Well, for starters... Hi! I'm Dem0sthenes, and I'm presently stranded in ELOHell. Thankfully, I'm finally making progress OUT of that, by carrying games with who else than Akali? With this guide, I'd like to share a playstyle and often underused build I prefer that does a great job of helping me secure wins...and Penta-Kills, no matter how unruly my team seems to get. I currently have five Akali Penta ace-wins under my belt. So with all of those formalities out of the way, let me just say that I hope you enjoy the guide! Feedback is always welcome. :)

Alright. Just a quick list of "Pro's" & "Cons"

PROS

[*] Burst off the richtor
[*] Easy to zone with
[*] Tons of escape without relying on Flash
[*] Near untargetable in Team Fights if you Play your Twilight Shroud properly

CONS

[*] Slow early game
[*] Utter lack of CC
[*] Susceptible to Lockdowns
[*] Definitely not one of the easier champs to pick up

Alright. I know that a LOT of people have grown reliant on the Flash / Ignite combo for SS. This, while a great combination, is not always the best choice. People tend to grow lazy and lean on Flash to escape ganks, or to secure kills. What I aim to do with my combination, is break that trend.

While I take Ignite to secure early game kills, that is strictly due to Akali's EXTREMELY slow early game. Ignite can provide a quick dps race down against a tankier champion, or secure a kill that would otherwise get away.

While many people can argue that Flash and Teleport don't really size up to one another in Flash's favor, I disagree wholeheartedly. Teleport can be extremely useful for back-dooring, jumping in on surprise team fights, or my personal favorite use, getting fed early. If I'm having issues with my lane opponent early game, the quickest and easiest remedy for me is quite simple, and often overlooked... Are you ready for the knowledge bomb? GET FED ON OTHER LANES. I know, it's mind-blowing right? The quickest way to turn a sour lane around, is to feed off of another lane. The easiest way to do that? Teleport into a ward an ally drops, preferably in a bush, and catch a surprise gank. Akali's gank game is STRONG if you play it properly. Teleport just helps give that extra "umph".

Lane phase as Akali is the harder part, I feel. As mentioned briefly earlier, there are several situations in which Kali can easily fall behind in lane. Be it from a well placed enemy gank, a counter-lane, or maybe just lack of last hitting. The point is, that while you have to play it smart in this phase, it isn't impossible.

First, positioning.

The easiest way to handle this, for me, is to sit at the top or bottom of my lane, about equal distance between both team's minions. This allows significant roam-space, and an easy factoring in for intimidation, and even kill-securing situations. The enemy laner will be drawn naturally to stand directly opposite you, or perhaps their own preference will leave them in the middle of their creeps. This, puts you in position to drop a twilight shroud on them, and make your move.

Teamwork....Teamwork....Teamwork.

This word, I cannot stress enough. While you shouldn't rely on your team to carry you, you should realize that you cannot do everything alone. Yes, this means that sometimes you MUST ask for help from everyone on your team.

Yes...this includes that cocky, obnoxious AD Carry. :P

Akali's teamwork game is STRONK. Her Twilight Shroud allows her to stay subtle in team-fights, and her Shadow Dance lets her dash through the enemy team. Two-stepping on EVERYONE'S graves. When a Teamfight is initiated, dash to your team's kill target. Now, with the increased CD on Shadow Dance, you don't want to blow all three charges to get one kill. After you dash, drop your Mark of the Assassin, trigger your passive with Crescent Slash, and rinse repeat until suddenly, those fabled words...

...

PENTA-KILL!

Akali's very wolfish, in that she is best off sticking with her team. However, if the situation calls for you to take matters into your own hands, do so wisely.

[*] Always take wards with you. - Yes, ALWAYS. Wards can make the difference between a successful turret or three, and an inevitable death.
[*] USE YOUR TWILIGHT SHROUD. - The latest Akali changes have improved this skills worth, but made it a bit more expensive. Your Twilight Shroud now grants vision in the effected Area. Be sure to utilize this. If your ward is missing a bit of a bush, or there's somewhere else entirely and you're 90% sure it's empty, but don't want to take that chance, (NEVER TAKE THAT CHANCE) use that Shroud to drop and conceal yourself before checking, as well as utilizing that extra vision.
[*] GET IN, GET IT, GET OUT. - As stated prior, Akali is an assassin, not geared toward solo dives or backdooring. If the situation arises where you MUST do this, do it quick, do it clean, and get the heck out of there. Just duece out, I'm serious, you DON'T want to be caught alone.

Well, that's it for now. Next time I'll upload some self-made videos, commentary, and add more to the guide. This is DEFINITELY a work in progress, but what I've added thus far is enough to sustain you in any game, ranked or otherwise, and warrant you to kick some tailfeather all over the rift, in the name of Ionia!