Please, update to new version! Well-written guide, want to know if it is working for this season also.

Worked pretty nice for me! Thx Mate

I've really liked this guide, opened up a whole new world of playing Akali!

Outdated:
Literally made this guide less than two months ago, during which time there have only been minor number changes to the items built.

No Hybrid Runes:
They are in the guide as an alternative, but I don't recommend them since penetration doesn't synergize with Akali's passive.

No gameplay tips:
I literally have a section which is nothing but talking about how to play her, as well as sections on interactions between abilities and masteries, what levels these interactions are strongest and weakest at during laning, and how to play during team fights.

No video:
Yup got me there, but considering the majority of guides on this site don't have videos, including most of the top rated guides of all time, that's more of a bonus section than a requirement.

I mean I appreciate criticism (Such as Neltarionsama's thorough nitpicking above) but this was just so lazy that I'd easily believe it if you didn't even bother to read the guide at all in the first place.

It is outdated no hybrid runes and also no gameplay tips/videos.

May want to add Dead Man's Plate as well for an Armor option.

Tank Akali is so much fun, especially if you have time to build decent resists.

Hate to nitpick (just kidding I fecking love it) but there are some technical mistakes in the guide.

Although your formatting in general, is grudgingly better than my guide and well written there are some problems with it.

In the mastery section:
You linked to Garen's passive and not the mastery. Do "wiki mastery=Perseverance" in brackets for
Perseverance effect.

Item section:
Spreading a lie for Abyssal Mask - The MR reduction in no way benefits Crescent Slash as it's a physical damage ability. The same goes for hydra splash. I don't know who started this lie on the net but MR works only against magic damage not against all spells.

From your AoE damage just the Sunfire Aegis benefits of the MR reduction aura.

All in all, it's a great item since your Q and R will do a lot more damage against people with low MR making you a real threat to the enemy squishies and softens them for your team but avoid the item if someone on the team has it.

That being said it's better to start investing in Rylai's Crystal Scepter by that point of the game (3rd-4th item) since you want Max HP and probably already have Mercs or visage for MR.

Zz'Rot Portal- You didn't mention the best thing about the item => insane MS when running down a lane or fighting around towers. It really helps with catching people after a bad siege on your base.


In how to play section:
You talk about Mark of the Assassin as free energy refill but it's nothing of the sort. The spell costs 60 Energy and refunds 40. It's 20 Energy wasted after a proc and tank Akali has very little value in that spell besides its single target spellvamp.

Tank Akali has 15 AP until you get a rylai/abyss.

So a lvl 2 Q does 135 Base(proced) + 0.9x15 =~150 DMG.

The benefits here are the single target spellvamp on the empowered AA. It's essentially a 20HP heal.
So it's 20 Energy for 20HP heal and 150 Extra hurt in the AA at lvl 2.

Which is generally better than 40 energy for 250 AoE (E) in 1vs1 fights but if you are in the "Thick of it" you might consider ignoring the use of Q after throwing the 1st one (while dashing them) unless you have AP built at that point, need to heal fast or have finally maxed out the skill.

Hitting 2 champs or more with lvl 5 Crescent Slash is simply more Energy efficient for sustained AoE DPS. Sustain is also greater if crescent hits 5+ targets than hitting 1 champ with lvl 2 Q.
If you are looking to assassinate by all means use it as soon as it's off CD, but you loose out on your AoE damage as (E) is a big energy sink even if you didn't shroud and casting Qs may reduce the number of E-s you do in a teamfight.

What I disagree on with this build:

Personally, I feel that tank Akali should get rylai after the titan hydra (or before it) and max Q before the bloody W which is a very short decaying MS boost (1sec).

It's enough to dodge a skillshot but not really much for chasing unless enemy is inside and slowed.

Rylai works far better for that job and slows don't stack. (So once you get Rylai half of shrouds utility is useless)

Twilight Shroud in pure MS perspective (assuming you go stealth only once) is a burst of 100% MS that decays over 1 sec (the decay means that it starts at 100% and over 1 sec goes down to zero) so it's effectively average 50% MS for 1 sec.

Slap that on a 400 MS Akali and you get 0.5x400= 200 range gap close in that 1 sec.

So AoE 30% slow (You can achieve 40% with a rylai) and 200 close-gap and you invest your skill points in that **** instead of upgrading your Q?



But wait! Did I mention that casting shroud interrupts movement for 0.2 sec? As in you can't attack, cast spells or move.
On a 400 MS Akali that is 80 Range gap increase due to not moving when chasing. So you get 120 Gap close if you consider cast time and didn't slow the enemy.
Congratulations you played yourself.
60 Energy wasted for 120 range gap close. It cloaks you after 0.65 sec or immediately on entering it from outside so thankfully it won't kill the MS buff if you cast it on top of yourself.

Point is that not moving for 0.2 sec basically kills the spell's utility for me beyond a vision, slow and get an assist tool. Especially when the alternative is juicy Q.

Long story short:
A point in Q beyond the 1st = an extra 45 base damage and 0.5 sec CDR. >>>>> Each point in W beyond the 1st = 5 energy cost reduction + 40MS 1sec burst (Akali 400MS) for the cost of 0.2 sec cast time meaning lvl 1 and lvl 2 W actually don't gap close unless you slow the enemy.

Do these by 4 and see the difference in lvl 14 power spike.

Maxing Q you get 135 extra damage (275 DMG) and 1.5 sec less CD (4sec). + lvl 2 W (18% slow, 75 energy cost, 80MS burst with 0.2 cast killing the MS)

Maxing W you get 30% slow, 60 Energy cost and 200MS burst (120 after cast) + 140 DMG Q on a 5.5 Sec CD


The korean probably maxes it cause it lowers it's energy cost and tank Akali needs her energy to E as much as possible. (The guy rarely gets rylai so he does benefit from the slow)
For me, that spell is a waste of skill points beyond it's initial.

I mean maxed out that thing costs 60 energy instead of 80 but for me it's still a big energy sink that's useless in the Higher Elo where people bring pinks in their inventories.
As for lower elo there is simply no reason to go tank Akali there as players are bad and getting fed is easy.

its pretty good

Yeah, I don't have enough games under my belt with tank Akali to do a matchup section, but I have noted that Darius and Volibear in particular are big threats for her. Though with Mundo I haven't had nearly as much issues, generally going even with him, then powerspiking over him in the mid game. But that could simply have to do with how good gold level players are.

I have tried out the Korean Tank akali myself (not the proper runes tough) and can say it works beautifully in some lanes (Jax, Irelia, Attrox, Xin) but there are matchups like darius, voli, mundo where you can win by being a burst akali but not by being a tank akali.
I'm starting to develop a sense for when to go with what and plan to find the proper way to build into any matchup in the future.

I actually had it included at one stage as a potential alternate to Titanic Hydra, but I felt as if the best mathcups for gunblade tended to be matchups in which burst Akali could be more effective. So with that in mind I decided to exclude it from the guide to keep it a little more focused on going against bruiser champions. Late game you could build it provided the enemy has little to no CC, since it'll give you a lot of sustain, but only if you're casting spells constantly. If you get CC'd though, then buying hextech will leave you more fragile than if you'd bought a raw defense item instead.