Please verify that you are not a bot to cast your vote.
Not Updated For Current Season
This guide has not yet been updated for the current season. Please keep this in mind while reading. You can see the most recently updated guides on the browse guides page
One of the harder mages to go against in the game, skill matchup, but if you get charmed then more than likely you are dead with the tear build.
Akali
Early levels you out harass her, but once she hits six she scales harder than you mid game and will fuck you up. Try and keep her down for as long as you can, ask for jungle help and if she roams bot go with her or push your lane and take her turret.
Annie
Once she gets ROA and chalice shes pretty much unkillable, shes better mid game than you as well so take cleanse and rush tear into abyssal into athenes if youre having a hard time. A good Annie player will never let you cs without taking auto harass or spell dmg. I usually get crystalline flask and try to out sustain during laning phase. Try and roam for ganks top or bot, you dont win this lane unless you get help from the jungler.
Anivia
Easier matchup to deal with, just harass with QE combo constantly. You have more mobility so try and roam once you hit six because shes going to constantly shove in your lane and will inevitably take your turret. Once that turret is gone she will then maybe over extend trying to CS.
Azir
This matchup is about even. Harass is about even in lane if the Azir is good. You can ulti over his wall which makes his ultimate useless. Early MR should help against him.
Brand
Most brands go for the early magic penetration so make sure to have scaling MR blues as well as having Athene's. This is mostly a skill matchup, just depends on if you can dodge his skillshots during laning phase. Early boots are recommended.
Cassiopeia
Extremely dangerous 1v1 if you get caught in her poison until you hit level 6. Early boots and MR are also recommended. Max E since she will be spamming abilities just as much as you. This matchup is in your favor as long as you dodge poison and play safe until you hit 6.
Cho'Gath
You out trade him the entire game. Max Q in this matchup. When he goes to try and CS make sure to punish him with your QE combo. His passive wont be able to keep up as long as you keep harassing him. Also when you hit six never go in to try and duel him unless you have full health because Cho's ultimate does true dmg and he will kill you if he kept up in lane and manages to get you with his full combo. In teamfights you can usually catch him out of position with E and he will more than likely be dead if your team follows up.
Diana
Shes stronger than you throughout all stages of the game. Diana is a very strong counter pick to all assassins. Once she hits six no matter what do NOT engage. More than likely she will have rushed abyssal or ROA and become incredibly tanky. You will deal zero damage with you full combo if she has shield up. Try trading when her shield is down pre six. Once she hits six her lane is as good as won, make sure to call for jungle help and max Q. Maxing Q will give you a bigger shield, but even that wont help unless she gets camped.
Ekko
He is similar to Diana, he has great base stats just like Diana. This champ starts flask just like you, so make sure to take flask instead of D-ring. Early levels you should win trades as long as you are staying back. You should never be caught in his W, if you have played the champ then you know the animation and should back off or move a certain direction that is away from the circle to not be stunned. His Q is predictable make sure to not be hit by it when it comes back! It will deal a lot of damage, also it will apply 2 stacks from his passive which will give him an opening to E in and strike, which then gives him an insane boost of speed to run away, thats a trade you will never win even with you Q shield. You dont have any kill pressure when he hits six unless he is has bad positioning, also he shouldnt have any kill pressure on you. DO NOT stand under your turret when you are 1/4 of your health. HE WILL kill you just by E'ing under. He is meant to catch out low health targets. Also his passive applies a slow as well as a speed boost for him, just reminding. His ultimate is damn near useless in fights unless he has a zhonyas, getting him to ult preemptively or before a fight will be big, he will be forced to play passive now that his escape is gone. IF an Ekko dives your team and zhonyas, scatter and run away because he plans on ulting. His ult has a scary ratio and can one shot squishies so be careful.
Ezreal
AP/AD Ezreal is easy to kill, he has no scaling MR should be easy. A good Ezreal will farm until he has Tri-Force (for ad) or Lich Bane (for ap) just try and harass him out of lane constantly. AP Ez has only one way of harassing and that is using his W which costs too much mana and does almost no damage if you have some MR. Max E shove him in he has no waveclear, until he gets sheen and some CDR.
Fiddlesticks
Middlesticks I havent seen him in a while, but your Q cancels his drain ability. Just max Q.
Fiora
This is a hard one, there is rarely any Fiora's mid, but if there is one your best bet is to farm until six, rush zhonyas and roam.
Fizz
He has alright base stats since he is an AP melee, he also starts Crystalline flask so make sure to start it as well. Know his power spikes. At level 3 he hits one powerspike. At level 6 he hits another power spike. Bait out his E and call for a ganks. Once he hits six and you are 3/4 health he can dive and kill you if he lands fish. Most Fizz players now rush CDR, Morellos into CDR boots, be careful if he roams and make sure to follow or take his tower.
Gangplank
He shits on you early/mid game. He buys crit and spams the fucking gun ability which will crit you for a retarded amount of dmg and force you to leave lane. He outrades early so dont even bother. Max E and make sure to just SURVIVE. I know it hurts the ego when he is zoning you from cs but its better to get the xp and miss out on gold than be feeding. Call for jungle help he has no escapes, but he does have a free cleanse with his ability that lets him eat oranges. This matchup is terrible for you early so take Armor and rush zhonyas and play SAFE. If he gets you low early on, make sure to back and not stand under tower since that will be a free kill if he has ignite.
Galio
He counters most mages, but since your Q cancels his ultimate it pretty much makes him useless. Should be easy mid/late game. Early just farm until six, then roam. Max Q. Later on in lane you will have a hard time harassing him since his passive gives him half the ap for the mr he buys. Your best bet is to roam and snowball other lanes.
Gragas
I havent seen Gragas mid for a while, but this is relatively easy since he got nerfed. Max Q and harass every time he goes for CS.
Heimerdinger
He constantly shoves you in and you will never be able to gank a heimerdinger. GOLDEN RULE: Don't gank a Heimerdonger.
Max E, try to cs, you can get dorans ring for this as he will always be permashoving his lane. Since your tower will be taking a lot of dmg, it is safe to roam once you hit six and snow ball other lanes. Your tower will inevitably be taken, so try catching him out when he gets greedy for cs and ambush him with the jungler or rest of the team.
Irelia
You dont win this lane, Irelia mid is a nightmare. She scales well, and faster than you. She gets extremely tanky just from buying triforce which is a huge powerspike. Call for ganks. When she has lower health than you DO NOT engage. She will stun you for a century then proceed to auto you to death. Remember Kassadin has low base armor and gets fucked by AD characters. This lane is frustrating to play, but just pray for a jungler that is willing to help you out.
Jarvan IV
If he is smart he will rush hex drinker and merc treads, which makes him unkillable. But early on in the game levels 1-6 you have the advantage of keeping him down with constant harass if you start dorans ring. If you go Flask then just farm and play passive until you get your items, then try and roam. Also u can ulti out of his ult... but be aware of who hits six first, once he hits six he might go all in.
Jayce
He gives you the dick in lane, dont try harassing or playing aggressively as you will be punished for it. He out ranges you and out dmg's you early. Also his poke late game is now even better with the buffs he just received. Play passive start flask, and rush zhonyas.
Karma
This is kinda an even matchup. Start Q and MAX Q. You win early, but she gets good dmg off as well. I dont know about the recent changes to Karma or how it affected her laning, but she should be just a worse off version of her former self.
Karthus
Pretty even, even though you can cancel his utlimate WHILE he is alive, he can still activate it while he is dead. Lane should be about even if he starts flask or D-ring.
Katarina
You cancel her ultimate with Q if timed right. FOLLOW her. Do not let her roam and get a free double kill bot lane. She will rush abyssal, do the same after tear. Remember Athene's is core to this build and for teamfighting so when you get to max cdr you will be able to spam R as if you are getting resets like Katarina. This can go either way, but she has more dmg on most of her abilities and scales a lot better than you. Make sure to max Q and harass as much as you can early levels.
Kayle
She's a decent counter to Kassadin, but you shouldnt stay in lane long, roam when six. You shouldnt be able to kill her as long as she has her healing ability, and ultimate up. She also has ranged harass, poke with Q.
Kennen
Kennen usually wins this lane, his autos hurt, dont stay in his auto range or he will harass you out of lane. Start Flask, rush tear and athenes, and farm under turret and ask for ganks.
Kha'Zix
Kha'Zix mid with ignite and barrier is a BITCH to play against. He is ungankable because he has an escape at level 3 and he will be able to solo you if you get harasses by his void spikes while in lane. Make sure to play safe, and remember that he can jump on you at any time pre six. This lane is pretty hard so dont duel if he has barrier ignite. Try running exhaust to lower the burst, but post six you should be fine.
Kog'Maw
AP Kog'Maw is cancer when he hits level 11. Constantly call for ganks if he is pushing in your lane, he is a sitting duck especially when you hit six its a free kill if you have been playing the lane right. Make sure to delay his powerspikes by constant harass and making him back.
LeBlanc
You counter Leblanc, max Q. She has enough burst to break through your Q shield and do damage so make sure to QE then back off. Tear build will mean that you will die instantly if you have no MR or health, its best to go tear, ROA then athenes if you can. If not just go ROA into abyssal.
Lee Sin
Lee Sin mid use to be a thing and was used as a counter to Kassadin. Outsustain the early game and he becomes useless later on in the game.
Lissandra
Max Q, a tanky build is much better against Liss, ROA>abyssal>DeathCap. Merc Treads if youre having trouble with all of her cc.
Lulu
Max Q.
Lux
Max Q.
Malzahar
Save your Q for when he starts his ultimate and you can time it just right to cancel the channel.
Morgana
She permashoves you entire lane and has spell vamp to keep her health up. Max E for the waveclear. Early she will shove you in try your best to call for ganks early and getting ur jungler to punish her for being over extended. Dont ulti on top of her she will bind you and probably kill you when she hits six. Roam when youre six, she also becomes very tanky if she builds ROA.
Mordekaiser
He's immobile and has no cc. Call for the jungles help and when he gets too close to ur tower ulti in slow him with your E and it should be a free kill. Make sure to not stand in your minions so he cant harass you early. Max Q or E.
Nidalee
She has no waveclear, and she will take free harass from your Q. Max Q or E either one is fine in this matchup.
Orianna
Max Q and constantly poke her down. Your shield should keep you safe from any of her harass early levels.
Pantheon
He shits on you early, rush roa and zhonyas, late game he is useless. Also try roaming when you are six, careful for his ult and make sure to keep track of him in case he ulti's in another lane ping MIA and take his tower.
Quinn
Start flask, max E for waveclear, when you hit six roam. This lane isnt fun for you, when you get marked she does extra dmg and kassadin has really low base armor and health so taking bad trades will force you to recall early. Farm under tower.
Riven
She wins early, DO NOT engage at levels 1-6. Her shield will soak up all of your damage most of the time. When you hit six QE combo then ulti out. If you can call for jungle help if she shoves you in and it should be an easy kill.. or it might turn into a double kill for the Riven.
Ryze
Easy matchup just make sure to constantly harass him. Max Q.
Swain
Once he gets ROA he will outsustain you and out trade you. Try getting early ganks. Early boots help against his root, you should be fine post 6. You wont be able to kill him without jungle pressure, just max E and shove him in because he has terrible waveclear.
Syndra
She outdmgs you, once she hits six she has one of the highest dmg output of any mage. Luckily shes buggy right now and no one plays her. Try roaming.
Talon
He doesnt have his silence anymore but he still will out trade you since your base armor is terrible. Play safe dont overextend, start flask and you should be fine. When you hit six try roaming, also build zhonyas as soon as you can to mitigate his burst.
Twisted Fate
Max Q or E, merc treds are nice in this matchup bc he wont be able to stun u for ten years. Roam as soon as you hit six.
Urgot
He is annoying in lane but hes immobile, call for ganks build armor and cs under tower.
Varus
Immobile just dodge the Q poke and try QE combo. Start flask, then when you hit six you can jump on him if he is low to get and easy kill with your full combo.
Veigar
Max Q and constantly harass him every time he goes for CS.
Vel'Koz
Max Q, but be careful of his combo, make sure to QE combo him when he comes up to cs with an auto attack.
Viktor
He simply does more damage than you. His scaling is very good. But you have mobility over him. Roam when your 6 ask for ganks because he has no mobility.
Vladimir
He wins lane at level 9. Try and roam and snowball other lanes.
Wukong
He out damages you, his combo is a lot better than yours. Also when he rushes hexdrinker and merc treads you wont be doing any damage to him, try and play passively and roam when youre six.
Xerath
Dodge the poke, and then roam when youre six. Max E for the waveclear if you want, or you can max Q either one is fine in lane.
Yasuo
Max E, he spams abilities and will always have a shield up. Make sure to get the shield out of the way with Q, if he wind walls your Q, wait it out and then Q again, then make sure to E right after. Early on he can do his level 2 cheese make sure to stay back behind ur minions and start trading when the wave is closer to your tower. Call for jungle help when Yasuo overextends, and it will be a free kill or free flash. At 6 if he ults you you can just ult out as long as you arent near your minions he wont be able to keep up, even then you should still have your tower to fall back on.
Zed
Max E in this matchup, Zed can harass you non stop. Rush zhonyas, and Roam when youre six. He counters you until you get zhonyas and have your ulti on a 1.2 second cooldown.
Ziggs
QE harass non stop. He wont be able to do anything, you can take d-ring in this matchup if you want.
Zilean
Max Q and time it right so that it gives you the shield right before his bombs explode. You can start d-ring for this matchup as well.
Hi, I'm a Gold 5 player and have been playing with this build recently and found that it does well with certain team comps and situations.
Runes
Runes
Runes Against AP Mage
Against another AP midlaner, its best to take either flat MR glyphs or scaling, whichever one is fine. I find that taking flat MR is usually best if you end up getting chalice and tear after one since you really notice the dmg reduction. Runes against AD Assassins
For AD assassins you can run flat armor and CDR glyphs to skip out on Athenes. I dont usually do this though since the passive is too good to pass up on.
Masteries
Masteries
Masteries for Offense and Utility Trees
Usually I run these masteries since Kassadin's ult dmg scales by percent mana, and I also like the extra movement speed if you snowball and buy ludens and lich bane. Also since youre going to be doing a squishy build might as well go in utility. Masteries for Offense and Defense Trees
I usually only go 21/9/0 if I'm going to build tear and roa together.
Items
Items
Tear Build
Tear build is so that you hit a powerspike at a decent level so you are relevant mid game. In exchange you aren't as tanky and can get punished very easily if you get caught out. I go for max CDR on this build because late game your ulti will be on a 1.2 second cooldown, and with the athene's passive you will be looking to get "resets" with your ulti at max stacks by constantly riftwalking. This build is most effective against other AP midlaners, some not so much. Build goes Tear>Chalice>CDR boots for your core. Full Build is Archangels>Athenes>CDR boots>DCAP>Zhonyas>Voidstaff or anything else, like lich bane abyssal etc. Tear and ROA Build
This build is a scaling build and takes a while for you to ramp up. You will be looking to be mostly farming, or roaming. After ROA I like to get DCap then Zhonyas and Void Staff as standard AP build. This build is good, but also means you have no relevance mid game. You will do zero damage and being set behind is devastating.
Skill Sequence
Skill Sequence
E Max
Maxing E is for when you are going against enemies that spam abilities. E max is also good for waveclear. Q Max
I only max Q when going against a mage that requires me to use my shield. Usually against champs like Leblanc, Katarina, and Lissandra. R>E>W>Q Maxing Q last Pros and Cons
Maxing Q last against certain matchups is more beneficial since the more points in W the more mana it will restore. It helps you stay in lane longer and gives you slightly more dmg on your W. Con is obviously your Q will deal zero dmg and the shield is negligible until later in the game.
Summary
Summary
This build is for spamming your ult during teamfights while getting mana restored by Athenes passive.
Pros / Cons
Pros / Cons
Pros Ultimate gets resets in teamfights because Athenes passive. Your damage spikes earlier and you have slightly more relevance mid game. Cons Squishy because no health from ROA. Not cost effective.
Nomabd's Kassadin Tear Build
Build Guide By Nomabd
4,266
Views
0
Comments
Thank You!
Threats
Synergies
Show All
You must be logged in to comment. Please login or register.