With the recent changes to kassadin i was worried that he would no longer be playable due to the severity of the rework. However, as iv played him these last few days iv found these changes while different, keep kassadin strong as ever.

Early game- Early game, like usual, is hard for kassadin. This however is the most crucial phase for attaining your success. You need to make sure you get every last hit you can, I do this by leveling Nether Blade first. This does huge damage to minions at all levels often letting you last hit them from half health. The key to success with this technique is kiting, getting your opponent to use their abilities allowing you to safely go in and last hit then repeat.

Mid game- By this time you should have Rod of Ages and Linch Bane. Once you get these two items you can begin harassing your opponent as you will have enough health to take a hit and enough mana to riftwalk several times.

Late game- Once you are fully built you should be nearly unstoppable, having 3500 health you can take a hard punch while dealing strong damage (if following the combination described bellow).

Because of the change to kassadins Q getting rid of his silence i no longer level this first. Instead i level W first, this allows kassadin to CS more effectively and also restores a large amount of mana early game. Later game W becomes your highest damage dealing attack. Next I level Q simply as another damage source. Due to its lack of silence it is not as essential to your early game farming. Lastly i level E using it mostly as an escape tool, like Q it isnt needed as a damage source until later game.

Combo= The combo i have found most effective is to run at them (not using Riftwalk) and hit them Force pulse to slow their get away. Next Hit them with Nether Blade and Null Sphere. This combination should get squishier (Mages, ADC, Assassins) to half health. Repeat this combo and only use Riftwalk as a means to last hit a fleeing opponent. With its increasing mana costs it leaves you with no escape tool if you use it throughout the fight.

I start off with an Ancient Coin and three health pots. I do this to ensure i get some coins from every creep as farming is very important to this build as you need to get strong quickly. From there i build Rod of Ages as you need to be able to take some hits with your main damage source coming from W, also it is a good source of mana for your increasing Riftwalk's. Next I build Linch Bane to complement W and also to increase mana reserves. I round out the build with more "Tank Mage" items with Rylais and Zhonyas to increase damage and your ability to take a hit. You can play around with your final item, personally i like Randuins Omen as it gives you more health and good armor.

I like to take Ghost and Flash to help ensure you escape from a losing battle. You could also take Ignite to help with kills but iv found it isnt needed as much with the new kassadin setup.

*Creep score as much as possible by the end of the game you want to have a CS above 200.
* Early game you are very weak, stay away from battle unless assisted by your jungle.
*Kite your opponent and cause them to make mistakes to insure proper creep score.
*Keep track of the mana cost of your Riftwalk so you don't get caught without an escape tool.