfire Aegis offer additional armor. Demonic Embrace or Zhonya's Hourglass provides additional health while also offering protection against physical or magical damage.

Cosmic Drive or Banshee's Veil enhance Akali's mobility while also providing additional health and ability haste. Void Staff increases magic penetration even further by ignoring some of the enemy team’s magic resistance. Finally, Spirit Visage enhances Akali's healing abilities, making her even harder to kill.

Adjusting Your Build

It's important to adjust your build based on the enemy team composition and your own playstyle. For example, if the enemy team has a lot of magic resistance, it might be better to prioritize Void Staff over other items. If you prefer a more aggressive playstyle, you may want to consider the Night Harvester build instead of the Hextech Rocketbelt build.

Experimenting with different item builds and runes can help you find the best Akali build for your playstyle. It’s also important to keep in mind that Akali has many different playstyles depending on how you choose to approach each game. Some players prefer an all-in style where they go for kills as soon as possible while others prefer a more calculated approach where they wait for their opponent to make a mistake before striking.

Rune Choices for Akali

Akali is a champion in League of Legends that has been around for quite some time now. She is known for her mobility, burst damage, and ability to outplay opponents. One of the reasons why she is such a popular pick among players is because of her versatility in terms of rune choices.

Conqueror: The Most Popular Keystone Rune

At the moment, Conqueror is the most popular keystone rune for Akali. This rune allows Akali to deal more damage over time by stacking up to 10 times. Once fully stacked, she gains bonus adaptive force and true damage on-hit.

Conqueror works well with Akali's kit as it allows her to stay in fights longer and deal more damage overall. It also synergizes with her passive, which deals bonus magic damage on-hit after using an ability.

Electrocute: An Alternative Option

While Conqueror may be the most popular choice, Electrocute can also be a viable option for players looking for burst damage. This keystone rune allows Akali to deal additional magic damage after hitting an enemy champion with three separate attacks or abilities within three seconds.

Electrocute can work well with Akali's Q (Five Point Strike), E (Shuriken Flip), and R (Perfect Execution) as they all count towards triggering the rune. However, it does not provide the same sustain as Conqueror does.

Grasp of the Undying: A Defensive Build

For players who prefer a more defensive build, Grasp of the Undying can be used instead of Conqueror or Electrocute. This keystone rune allows Akali to heal herself by dealing damage to enemy champions while also providing bonus health.

Grasp of the Undying works well with tankier builds that focus on survivability rather than burst damage. It can be especially useful against matchups where Akali needs extra sustain to survive in lane.

Akali's Counters

Akali is a deadly assassin in League of Legends who can deal massive damage with her abilities. However, she is not invincible and has several weaknesses that enemy champions can exploit. In this section, we will discuss Akali's counters and how you can defeat her in battle.

Champions with High Mobility

One of Akali's signature moves is the shuriken flip, which allows her to dash towards an enemy champion and deal damage. However, champions with high mobility such as Yasuo or Zed can easily dodge this ability and avoid taking damage. They can also use their own dashes to escape from Akali's range and attack her from a safe distance.

Crowd Control Champions

Another weakness of Akali is that she relies heavily on her combos to deal damage. Champions with crowd control abilities such as stun or silence can interrupt her combos and prevent her from dealing significant damage. For example, Leona's ultimate ability Solar Flare can stun Akali for a few seconds, giving your team enough time to take her down.

Magic Resist Items

Akali deals mostly magic damage with her abilities, so building magic resist items like Mercury Treads or Banshee's Veil can significantly reduce the potential damage that she can deal to your team. These items also provide additional survivability against other magic-based champions on the enemy team.

Early Game Champions

Akali is known for having a strong power spike in the mid-game when she reaches level 6 and unlocks her ultimate ability Twilight Shroud. However, before reaching this point, she is relatively weak compared to other champions who have strong early game potential such as Renekton or Riven. If you are playing against Akali in the top lane, try to harass her early on and deny her farm so that she cannot reach her power spike quickly.

Grievous Wounds Items

Akali's passive ability allows her to heal herself when she is low on health, making her a tough opponent to take down. However, champions with grievous wounds items like Morellonomicon or Executioner's Calling can reduce her healing potential by 40%, making it easier for your team to finish her off.

Akali's Lowest Win Rates

Finally, let's take a look at Akali's lowest win rates against specific champions. According to recent statistics, Akali has the lowest win rates against Maokai, Rengar, Garen, Renekton, Sion, Cho'Gath, Urgot and Riven. These champions have different strengths and weaknesses but they all share one thing in common: they are effective at countering Akali's abilities and playstyle.

How to combo on Akali

In conclusion, mastering Akali is all about finding the right balance between her abilities and your playstyle. With the right build, runes, and knowledge of counters, you can become a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

There are a few key things to keep in mind. First and foremost, timing is everything. You want to make sure you're using your abilities at the right moment to maximize their impact. Additionally, don't be afraid to experiment with different sequences of moves until you find what works best for you.

One popular combo among Akali players is Q - R - E - AA - Q2. This involves starting with your Mark of the Assassin (Q) ability followed by Perfect Execution (R) to close the gap between you and your target. From there, use Twilight Shroud (E) for added damage and crowd control before finishing off with an auto-attack (AA) and second Q proc.

Another effective combo is R - E - Q - AA - Q2. This one relies more heavily on Perfect Execution as your opener, followed by Twilight Shroud for added damage and crowd control. Use Mark of the Assassin next for even more damage before finishing off with an auto-attack and second Q proc.

Of course, these are just a couple examples of combos that can work well on Akali. The key is to practice them until they become second nature so that you can execute them quickly and efficiently in real-time situations.

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