You beat Amumu early game on equal footing. Do not fight him however if he has an HP advantage.
Mid game it can become quite hard to punch through his Aftershock keystone as base Kayn. If he has another keystone you are able to out-duel him. Try your best to dodge his Bandage Toss (Q) with your Reaping Slash (Q). Avoiding stuns is crucial to winning a fight. Consider building Mercury's Treads.
As for late game, Amumu becomes jungle food if you have chosen to go Rhaast. Your Black Cleaver will melt him.
Cho'Gath
Make sure to always save your Reaping Slash (Q) to dodge his knockup. Avoiding it wins you the fight easily early game. Cho'Gath's clear is painfully slow, so always look for opportunities to invade him.
Don’t fight Cho'Gath once he reaches level 6. His ultimate does massive damage and can kill you from half HP during mid game.
Once you reach the late game Cho'Gath becomes a free HP reset with your ultimate if you have chosen to go Rhaast. He is also very immobile, so as long as you have the appropriate itemization to fight his tankiness you win the fight.
Dr. Mundo
Only take fights early on if he is low. He will do a ton of damage if he lands his Infected Cleaver (Q) and trades Masochism (E) auto attacks.
During mid game you can’t really kill him as his heal is unmeltable unless you're extremely ahead. Do not commit to fights as he will be able to kill you slowly but surely.
For late game it is heavily recommended to go Rhaast. He absolutely dominates Dr. Mundo if you build healing reduction.
Ekko
Early game you win fights but you likely won’t actually get to kill him as he can run away with his passive. Your clear is faster than his, so go for a different approach by just speedrunning to level 6.
During mid game you still out-duel him. Once Ekko gets his Chronobreak (R) however, make sure to track his shadow/hologram. If he uses his ultimate while you are inside of him you will follow. Avoid getting ported into a bunch of enemies or ending up in his AoE stun.
When it comes to the late game Ekko outscales both Rhaast and Shadow Assassin. Try to close out the game before he gets four items. If you don't manage to do so make sure to build some magic resist or healing reduction to counter his ultimate.
Elise
You will be able to take trades early on as long as she doesn’t catch you with her Cocoon (E).
Same goes for the mid game: Avoid Elise's stun, and you win the fight.
If you went Shadow Assassin, it is heavily recommended to go all in on her late game. While killing her is generally unrealistic, your goal is to try and force out her Rappel (E), Zhonya's Hourglass, and/or Banshee's Veil so your team will eventually be able to pick her up in teamfights.
Evelynn
This champ is even weaker than yourself early on. Look for invades whenever she shows up on the map and get deep wards.
Be careful not to get hit by her charm mid game in order to win the fight. If you time it right, you will be able to counter her ultimate by using your Umbral Trespass (R). Whether she uses it as a damage or escape tool, you will be untargetable and follow wherever she warps to.
Evelynn sadly outscales you late game. As long as you abuse your mid game strength and pressure her enough you should be okay. Make sure to pick up an Oracle Lens and Control Wards to avoid getting ambushed by her.
Fiddlesticks
You lose all fights from early to mid game. Fiddlesticks's Bountiful Harvest (W) will always win him trades. Avoid him at all costs unless you are ahead or have teammates by your side.
It is recommended to go Shadow Assassin into Fiddlesticks. Build Edge of Night once you reach the late game and catch him out in his jungle. Your spell shield should block his fear and a full combo is enough to kill him. You will be able to force out his Zhonya's Hourglass at the very least.
Gragas
Gragas's Body Slam (E) is able to cancel your Reaping Slash's (Q) dash which is why you do not want to fight him early on.
He becomes even scarier during mid game as he will be able to kill you within seconds through a full combo. Avoid fighting him alone unless you are ahead.
Gragas remains a significant threat during the late game, however, he shouldn’t be able to one shot you anymore as long as you made sure to incorporate some MR into your build. Get yourself some Armor Penetration and you will be able to beat him given that you avoid his stun.
Graves
Definitely the worst matchup for Kayn. You cannot beat Graves early to mid game due to the additional armor he gets from his Quickdraw (E).
Make sure to avoid him. If he invades you, you have no other choice but to give up your jungle camps unless your team decides to come and collapse on him.
Once you reach the late game you can start considering to duel him as Shadow Assassin if he has no stacks on his Quickdraw (E). If you chose Rhaast, ensure the survival of your team by peeling for them.
Hecarim
You can take early trades early on but don't commit to extended fights. Hecarim's Spirit of Dread (W) allows him to gain HP off damage he deals, ensuring him to win fights.
Once you reach the mid game take a peek at Hecarim's items. If he built Cinderhulk as his jungle item enchantment you are free to fight him for some easy passive orbs. Make sure to avoid him if he has the Warrior enchantment and/or Ignite unless you are ahead.
Late game against Hecarim is a piece of cake for Rhaast. With Cinderhulk he serves as an excellent Umbral Trespass (R) target for a free HP reset. Building Executioner's Calling is heavily recommended.
Ivern
As much as many people like to laugh about Ivern, he can actually beat you early on if he starts the fight in a bush. Always ward your jungle entrances as he loves to invade. Focus on vision control and
Reaching mid game will allow you to easily beat him in a fight since he doesn’t build a jungle item. To clear up some misconceptions: Ivern counts as a ranged champion and will give you blue passive orbs.
Ivern is a support champion that doesn't build any resistances, hence you will be guranteed to kill him with Shadow Assassin late game. Even defensive items such as Locket of the Iron Solari will not save Ivern from your damage.
Jarvan IV
Jarvan IV will almost always beat you early on thanks to his attack speed boost from his Demacian Standard (E). Avoid fighting him.
Once you get your Red Smite you can beat him in duels. Keep avoiding him if you built Blue Smite.
Jarvan IV can get fairly intimidating late game if he got himself a Warrior's enchantment but you should still be able to beat him with your form. If you are playing Rhaast and he decides to go Cinderhulk he will serve as a great HP reset target.
Jax
Try your best to dodge the stun from his Counter Strike (E) if you want to win early fights against him. Extended duels will most likely result you losing due to Jax's passive granting him an attack speed boost, so avoid them.
During mid game you will be able to beat Jax as long as he built the Bloodrazor enchantment. If he went for Cinderhulk refrain from dueling him until you get your form.
Once you reach the late game you beat him fairly hard. You will be able to either dodge his stun or wait out most of his ultimate duration by Umbral Trespassing (R) into him.
Karthus
Karthus will almost always go for a full clear that ends at a scuttle crab. Do the same, but do not fight him. Instead, try pinging your team to get them to collapse on him. Karthus is basically a ranged Kha’Zix - if he hits Q and you are alone you cannot beat him.
During mid game you can try to fight him if you already have your core items. However, unless you have flash, it will almost always be a 1 for 1 killl unless you catch him on very low HP due to his passive.
Once you hit late game you will be able to destroy this champ since he has no mobility. Just be careful while running away from his passive, it deals more damage than you would expect.
Kha'Zix
Absolutely terrible matchup for Kayn. This insect will beat you at pretty much every stage of the game. Avoid him unless you are ahead.
There currently isn’t a good form against this champion. Play around your team and keep away from him.
Kindred
Terrible matchup for Kayn. Kindred is able to kite you endlessly early on. Do not approach them without assistance from your team.
If you see Kindred going Warrior's enchantment + Critical Strike items mid game you can find some success in dueling them if you also have Warrior's. Try to abuse your mid game advantage as much as you can.
As for late game, you will always be able to force an ultimate out of them if you are Shadow Assassin. If you went Rhaast however and Kindred built Bloodrazor + anti-bruiser items you'll be in a pretty bad spot. Avoid fighting them and peel for your team.
Lee Sin
Pretty bad matchup for Kayn. Lee Sin will beat you in extended fights even if you have a level advantage. Avoid dueling him early on at all costs.
Once you reach the mid game you will be able to take fights if you are ahead. If not, look for counterganks and continue to not fight him.
During late game this becomes a fairly favorable matchup if you chose to go Rhaast. Do not be afraid to fight him.
Lillia
Lillia beats you pre-reset. Do not fight her before you’ve gotten your first trip back to base.
Once you get your Tiamat/Blue Smite powerspike you're free to fight her. However, you start to lose against her again once she builds some tank items such as Zhonya’s Hourglass or Deadman’s Plate. Lillia has massive mobility and is therefore capable of kiting you very well, so don't even try to go for her unless she's behind. Just make other enemies your priority and focus on them.
It is not recommended to go Rhaast into this matchup due to her superior mobility and passive. Its max HP % damage is basically made for melting tanks and negating healing.
Master Yi
Really scary matchup for Kayn, especially in low elo. He can rightclick you to death and negate all your damage through his Medidate (W).
His ultimate is more powerful than most would expect. Make sure to avoid him unless you have your team as backup.
During late game you are unable to beat Master Yi in any form. Play to beat his team instead. If you went Rhaast, try to time your Blade's Reach (W) just right by knocking Master Yi up right after he uses Alpha Strike (Q) on you.
Nidalee
Avoid her early on since she will absolutely destroy you thanks to her having six abilities. Nidalee likes to invade a lot, so play to try and minimize losses.
Once you reach the mid game you will be able to fight her given that you have your Umbral Trespass (R). Without it, it is simply unrealistic for you to win. Try your best to dodge her Pounce (E) as it deals execute damage.
Regarding late game, you massively outscale Nidalee as either form. If you are Rhaast, play for your team. If you are Shadow Assassin, look for picks in her jungle and burn some Zhonya's Hourglasses.
Nocturne
Do not engage on Nocturne early on. He beats you with his fear and Lethal Tempo keystone. Path around him as best as you can.
Watch out for his ultimates during mid game as you want to be there to countergank your lanes. Pay extra attention to vision and your minimap.
Either of your forms become fairly strong late game. Take down his spell shield through your smite and you will be good to go and fight him.
Nunu & Willump
「EARLY GAME DUELING」You can win if you have conq. He will likely just spam ganks to snowball his laners. Path into his jg to punish him.
「MID GAME DUELING」You win with warrior to his cinderhulk.
「LATE GAME DUELING」Free hp reset as red, engage liberally and force fights after cleaver.
Olaf
Terrible matchup for Kayn early game. Avoid him as much as you can and only look for counterganks.
During mid game it becomes possible to beat Olaf in a duel if he is behind, otherwise continue to avoid him.
It is best to go Rhaast into this matchup. After getting Red Smite together with Black Cleaver you have a solid chance at beating him. Make sure to use your Umbral Trespass (R) during Olaf's ultimate to wait out most of it's duration and deny him from lifestealing off you.
Rammus
Rammus will do a surprising amount of damage with his taunt + Defensive Ball Curl (W) combination. It is recommended to not fight him alone without the assistance of a teammate.
Continue to avoid him during mid game but you try to steal his camps. Rammus has a fairly slow clearspeed, so if you have good map awareness you will benefit nicely from a few invades.
Going Rhaast is best in this matchup. You beat Rammus easily once you get Black Cleaver. Make sure to use your Umbral Trespass (R) during his ultimate to mitigate as much damage as possible.
Rek'Sai
Very bad matchup for Kayn. This champion beats you at all stages of the early game. Rek’sai likes to spam ganks, so try to path around her jungle camps. Do not engage on her.
Going Rhaast is best in this matchup. Once you get your Black Cleaver you can win duels. If you have good enough reflexes, you can even dodge her ultimate with your Umbral Trespass (R).
Rengar
Very bad matchup for Kayn. Rengar's early game power lets him invade you when he wants. His Battle Roar (W) makes it incredibely unrealistic to kill him early to mid game. Do not fight him, however, look to countergank his ultimate if you can.
Neither form of yours beats this champ. Build Executioner's Calling and play for your team.
Sejuani
You will win fights against Sejuani early on if you have Conqueror. Just try to not let your Reaping Slash (Q) get cancelled by her Arctic Assault (Q).
Once she gets her Cinderhulk enchantment you cannot really kill her anymore. You should still try to fight her for a bit to get some free passive orbs.
You beat Sejuani fairly hard late game on Rhaast. Use her as a free HP reset by Umbral Trespassing (R) into her. Be careful of her ultimate.
Shaco
Shaco is only a threat in the very early game as he has Ignite. Be careful until you complete your jungle item.
Make sure to use your Reaping Slash (Q) after he places a box to both kill it and damage him in the process. You're able to counter his stealth by timing your ultimate right. Simply Umbral Trespass (R) into Shaco whenever he is below 50% HP and you suspect that he might go invisible on you.
Either form works against him, just be careful of his clone if he builds AP as it deals more damage than you would expect.「LATE GAME DUELING」Either form, if he is AP be careful of clone.
Shyvana
This matchup is essentially a farm race. A good shyvana player most likely won’t interact with you but make sure either you or your team ward dragon at or before 5 minutes.
Only fight Shyvana during mid game when she does not have her ultimate.
If she builds AP, it is recommened to go Shadow Assassin. If she builds either AD or tank, going Rhaast is the best call. Be careful of her Dragon's Descend (R) + Flame Breath (E) combo, it has the potential to oneshot you.
Skarner
You will lose any fights you take, this champion’s early game power is very high. Avoid him and clear your own jungle.
Continue to stay away from Skarner mid game. If he ults you, you’re probably dead. It is heavily recommended to go Rhaast in this matchup. Get yourself Quicksilver Sash after Black Cleaver and wait to outscale him.
Trundle
If Trundle has Press the Attack as his keystone you stand no chance against him early on. His Pillar (E) can interrupt both your Reaping Slash (Q) and Shadow Step (E) so don't even try to contest him for anything, especially once he hits level 6.
Trundle builds incredibly tanky so you can’t really kill him even as Rhaast. Pick up an early Executioner's Calling to help out your team.
Twitch
Twitch will try to level 2 gank one of your lanes almost 90% of the time. Make sure that your allies are aware of this early threat while laning by either pinging or mentioning it in chat. Full clear your jungle and look to take his red side camps. If you happen to run into him, try forcing a fight when it is safe as you will beat him.
The same goes for midgame, you should always come out victorious in a 1v1 unless you're behind.
When it comes to lategame you can pretty much spawn kill Twitch if you chose Shadow Assassin. Him being a squishy adc with limited mobility makes him a perfect target.
Udyr
Udyr will try to invade you early on. Do not try to contest him as he beats you in duels. Try to countergank when possible and look to scale.
If you get help from your team you can pick fights during mid game, His Tiger Stance (Q) does 300+ damage and can kill you while using your Umbral Trespass (R).
You should ideally go Rhaast into this champion. Once you get your form and Black Cleaver you outscale him fairly hard. Just be careful if he builds Executioner's Calling.
Vi
Vi is able to cancel your Reaping Slash (Q) and lock you down. Do not fight her unless you know that her Vault Breaker (Q) is down.
Do not try to "outplay" her by using Umbral Trespass (R) when she locks her ultimate onto you, as it will NOT cancel the cast. You will be knocked right back out of your targets body.
During late game you will be able to outscale Vi with Black Cleaver, but stay aware of her Vault Breaker and try to dodge it whenever you can.
Viego
Work In Progress.
Volibear
Possibly the worst early game matchup for Kayn. Volibear's Press the Attack + Frenzied Maul (W) combination will send back to base quicker than you might expect. Avoid fighting this bear at all costs until late game.
You will eventually be able to outscale Volibear once you reach 3 items. Try and dodge his ultimate with your own.
Warwick
You won't be able to out-trade his Q and passive. Do not fight Warwick early on unless you are able to engage on him with a teammate.
Beware of his Cinderhulk powerspike mid game, it is stronger than most would expect. Try to dodge his Infinite Duress (R) and/or fear with your own ultimate. Getting immobilized by him will most often result in you dying.
Choosing Rhaast and gearing yourself up with Black Cleaver and Executioner's Calling goes very far. At that point you generally want to start engaging on Warwick, however always keep in mind to dodge his crowd control.
Xin Zhao
Xin Zhao's kit is simply better than yours early on and his third Q will cancel yours. Avoid dueling him at all costs, especially once he gets his Warrior enchantent. Try to take some camps of his whenever the opportunity arises.
Once you get either a few kills or your form, you will be able to fight and kill him mid game.
Gettin Black Cleaver late game is basically an instant win against him. If you ended up going Shadow Assassin, watch out for his Crescent Guard (R) disengage.
Zac
Zac's Aftershock makes him really hard to kill early on, but you can win duels with Conqueror. Your Reaping Slash (Q) is very strong against his passive blobs thanks to the AoE damage.
Zac's level six power spike is very strong, so beware of him. He will outduel you. Wait until you get your form and countergank your lanes.
It is heavily recommended for you to go Rhaast against him. Once you reach the late game build Executioner's Calling to counter his healing. Your Black Cleaver is enough to melt through his armor, so no need to get more penetration items. Zac serves as an excellent Umbral Trespass (R) target for a free HP reset, so don't miss out on it!
Lulu
Morgana
Orianna
Renekton
Yasuo
Yuumi
Runes: Shadow Assassin | Standard Page
Domination
Dark Harvest
Sudden Impact
Eyeball Collection
Ultimate Hunter
Inspiration
Magical Footwear
Future's Market
Bonus:
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+6 Armor
You beat Amumu early game on equal footing. Do not fight him however if he has an HP advantage.
Mid game it can become quite hard to punch through his Aftershock keystone as base Kayn. If he has another keystone you are able to out-duel him. Try your best to dodge his Bandage Toss (Q) with your Reaping Slash (Q). Avoiding stuns is crucial to winning a fight. Consider building Mercury's Treads.
As for late game, Amumu becomes jungle food if you have chosen to go Rhaast. Your Black Cleaver will melt him.
Cho'Gath
Make sure to always save your Reaping Slash (Q) to dodge his knockup. Avoiding it wins you the fight easily early game. Cho'Gath's clear is painfully slow, so always look for opportunities to invade him.
Don’t fight Cho'Gath once he reaches level 6. His ultimate does massive damage and can kill you from half HP during mid game.
Once you reach the late game Cho'Gath becomes a free HP reset with your ultimate if you have chosen to go Rhaast. He is also very immobile, so as long as you have the appropriate itemization to fight his tankiness you win the fight.
Dr. Mundo
Only take fights early on if he is low. He will do a ton of damage if he lands his Infected Cleaver (Q) and trades Masochism (E) auto attacks.
During mid game you can’t really kill him as his heal is unmeltable unless you're extremely ahead. Do not commit to fights as he will be able to kill you slowly but surely.
For late game it is heavily recommended to go Rhaast. He absolutely dominates Dr. Mundo if you build healing reduction.
Ekko
Early game you win fights but you likely won’t actually get to kill him as he can run away with his passive. Your clear is faster than his, so go for a different approach by just speedrunning to level 6.
During mid game you still out-duel him. Once Ekko gets his Chronobreak (R) however, make sure to track his shadow/hologram. If he uses his ultimate while you are inside of him you will follow. Avoid getting ported into a bunch of enemies or ending up in his AoE stun.
When it comes to the late game Ekko outscales both Rhaast and Shadow Assassin. Try to close out the game before he gets four items. If you don't manage to do so make sure to build some magic resist or healing reduction to counter his ultimate.
Elise
You will be able to take trades early on as long as she doesn’t catch you with her Cocoon (E).
The same goes for the mid game: Avoid Elise's stun, and you win the fight.
If you went Shadow Assassin, it is heavily recommended to go all-in on her late game. While killing her is generally unrealistic, your goal is to try and force out her Rappel (E), Zhonya's Hourglass, and/or Banshee's Veil so your team will eventually be able to pick her up in teamfights.
Evelynn
This champ is even weaker than yourself early on. Look for invades whenever she shows up on the map and get deep wards.
Be careful not to get hit by her charm mid game in order to win the fight. If you time it right, you will be able to counter her ultimate by using your Umbral Trespass (R). Whether she uses it as a damage or escape tool, you will be untargetable and follow wherever she warps to.
Evelynn sadly outscales you late game. As long as you abuse your mid game strength and pressure her enough you should be okay. Make sure to pick up an Oracle Lens and Control Wards to avoid getting ambushed by her.
Fiddlesticks
You lose all fights from early to mid game. Fiddlesticks's Bountiful Harvest (W) will always win him trades. Avoid him at all costs unless you are ahead or have teammates by your side.
It is recommended to go Shadow Assassin into Fiddlesticks. Build Edge of Night once you reach the late game and catch him out in his jungle. Your spell shield should block his fear and a full combo is enough to kill him. You will be able to force out his Zhonya's Hourglass at the very least.
Gragas
Gragas's Body Slam (E) is able to cancel your Reaping Slash's (Q) dash which is why you do not want to fight him early on.
He becomes even scarier during mid game as he will be able to kill you within seconds through a full combo. Avoid fighting him alone unless you are ahead.
Gragas remains a significant threat during the late game, however, he shouldn’t be able to oneshot you anymore as long as you made sure to incorporate some MR into your build. Get yourself some Armor Penetration and you will be able to beat him given that you avoid his stun.
Graves
Definitely the worst matchup for Kayn. You cannot beat Graves early to mid game due to the additional armor he gets from his Quickdraw (E).
Make sure to avoid him. If he invades you, you have no other choice but to give up your jungle camps unless your team decides to come and collapse on him.
Once you reach the late game you can start considering to duel him as Shadow Assassin if he has no stacks on his Quickdraw (E). If you chose Rhaast, ensure the survival of your team by peeling for them.
Hecarim
You can take early trades early on but don't commit to extended fights. Hecarim's Spirit of Dread (W) allows him to gain HP off the damage he deals, ensuring him to win fights.
Once you reach the mid game take a peek at Hecarim's items. If he built Cinderhulk as his jungle item enchantment you are free to fight him for some easy passive orbs. Make sure to avoid him if he has the Warrior enchantment and/or Ignite unless you are ahead.
Late game against Hecarim is a piece of cake for Rhaast. With Cinderhulk he serves as an excellent Umbral Trespass (R) target for a free HP reset. Building Executioner's Calling is heavily recommended.
Ivern
As much as many people like to laugh about Ivern, he can actually beat you early on if he starts the fight in a bush. Always ward your jungle entrances as he loves to invade. Focus on vision control and
Reaching mid game will allow you to easily beat him in a fight since he doesn’t build a jungle item. To clear up some misconceptions: Ivern counts as a ranged champion and will give you blue passive orbs.
Ivern is a support champion that doesn't build any resistances, hence you will be guaranteed to kill him with Shadow Assassin late game. Even defensive items such as Locket of the Iron Solari will not save Ivern from your damage.
Jarvan IV
Jarvan IV will almost always beat you early on thanks to his attack speed boost from his Demacian Standard (E). Avoid fighting him.
Once you get your Red Smite you can beat him in duels. Keep avoiding him if you built Blue Smite.
Jarvan IV can get fairly intimidating late game if he got himself a Warrior's enchantment but you should still be able to beat him with your form. If you are playing Rhaast and he decides to go Cinderhulk he will serve as a great HP reset target.
Jax
Try your best to dodge the stun from his Counter Strike (E) if you want to win early fights against him. Extended duels will most likely result in you losing due to Jax's passive granting him an attack speed boost, so avoid them.
During mid game you will be able to beat Jax as long as he built the Bloodrazor enchantment. If he went for Cinderhulk refrain from dueling him until you get your form.
Once you reach the late game you beat him fairly hard. You will be able to either dodge his stun or wait out most of his ultimate duration by Umbral Trespassing (R) into him.
Karthus
Karthus will almost always go for a full clear that ends at a scuttle crab. Do the same, but do not fight him. Instead, try pinging your team to get them to collapse on him. Karthus is basically a ranged Kha’Zix - if he hits Q and you are alone you cannot beat him.
During mid game you can try to fight him if you already have your core items. However, unless you have flash, it will almost always be a 1 for 1 killl unless you catch him on very low HP due to his passive.
Once you hit late game you will be able to destroy this champ since he has no mobility. Just be careful while running away from his passive, it deals more damage than you would expect.
Kha'Zix
Absolutely terrible matchup for Kayn. This bug will beat you at pretty much every stage of the game. Avoid him unless you are ahead.
There currently isn’t a good form against this champion. Play around your team and keep away from him.
Kindred
Terrible matchup for Kayn. Kindred is able to kite you endlessly early on. Do not approach them without assistance from your team.
If you see Kindred going Warrior's enchantment + Critical Strike items mid game you can find some success in dueling them if you also have Warrior's. Try to abuse your mid game advantage as much as you can.
As for late game, you will always be able to force an ultimate out of them if you are Shadow Assassin. If you went Rhaast however and Kindred built Bloodrazor + anti-bruiser items you'll be in a pretty bad spot. Avoid fighting them and peel for your team.
Lee Sin
Pretty bad matchup for Kayn. Lee Sin will beat you in extended fights even if you have a level advantage. Avoid dueling him early on at all costs.
Once you reach the mid game you will be able to take fights if you are ahead. If not, look for counterganks and continue to not fight him.
During late game this becomes a fairly favorable matchup if you chose to go Rhaast. Do not be afraid to fight him.
Lillia
Lillia beats you pre-reset. Do not fight her before you’ve gotten your first trip back to base.
Once you get your Tiamat/Blue Smite powerspike you're free to fight her. However, you start to lose against her again once she builds some tank items such as Zhonya’s Hourglass or Deadman’s Plate. Lillia has massive mobility and is therefore capable of kiting you very well, so don't even try to go for her unless she's behind. Just make other enemies your priority and focus on them.
It is not recommended to go Rhaast into this matchup due to her superior mobility and passive. Its max HP % damage is basically made for melting tanks and negating healing.
Master Yi
Really scary matchup for Kayn, especially in low elo. He can rightclick you to death and negate all your damage through his Medidate (W).
His ultimate is more powerful than most would expect. Make sure to avoid him unless you have your team as backup.
During late game you are unable to beat Master Yi in any form. Play to beat his team instead. If you went Rhaast, try to time your Blade's Reach (W) just right by knocking Master Yi up right after he uses Alpha Strike (Q) on you.
Nidalee
Avoid her early on since she will absolutely destroy you thanks to her having six abilities. Nidalee likes to invade a lot, so play to try and minimize losses.
Once you reach the mid game you will be able to fight her given that you have your Umbral Trespass (R). Without it, it is simply unrealistic for you to win. Try your best to dodge her Pounce (E) as it deals execute damage.
Regarding late game, you massively outscale Nidalee as either form. If you are Rhaast, play for your team. If you are Shadow Assassin, look for picks in her jungle and burn some Zhonya's Hourglasses.
Nocturne
Do not engage on Nocturne early on. He beats you with his fear and Lethal Tempo keystone. Path around him as best as you can.
Watch out for his ultimates during mid game as you want to be there to countergank your lanes. Pay extra attention to vision and your minimap.
Either of your forms become fairly strong late game. Take down his spell shield through your smite and you will be good to go and fight him.
Nunu & Willump
You can beat him early on if you have Conqueror. Nunu will likely spam ganks to snowball his laners, try to counter this playstyle by pathing into his jungle and taking his camps.
Once you get your Warrior's enchantment you beat Nunu in duels, given that he doesn't go AP.
It is recommended to go Rhaast in this matchup. After purchasing Black Cleaver try your best to force fights with him. You will beat Nunu easily and his tanky nature will serve as a free Umbral Trespass (R) HP reset.
Olaf
Terrible matchup for Kayn early game. Avoid him as much as you can and only look for counterganks.
During mid game it becomes possible to beat Olaf in a duel if he is behind, otherwise continue to avoid him.
It is best to go Rhaast into this matchup. After getting Red Smite together with Black Cleaver you have a solid chance at beating him. Make sure to use your Umbral Trespass (R) during Olaf's ultimate to wait out most of it's duration and deny him from lifestealing off you.
Rammus
Rammus will do a surprising amount of damage with his taunt + Defensive Ball Curl (W) combination. It is recommended to not fight him alone without the assistance of a teammate.
Continue to avoid him during mid game but you try to steal his camps. Rammus has a fairly slow clear speed, so if you have good map awareness you will benefit nicely from a few invades.
Going Rhaast is best in this matchup. You beat Rammus easily once you get Black Cleaver. Make sure to use your Umbral Trespass (R) during his ultimate to mitigate as much damage as possible.
Rek'Sai
Very bad matchup for Kayn. This champion beats you at all stages of the early game. Rek’sai likes to spam ganks, so try to path around her jungle camps. Do not engage on her.
Going Rhaast is best in this matchup. Once you get your Black Cleaver you can win duels. If you have good enough reflexes, you can even dodge her ultimate with your Umbral Trespass (R).
Rengar
Very bad matchup for Kayn. Rengar's early game power lets him invade you when he wants. His Battle Roar (W) makes it incredibly unrealistic to kill him early to mid game. Do not fight him, however, look to countergank his ultimate if you can.
Neither form of yours beats this champ. Build Executioner's Calling and play for your team.
Sejuani
You will win fights against Sejuani early on if you have Conqueror. Just try to not let your Reaping Slash (Q) get cancelled by her Arctic Assault (Q).
Once she gets her Cinderhulk enchantment you cannot really kill her anymore. You should still try to fight her for a bit to get some free passive orbs.
You beat Sejuani fairly hard late game on Rhaast. Use her as a free HP reset by Umbral Trespassing (R) into her. Be careful of her ultimate.
Shaco
Shaco is only a threat in the very early game as he has Ignite. Be careful until you complete your jungle item.
Make sure to use your Reaping Slash (Q) after he places a box to both kill it and damage him in the process. You're able to counter his stealth by timing your ultimate right. Simply Umbral Trespass (R) into Shaco whenever he is below 50% HP and you suspect that he might go invisible on you.
Either form works against him, just be careful of his clone if he builds AP as it deals more damage than you would expect.
Shyvana
This matchup is essentially a farm race. A good Shyvana player most likely won’t interact with you but make sure either you or your team ward dragon at or before 5 minutes.
Only fight Shyvana during mid game when she does not have her ultimate.
If she builds AP, it is recommended to go Shadow Assassin. If she builds either AD or tank, going Rhaast is the best call. Be careful of her Dragon's Descend (R) + Flame Breath (E) combo, it has the potential to oneshot you.
Skarner
You will lose any fights you take, this champion’s early game power is very high. Avoid him and clear your own jungle.
Continue to stay away from Skarner mid game. If he ults you, you’re probably dead. It is heavily recommended to go Rhaast in this matchup. Get yourself Quicksilver Sash after Black Cleaver and wait to outscale him.
Trundle
If Trundle has Press the Attack as his keystone you stand no chance against him early on. His Pillar (E) can interrupt both your Reaping Slash (Q) and Shadow Step (E) so don't even try to contest him for anything, especially once he hits level 6.
Trundle builds incredibly tanky so you can’t really kill him even as Rhaast. Pick up an early Executioner's Calling to help out your team.
Twitch
Twitch will try to level 2 gank one of your lanes almost 90% of the time. Make sure that your allies are aware of this early threat while laning by either pinging or mentioning it in chat. Full clear your jungle and look to take his red side camps. If you happen to run into him, try forcing a fight when it is safe as you will beat him.
The same goes for midgame, you should always come out victorious in a 1v1 unless you're behind.
When it comes to lategame you can pretty much spawn kill Twitch if you chose Shadow Assassin. Him being a squishy adc with limited mobility makes him a perfect target.
Udyr
Udyr will try to invade you early on. Do not try to contest him as he beats you in duels. Try to countergank when possible and look to scale.
If you get help from your team you can pick fights during mid game, His Tiger Stance (Q) does 300+ damage and can kill you while using your Umbral Trespass (R).
You should ideally go Rhaast into this champion. Once you get your form and Black Cleaver you outscale him fairly hard. Just be careful if he builds Executioner's Calling.
Vi
Vi is able to cancel your Reaping Slash (Q) and lock you down. Do not fight her unless you know that her Vault Breaker (Q) is down.
Do not try to "outplay" her by using Umbral Trespass (R) when she locks her ultimate onto you, as it will NOT cancel the cast. You will be knocked right back out of your targets body.
During late game you will be able to outscale Vi with Black Cleaver, but stay aware of her Vault Breaker and try to dodge it whenever you can.
Viego
Volibear
Possibly the worst early game matchup for Kayn. Volibear's Press the Attack + Frenzied Maul (W) combination will send back to base quicker than you might expect. Avoid fighting this bear at all costs until late game.
You will eventually be able to outscale Volibear once you reach 3 items. Try and dodge his ultimate with your own.
Warwick
You won't be able to out-trade his Q and passive. Do not fight Warwick early on unless you are able to engage on him with a teammate.
Beware of his Cinderhulk powerspike mid game, it is stronger than most would expect. Try to dodge his Infinite Duress (R) and/or fear with your own ultimate. Getting immobilized by him will most often result in you dying.
Choosing Rhaast and gearing yourself up with Black Cleaver and Executioner's Calling goes very far. At that point, you generally want to start engaging on Warwick, however always keep in mind to dodge his crowd control.
Wukong
Wukong's Nimbus Strike (E) will shred you. Don't fight him until you get your form. His ultimate stacks Conqueror instantly, so be careful.
Wukong's clear speed is very slow so look to take some of his camps.
It is recommended to go for Rhaast in this matchup. Your Black Cleaver powerspike lets you fight him easily. Use your Blade's Reach (W) knockup carefully, as Wukong is able to dodge it with his Warrior Trickster (W).
Xin Zhao
Xin Zhao's kit is simply better than yours early on and his third Q will cancel yours. Avoid dueling him at all costs, especially once he gets his Warrior enchantment. Try to take some camps of his whenever the opportunity arises.
Once you get either a few kills or your form, you will be able to fight and kill him mid game.
Getting Black Cleaver late game is basically an instant win against him. If you ended up going Shadow Assassin, watch out for his Crescent Guard (R) disengage.
Zac
Zac's Aftershock makes him really hard to kill early on, but you can win duels with Conqueror. Your Reaping Slash (Q) is very strong against his passive blobs thanks to the AoE damage.
Zac's level six power spike is very strong, so beware of him. He will outduel you. Wait until you get your form and countergank your lanes.
It is heavily recommended for you to go Rhaast against him. Once you reach the late game build Executioner's Calling to counter his healing. Your Black Cleaver is enough to melt through his armor, so no need to get more penetration items. Zac serves as an excellent Umbral Trespass (R) target for a free HP reset, so don't miss out on it.
Karma
Lulu
Morgana
Nami
Orianna
Renekton
Yuumi
If you prefer having a quick and accessible way to inform yourself about matchups before each game, check out our Matchup Sheet. It contains the same information as above in a handy google document layout.
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Kayn, the Shadow Reaper: One of the most fun and edgiest champions in the game! This section will provide you with some insight on who he is as a character and how he functions ingame.
A peerless practitioner of lethal shadow magic, Shieda Kayn battles to achieve his true destiny — to one day lead the Order of Shadow into a new era of Ionian supremacy. He wields the sentient darkin weapon Rhaast, undeterred by its creeping corruption of his body and mind. There are only two possible outcomes: either Kayn bends the weapon to his will... or the malevolent blade consumes him completely, paving the way for the destruction of all Runeterra.
Kayn is one of the most unique junglers out there. Thanks to his passive, The Darkin Scythe, he allows you to choose between different playstyles depending on the circumstances in your game. One of them is taking the form of a zealous Assassin, skilled in shadow magic, and able to make your foes disappear within seconds thanks to a significant amount of burst damage. Abilities such as Shadow Step provides you with excellent mobility and slipperiness. Catching out squishies and assassinating them with only two abilities is some of the most fun you'll have with this form.
You may also choose to succumb to your weapon however, Rhaast, and become a gruesome Darkin that wants to slaughter everything that crosses his path. In this form, you give up some of your mobility in exchange for mild crowd control, %max HP damage, insane healing, and utility. You will be able to duel tanks and bruisers for days. While healing off their pain, you will be able to kill them slowly but surely.
Now, which one of the two shall you choose? Such a decision can already be a difficult task for some people. If you would consider yourself as one of those players, simply click here to learn more about Kayn's Form Choosing Philosophy.
KAYN'S POSITIVES
» Easy to learn » Fast jungle clear » High mobility » High damage output » Unique gank pathing » Great snowballing potential
Kayn's abilities are quite straight forward. Reaping Slash makes you dash forward, letting you deal damage upon cast and impact. Blade's Reach provides you with a decaying 90% slow and Shadow Step allows you to set up ganking paths that enemies usually would not expect. By using your ultimate, Umbral Trespass, you become untargetable, entering your targets body for up to 2.5 seconds and dealing damage upon exit. Choosing to become either The Darkin Scythe: Rhaast or The Darkin Scythe: Shadow Assassin only changes up the effects of these abilities slightly. Kayn is an easy champion regarding mechanics, making him very beginner-friendly. If you want to climb, you will find yourself having to mainly focus on your macro play.
Kayn is a very snowbally champion. Once you get your form and obtain a few kills you will be a pain to deal with for the enemy team. However, if you actually want to win your games, you need to be very cautious about closing out your games quickly. Reaching late game can be very troubling, especially for Shadow Assassin.
Going up against champions such as Cassiopeia, Vayne, or Kindred will give you a very hard time due to Kayn being vulnerable to kiting. Getting immobilized or missing your Blade's Reach can lose you a fight easily. You need to plan and think ahead when you try to go for picks. Being aware of items or abilities that could counter you is a necessity.
In regards to rune choices, it might be a bit boring at times. The maximum amount of keystones to choose from for each form comes down to two at best. Being creative can be fun, but if you want to climb effectively, you will have to stick to what the current meta demands.
KAYN'S NEGATIVES
» Weak early game » Falls off late game » Can get kited easily » Struggles against peeling » Requires good macro play » Limited rune choices
Which Form do I choose? When should I go Red or Blue? Which form is better to climb with? These are only a few of the biggest questions new Kayn players will have. This section should provide you with answers to all the things you might be wondering about.
First off, you never want to wait until you get into game to choose your form. That decision should have already been made once you enter the champion selection screen. This is very important since red and blue Kayn vary quite a lot in terms of rune choices. Going for a form when you do not have the ideal runes can make you lose out on a significant portion of damage and functionality.
CHOOSING RHAAST
Rhaast, aka. Red Kayn, is a drain tank bruiser that looks to take down his targets slowly but surely.
You generally want to go for this form whenever the enemy team consists of more than two bruisers and/or tanks.
Thanks to The Darkin Scythe: Rhaast this form performs best in prolonged fights. This in addition to Blade's Reach: Rhaast is what makes red Kayn more teamfight friendly than blue Kayn. Despite this, don't ever feel pressured to going Rhaast when your team asks you to. If your logic tells you that it's better to play Blue Kayn into four squishy enemies, then do so. In low elo (Platinum and below) you should overall try to go for Rhaast whenever you can. Low elo games are proven to be longer, because of this you will reach the late game in most of your matches. At that stage of the game, Shadow Assassin falls off more than Rhaast.
PROS
» Great teamfighter » Great duelist » Great sustain
CONS
» Loses to Grievous Wounds. » Loses to kiting. » Loses to crowd control.
CHOOSING SHADOW ASSASSIN
Shadow Assassin, aka. Blue Kayn, is a slayer that looks to swiftly take down his targets.
You generally want to go for this form whenever the enemy team consists out of more than three squishies or poke champions.
Thanks to The Darkin Scythe: Shadow Assassin this form performs best in catching out isolated opponents and eliminating them. Don't ever feel pressured to going Rhaast when your team asks you to. If you are really fed early on, going Blue Kayn isn't a bad idea as long as you are confident in your ability to close out games quickly. In low elo (Platinum and below) you should overall try to go for Rhaast whenever you can. Low elo games are proven to be longer, because of this you will reach the late game in most of your matches. At that stage of the game, Shadow Assassin falls off more than Rhaast.
PROS
» Great at snowballing » Great burst damage » Great map pressure
CONS
» Falls off late game. » Loses to peel. » Loses to crowd control.
FLASH
The absolute best Summoner Spell in the game. It can be used both defensely and offensively, allowing you to increase or decrease the distance between you and your enemy. It may have a respectively long cooldown of 300 seconds, but the possibilities this spell leaves open for you make it worth it.
Taking Ghost or Ignite is out of question if you are not a laner. You do not benefit much from the movement speed increase apart from being able to negate kiting. Its offensive and defensive usage is inferior to the one of Flash since you are unable to get over terrain. Additionally, it leaves open a much bigger window for the enemy to react to if you are trying to go for unexpected plays. No matter the circumstances, you do not want to pick Ignite. You aren't a champion made to invade, nor duel others early on. Once you reach your powerspike mid game, the spell isn't of any use to you anymore. As Shadow Assassin your kit alone should be enough to kill someone, meanwhile, on Rhaast it isn't your job in the first place to assassinate targets. You are a drain tank bruiser, if you want to negate healing there are enough items you can build to do so.
SMITE
Junglers need Smite. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. If you don't have it, you are unable to buy jungle items such as Hunter's Talisman or Stalker's Blade. Smite also improves you clear in terms of both speed and health. It is also required for securing major objectives such as Dragons or Baron Nashor.
PRIMARY
Conqueror: Rhaast's specialty as a drain tank bruiser is to stay in combat for as long as possible. The goal is to dish out damage while being able to heal yourself to put out even more damage. Conqueror enhances said key mechanic of the champion by rewarding you with increasing AD and healing throughout combat. It is absolutely mandatory on Kayn if you play against a tank/bruiser heavy enemy team.
Triumph: Restores 12% of your missing HP on Takedown as well as granting an additional 20 gold. This rune allows you to have a bigger reach in fights and can save you from tower shots, ignites, and stray auto-attacks. Choose wisely between this rune and Presence of Mind.
Legend: Tenacity: A stacking rune that increases in power whenever you kill minions, monsters, and champions. The cap is at 30% tenacity which is the same amount as Mercury's Treads would give. This allows you to go Ninja Tabi into AD heavy teams and still be able to resist the enemy's crowd control. The less time spent under enemy cc, the more time for you to attack and heal!
Last Stand: This rune will grant you bonus damage when you fall below 60% HP, reaching its cap at 30%. It is the golden standard for AD junglers in the Precision tree and its benefits simply outweigh that of Coup de Grace on a skirmish heavy champion like Rhaast.
SECONDARY
Eyeball Collection: A rune that grants you a bit of adaptive power every time you kill (or assist in killing) an enemy champion, leaving you with a maximum of 18 extra AD after ten takedowns. A fully stacked Collection outclasses Sudden Impact in terms of damage, hence it should be taken instead.
Ravenous Hunter: The perfect rune for Rhaast. It adds additional ability healing that is non-conditional. This effect is very beneficial since Rhaast's passive only activates against champions. It allows you to stay healthier while clearing the jungle and fighting Epic Monsters.
RUNE SHARDS
You choose Attack Speed for a faster ability to stack your Conqueror. It also helps with clearing your camps since more Attack Speed makes it easier for you to kite jungle monsters. The Adaptive Damage shard is taken because Damage is nice and you can't really go wrong with it. Your goal is to snowball quickly, so going for the Cooldown Reduction shard probably is the worst option you could go for as it would not provide you with anything useful until level 10. Going for the Armor or Magic Resist shard is dependant on the enemy team's composition. The Health shard is late game oriented while Kayn as a champion isnt, so ideally you shouldn't take it.
PRIMARY
Dark Harvest: Assassin relies on quick burst damage as he isn't capable of staying in combat for a longer period of time without dying due to his low amount of HP. Dark Harvest is a keystone that adds a quick source of burst damage that also resets if the enemy dies, which means you could potentially use the keystone multiple times in a team fight.
Sudden Impact: A rune that grants you bonus lethality when you deal damage after using a dash. This means that landing the first part of your Reaping Slash will proc this rune and benefit the second part as well. It is one of Kayn's best runes due to his high uptime with it.
Eyeball Collection: This rune grants you a bit of adaptive power every time you kill (or assist killing) an enemy champion, leaving you with a maximum of 18 extra AD after ten takedowns. Kayn isn't a champion that you necessarily want to invade with constantly. Early on, most junglers are able to beat him easily in duels. If you want to assert your dominance to the enemy jungler you should most likely wait until you get your form. So while some people might consider running Ghost Poro as their second-tier rune, Eyeball Collection is simply the more consistent option.
Ultimate Hunter: After some significant nerfs to our beloved rune called Relentless Hunter this one has become the better option. For each takedown you get, you earn a permanent reduction to your ultimates cooldown.
SECONDARY
Magical Footwear: This is a rune that will provide you with a free pair of boots after your game hits the 12-minute mark. You cannot purchase boots before you reach the set threshold, but you can gradually reduce the time it takes to obtain them by taking down opponents. These boots will provide you with 10% additional Movement Speed unlike regular Boots do. On top of that, you will also save 300 gold, which allows you to get your powerspike items faster.
Future's Market: This is a very snowbally rune that focuses on allowing you to obtain your damage items faster than you usually would. Shadow Assassin tends to snowballs very hard by default. Giving him the chance to rush his items makes him an absolute monster to deal with pre-late game.
RUNE SHARDS
You choose Adaptive Damage for the following reasons: Damage is nice and you can't really go wrong with it. In opposition to Rhaast you shouldn't go for the Attack Speed shard due to you being an assassin and benefitting more from flat damage. Your goal is to snowball quickly, so going for the Cooldown Reduction shard probably is the worst option you could go for as it would not provide you with anything useful until level 10. Going for the Armor or Magic Resist shard is dependant on the enemy team's composition. The Health shard is late game oriented while Kayn as a champion isnt, so ideally you shouldn't take it.
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STARTERS
EMBERKNIFE Challenging Smite was very popular upon Kayn's release because people liked to associate the terms "Red Kayn" with "Red Smite". Nowadays you only want to go for this item in games where you are going to be fighting against more than three bruisers/tanks that aren't capable of kiting you. It is also fairly useful against assassins such as Kha'Zix because its active effect works similar to Exhaust, essentially reducing the damage your opponent deals for a few seconds.
HAILBLADE
Lots of high elo Kayn mains like to go for this item on Rhaast since it can do a whole lot of things. Thanks to Chilling Smite's slow, it is a great tool that helps you with either catching up to someone or potentially escaping a fight. The instant damage is also able to proc Dark Harvest or account for a stack of Conqueror. Another amazing part of Blue Smite is the fact that it allows you to get off an instant cast of Umbral Trespass. Ever get jumped on by an enemy and don't think you'll have enough time to damage them with an ability before they kill you? Simply cast Chilling Smite to mark them instantly.
REFILLABLE POTION Kayn's clear is fairly healthy and quick. He does not need a lot of healing to survive, hence two charges of Refillable Potion are much more useful than three of Health Potion. The gold value is way higher, considering you get to reset the item with each trip to your base. As a jungler, you should ideally always go for this type of potion.
MYTHIC CHOICES
GOREDRINKER
Remember the fun we had with Tiamat in Season 10 before its active got removed? Goredrinker serves as an almost perfect replacement for that. Aside from a really good gold value and the item basically giving Rhaast every stat he needs, the AOE active effect pairs up nicely together with your Reaping Slash. Using both at the same time allows you to hit the enemy with some unexpected burst damage.
CORE
RAVENOUS HYDRA Ravenous Hydra is rushed after your Mythic item. The reason why is the following: Rhaast loves all stats the item provides. More AD means you can deal more damage. More damage lets you heal you heal more. Ability Haste allows Rhaast to use his abilities more often which loops back into more damage and healing.
BOOTS OF SPEED
On Rhaast there aren't any boots you can take that provide you with consistent damage, hence it is best to go for utility options.
PLATED STEELCAPS
This is your default choice. Obviously good against AD enemies. Legend: Tenacity already provides you with some resistance to immobilization, so the MR boots are not needed unless the enemy has a considerate amount of magic damage or heavy crowd control.
MERCURY'S TREADS
As explained above, Mercury's Treads is a great item to take against AP or CC heavy team compositions. If there aren't any notable AD threats on the enemy team, go for these.
BOOTS OF SWIFTNESS
If you're ahead, these boots can potentially assist you in extending to your lead. The extra speed greatly improves map presence and helps you negate slows. Not all high elo Kayn players agree on whether this item is actually worth considering or not, however, another interesting thing to note is that your Reaping Slash's cast on Rhaast scales with your own movement speed. Your Q has two damage parts, one when you dash, and one upon impact. The faster your movement speed, the faster your ability animation, the faster you get off both damage parts.
IONIAN BOOTS OF LUCIDITY Flash is great. Who doesn't love to flash Q into the enemy team and casually secure a quadra kill? Well, Ionian Boots of Lucidity help you with experiencing such moments more often thanks to its cooldown reduction to both items and summoner spells. You may choose these boots based on personal preference, although it is recommended to not buy them unless you have a lead.
SITUATIONAL
SERYLDA'S GRUDGE
This item works really well together with your core build. Aside from some neat armor penetration, it increases your overall damage and lets you slow down your enemies' movement speed on top of it. Almost everything that crosses your path is bound to get slowed by not only your abilities but also the extra passive damage you deal through Ravenous Hydra and Goredrinker's active. Only purchase Serylda's Grudge if you have to act as the main damage dealer on your team. Being behind or having to peel for a teammate of yours makes this item suboptimal.
STERAK'S GAGE Sterak's Gage shields you from incoming burst damage for a few seconds. If the enemy has several champions that are likely to get your HP from 100 to 0 in a short period of time, you should seriously consider buying this. Its passive stats are pretty nice as well unless the previously mentioned scenario isn't a given. If getting burst isn't a concern you should look into other itemization options.
DEATH'S DANCE Death's Dance passive essentially takes burst damage and stores it. Instead of having it hit you all at once, you will be taking damage over an extended period of time. The bigger time window you get from this enables you to try and negate the incoming damage with all of your healing. Death's Dance is superior to Sterak's Gage as an anti-burst item you are up against an AD heavy team. This is thanks to its armor stat and passive only accounting for physical damage. A nice bonus you get is its passive effect called "Defy", which is similar to the Triumph rune. Takedowns grant you some bonus movement speed and healing.
SPIRIT VISAGE
This item is just very fun. It enhances your healing and gives you some nice defensive stats. You generally want to build Spirit Visage whenever the main threats on the enemy team are AP. Two to three sources of magic damage are sufficient enough of a reason to incorporate it into your build.
RANDUIN'S OMEN Randuin's Omen becomes essential when the main threats on the enemy team build lots of critical strike. You should definitely be getting this item if the enemy has more than two crit based champions. Do not confuse Randuin's Omen for a good anti-AD item however, it is only useful against crit.
GARGOYLE STONEPLATE Gargoyle Stoneplate is a good choice for a last item. If you ever do reach late game you will most often find yourself needing some extra tankiness against the enemies' healing reduction. This item gives you a decaying shield based on your bonus HP, which would make it useless to buy early on since you wouldn't have other items providing you with said stats. Investing into a tiny shield isn't worth it compared to all the other defensive items you could be getting, so remember to only purchase this late game.
MAW OF MALMORTIUS Maw of Malmortius prevents you from instantly dying to burst mages by giving you a shield once your health has been reduced down to 30%. While this sounds very useful in most situations, the item is sadly pretty expensive which only makes it worth buying when you are playing against a full AP composition.
CHEMPUNK CHAINSWORD Chempunk Chainsword is one of your Grievous Wound options. You generally want to build this item if the opposing team has mixed damage and lots of healing. In situations where tankiness is preferrable to you, Thornmail becomes your alternative.
THORNMAIL
As mentioned above, Thornmail is one of your Grievous Wound options. Instead of applying them to your enemies by hitting them, enemies will apply it to themselves by hitting you. It makes you tankier overall and makes for an ideal purchase against a heavy AD composition.
CONSUMABLES
ELIXIR OF WRATH
Since you are an AD bruiser, the only late game consumable you'll benefit best from is Elixir of Wrath, since it allows you to heal for an insane amount of the damage you deal to opponents. It also provides you with 30 extra AD, which only increases your healing even more thanks to your Passive.
ELIXIR OF IRON
Elixir of Iron can be a solid choice in situations where you are facing a team with lots of burst damage. Beware though, as you do not want to buy this if you have Mercury's Treads in your build, as it is really gold inefficient. The way that tenacity works in the game is that it has diminishing returns, meaning the more you build of it, the less you get. Only go for this elixir if you aren't stacked on tenacity.
CONTROL WARD
Try to always have a Control Ward in your inventory when there's a free item slot. Vision control becomes very important late game, so make sure to also switch out your Stealth Ward with an Oracle Lens or Farsight Alteration.
STARTERS
HAILBLADE
Blue Kayn is an assassin and therefore not meant to stay long in fights. Your goal is to get in, kill someone, and get out again. Overall, it is a great tool that helps you with either catching up to someone or potentially escaping a fight. The instant damage is also able to proc Dark Harvest. Another amazing part of Blue Smite is the fact that it allows you to get off an instant cast of Umbral Trespass. A squishy flashed away from you and they aren't damage marked for your ultimate anymore? Simply cast Chilling Smite on them and it will solve your problem.
REFILLABLE POTION Kayn's clear is fairly healthy and quick. He does not need a lot of healing to survive, hence two charges of Refillable Potion are much more useful than three of Health Potion. The gold value is way higher, considering you get to reset the item with each trip to your base. As a jungler, you should ideally always go for this type of potion.
MYTHIC CHOICES
GOREDRINKER
This Mythic is an upgrade to one of your core items, Ironspike Whip. It is part of the "No Mythic" strategy that recently rose to popularity. The idea about this strategy is to only purchase the Mythic component Ironspike Whip and go for Legendary items afterwards. Other Mythic items don't offer you as much damage compared to the gold value you get from only building this component. Once you reach late game and have filled up all your other item slots you may choose between the following two options: Upgrading to Goredrinker, which is the go-to decision for most players, or replacing Ironspike Whip with an entirely different item. For the latter given scenario it doesn't matter what tier of item you purchase as long as it fits your games circumstances. It does not have to be a Mythic item.
PROWLER'S CLAW
Despite the "No Mythic" build being the most popular among high elo Kayn players, this item remains as an option for players with different preferences. Prowler's Claw lets you dash forward, dealing damage upon impact, similar to Ironspike Whip. Using this active effect will also cause the enemy target to take 15% more damage for 3 whole seconds. Although some players would describe this as an item that's hard to master, it can be a very worthy purchase against an all-squishy enemy team. Lethality, which Prowler's Claw empowers other Legendary item with, is calculated differently than Armor Penetration, allowing you to deal more damage to targets that don't build tanky items such as ADC's.
CORE
IRONSPIKE WHIP
Many might be asking themselves why a bruiser item suddenly became meta for several assassins such as Kayn or Talon, and the reason lies within its active effect. Upon activation your champion deals a solid amount of AD damage, damaging all units within a small radius of you. This gives you immense reach and combo potential. Using it together with your Q, Reaping Slash, at the same time enables you to hit the enemy with burst damage that's higher than expected. Keep Ironspike Whip in your inventory until you run out of item slots late game, at that point you can have the choice between turning it into Goredrinker or replacing it with a different item of your choice.
LETHALITY
Each game, you want to incorporate at least two Lethality items into your build. Choose from the ones listed below depending on your game's scenario.
YOUMUU'S GHOSTBLADE
Youmuu's is an item that works really well for snowballing. Its active effect grants the user 20% movement speed for 6 seconds, also enabling them to pass through units. Map presence is a field that Assassin excells in and this item only amplifies this strength of his. Youmuu's Ghostblade's active effect can also be very useful for sticking onto slippery targets and negating some of their kiting.
EDGE OF NIGHT Edge of Night grants you a spell shield that blocks the next enemy ability. It is very useful to take against champions such as Morgana, Syndra, or Zilean. Basically any champion that could stop you from going in and out of the enemy team through hard CC.
UMBRAL GLAIVE
Upon being spotted by enemy wards or traps you will gain an effect similar to the one of Oracle Lens. Surrounding vision tools will be revealed and disabled for the following 8 seconds. Umbral Glaive costs less than other Lethality items, although it can be tricky for unexperienced players to utilize its effect properly. If you are confident in playing around vision, it can be an extremely valuable purchase against champions such as Nidalee, Shaco, or Teemo.
SERPENT'S FANG Serpent's Fang is a shield shredder.
Whenever you get into game scenarios where shields start to consistently hinder you from assassinating targets, you should probably pick up this item. Note that its effect works for more champions than just enchanter supports. Shield users range from Camille and Sett, to Janna and Yuumi.
BOOTS OF SPEED Assassin is very versatile in terms of Boot choices. Some time ago people were even going crazy with Sorcerer's Shoes on him since it complimented his Passive. You can still take them nowadays if you like to have some fun, the options listed below are currently proven to be the best ones however.
BOOTS OF MOBILITY
The default choice for most players. It greatly improves your map presence and potential to catch out squishies on sidelanes. With Mobility Boots you might be speedy, but always make sure to remind yourself that you are giving up some strength in combat itself. However, your Shadow Step alone provides you with immense movement speed already, so choosing to pass on this item isn’t detrimental.
PLATED STEELCAPS
Defensive boots on Assassin are usually a rare sight, however quite a few high elo Kayn players have started to build them. Your base mobility is already immensely high by itself, so you aren't missing out on anything by deciding to build this item. Purchase Plated Steelcaps against AD heavy teams.
MERCURY'S TREADS
Defensive boots on Assassin are usually a rare sight, however quite a few high elo Kayn players have started to build them. Your base mobility is already immensely high by itself, so you aren't missing out on anything by deciding to build this item. Purchase Mercury's Treads against AP and CC heavy teams.
SITUATIONAL
MANAMUNE
After being a core item for some time, Manamune has shifted into the list of situational purchases by now. Apart from high AD stats it also solves your mana problems which Assassin is prone to struggle with in certain game scenarios. Thanks to Manamune's strong scaling it makes for a great snowballing item if you can afford to buy its component Tear of the Goddess without any repercussions. If you are behind, it is better to invest into Lethality items.
SERYLDA'S GRUDGE
If the enemy team is stacking lots of armor this your go-to item. It helps you with tickling tankier champions such as Cho'Gath or Sion that you usually would do no damage to once you hit late game.
CHEMPUNK CHAINSWORD Chempunk Chainsword is the only viable item for you against enemy healing. Its Grievous Wounds prevent tanky opponents from regenerating all their HP and lessen the chances of your squishy targets being saved by a heal such as Redemption or Monsoon.
CONSUMABLES
ELIXIR OF WRATH
Since you are an AD assassin, Elixir of Wrath is the only late game consumable you'll benefit best from. Extra AD is always nice and its passive "Bloodlust", which heals you off damage you deal to opponents, provides you with some increased survivability.
CONTROL WARD
Try to always have a Control Ward in your inventory when there's a free item slot. Vision control becomes very important late game, so make sure to also switch out your Stealth Ward with Farsight Alteration. Getting an Oracle Lens is also great as long as you did not build Umbral Glaive. Its passive is almost identical to the one of the sweeper, essentially making either item useless.
RHAAST ABILITY SEQUENCE
SHADOW ASSASSIN ABILITY SEQUENCE
PASSIVE: THE DARKIN SCYTHE
Kayn wields an ancient weapon and fights the darkin within it, Rhaast, for control. During each game, one will consume the other. Kayn hones his shadow skills by hunting ranged opponents, while Rhaast fuels his bloodlust by going toe-to-toe with melee enemies. If Kayn wins the struggle, he ascends to become the Shadow Assassin. If Rhaast is the victor, he will consume his host and take center stage.
Protip: You can transform into either one of your forms outside of the fountain. The limit is roughly around the nexus turrets. So in case you ever purchase your items and forget to choose a form: Don't worry, you still got a few extra yards to do so!
RHAAST
Heal for a chunk of all spell damage dealt to champions. Rhaast is a drain tank champion that heals through other's pain. Thanks to bonus percent-health damage on both Reaping Slash and Umbral Trespass, you become ideal at melting tanks and bruisers. As long as you aren't behind, you become an unstoppable duelist. The only threats facing you over the course of the game are Grevious Wounds and crowd control. The longer the match goes on, the more the enemy team gets to build to counter your healing. Be aware of items such as Executioner's Calling, Mortal Reminder, Morellonomicon, or Thornmail as they will prevent you from winning fights based on only your healing. If you want to win games as Rhaast you must be able to choose fights wisely and occasionally rely on your teammates to follow up on knock-ups. You will be able to read more about this topic in our Late Game section.
SHADOW ASSASSIN
Deal bonus magic damage during the first few seconds of combat with champions. Shadow Assassin, as the name implies, makes you into an assassin. Your main purpose from now on will be to take out squishies and high priority targets such as ADCs.
Using everything that's available to you ( Reaping Slash, Blade's Reach, Umbral Trespass, Chilling Smite) should usually be enough to assassinate a non bruiser without them using any defensive items or summoner spells. Your newly gained stats are focused on three things: Damage, Range, and Speed. Many people would consider this form to be more fun and easy. Do not be fooled however, if you want to win games as Shadow Assassin you must be able to close out games quickly before the enemy team stacks up on items like Zhonya's Hourglass. You will be able to read more about this topic in our Late Game section.
Q: REAPING SLASH
Kayn dashes forward, striking nearby enemies at the end of the dash. Both the dash and the strike itself deal physical damage. Reaping Slash deals bonus damage to monsters.
Whenever you do your jungle camps, make sure to use your Reaping Slash AGAINST a wall. It will trigger an animation cancel and deal both damage parts of your Q at the same time. Doing this can improve your overall clearing speed by quite a bit.
You're able to use this ability while Shadow Step is active. Being inside of a wall does not hinder you from casting it. This helps you gain some extra distance, especially on Rhaast whose Shadow Step remains unchanged upon transforming.
RHAAST
This ability deals bonus percent-health damage against all enemies except minions. In short: You are able to melt tanks and bruisers easily. It can still do a respectable amount of damage to squishies, but it certainly isn't what you excel at. Whenever in fights, you should try to use it on cooldown to get off as much damage and healing as possible.
SHADOW ASSASSIN
Ability remains unchanged.
W: BLADE'S REACH
Kayn deals damage in a line and applies a 90% decaying slow to all enemies hit.
Try holding onto this ability whenever you decide to go for a gank. You ideally want to bait out a movement ability or summoner spell out of the enemy first. If needed, you can use Reaping Slash or Chilling Smite to close the initial gap between you and the enemy laner.
You're able to use this ability while Shadow Step is active. Being inside of a wall does not hinder you from casting it.
RHAAST
You briefly knocks up struck enemies and apply a 60% decaying slow to them. This ability is the main reason why the average teammate prefers having a Rhaast on their team. Who doesn't like to play together with crowd control heavy champions? Getting a 4-man knockup can win you fights easily, and managing to pull it off late game can be a guranteed win in most cases.
SHADOW ASSASSIN
Your Blade's Reach has increased range. Using this ability will leave behind a living shadow that casts Blade's Reach for you. What this means: You are able to cast other abilities such as your Reaping Slash, making you dash forward and deal the damage of both skills at the same time. This ability is what makes you one of the best assassins out there, you essentially just need to slam your head on the keyboard in order to deal insane amounts of damage within one second.
E: SHADOW STEP
Kayn gains a burst of movement speed and the ability to walk through walls for a few moments. When he first enters a wall, he'll heal for a small amount and the duration of Shadow Step will be greatly extended. You won't get the duration extension if you're in combat with enemy champions. Getting immobilized will interrupt this ability and force you out of any terrain you're in.
While Shadow Step is active, you're able to use abilities and summoner spells. Being inside of a wall does not hinder you from casting them.
RHAAST
Ability remains unchanged. As mentioned above, you are able to cast abilities while being inside of terrain. Use this to your advantage by casting Reaping Slash inside of a wall to get across the map faster or escape certain fights.
SHADOW ASSASSIN
Gain additional movement speed and immunity to slows when activating Shadow Step. Activating this ability also lets you cancel the duration of slows already applied to you, some examples being Exhaust, Wither, Zephyr, or Twin Shadows. Use your Blade's Reach as a driveby while being inside of a wall to intimidate squishies or poke enemies while remaining out of their attack range.
R: UMBRAL TRESPASS
Kayn may infest any nearby enemy champion who he has recently damaged. Trespassing into a champion makes Kayn untargetable for a few seconds. Reactivating the ability during this period ends the effect early. Kayn then wrenches himself free from his victim's body, dealing a burst of damage.
Be aware of the term untargetability as it does not equate to invincibility! This means that you can still die inside of enemy champions to things such as burn damage coming from Grievous Wounds or Ignite.
You're able to use this ability while Shadow Step is active. Being inside of a wall does not hinder you from casting it. You are also able to use Smite while being inside of an enemy champion, allowing you to either deal some extra damage with Chilling Smite or apply the effect of Challenging Smite before exiting.
RHAAST
Umbral Trespass deals extra damage as a percentage of the victim's maximum health, healing Rhaast in the process. Thanks to your passive, The Darkin Scythe: Rhaast, stacking with this ability you will usually get a heal equal to 1000HP every time you use it. Building Death's Dance will only amplify this effect, making it one of the best items to get on Rhaast. You generally want to use this ability as either a tank/bruiser execute or to heal yourself. If your target happens to die to other damage sources while you are still inside of them you will be forced out without receiving a heal. Teammates like to forget about this fact a lot of the times, so if possible make sure to remind them that you depend on your healing in teammfights and they ideally should not touch low HP targets that you casted Umbral Trespass on.
SHADOW ASSASSIN
Umbral Trespass can be cast from further away and resets the bonus magic damage from The Darkin Scythe: Shadow Assassin after the Shadow Assassin exits his victim.
This ability is very fun to use, it feels quick and clean. You gain about 200 extra range from the base version of it which lets you cast this ability from further away. It also lets you to exit your targets body with more yards between the both of you, allowing you for an easier getaway. There are a few things to look out for if you want to get the maximum damage potential from this ability. Make sure to deal damage to your victim over the course of three seconds WITHOUT using your Umbral Trespass. Cast Blade's Reach and Reaping Slash before resorting to ulting. Optionally, you can also try to throw in Chilling Smite or an auto-attack. You want to make full use of your passive effect, The Darkin Scythe: Shadow Assassin, before it gets reset by using your ultimate. If you built Duskblade of Draktharr, make sure to wait one second before leaving your target's body to reset its effect as well.
If you prefer listening over reading, check out the video guides below made by Rhaastafarian. While they might not go as in-depth as our guide does here, they should still be able to give you a solid, overall idea of pathing on Kayn.
First things first, as a jungler it is important for you to already establish a plan for your upcoming game in champion select. Not only is it important for you to choose your form in advance in order to go for your most optimal runes, but also to think ahead of pathing, matchups, and objective control. Take a look at the enemy team's champions and yours. Which laners will have a matchup advantage? Who is vulnerable to ganks? Is there anyone you should avoid early on? Asking yourself questions and analyzing several things will help you with adapting to several game outcomes.
A common misconception for lower-ranking players is that jungle pathing is very binary. They tend to go the same route every game, no matter the circumstances. However, it is very important to modify your pathing based on many factors, just like mentioned above. Determine which lanes have priority, are gankable or need help early on. You want to adjust your clear based on this and what you think the enemy jungler is going to do.
A concept that was out there for some time is that your clear should be based on which form you want to go. This idea is wrong, however. Just make sure to stick to what we wrote above: Never forget to look into modifying and adjusting your pathing depending on your game's circumstances. Below, you will find some standard routes to draw inspiration from.
STEP 1
Put a point into your Reaping Slash and start at your Red Buff together with a leash from your laners. While on Kayn's release people were amazed by how fast he could clear Raptors, you do not want to start off with that camp anymore unless your teammates refuse to give you a leash. The burn you get from Red Brambleback speeds up your clear significantly on other jungle monsters. If you take a look at the image above, it should also show you how a Red Buff start allows you for a much smoother transition onto the opposite side of the map due to you not having to walk all the way from Krugs to Wolves. Make sure to smite your buff once it hits 390 HP. This lets you continue your clear with a higher amount of HP.
STEP 2
After Red Brambleback is killed you will hit level 2. Put a point into your E, Shadow Step and use it right away to get down to your Krugs. Your W might give you more initial damage, but you will still lose a significant amount of HP. Your E's heal makes your clear much healthier and puts you at less risk of immediately dying upon being engaged on. Use your Smite on the big Krug once it has lost enough HP to be executed by it.
STEP 3
This is where flexibility comes in. Take a look at botlane/toplane (depending on which side you are on) and whether your teammates are pushed in or have strong CC that allows for a likely successful gank. If the answer to either of these examples is "Yes", then feel free to pay your teammate(s) a visit. However, if you think that you will only be able to force the enemy to use a summoner spell, you should most likely refrain from ganking. Showing yourself on the map this early on allows the enemy jungler to steal camps of yours that you haven't cleared yet. This will cause you to fall behind significantly. Only resort to ganking if you are 90% sure of it ending in success. If you decide not to gank, you may tend to your chickens. After killing raptors you will hit level 3. Proceed to put a second point into your Q, Reaping Slash. Your W will still have to wait a bit as its cooldown is fairly high and will slow down your clear.
STEP 4
Take a look at your midlane on whether they are in need of a countergank or similar.
If not, your next objective is to move over to your wolves. Make sure to only use auto-attacks on the big wolf! The smaller ones will get killed automatically by Reaping Slash's AOE damage.
STEP 5
After killing your wolves, you want to clear Blue Sentinel along with Gromp. Take another look at your nearby lanes on whether your assistance is needed. If you see an opportunity for a successful countergank make sure to head there right away.
If you're free to continue your clear, start off by first auto attacking your Blue to make it move towards you. Next, you hit Gromp with an auto attack and move back immediately as to not lose aggro on your Blue. Try to stay in the middle of the two camps, while stacking both monsters on top of each other. Use both charges of your Refillable Potion and focus your Blue Buff. Once it hits 700 HP, use Smite on it and start targeting with your autoattacks Gromp. After about two uses of your Reaping Slash they will be dead. Afterwards you should be level 4 with about 500-550 HP (70% of max). Now it is time to get your W, Blade's Reach.
STEP 6
Scuttle Crab is your last objective. Getting this jungle monster can be quite scary at times, due to how contested it is. You want to act based on whether your lanes have priority or not. For the ones not knowing what "having priority" means: A lane having priority is a lane is pushed to the enemy's turret. So for instance, if teammates from both your nearby lanes are sitting under their own turret you want to refrain from trying to take it unless you have vision on the enemy jungler and laners. Trying to take Scuttle while not knowing their location is quite risky and can lead to you getting ambushed. If your laners have priority and you can rely on them helping you out if it comes to an encounter with the opposing jungler you can feel more than free to contest it.
WORK IN PROGRESS - MORE COMING SOON!
If you prefer having a quick and accessible way to inform yourself about matchups before each game, check out our Matchup Sheet. It contains the same information as below in a handy google document layout.
TINY
Amumu
You beat Amumu early game on equal footing. Do not fight him however if he has an HP advantage.
Mid game it can become quite hard to punch through his Aftershock keystone as base Kayn. If he has another keystone you are able to out-duel him. Try your best to dodge his Bandage Toss (Q) with your Reaping Slash (Q). Avoiding stuns is crucial to winning a fight. Consider building Mercury's Treads.
As for late game, Amumu becomes jungle food if you have chosen to go Rhaast. Your Black Cleaver will melt him.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
MINOR
Cho'Gath
Make sure to always save your Reaping Slash (Q) to dodge his knockup. Avoiding it wins you the fight easily early game. Cho'Gath's clear is painfully slow, so always look for opportunities to invade him.
Don’t fight Cho'Gath once he reaches level 6. His ultimate does massive damage and can kill you from half HP during mid game.
Once you reach the late game Cho'Gath becomes a free HP reset with your ultimate if you have chosen to go Rhaast. He is also very immobile, so as long as you have the appropriate itemization to fight his tankiness you win the fight.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
MINOR
Dr. Mundo
Only take fights early on if he is low. He will do a ton of damage if he lands his Infected Cleaver (Q) and trades Masochism (E) auto-attacks.
During mid game you can’t really kill him as his heal is unmeltable unless you're extremely ahead. Do not commit to fights as he will be able to kill you slowly but surely.
For late game it is heavily recommended to go Rhaast. He absolutely dominates Dr. Mundo if you build healing reduction.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
MINOR
EKKO
Early game you win fights but you likely won’t actually get to kill him as he can run away with his passive. Your clear is faster than his, so go for a different approach by just speedrunning to level 6.
During mid game you still out-duel him. Once Ekko gets his Chronobreak (R) however, make sure to track his shadow/hologram. If he uses his ultimate while you are inside of him you will follow. Avoid getting ported into a bunch of enemies or ending up in his AoE stun.
When it comes to the late game Ekko outscales both Rhaast and Shadow Assassin. Try to close out the game before he gets four items. If you don't manage to do so make sure to build some magic resist or healing reduction to counter his ultimate.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Either
EXTREME
ELISE
You will be able to take trades early on as long as she doesn’t catch you with her Cocoon (E).
The same goes for the mid game: Avoid Elise's stun, and you win the fight.
If you went Shadow Assassin, it is heavily recommended to go all-in on her late game. While killing her is generally unrealistic, your goal is to try and force out her Rappel (E), Zhonya's Hourglass, and/or Banshee's Veil so your team will eventually be able to pick her up in teamfights.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Blue
EVEN
EVELYNN
This champ is even weaker than yourself early on. Look for invades whenever she shows up on the map and get deep wards.
Be careful not to get hit by her charm mid game in order to win the fight. If you time it right, you will be able to counter her ultimate by using your Umbral Trespass (R). Whether she uses it as a damage or escape tool, you will be untargetable and follow wherever she warps to.
Evelynn sadly outscales you late game. As long as you abuse your mid game strength and pressure her enough you should be okay. Make sure to pick up an Oracle Lens and Control Wards to avoid getting ambushed by her.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Blue
EVEN
FIDDLESTICKS
You lose all fights from early to mid game. Fiddlesticks's Bountiful Harvest (W) will always win him trades. Avoid him at all costs unless you are ahead or have teammates by your side.
It is recommended to go Shadow Assassin into Fiddlesticks. Build Edge of Night once you reach the late game and catch him out in his jungle. Your spell shield should block his fear and a full combo is enough to kill him. You will be able to force out his Zhonya's Hourglass at the very least.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Blue
MINOR
GRAGAS
Gragas's Body Slam (E) is able to cancel your Reaping Slash's (Q) dash which is why you do not want to fight him early on.
He becomes even scarier during mid game as he will be able to kill you within seconds through a full combo. Avoid fighting him alone unless you are ahead.
Gragas remains a significant threat during the late game, however, he shouldn’t be able to oneshot you anymore as long as you made sure to incorporate some MR into your build. Get yourself some Armor Penetration and you will be able to beat him given that you avoid his stun.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
EXTREME
GRAVES
Definitely the worst matchup for Kayn. You cannot beat Graves early to mid game due to the additional armor he gets from his Quickdraw (E).
Make sure to avoid him. If he invades you, you have no other choice but to give up your jungle camps unless your team decides to come and collapse on him.
Once you reach the late game you can start considering to duel him as Shadow Assassin if he has no stacks on his Quickdraw (E). If you chose Rhaast, ensure the survival of your team by peeling for them.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Either
MAJOR
HECARIM
You can take early trades early on but don't commit to extended fights. Hecarim's Spirit of Dread (W) allows him to gain HP off the damage he deals, ensuring him to win fights.
Once you reach the mid game take a peek at Hecarim's items. If he built Cinderhulk as his jungle item enchantment you are free to fight him for some easy passive orbs. Make sure to avoid him if he has the Warrior enchantment and/or Ignite unless you are ahead.
Late game against Hecarim is a piece of cake for Rhaast. With Cinderhulk he serves as an excellent Umbral Trespass (R) target for a free HP reset. Building Executioner's Calling is heavily recommended.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
TINY
IVERN
As much as many people like to laugh about Ivern, he can actually beat you early on if he starts the fight in a bush. Always ward your jungle entrances as he loves to invade. Focus on vision control and
Reaching mid game will allow you to easily beat him in a fight since he doesn’t build a jungle item. To clear up some misconceptions: Ivern counts as a ranged champion and will give you blue passive orbs.
Ivern is a support champion that doesn't build any resistances, hence you will be guaranteed to kill him with Shadow Assassin late game. Even defensive items such as Locket of the Iron Solari will not save Ivern from your damage.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Blue
EVEN
JARVAN IV
Jarvan IV will almost always beat you early on thanks to his attack speed boost from his Demacian Standard (E). Avoid fighting him.
Once you get your Red Smite you can beat him in duels. Keep avoiding him if you built Blue Smite.
Jarvan IV can get fairly intimidating late game if he got himself a Warrior's enchantment but you should still be able to beat him with your form. If you are playing Rhaast and he decides to go Cinderhulk he will serve as a great HP reset target.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Either
MINOR
JAX
Try your best to dodge the stun from his Counter Strike (E) if you want to win early fights against him. Extended duels will most likely result in you losing due to Jax's passive granting him an attack speed boost, so avoid them.
During mid game you will be able to beat Jax as long as he built the Bloodrazor enchantment. If he went for Cinderhulk refrain from dueling him until you get your form.
Once you reach the late game you beat him fairly hard. You will be able to either dodge his stun or wait out most of his ultimate duration by Umbral Trespassing (R) into him.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
MINOR
KARTHUS
Work In Progress.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Either
EXTREME
KHA'ZIX
Absolutely terrible matchup for Kayn. This bug will beat you at pretty much every stage of the game. Avoid him unless you are ahead.
There currently isn’t a good form against this champion. Play around your team and keep away from him.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Either
EXTREME
KINDRED
Terrible matchup for Kayn. Kindred is able to kite you endlessly early on. Do not approach them without assistance from your team.
If you see Kindred going Warrior's enchantment + Critical Strike items mid game you can find some success in dueling them if you also have Warrior's. Try to abuse your mid game advantage as much as you can.
As for late game, you will always be able to force an ultimate out of them if you are Shadow Assassin. If you went Rhaast however and Kindred built Bloodrazor + anti-bruiser items you'll be in a pretty bad spot. Avoid fighting them and peel for your team.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Blue
EXTREME
LEE SIN
Pretty bad matchup for Kayn. Lee Sin will beat you in extended fights even if you have a level advantage. Avoid dueling him early on at all costs.
Once you reach the mid game you will be able to take fights if you are ahead. If not, look for counterganks and continue to not fight him.
During late game this becomes a fairly favorable matchup if you chose to go Rhaast. Do not be afraid to fight him.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Either
EVEN
LILLIA
Lillia beats you pre-reset. Do not fight her before you’ve gotten your first trip back to base.
Once you get your Tiamat/Blue Smite powerspike you're free to fight her. However, you start to lose against her again once she builds some tank items such as Zhonya’s Hourglass or Deadman’s Plate. Lillia has massive mobility and is therefore capable of kiting you very well, so don't even try to go for her unless she's behind. Just make other enemies your priority and focus on them.
It is not recommended to go Rhaast into this matchup due to her superior mobility and passive. Its max HP % damage is basically made for melting tanks and negating healing.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Blue
EXTREME
MASTER YI
Really scary matchup for Kayn, especially in low elo. He can rightclick you to death and negate all your damage through his Medidate (W).
His ultimate is more powerful than most would expect. Make sure to avoid him unless you have your team as backup.
During late game you are unable to beat Master Yi in any form. Play to beat his team instead. If you went Rhaast, try to time your Blade's Reach (W) just right by knocking Master Yi up right after he uses Alpha Strike (Q) on you.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Either
EVEN
NIDALEE
Avoid her early on since she will absolutely destroy you thanks to her having six abilities. Nidalee likes to invade a lot, so play to try and minimize losses.
Once you reach the mid game you will be able to fight her given that you have your Umbral Trespass (R). Without it, it is simply unrealistic for you to win. Try your best to dodge her Pounce (E) as it deals execute damage.
Regarding late game, you massively outscale Nidalee as either form. If you are Rhaast, play for your team. If you are Shadow Assassin, look for picks in her jungle and burn some Zhonya's Hourglasses.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Either
EVEN
NOCTURNE
Do not engage on Nocturne early on. He beats you with his fear and Lethal Tempo keystone. Path around him as best as you can.
Watch out for his ultimates during mid game as you want to be there to countergank your lanes. Pay extra attention to vision and your minimap.
Either of your forms become fairly strong late game. Take down his spell shield through your smite and you will be good to go and fight him.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Either
MINOR
NUNU & WILLUMP
You can beat him early on if you have Conqueror. Nunu will likely spam ganks to snowball his laners, try to counter this playstyle by pathing into his jungle and taking his camps.
Once you get your Warrior's enchantment you beat Nunu in duels, given that he doesn't go AP.
It is recommended to go Rhaast in this matchup. After purchasing Black Cleaver try your best to force fights with him. You will beat Nunu easily and his tanky nature will serve as a free Umbral Trespass (R) HP reset.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
EXTREME
OLAF
Terrible matchup for Kayn early game. Avoid him as much as you can and only look for counterganks.
During mid game it becomes possible to beat Olaf in a duel if he is behind, otherwise continue to avoid him.
It is best to go Rhaast into this matchup. After getting Red Smite together with Black Cleaver you have a solid chance at beating him. Make sure to use your Umbral Trespass (R) during Olaf's ultimate to wait out most of its duration and deny him from lifestealing off you.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
MINOR
RAMMUS
Rammus will do a surprising amount of damage with his taunt + Defensive Ball Curl (W) combination. It is recommended to not fight him alone without the assistance of a teammate.
Continue to avoid him during mid game but you try to steal his camps. Rammus has a fairly slow clear speed, so if you have good map awareness you will benefit nicely from a few invades.
Going Rhaast is best in this matchup. You beat Rammus easily once you get Black Cleaver. Make sure to use your Umbral Trespass (R) during his ultimate to mitigate as much damage as possible.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
MAJOR
REK'SAI
Very bad matchup for Kayn. This champion beats you at all stages of the early game. Rek’sai likes to spam ganks, so try to path around her jungle camps. Do not engage on her.
Going Rhaast is best in this matchup. Once you get your Black Cleaver you can win duels. If you have good enough reflexes, you can even dodge her ultimate with your Umbral Trespass (R).
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
EXTREME
RENGAR
Very bad matchup for Kayn. Rengar's early game power lets him invade you when he wants. His Battle Roar (W) makes it incredibly unrealistic to kill him early to mid game. Do not fight him, however, look to countergank his ultimate if you can.
Neither form of yours beats this champ. Build Executioner's Calling and play for your team.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
MINOR
SEJUANI
You will win fights against Sejuani early on if you have Conqueror. Just try to not let your Reaping Slash (Q) get cancelled by her Arctic Assault (Q).
Once she gets her Cinderhulk enchantment you cannot really kill her anymore. You should still try to fight her for a bit to get some free passive orbs.
You beat Sejuani fairly hard late game on Rhaast. Use her as a free HP reset by Umbral Trespassing (R) into her. Be careful of her ultimate.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Either
TINY
SHACO
Shaco is only a threat in the very early game as he has Ignite. Be careful until you complete your jungle item.
Make sure to use your Reaping Slash (Q) after he places a box to both kill it and damage him in the process. You're able to counter his stealth by timing your ultimate right. Simply Umbral Trespass (R) into Shaco whenever he is below 50% HP and you suspect that he might go invisible on you.
Either form works against him, just be careful of his clone if he builds AP as it deals more damage than you would expect.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Either
MINOR
SHYVANA
This matchup is essentially a farm race. A good Shyvana player most likely won’t interact with you but make sure either you or your team ward dragon at or before 5 minutes.
Only fight Shyvana during mid game when she does not have her ultimate.
If she builds AP, it is recommended to go Shadow Assassin. If she builds either AD or tank, going Rhaast is the best call. Be careful of her Dragon's Descend (R) + Flame Breath (E) combo, it has the potential to oneshot you.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Either
EVEN
SKARNER
You will lose any fights you take, this champion’s early game power is very high. Avoid him and clear your own jungle.
Continue to stay away from Skarner mid game. If he ults you, you’re probably dead. It is heavily recommended to go Rhaast in this matchup. Get yourself Quicksilver Sash after Black Cleaver and wait to outscale him.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
EVEN
TRUNDLE
If Trundle has Press the Attack as his keystone you stand no chance against him early on. His Pillar (E) can interrupt both your Reaping Slash (Q) and Shadow Step (E) so don't even try to contest him for anything, especially once he hits level 6.
Trundle builds incredibly tanky so you can’t really kill him even as Rhaast. Pick up an early Executioner's Calling to help out your team.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
TINY
TWITCH
Work In Progress.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Blue
MINOR
UDYR
Udyr will try to invade you early on. Do not try to contest him as he beats you in duels. Try to countergank when possible and look to scale.
If you get help from your team you can pick fights during mid game, His Tiger Stance (Q) does 300+ damage and can kill you while using your Umbral Trespass (R).
You should ideally go Rhaast into this champion. Once you get your form and Black Cleaver you outscale him fairly hard. Just be careful if he builds Executioner's Calling.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
EVEN
VI
Vi is able to cancel your Reaping Slash (Q) and lock you down. Do not fight her unless you know that her Vault Breaker (Q) is down.
Do not try to "outplay" her by using Umbral Trespass (R) when she locks her ultimate onto you, as it will NOT cancel the cast. You will be knocked right back out of your targets body.
During late game you will be able to outscale Vi with Black Cleaver, but stay aware of her Vault Breaker and try to dodge it whenever you can.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
EVEN
VOLIBEAR
Possibly the worst early game matchup for Kayn. Volibear's Press the Attack + Frenzied Maul (W) combination will send back to base quicker than you might expect. Avoid fighting this bear at all costs until late game.
You will eventually be able to outscale Volibear once you reach 3 items. Try and dodge his ultimate with your own.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
EVEN
WARWICK
You won't be able to out-trade his Q and passive. Do not fight Warwick early on unless you are able to engage on him with a teammate.
Beware of his Cinderhulk powerspike mid game, it is stronger than most would expect. Try to dodge his Infinite Duress (R) and/or fear with your own ultimate. Getting immobilized by him will most often result in you dying.
Choosing Rhaast and gearing yourself up with Black Cleaver and Executioner's Calling goes very far. At that point, you generally want to start engaging on Warwick, however always keep in mind to dodge his crowd control.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
EVEN
WUKONG
Wukong's Nimbus Strike (E) will shred you. Don't fight him until you get your form. His ultimate stacks Conqueror instantly, so be careful.
Wukong's clear speed is very slow so look to take some of his camps.
It is recommended to go for Rhaast in this matchup. Your Black Cleaver powerspike lets you fight him easily. Use your Blade's Reach (W) knockup carefully, as Wukong is able to dodge it with his Warrior Trickster (W).
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
MAJOR
XIN ZHAO
Xin Zhao's kit is simply better than yours early on and his third Q will cancel yours. Avoid dueling him at all costs, especially once he gets his Warrior enchantment. Try to take some camps of his whenever the opportunity arises.
Once you get either a few kills or your form, you will be able to fight and kill him mid game.
Getting Black Cleaver late game is basically an instant win against him. If you ended up going Shadow Assassin, watch out for his Crescent Guard (R) disengage.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Either
EVEN
ZAC
Zac's Aftershock makes him really hard to kill early on, but you can win duels with Conqueror. Your Reaping Slash (Q) is very strong against his passive blobs thanks to the AoE damage.
Zac's level six power spike is very strong, so beware of him. He will outduel you. Wait until you get your form and countergank your lanes.
It is heavily recommended for you to go Rhaast against him. Once you reach the late game build Executioner's Calling to counter his healing. Your Black Cleaver is enough to melt through his armor, so no need to get more penetration items. Zac serves as an excellent Umbral Trespass (R) target for a free HP reset, so don't miss out on it.
RECOMMENDED FORM: Red
Kayn is a champion that is rather weak early game due to his powerspike essentially being his transformations through The Darkin Scythe. You should always be aiming to get a form by around 10 minute into game. The best way to execute Kayn's early game is to farm as much as possible since he is very efficient at doing so. Clearing your camps on respawn is ideal.
Do not try to force ganks or fights for passive orbs!
Greeding for them will most often backfire and allow your enemy to snowball off of such mistakes. Try looking for ganks whenever enemies are pushing in and or do not have summoner spells. Make sure to read through our pathing section to get an overall better idea of this concept.
Depending on your matchup, you most often should not try to go deep into the enemy jungle since most of your opponents will be able to beat you early on. While your Reaping Slash and Shadow Step might provide you with excellent mobility and solid escape potential, trying to counter jungle in the early game simply isn't rewarding enough. If you ever do decide to do so, it is absolutely essential for you to have good map awareness. Knowing where the enemy jungler is, how your laners are pushed in, and who's currently missing on the map can be the deciding factor as to whether your bold Blue Buff steal ends in a success or int. Your safe space however will always be Raptors. Sneaking them from the enemy jungler usually proves to be no problem since it doesn't take long nor require you to dive deep into the enemy's territory.
This is the point of the game where Kayn truly shines as a champion. Once you get either one of your forms it's time to force dives with your team, preferrably winning lanes, as well as trying to get as many objectives as possible. If you are confident in 1v2ing on Rhaast, go for it.
Always make sure to put up as much vision as you can. Most people tend to immediately jump in once they see an insolated target even though they don't know where the rest of the enemy team is at. More often than not, this ends in a bad suprise of suddenly being outnumbered.
All in all, you want to apply lot's of pressure together with your newly gained power. Gank, fight, and force objectives. If your enemy happens to be ahead, try going exclusively solo. Start split pushing and punishing squishies that are out of position.
LATE GAME ON RHAAST
Due to the enemy team building more items that counter your healing the longer the game goes on, you should refrain from trying to pick fights against multiple people unless all of them are tanks/bruisers. Regardless, Rhaast still loves to pick 1v1s, so it's important to keep an eye on lanes and seeing whether anyone comes up alone to farm. Besides that your job in team fights is to keep your carries alive by killing assassins, bruisers or tanks all of which will be trying to focus them down. If your team happens to have no tank or any sort of good engage, you will have to provide for them. Use your Flash together with your Blade's Reach to knock up multiple enemies. In most cases it can be a huge win condition. Before you try to go for any flashy plays however, make sure you know where your own team is and ideally let them know through pings that you are planning to go in. Hitting four people at once usually gurantees you to win a teamfight as long as your own teammates are able to follow up.
LATE GAME ON SHADOW ASSASSIN
On Shadow Assassin your job is to assassinate enemies that isolate themselves from their team on the map. You see an ADC going to farm a wave by themselves? Run towards them immediately and secure a kill. This allows your team to have a significantly easier time while teamfighting, since you will be outnumbering the enemy. If there is no opportunity for this however and the enemy team stays grouped up, be patient. Using your Shadow Step to wait inside of walls for a fight to be started by your teammates is very important as you must be able to react quickly. During teamfights people tend to be very distracted due to all the things happening within a short span of time. You want to use this time frame to assassinate enemy carries.
Beware of items such as Zhonya's Hourglass, Banshee's Veil, and Edge of Night. Lots of squishies will resort to building defensively in order to block your damage, which is what makes Shadow Assassin objectively worse the longer the game goes on. Supports will be stacked on protective items, as well as carries themselves. There is no need to panic however, just be patient, track the enemy team's cooldowns, and wait for opportunities to dive in.
In this section you can find some talented and devoted Kayn lovers that like to share their gameplay on twitch regularly. They are all approved by us and will hopefully be able to teach you a thing or two if decide you watch them!
If you are a Kayn streamer looking to be featured on both our subreddit and here, check out our discord! You will find all the requirements in the #server-info channel.
This section will list various coaches you can contact in order to improve your Kayn gameplay. If you encounter a problem with any of the coaches during a coaching session, please contact us on Reddit or Discord. This includes things such as scamming or rude behaviour.
If you'd like to apply as a coach yourself, head over to our discord and read through our #kayn-coaching channel. There, you will find requirements as well as an application form.
IGNs: Regedice Region: NA Peak Rank: Challenger 680LP (S9, S10) S9 final rank: Grandmaster 573LP Coaching background: Hours of coaching through ProGuides. Schedule: Typically free anytime. Might be doing something that can't be interrupted, however the session should be able to take place within 24 hours of contact if all goes well. Prices: 25$ per game. Coaching methods: Live VOD review where he first analyzes your gameplay, takes notes, and then goes over the game with you. Will additionally help with mentality, detailing indepth high elo macro, etc. Additional Info: Might tend to stutter sometimes. Contact Info:Discord: @rege#6708 | Twitter: @Regedice
IGNs: GhostlyCat Region: NA Peak Rank: Challenger 455LP S9 final rank: Masters 61 LP Coaching background: One year of coaching across all ranks. Schedule: Extremely flexible. Arranged dates have to be met. Prices: $15 per session - One session equals to 1 hour 30 minutes Coaching methods: VOD review or live game commentary. Additional Info: Is currently Challenger and has hit Grandmaster with a 68% winrate on Kayn. Contact Info:Discord: @GhostlyCat#7790 | Twitter: @GhostlyCatLoL
IGNs: Rhaastafarian Region: NA Peak Rank: Grandmaster 241 LP S9 final rank: Grandmaster 241 LP Coaching background: VOD review experience, has coached on the server before. Schedule: Flexible schedule. Prices: First review for everyone is free, after that $5. Coaching methods: VOD review/replays. Additional Info: Will only be doing three sessions a week at most, based on who he believes will benefit most. Contact Info:Discord: @Rhaastafarian#8534
IGNs: Bearface CM Region: NA Peak Rank: Masters S9 final rank: Diamond 3 Coaching background: Competitive Coaching and multiple players. Schedule: Flexible - College student Prices: Free unless consisted coaching is requested. Coaching methods: VOD review Additional Info: Hit masters as a Kayn Main, hit D1 with a 90% winrate on Kayn. Also a coach for Lee Sin and Olaf. Contact Info:Discord: @Bearface#8753
IGNs: QMR Verdal | RushVoid Region: EUW Peak Rank: Grandmaster S9 final rank: Diamond 1 Coaching background: Two years of coaching on different servers. Schedule: Free weekends, not available on Sunday mornings. Free during mornings and nights on weekdays, not available 3-9 PM. Prices: 15€ per session - One session equals to 1.5-2 hours Coaching methods: Live game with screenshare followed by a VOD review, talk about mentality/OP.GG pre-game. Additional Info: Best at coaching JG/Mid, but can do ADC/Top as well to a lesser extend. Contact Info:Discord: @Verdal#8209 | Email: vicentecupello24@gmail.com
A compilation of video guides for our readers that aren't fond of reading. If you want to suggest a video of yours to be added here, don't hesitate to message us on Reddit or Discord!
Q:
Are you really sure that there aren't any form-neutral runes? Karasmai sometimes goes for Conqueror in his games and chooses whatever form he gets first.
While both Rhaast and Shadow Assassin are able to use the Dark Harvest keystone effectively, they still differ in terms of secondary choices. Going for a form when you do not have the most ideal runes can make you lose out on a significant portion of damage and functionality. Experienced and high elo players such as Karasmai are able to get away with unfitting runes due to how well they can adapt and utilize their form-powerspike. His strategy is not recommended for the average player. Check out this video by Rhaastafarian about the topic. It showcases a few examples of opposing team compositions, how to identify threats, and choose corresponding forms against them before your game starts.
Thank you for reading our guide and making it all the way down here!
Kayn has a lovely design that reawakens the inner edgelord in oneself that you never knew you had. His playstyle is incredibly fun and versatile, making it quite hard to ever get bored of him. This guide was made in collaboration with lots of passionate and skilled Kayn lovers. We truly hope it helped you learn some new things about the champion.
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