OK. I have played Ahri in a variety of different ways, and decided that she is best played as a utility champ, working well with good team play, and giving great harassment to the opposing team. she is also a great "clean-up" champ for all you kill stealers out there. If you're looking for a guide to make you an imbalanced, op, penta-killing legendary Kyuub... Ahri then I suggest you make one. as there is no guide on here that can show you how to do this. But if you like the idea of becoming a great team player, harassing, seemingly op, penta-cleaning Ahri. you've come to the right place.

You will very often run out of mana with ahri especially early game. you've just got your ulti, and there teemo has only 200 hp. you dash once, and suddenly realise you have no more mana to pop any of your other skills. you follow up with another utli, to catch up with her in brush. follow up again, and there only at 40hp. before you know it you are blinded and there jungler comes to finish you off. this is why you are using these runes, with your first item, and masteries you should be fine to grab the kill, as long as you harass sensibly. the mana per level glyphs are not necessary as mid-late game, you should be the wielder of a blue buff. the ability power, and magic penetration runes are essential for the harassment. you do not need too much ap, or too much magic pen, as her ability power doesn't scale too well. plus with q being your main tool for harassment, the magic pen doesn't effect true damage so it is not worth getting too much of it.

I personally prefer the utility set-up, and play using this.the spell vamp, experience, and cd reduction all help in survivability, and per-longed harassment. also it is essential to get your ulti ahead of the opposing team. the quicker you get your ulti, the faster you can dive in for the kill, and then jump right back out again. I chose to complete the utility tree instead of going for the extra ghost speed, as I feel it gives me more opportunity to jump in and out of battles the longer my spells are active. the extra speed isn't necessary as you want to keep your distance, and if they start to escape you have your ulti, and e. you have the extra speed in the utility tree anyway, as she is reliant on her mobility.

these items are a general guide, every game differs, you may not need to have much magic resist or armour in some cases. however for the majority of games you play, against good players you will need some survivability.

that being said, I always start with a dorans ring, the hp, mana regen, and ability power cannot be outclassed with anything else. you want to get your spell vamp item as soon as possible, as this increases your survivability immensely. or in the case of the second build. it is very expensive to finish, so this item will help with the required extra gold. the cd reduction boots go well with your masteries and let you spam more of your spells. securing a kill. the magic penetration allows the spells you land to do significantly more damage, than having an ap item. as I have said before ahri does NOT scale well. so having 1k ap would make you an easier target as you have sacrificed survivability. crystal sceptre is an item any ahri should have. you are able to slow a whole team if you correctly use your q, and ulti for positioning. this makes it easier for your team mates to catch up, and grab the kills, and can be used defensively to slow down chasers. this combined with spell vamp is DEADLY. the amount of times I have run into brush, then used my ulti, or q with passive to change the outcome of the battle. sun-fire cape is not a necessary item. it is good as it gives you hp, and armour as well as a little damage over time, however you do not plan to use this damage over time, as most dps champs like trynd, yi, will annihilate you if you stood next to them. it also helps with farming creep lanes, and creep camps. which you MUST do for blue buff. spirit visage works well with your passive, and spell vamp, however again it is not an essential item. you could easily replace this with a banshee veil, and in some cases would be better off doing so. Many Ahri players make the mistake of believing with there ulti they are un-target-able. casters who have mouse aim effects like annie's q, or ryze snare will stil hit you no matter how much you move about. then as soon as you are stunned, there team will sure enough focus on killing you. having that 1 stun move cancelled out is the difference between life and death for you and your opponent. linch bane in the second guide can be replaced with rabadons deathcap, as for you to utilise it correctly, you would have to stop-start your spell combo. this used correctly would be better than a deathcap, however is you are just starting out with Ahri, then I would not recommend this item.

q, q, q, q, q, q,,q ,q,q,q,q, if this item were to go over 5 upgrades you upgrade it until it never stops. true damage. not 100%ap, or even 150% ap. but TRUE DAMAGE. need I say anymore? whenever you can upgrade this item, do so. after you have your e. spamming the two together, is free health, free harass, and free gold. could you ask for anymore? w and e are just as important if you are solo lane, or in a 1v1, as the ability will focus on the champion you are fighting instead of the creeps, and cannot be blocked by creeps in the way. you should try to keep these even, as they are each useful in there own individual cases. on top of this, you do not posses the ability to nuke down champs in 2 or 3 hits, so having more evenly spread abilities allows you to.. harass harass harass.

flash is possibly the most useful spell of them all. its god tier. so using it with ahri's ulti is above God tier. I take ghost for the exra speed in chasing my opponent, as I do not want to waste the damage her ulti can do. or I take ignite for those champs that are more or less un-catchable without a stun. (yi, trynd etc).

Optional others:

clarity:

- blue buff counters this, but in case you have a mana reliant caster like anivia then this could be an option.

cleanse:

- If you are caught in a position where you need to use this then you are not in the correct position. however no one is perfect, and champions like annie, who will flash to stun you are a huge threat. a quick cleanse and flash out can be the difference between life and death.
exhaust

Just no, no pleaseee dont pick:

clairvoyance:

- you're support should pick this. if they don't then gg, gl + hf

fortify:

- no. why. realllyyyy?

heal:

- some may think it is a great way of escaping, but bear in mind it reduces your healing effects on your self. not very good at all.

surge:

- the extra ap doesn't do you much good at all, you do NOT scale well, and auto attack Ahri? ... really..?

promote:

- face palm

revive:

- face desk

smite:

- face floor

Ahri should be played as a dash in deal damage, dash out champ that focuses on HARASS HARASS HARASSING the opposing team. playing her corectly requires alot of good team play, and landing ALL your skill shots. Try not to face champions in a direct 1v1 battle, instead initiate, and leave the battle until your opponent is low enough to finish off. most mid laners can and will kill you even with you using all your abilities (annie, malzahar, anivia etc) this is why it is essential for you to get your ulti as early as possible. your role in the team varies with each team fight. sometimes you will need to initiate with your ulti, so they focus you, then jump out while your team deal damage, then jump back in for the kills. other times you will need to follow up on a 1v1 with a gank. knowing when your role changes, and what your current role should be distinguishes good Ahri players from the bad.