This build is primarily based on the final item composition analyzed by Hylofear(Coding the Correct Kayle Build) in his in-depth study of Kayle’s itemization patterns. It combines those findings with my ongoing research and testing of AD-oriented setups, refining the approach through data-driven evaluation of item sequences, rune synergies, and scaling efficiency across different game phases.

The focus of this guide is to formalize an optimized AD + Critical Strike Kayle path — contrasting its performance metrics with standard AP builds, identifying situational advantages, and outlining strategic adaptations for laning, mid-game transitions, and late-game carry potential.

My goal with this build isn’t to convince you to play AD Kayle— it’s simply to show that there’s more than one way to approach the champion. Maybe these runes and items won’t fit your personal playstyle, and that’s perfectly fine. Players are different; they have different strategies, perspectives, and levels of game sense.

The build that works perfectly for a Challenger player might not perform the same for someone in Gold, and sometimes a different perspective on itemization can make all the difference. I may not win every game, but I have a lot more fun playing with this setup — and in the end, that’s what the game is all about: having fun.

Let's begin by addressing some of the most common and complex questions:
"Which build is the strongest?",
"Which build is the most viable?",
and ultimately, "Which one is truly better?"

Each of these questions requires a more individual analysis.
Starting with the first one: "Which build is stronger?"
I’ve always preferred AD Kayle over her AP version, and after watching Hylofear’s video, I realized I wasn’t entirely wrong. When we look purely at numbers on screen, AD + Critical Kayle actually comes out stronger.

I conducted a study to determine how much stronger the AD version is compared to the AP one throughout the game. But before diving into raw stats and charts, it’s important to understand the methodology used and the limitations that still need further exploration.

For the AP build, I used the most popular setup as a reference — the one from Desperate Nasus. I replicated the same runes and items.
For the AD build, I used the rune setup I normally play with, making only one change: replacing **Lethal Tempo** with **Press the Attack**, as Hylofear’s research showed it performs better.

Calculating DPS in League of Legends is a complex task, and I spent a lot of time researching the most accurate way to measure it. Surprisingly, there’s very little data on this topic online. In the practice tool, you can summon a training dummy and perform attacks, which displays a DPS value at the end — but that value constantly fluctuates and never truly stabilizes, which raises questions about its precision.

An alternative would be a pure mathematical calculation using data from the LoL Wiki, but that would require compiling extremely complex formulas that are hard to manage. So, my chosen method was to enter the practice tool, perform auto attacks for 10 seconds on the training dummy, and take the DPS value provided by it as the average reference point.

This method is not completely efficient, as it does not take into account Kayle’s full ability kit — such as the damage from her Q and E, or the mobility and healing provided by her W. I plan to continue these studies and include comparisons that factor in those elements in future analyses.

Now that the testing methodology is clear, let’s go over the process itself.
In the table and graphs below, I wanted to analyze how each build progresses throughout the match. To do that, I used data from League of Graphs to estimate the average game times and conditions for each stage.

At the start of the game, Kayle was considered level 1 with only a Doran’s Blade. At 5 minutes, I assumed level 6 with boots completed. By the 10-minute mark, Kayle was level 9 with her first full item, and so on. The full dataset is presented in the table.

During the practice tool tests, I manually advanced the in-game time to activate the scaling bonus provided by the Gathering Storm rune.The AP and AD values shown below represent their respective DPS.


Since a champion doesn’t rely solely on auto attacks, I conducted a comparison that also included abilities. The methodology used follows the same principles as before. I positioned a training dummy and started the test by using Q followed by an auto attack, marking the timer. At the 8-second mark, I used E followed by another auto attack to account for the ability damage and its auto attack reset, then stopped attacking at 10 seconds.



Here we can observe a very interesting consistency in the numbers. In the AD build, my third item was Runaan’s Hurricane, which provides no additional Attack Damage — only Critical Strike Chance and Attack Speed. Since the tests were conducted on a single target, the item’s main strength, its multi-target damage, wasn’t reflected. Because of that, the results show little variation compared to the previous test that measured only auto attacks.

Now I want to present some numbers regarding damage progression. What I did here was compare how much my damage increased every 5 minutes, relative to the previous stage — in other words, a very simple calculation: “(Previous Damage / Current Damage) * 100”. These are the resulting values.

Only AA:

With skills:

With these values, we can see a noticeable inconsistency in the AD build’s damage growth. While the AP build shows a more constant and smooth damage curve over time, the AD build experiences a significant drop in its damage progression during the mid-to-late game transition. This might be the key point in comparing both setups: how each build transitions between different stages of the game and how stable their power scaling actually is.

The idea these numbers highlight is that, yes, the AD build is stronger than the AP build in terms of raw damage, but the AP setup also has very clear advantages. The AP build usually runs Movement Speed boots, which are arguably one of the strongest stats in the current game. With higher movement speed, you gain more freedom to kite, rotate, and position, and you also become significantly safer defensively, since you effectively reduce the impact of slows by 25%.

On top of that, the way the AP build transitions between different stages of the game is more stable. In the mid-to-late game, Kayle needs to be capable of taking over fights and potentially carrying 1v9, because she spends the first 20 minutes with a relatively low impact. Even if the AD build shows higher damage in a vacuum, remember that in a real match you will be playing against opponents who have already built armor and magic resistance, which makes those raw numbers even less accurate. At the crucial moment when you need to close out the game, you might not be as strong as you theoretically should be on paper.

hese numbers help illustrate both the main strength and the main drawback of playing Kayle with an AD-focused build. With AD, you end up with a much stronger champion in terms of sustained damage, but you also face a longer and more demanding scaling curve before fully coming online. It’s up to you to decide which playstyle you prefer and what kind of power curve you want to play around.

AP Kayle is more oriented toward fewer hits and burst-oriented damage windows, with a smoother and more constant progression throughout the game. AD Kayle, on the other hand, plays almost like a traditional marksman, relying heavily on auto attacks and needing more hits to fully leverage item passives such as Kraken Slayer and Guinsoo’s Rageblade.

To conclude this chapter, let’s return to the question: “Which build is the strongest?”. In strictly mathematical terms, the answer is clear and objective: AD Kayle is the strongest build in terms of raw damage output. However, when we look at the other two questions, the conclusion is not the same.​

For “Which build is the most viable?”, AP Kayle tends to be more consistent in both itemization and progression. One of the core items is Rabadon’s Deathcap, which significantly amplifies every new AP purchase by increasing total Ability Power by 30%, meaning that even a simple Amplifying Tome effectively gives more AP than its base value. This kind of multiplicative scaling becomes even more relevant once gold efficiency and late-game item spikes are taken into account, but that will be discussed in a later chapter.​

As for the final question, “Which build is the best?”, the honest answer is that, personally, the preference leans toward AD. With the AD setup, the impact in games tends to be much higher, and the playstyle feels more natural. Still, this is far from a universal truth, as every player has a different gameplay style, habits, and comfort picks, which heavily influence which build will perform better for them.​

So the most accurate answer is: “It depends.” It may sound like the dullest possible conclusion, but it varies a lot from player to player. The best approach is to test it yourself: play multiple games with each build, try different item combinations, experiment with new approaches, and only after several matches with both AD and AP setups will you truly understand which build is the best for you.

The next chapter is currently under development.