Akali: The Fist of Shadow

Introduction
The legend says that “There exists an ancient order originating in the Ionian Isles dedicated to the preservation of balance. Order, chaos, light, darkness -- all things must exist in perfect harmony for such is the way of the universe….Akali is one of these shadow warriors, entrusted with the sacred duty of Pruning the Tree - eliminating those who threaten the equilibrium of Valoran.
Akali, also known as the fist of shadow, is a unique champion the League of Legends has created. Her moves allow her to build multiple item builds ranging from a pure ability power build to a pure attack damage build and everything in between. Akali is classified as an assassin melee and stealth character which allows limitless ways to play her as a character.

Skills
The first step to playing Akali is to understand her skills. Akali has one passive skill and four attacks.
1. Her passive skill is called Twin Disciplines which has two parts to it. The first part is once Akali gains twenty ability power, her attacks deals additional ten percent of magic damage. The ten percent of magic damage received increases by one percent for every five ability power obtained. The second part of her passive is similar to the first part but it pertains to the attack damage she gains. Once she gains ten attack damage, she gains ten percent spell vamp, the ability to steal health from enemies by using skills, and the spell vamp increases by one percent for every additional five attack damage received.
2. This first move is called Mark of the Assassin which can be used by pressing the Q key. This move will become your bread and butter. Once Mark of the Assassin has been selected Akali spins her Kama at an enemy which deals magic damage and also marks them for six seconds. If the enemy is attacked while targeted, additional magic damage will be given to the enemy. This move does a large amount of damage depending on what kind of item build you make. Mark of the Assassin is a great skill to kill minions which gains gold.
3. This next move is called Twilight Shroud. Once you press the W key, Akali throws smoke bombs down to hide her presence for eight seconds. While inside the area, Akali gains magic resistance and armor and enemies are temporarily slowed. Twilight Shroud is a great skill to avoid fighting unfavorable battles. Also this skill allows you to strategically attack your enemies while they are unable to attack you.
4. Her third attack which is the E key, Crescent Slash, hits nearby enemies by flourishing her Kamas. The Kamas deal both magic and attack damage to the nearby enemies.
5. Her last skill is her ultimate attack called Shadow Dance. You can use this move by pressing the R key. This move allows Akali to quickly attack enemies, dealing a large amount of magic damaged to the enemy. This attack doesn’t seem like a very good ultimate but it allows you to quickly target an enemy and start destroying them instantly.

Item Build
Now that we have discussed each skill, we will discuss the items I use to build Akali. To start the game off I purchase an Amplifying Tome which gives twenty ability power and a health potion. Since you gained twenty ability power Amplifying Tome, half of your passive Twin Disciplines will be in effect. The health potion is just in case you are in danger of dying. Once you have enough money go back to the shop and buy Sorcerers Boots. These boots are important to this build of items because it gives twenty magic penetration so if any enemy has magic resistance, twenty ability power will go through upon attack. Next you will upgrade your Amplifying Tome into a Mejai’s Soulstealer. This item makes you unstoppable if you play correctly. Soulstealer gives twenty ability power but it has a unique passive. The passive is your player gains eight ability power per stack. You gain two stacks for killing an enemy and one stack for assisting an ally in killing an enemy. Unfortunately, a third of your stacks are lost every time you are killed. Since Akali is melee champion, she will need some health in order to survive so I buy Rylai’s Crystal Scepter. Rylai’s gives five hundred health along with eighty ability power and this item also has a unique passive. Enemies that had damaged dealt to them by a skill will be slowed by thirty-five percent for one and a half seconds. This next item is legendary. Hextech Gunblade gives your champion sixty attack damage, seventy-five ability power, twenty percent lifesteal, the ability to steal life from enemies upon attack, and twenty percent spell vamp. Once you purchase this item, you will become unstoppable because not only do you give large burst in damage but you also receive a percentage of health for all the burst damage you give. If the game isn’t over because the enemies have given up, then there are two more items you can buy. First buy Rabadon’s Deathcap and then Void Staff. Deathcap gives one hundred fifty-five ability power and surprisingly enough, it also has a unique passive. The passive increases your ability power by thirty percent of what you already have. Void Staff gives seventy ability power and a unique passive that allows forty percent magic penetration.

Gameplay
The items you obtain is a huge part of this game but to be able to get all these items you have to be able to kill minions and enemies. When you start the game off at level one, put your first skill on Mark of the Assassin. You want to max Mark of the Assassin first, then Crescents Slash and finally Twilight Shroud. At the beginning of the game do not focus too much on trying to kill enemy champions. Put all of your attention on killing minions because for each minion you kill, you gain gold. So in the early stages of the game run around behind your wall of minions and throw your Mark of the Assassin at minions who have low life. Continue doing this until you reach level six. You can occasionally throw a Mark of the Assassin at the enemy champions just to keep them worried about being attacked but make sure you do not lose a lot of life trying to fight them. Once you reach level six, wait for your Shadow Dance to charge up. After it is charged if an enemy is around you, you can start harassing them with your different skills. When engaging in battle, first throw your Mark of the Assassin at the enemy you are targeting. Then, Shadow Dance to them which will cause damage and allow you to finish the Mark of the Assassin. After, use Crescents Slash to do more damage and repeat this combination until your enemy is dead or you either run out of energy or run out of Shadow Dances because you only have three of them at one time and then you need to recharge them. During team fights, your responsibility is to eliminate their best player. Once the battle begins wait for everybody to start fighting then find your target and murder them the same way as if you were fight a single enemy.

Conclusion
I call Akali the burst queen because one minute the enemy has full life and if they look away for a second; all their life will be gone. This guide will not make you amazing immediately. You will have to practice and refine your skills before you can become as good as I am.