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Kayle Build Guide by

Kayle, a Life of an Archangel

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Kayle Build Guide By Updated on

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Spells:

Exhaust

Flash

Ability Order

Kayle Passive Ability

Introduction

Kayle fits different roles, from support and hybrid to DPS role. She isn't a quite as good support as say, , or . Due to recent remake she isn't anymore viable as a pure hybrid (AP/AD) character. She fits DPS role now very well while being a supportive character.

However, she is different then any DPS out there. Her skill is what makes her a viable ranged DPS character. She is a melee champion and she can't be played as that. She relies on her abilities and nothing else.

In this guide I'll show you what is Kayle and how to play her to full potential. I can do that because I'm rolling over 200 games with her since pre-season one and I've been testing and looking almost everything about/on her. So everything I recommend in this guide should be taken with a "grain of salt".

Scope of this guide

I recommend this guide only to level 30 players with full sets of runes I recommend. I also advocate to play Kayle only on solo top as she needs a solo lane to be useful. She isn't a good support anymore and going bot lane as support champ isn't recommended.

Lastly, I want to apologize for my kinda mediocre English due to that it is not my native language.

Pros / Cons

Pros

+ High damage output
+ High mobility
+ Great lane sustainability
+ Great DPS character while being a supportive one
+ Eating high magic resistance characters due to her passive
+ Fantastic farmer mid-late game with

space

Cons

- Very squishy character
- Farming dependent
- Mana problems early game
- Very team reliant

Things To Know

Why not Ionian Boots of Lucidity?

It's simply. Because they are not needed with this build. [25% CDR], [3% CDR], [6% CDR], [5.85 CDR]. That is a total of a 39.85% cooldown reduction out of possible 40% right after you finish . That is pretty amazing if you ask me on a character who benefits from utility so much.

A note on magic resist reduction and magic penetration

I felt it was needed to note this. I will copy few things from LoL wiki and explain some things by myself.

Magic penetration (or spell penetration) is the statistic of a champion which allows the magic damage done from their abilities, enhanced attacks, etc. to ignore some or all of a target's magic resistance. All champions have 0 base magic penetration but can increase it with items, runes or abilities for a few champions.

Magic reduction is the effect of some champions' abilities that reduce the magic resistance of the target unit for a few seconds. This allow ally units to benefit from the reduction of magic resistance.

Magic penetration and magic resistance reduction are applied in the following order:

1. Percentage magic resistance reduction
2. Flat magic resistance reduction
3. Flat magic penetration
4. Percentage magic penetration

You have 15 % magic resist reduction with , 24 flat magic resist reduction from fully stacked , 8.55 flat magic penetration from and a 15 % magic penetration with .

- Target has 100 magic resist.

The 100 is reduced to 85 by your 15% magic resist reduction.
The 85 is reduced to 61 by your 24 flat magic resist reduction.
The 61 is reduced to 52.45 by your 8.55 flat magic penetration.
The 52.45 is reduced to 44.5 by your 15% magic penetration.

You end up with reducing enemies magic resist to 44.5.

As we see, is a great item on Kayle and you can reach 4 stack with ease due to . Those reductions and penetration are reducing effectiveness of , but it still remain to be useful mastery.

Runes

Primary Runes

Greater Mark of Insight
These are best runes you can get in this slot. Even although works wonders, these fulfill red slots better. They will increase your damage significantly. As your abilities deal mostly magic damage, this is needed.

Greater Seal of Clarity
These are required. Kayle is a very mana hungry character and these are solving that problem. Longer lane sustain, allowed to use skills more frequently and making weak item on Kayle.

Greater Glyph of Focus
These fits my build better then any other. With grabbing these I'm allowed to ignore picking as they are useless.

Greater Quintessence of Alacrity
Attack speed is phenomenal on a new Kayle. More of it you have more deadly you'll be. These are best choice in this slot.

Alternative Runes

There are really no runes beside quints that I could fit into my standard build.

Greater Quintessence of Fortitude
Kayle is a very squishy character and he is reliant on farming. These will make him more bulky and save your life more often then you'll realize. These quints are never bad and you can't go wrong with grabbing these.

Masteries

Here I will explain important masteries.

- This mastery is required if you picking spell.
+ - With those two you're getting 9% cooldown reduction. Both are required for this build.
- Not so useful with your reductions and penetration, but this still add up some extra damage.
+ - These will increase your experience gain and higher mana regeneration, enough said.
- Increased movement speed is simply amazing, so as this mastery.
- Required with .
- Best mastery in the game. It will reduce cooldown time on your summoner spells what is extremely useful as you will have it up more frequently.

Summoner Spells

Exhaust
is an amazing counter to enemy carries. Not only it does reducing damage, it does slowing enemies as well. Use it to shutdown enemy carries or save yourself.

Flash
is mandatory. No Negotiating. This is best spell in the game and best on most champions. Kayle is a no exception. It can be used to catch up an enemy or use it as your free "out of jail" card.

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Cleanse
Even after nerf this is still a viable spell to pick. It synergies well with Kayle as she is squishy and few CC will usually be enough to take her down and you won't be able to use . That brings us to .

Ghost
Combine this with and you'll escape from pretty much everything. It has good synergy with Kayle as you'll be able keep up with enemies and shooting them with .

Other Viable Spells

- This can be used to get to lane fast and save a tower. It can also be used to counter backdoor or pushing unexpectedly. Good spell to have if none else on your team has picked it, but good always.

- Map awareness is extremely important thing. You want to get it if you don't have a support on your team as at last one is required to have. However, you're not a pure support so this isn't a main spell.

- A self explanatory. People pick it for getting kills but it also reduces healing and health regeneration on champs like , etc.

Abilities

Holy Fervor: Even although I liked the old one more, this new one is great. It is making Kayle being a strong DPS as your will trigger this magic resist reduction passive and deal plenty more damage. It is more effective against opponents with high magic resist, like or anyone who building it. This synergies extremely well with and burns through your opponents magic resist with ease.

Reckoning: Not what it is used to be, but at last it scales with both attack damage and ability power now. This is your opening move, always. Once you hit target with it, target will receive increased damage and be slowed. This synergies very well with your as slow is needed to keep hitting target and take increased damage.

Tips and Tricks

Always use Reckoning before you start hitting opponent with Righteous Fury.
You can also use Reckoning as an escape ability as it slows an enemy.

Divine Blessing: Heal is now weak as hell due to recent nerfs. Everything on this ability was nerfed, except speed buff is better but it last 2.5 sec from 10 sec. This nerf is a reason why Kayle isn't viable as a pure support character anymore.

Tips and Tricks

// You can use it on yourself even your HP is full to catch up or evade enemies. Same goes to your allies.

Righteous Fury: This is your bread and butter ability and reason why is Kayle considered as a ranged character. This is why you want cooldown reduction so badly and you want this to be ranked up first. Why is this ability so special? It's because it deals both physical and magical damage and it will trigger every item with on-hit effect. This becomes a fantastic farming tool later in the game as it deals splash damage. With proper items this is piercing through armor / resistance / HP with ease, making Kayle viable DPS character.

Tips and Tricks

While hitting minions near tower with Righteous Fury, splash will damage tower.
When hitting group of minions always focus one in the middle of them to more more of them with your splash damage.
None of on-hit effects will apply to towers.

Intervention: This skill is reason why Kayle is different then any other characters. For a few seconds your or your ally will be immune to all damage, but not on crowd control effects. This thing saves life's more then anything.

Tips and Tricks

If you got feed carry or someone that deals tons of damage always prefer to use this on them, rather then on yourself.
Try to use it when your ally is bellow 50% of health.
You don't want to waste it on some suicide guy on your team. Use it in proper time on proper champ, and GG.

Skill Sequence

> > >

is your core ability and have to be maxed first. You also want to open your abilities with it. I find that at last 2-3 points in is needed early-mid game, but will be maxed second. Point in obviously whenever you can.

Item Start

Doran's Ring
This is best starting item on Kayle. She benefits from its every stat. Health and mana regen will help a lot in her lane sustainability and ability power will increase her damage and stronger heal. I recommend to grab 2 of these as it is simply phenomenal.

Item Core

These are core items on Kayle because they giving her everything she could possibly need early game (except attack damage).

Nashor's Tooth
This is best item you can get on Kayle. It has everything you need. An attack speed for your DPS, an ability power for your abilities and damage, a mana regen after which you shouldn't feel mana problems anymore, and a massive cooldown reduction after which you'll reach amount of 39.85% CDR. Purely amazing.

Berserker's Greaves
I run these boots and recommending them as a core as they work amazingly on Kayle giving her attack speed she needs badly.

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Malady
A new is an amazing item on Kayle. It works with your and eating champs with ease. You will reach max (4) stacks easily thanks to your high DPS.

Luxury Items

These items right here are ones that changing games.

Hextech Gunblade
Ah, Hexy. Due to recent nerf this ain't a good item to get before your other luxury items. Stats are still great, but cost is high as hell when you remind what this item is used to be. However, it gives you attack damage for your , an ability power, a spell vamp which works great with both of your damaging spells and lifesteal which is nearly useless on Kayle. Also it gives you that famous ranged slowing nuke active.

The Black Cleaver
This is best damage item on Kayle. It will increase damage on and significantly and give you hard DPS. will do crazy armor (not magic resist) reduction and pierce through armor with ease.

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Madred's Bloodrazor
Once you build this you will see opponents going down like a paper. This is great late game item or item to build against or other freaky bastards with cheesy HP builds. will increase its passive damage and it works with .

Trinity Force
This is an item that you'll almost never get a chance to finish as this is your last item. It gives everything and everything. You can get a earlier to add up some burst.

Defensive Items

Some of these is required to build if game last enough long.

Banshee's Veil
Lovely Banshee. This item gives you HP, mana and magic resistance. Why is this item special is a bubble that ignores spell cast every 45 seconds, what is proven to be useful so many times. You can build a Catalyst the Protector earlier to make yourself more bulkier.

Guardian Angel
This item is giving you both magic resist and armor. It also gives you rebirth on death every 5 minutes. This can be replaced for if you feel you need more durability.

Situational Items

Stark's Fervor
This item has great synergy with . An amazing aura item offering attack speed, health regen and lifesteal. Passive will reduce enemies armor by 20 what works with your . However, it is better suited on an aura ***** like and it is more useful when you got few DPS'ers on your team.

Mercury's Treads
These boots ain't no situational. You want to get them once you reach higher attack speed, unless your opponents lack on crowd control, what is rare. They're reducing CC effects by 35% on your champion and will save your life more often then not.

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Guinsoo's Rageblade
This item ain't situational as well. More like a matter of preference. This was epic hybrid item on old Kayle. It works great now too, but as I said, a matter of preference. If you can fit this into your build, get it.