Akali, the Rogue Assassin, is a versatile and high-mobility champion in League of Legends, known for her precision and deadly skill set. Whether you’re aiming to burst down enemies or maneuver around the map, Akali’s playstyle rewards those who can quickly assess combat situations and adapt their strategies. This guide covers essential League of Legends Akali builds, runes, abilities, and gameplay tips to help you succeed.

Akali’s Background and Playstyle

Once a member of the Kinkou Order, Akali abandoned her role as the Fist of Shadow to operate independently. Though she still follows her master Shen’s teachings, she now uses her skills to protect Ionia, working as a deadly lone assassin. Akali is designed for players who enjoy hit-and-run tactics, as she excels in making swift, impactful strikes and quickly repositioning. Her unique blend of abilities makes her an excellent choice for those looking to play a flexible assassin who can adjust to multiple playstyles.

Akali’s Abilities and Mechanics

Akali’s skill set focuses on mobility, burst damage, and evasion, making her one of the trickiest champions to master. Here’s a breakdown of her abilities and how to use them effectively.

Assassin’s Mark

Effect Radius: 500
Innate Passive: When Akali deals damage to an enemy champion with an ability, she creates a ring around the target. For 2 seconds, she gains increased movement speed while moving away from the ring’s center. If Akali leaves the ring, she becomes empowered with Swinging Kama, which enhances her next basic attack to deal bonus magic damage.

Tips for Assassin’s Mark: Akali’s passive allows her to engage and disengage effectively. Use this movement boost to either close in on weakened targets or retreat quickly. This ability is crucial for maintaining offensive pressure without overextending.

Five Point Strike

Cost: 110/100/90/80/70 Energy
Cooldown: 1.5 seconds
Active: Akali hurls kunai in a cone, dealing magic damage to all enemies hit. Targets farther away are also slowed by 50% for 0.5 seconds.

Tips for Five Point Strike: This is Akali’s main harass tool in the laning phase, allowing her to poke enemies safely. Using it efficiently can help you control the wave and keep enemies on their toes. Its low cooldown also makes it reliable for consistent damage output during fights.

Twilight Shroud

Cooldown: 20/19/18/17/16 seconds
Active: Akali throws down a smoke bomb that creates a shroud, making her invisible while she’s inside it. Her energy is increased while the shroud is active, and she gains a movement speed bonus that decays over time.

Tips for Twilight Shroud: Twilight Shroud is your escape mechanism and setup tool. Use it to reposition or bait out enemy abilities. This skill is essential for dodging skill shots and controlling your positioning during fights. Remember that basic attacks or abilities break invisibility, so plan your attacks strategically.

Shuriken Flip

Cost: 30 Energy
Cooldown: 16/14.5/13/11.5/10 seconds
Active: Akali flips backward, hurling a shuriken in the target direction. Upon hitting an enemy, the shuriken marks the target, allowing Akali to recast the ability to dash towards the marked enemy or location, dealing bonus damage upon arrival.

Tips for Shuriken Flip: Shuriken Flip provides flexibility, allowing Akali to engage or retreat. The skill’s mark is an effective way to track and chase enemies. Combining it with Twilight Shroud allows for surprise movements and is a key combo tool in both offense and defense.

Perfect Execution

Cooldown: 120/90/60 seconds
Active: Akali dashes through enemies, dealing magic damage, and can recast the ability within 10 seconds. The second dash’s damage scales based on the enemy’s missing health, making it a strong finisher.

Tips for Perfect Execution: Perfect Execution is a powerful finisher with high burst potential. Use the first dash to close in or initiate and the second to secure kills. The recast’s bonus based on missing health is best reserved for targets already weakened by previous attacks.

Optimal Builds and Runes for Akali

Building Akali effectively involves maximizing her burst potential and survivability, depending on the match’s needs. Below are recommended setups for standard and situational playstyles.

Core Items

1. Stormsurge: Provides damage and burst potential, making it a reliable starting item.
2. Sorcerer’s Shoes: Essential for increasing her magic penetration, enhancing her ability to bypass tankier opponents.
3. Shadowflame: A strong early item that amplifies her burst damage, especially useful against squishier targets.
4. Zhonya’s Hourglass: Offers both survivability and the ability to avoid incoming damage with its active effect, invaluable during team fights.
5. Rabadon’s Deathcap: Boosts her ability power significantly, giving her high damage output.
6. Void Staff: Effective against magic-resistant enemies, ensuring her damage remains impactful.

Situational Items

Adjusting Akali’s build based on the match’s requirements can make a substantial difference. Consider building additional resistances or attack items if you’re facing heavy damage or specific champion types.

Recommended Runes

1. Primary Tree (Domination):
   • Keystone: Electrocute for burst damage.
   • Sudden Impact: Increases lethality and magic penetration after dashes, capitalizing on Akali’s mobility.
   • Eyeball Collection: Boosts her damage through stack-based power gains.
   • Ultimate Hunter: Reduces her ultimate cooldown, giving her more opportunities to finish off enemies.
2. Secondary Tree (Resolve):
   • Second Wind: Provides health regeneration during pokes, keeping her sustained in lane.
   • Overgrowth: Increases her max health, improving durability.

Off-Meta Rune Options

Akali can also run Conqueror for sustained fights, though this is less common in standard builds. Fleet Footwork is another niche option, adding healing and movement speed in trades, although it generally lacks the burst potential offered by Electrocute.

Akali Gameplay Strategies

Early Game

Akali’s early game focuses on farming and harassing her opponent. Use Five Point Strike to secure minions and poke enemies. Try to avoid extended trades unless you have a clear advantage, as Akali’s true strength lies in her mid-game power spike. Twilight Shroud can help you disengage or deny enemy vision when threatened.

Mid Game

As you unlock her ultimate, Akali becomes significantly stronger. This is when she can start looking for isolated targets and use her full combo to secure kills. Roaming to assist other lanes can also be effective, as her burst potential can help tip fights in your team’s favor.

Late Game

In the late game, Akali’s role shifts to that of a backline assassin. Look for opportunities to dive onto high-priority targets like the enemy’s ADC or mage. Use Twilight Shroud to dodge incoming attacks and Perfect Execution to either engage or finish off low-health targets.

Tips and Tricks

• Use Twilight Shroud for Vision Control: Akali’s shroud can be used to obscure enemy vision in skirmishes, making it harder for them to land skill shots.
• Master Your Combo Execution: Efficiently chaining her abilities is critical. Start with Five Point Strike, then activate Assassin’s Mark and Shuriken Flip to chase down or evade as needed.
• Time Your Ultimate’s Recast: Waiting until enemies are low health before using the second part of Perfect Execution increases its effectiveness significantly.

Akali is a rewarding champion for those willing to invest the time to master her nuances. Her high skill ceiling and versatile playstyle make her an excellent choice for players who enjoy both flexibility and burst damage potential in League of Legends.