Guide Details x Intro x Pros / Cons x Tips Champion x Skins x Skill order and Abilities x Changelog

Pre-Game x Runes x Items x Synergies & Threats In-Game x Early game x Mid game x Late game

Hello, I'm Sukuna. Kalista has been one of my favourite ADCs since I started maining this role. In this guide, I will be sharing with you all the information I know, to help you carry your matches with this champion

Pros → High kiting potential → Good late game → Easy to snowball with → Very high skill ceiling → High skillcap → Can solo carry games if played correctly

Cons → Heavily countered by Slow → Slow early game → Easily countered by CC → Easy to play hard to master → Wave management and macro are very important

SUMMONER SPELLS - CLEANSE: Take Cleanse as the default summoner spell, as it opens the possibility to kite/escape the enemy during any stage in the game while countering most types of CC EXHAUST: Exhaust has gotten really good over time, with the current burst meta, and so much damage in the game nowadays, its good against teamcomps that are playing assassins or burst mages HEAL: Heal can be a good summoner spell choice in some games, but Cleanse is better overall

R U N E S

PRECISION Keystone: Lethal Tempo // Lethal Tempo is often considered the best rune for Kalista due to the nature of her kit and playstyle. There are more reasons as why Lethal Tempo is the best rune you can use for kalista: 1.Attack Speed Synergy: Kalista benefits greatly from high attack speed because of her unique passive, Martial Poise. Martial Poise allows her to hop and dodge skill shots while auto-attacking. Lethal Tempo significantly boosts her attack speed, enabling her to stack and utilize her Martial Poise more effectively during engagements. 2.Extended Fights: Kalista excels in extended fights, where she can stack spears on her target and unleash a powerful Rend for a burst of damage. Lethal Tempo enhances her sustained damage output during extended trades and team fights, making it easier for her to kite and deal damage over time. 3.Rend Stacking: Lethal Tempo synergizes well with Kalista's Rend ability. The faster attack speed allows her to stack more spears on enemies quickly, and when activated, Rend benefits from the increased attack speed, making it more impactful in securing kills or objectives. 4.Objective control: Kalista is known for her ability to secure objectives like Dragon or Baron with her Rend. Lethal Tempo enhances her ability to quickly stack spears on the objective and burst it down when needed, providing strong objective control for her team. 5.Lane harrasment: In the laning phase, Lethal Tempo can also aid Kalista in harassing opponents effectively. The increased attack speed allows her to apply more pressure and trade more efficiently, especially when combined with her Pierce for poke.

LETHAL TEMPO

VS

HAIL OF BLADES

Take Lethal Tempo when you need more long-term sustained damage. LT is a more DPS focused rune better for teamfights where you are going to be consistently hitting enemies.

Run Hail of Blades when you're more focused on single-target damage. If you know they're gonna have a diver, or if eliminating a certain target is going to most likely be important, HOB takes priority

#1. Fate's Call 6 / 11 / 16 #2. Rend 2 / 4 / 5 / 7 / 9 #3. Pierce 3 / 8 / 10 / 12 / 13 #4. Sentinel 1 / 14 / 15 / 17 / 18

> > > You are going to be maxing Rend as it is your main source of damage. Q Pierce is going to be maxed second, as it is your 2nd damage dealing ability which also lets you use the passive without needing to auto attack, enabling you to jump over walls to escape in certain scenarios.

Berserker's Greaves

Blade of the Ruined King

Guinsoo's Rageblade

The first item should always be Berserker's Greaves. as it enables your passive Martial Poise even further, maximizing your jump distance therefore enabling your chase/kiting potential. Once you buy Blade of the Ruined King, you begin dealing a lot of damage both towards squishies and tanks, while receiving amazing passive stats from the item itself. The 3rd core item is Guinsoo's Rageblade. Once you get this item, teamfights become much easier as you can stack your Rend stacks much easier due to Guinsoo's passive ability.

Early game with Kalista is good as long as you have a support who can engage pre 6 (ex: Nautilus, Leona, Thresh) gaining an early lead. Otherwise, if you don't have a similar support or you don't trust him, it's always better to play safe and farm until getting Berserker's Greaves. After getting boots, you can start trying to trade, maximizing your E utility by having stacks on champions and executing minions with it

Navigating the mid-game with Kalista involves a mix of farming, skirmishing, and preparing for teamfights. Here are some tips to play effectively during the mid-game as Kalista:

Farm and Rotate:
Focus on efficient farming to ensure a steady income of gold. Push your lane when needed, then rotate to other lanes or objectives to help your team. Mid-game often involves transitioning from the laning phase to a more dynamic map presence.

Secure Objectives:
Kalista excels at securing objectives with her Rend (E) ability. Coordinate with your team to secure dragons, Rift Herald, and towers. The mid-game is a critical time for objective control, and Kalista's Rend can secure these objectives or contest them effectively.

Vision Control:
Place wards in key areas to provide vision and map control. This not only helps you avoid ganks but also contributes to securing objectives and making informed decisions during rotations.

Coordinate with Your Support:
The mid-game is an excellent time to coordinate with your support for effective engages and disengages. Work together to catch out-of-position enemies or defend against incoming threats. Communicate about your ultimate, Fate's Call (R), and plan engages or rescues.

Roam with Your Support:
If you've taken the enemy tower or if the lane is in a stable state, consider roaming with your support to help other lanes. Kalista's mobility can make a significant impact on mid-lane skirmishes or securing objectives in other parts of the map.

Participate in Skirmishes:
Kalista's strength lies in her ability to kite and deal sustained damage. Participate in mid-game skirmishes by using Martial Poise to dodge skill shots and kite opponents effectively. Prioritize squishy targets and use Rend strategically to secure kills or apply pressure.

Watch Your Positioning:
Be mindful of your positioning during mid-game fights. Kalista relies on her mobility to stay alive, so avoid overextending. Use Martial Poise to reposition and create distance from threats while still dealing damage.

Positioning is Key:

Late game teamfights are crucial, and your positioning as Kalista is vital. Use your Martial Poise (passive) to hop around and dodge skill shots while maintaining a safe distance. Position yourself in a way that allows you to deal damage consistently without putting yourself in immediate danger.

Focus on Rend Stacks:
In teamfights, focus on stacking Rend (E) on high-priority targets, such as enemy carries or champions that need to be taken down quickly. Timing your Rend activation to secure kills or apply strong slows can turn the tide of a fight.

Use Fate's Call (R) Wisely:
Kalista's ultimate, Fate's Call, allows her to save an ally by pulling them into the fight. Use this ability strategically to engage fights, peel for your teammates, or reposition a key ally. Communication with your support or team is crucial to make the most of Fate's Call.

Objective Control:
Kalista excels at securing objectives with her Rend. In the late game, make sure to coordinate with your team when contesting or taking major objectives like Baron or Dragon. Use Rend to secure the objective when it's in the "smite range" and prevent enemy steals.

Build Optimization:
Adjust your item build based on the enemy team composition. Defensive items like Guardian Angel or Mercurial Scimitar can provide survivability, while critical strike and attack damage items enhance your damage output. Adapt your build to the specific threats you face in the late game.

Vision and Map Awareness:
Late game is when vision control becomes crucial. Ward important areas, especially around objectives, to have better information about enemy movements. This allows you to make informed decisions and avoid getting caught off guard.

Synergize with Your Team:
Kalista thrives on teamwork. Coordinate with your team to engage fights, peel for each other, and focus on high-priority targets. Communication becomes even more critical in the late game, so make sure to share information with your teammates.

Kite Effectively:
Kalista's kiting potential is a significant asset in the late game. Master the art of orb-walking and kiting to maximize your damage output while staying safe. This is especially important against champions with gap-closers or crowd control abilities.

-Rush Berserker's Greaves to enable passive jump range
-Maximize E execute damage by stacking Rend on targets, throwing Q Pierce, and pressing E before Q lands.
-Space against immobile targets using Martial Poise
-Don't be afraid to save your support using your ultimate Fate's Call
-Keep CS numbers up all the time. It's easy to CS when you have an ability which executes minions "for free"

Although Kalista doesn't have a positive overall winrate, she can be a really aggresive threat both on lane and in teamfights. Due to the high skill cap for this champion, Kalista is one of my favorite ADCs that currently are in the game. Her kit is like none other because of her passive. Once you get used to it, I really hope you will find the same pleasure in playing her as I do :)