I first started playing Akali after being a starter/many champ player of League of Legends. Basically i played a game against an Akali and she dominated my lane. I decided I would try her out. I used guides as most LoL players do and eventually grew to have her as my main and my own style of play with her.

Akali is a mid champion. Plain and simple. Her role on a team is an assassin/anti-carry so naturally she fits into mid famously considering 9/10 times a carry will be the opposing teams mid. She must be played as a HYBRID leaning towards AP to be her most powerful also.

Akali can lane or jungle as well but she will not be as strong mid game as she would be having been mid so I always recommend mid.

Another point is as any champion needs to be built, you must watch the other team and who their strongest players is and then build accordingly and adapt to be able to perform against your opposing team. Therefore the items I have listed above is not set in stone but merely what you can optimally build akali to be her most powerful.

Ill try to take you step by step in how to build a great Akali and carry your team by farming and killing quickly and effectively.

Using this specific build is meant to give you fast killing power and give you the ability to go up and keep your foot on the opponents throat the rest of he game.

Greater Mark of Magic Penetrationx2 and Greater Mark of Attack Damagex7
Greater Seal of Vitalityx9
Greater Glyph of Ability Powerx9
Greater Quintessence of Ability Powerx3

Akali is highly dependent on her passive for survivability and staying in lane which is a must for Akali. (As you will learn she needs to be level 6 to get anything done) Therefore for runes I go 2 magic pen red and 7 flat damage reds to trigger her one passive. For yellow I go health and you can choose which one you like best. For blue potency for ability power passive and quints also potency.

Basically for masteries you want to be able to get more AP and AD for passives as well as killing power. Its pretty self explanatory however instead of the classic 21/0/9, i go 21/1/8. I find having the 2 extra armor is amazingly helpful for early game mid lane just for survivability's sake.

However, if the one point in defense seems useless to you I then suggest getting the 15% minion buff.

Also the [ignite] mastery is very important because it basically gives you 10 AP immediately for our uses.

This is obviously the most important section of the entire guide besides gameplay. It is important to remember that order is not terribly important after Rylai's Crystal Scepter. Use your brain.



Early i always go Doran's Blade. Honestly **** the boots and 3 health pot thing haha (i say this lightheartedly). Yes, it does work for for a lot of players I understand. But you SHOULD NOT need it. Therefore, I recommend getting Doran's Blade But if you need Boots to get the feel of her then go right ahead. I find Doran's Blade gives you the killing power for the first kill and killing minions and such.

After this I am usually able to stay in lane until i reach 1000 gold. Then I return to base buy my Mobility Boots and return via Teleport.
I choose these boots for ganking ability. It allows with Teleport for you to be everywhere and anywhere to keep the other team at your mercy.

I am well aware that just about everyone will have problems with this boot selection but it does work when used correctly even better than other boots. You can get to bot and top in no time and gank. You can pursue people better for a kill and support small team fights much easier.

Sorcerer's Shoes and Mercury's Treads are also acceptable boots for Akali

Next i always go Hextech Revolver. The spell vamp is wonderful for survivability and multiple fights before recalling. Unless you are up and are confident that the other team has no lategame powerful champions that could come out of left field, then NEVER GET Mejai's Soulstealer. Its useless cause you'll get targeted and you wont need help getting targeted.

After this continue onto Rylai's Crystal Scepter for survivability and ap/slow.

Sheen Is vital for Akali because it creates that huge burst that she neeeds to make kills. Place an importance on this item.

From here on you MUST PLAY SITUATIONAL. It is vital that you see who there best player is if you are losing or if they are fairly close to you. If you are up you can continue with the above build but otherwise be smart.

If they have alot of AP and you are targeted get a Scepter. If they are high ad get a Zhonya's Hourglass. Keep AP in mind always but you may have to get more survivability.

I do not like guinsos rageblade. You aren't going to attack enough in succession in order to get the benefit out of it.

Just remember build smart and dont be afraid to stray from the build. Just make sure Akali benefits from what you are buying.

Almost every game I get Mobility Boots. Upon a great request I will explain how to use it and why.

I feel this item gives me great presence around the map. I can be out of mid to gank top or bot very quickly and I can also escape or chase much better in combination with juke or dash. When you are extremely strong mid game you can shut down with constant ganks preventing farming and proper leveling for the other team.

HOW TO USE BOOTS

Upon coming back to your lane you will want to immediately kill the opposing champ. To do this I literally charge them or inch up if they have harass. This prevents them from farming because if they are smart they will literally sit under turret. If not you can get to them faster and begin your combination. This is my first major use for the item.

Secondly, map awareness is critical. Seeing small teamfights and rushing to them to help will be crucial for your whole team. Just run run run. Same goes for ganking. Look for overextended lanes and go to them for the kill.

If you are overextending at least try to have opposing minions near you. If they try to gank you through down your shroud and escape to a clear path. Or wait for your boots to kick in and then run using it in combination with shroud slow. Or of course juke....this is sexiest.

They provide escapability and ganking power that trumps extra armor, magic penetration, or magic resist...... if used properly.

I prefer Ignite and Teleport.

Ignite to kill and take care of pesky Sona and Soraka.

Teleport to stay in lane and fly around map for kills and XP. Kill farming and XP are absolutely vital.

Other Acceptable Spells

Flash - Great for Escaping and getting close to finish a kill

Once in lane you want to safely farm and harass simultaneously.

Be cautious until level two. you are squishy and slow so don't be wonder woman. kill creeps with q and last hitting.

Once you are at level 2 you can keep the opposing champ at bay and harass with q. Beware of AoE spells and use your shroud to your advantage.

Ignite their mid champ early for extra AP. and it will be ready for you by level 6 for first kill. This is why harassing is important because it will allow you to kill them right at level 6.

Farm away.

Once level 6 the lane should be in your control. Try to catch them off guard when you have two shadow dance charges. Your goal is to

q-r-auto-e(maybe here if needed or continue to)-q-r-auto-e

Its a super quick succession. Then ignite if you have to. The key is throwing your q and then dashing to them for your burst. most of your power comes from the next hit after your q for bonus damage.

Hopefully you have killed their champ so you can recall, purchase and return or gank.
Dont be afraid to gank you can dash and catch overextended players or weak players.
Also people on low health under a tower can be dashed quickly for a kill and use shadow dance on an enemy minion to quickly get out before the tower kills you.

Continue farming killing ganking, even jungling now. Push a tower perhaps just always have an eye on your minimap to see what your best options are. Try to supress their mid so they do not have apowerful carry and build up your champ.