The Rogue Sentinel Akshan is the newest champion in League of Legends and will be making the mid-lane unsafe in the near future. Here are tips and tricks to successfully play the Assassin.
Akshan brings a twist to the Marksman class and the traditional ADC role: instead of being equipped with skillshots, his kit goes more towards ranged Assassin. Akshan also has an incredible amount of utility in the form of resurrection and stealth. This unique and unusual lineup of abilities gives him a very interesting early-game and special role in late-game teamfights.
Akshan may seem a bit OP at first, but it takes a lot of skill and practice to properly master the AD carry Riot Games intended for the mid-lane. Here are our tips on how to dominate as Akshan.
Seek out justice, break the rules. Swing in with Akshan, the Rogue Sentinel, and take vengeance in patch 11.15! 💫
Learn more about his abilities below! 👇 pic.twitter.com/D96uyETR1a
— League of Legends // UK, IE & Nordics (@LoLUKN) July 7, 2021
Akshan’s Early-Game – Harping and Trading
Akshan’s early-game is not too different from most other ADCs, as the main focus should be on farming and building an advantage over the lane opponent. The skills that are most used for lane trading are the Passive (Dirty Fighting) and Q (Avengerang). You should always try to use the 3-hit passive to maximise damage and get cheap trades. Fortunately, Q hits build up stacks of passive ability and increase range every time they hit an enemy Champion or Minion.
The W (Heroic Swing) is a great tool to get out of the way of Jungle Ganks. If you are able to hit terrain with the hook shot, you should be able to swing back under the tower without using up a flash. This way you can save the flash and then use it to be more aggressive and deal extra damage if an enemy player should be low on health.
The Mid-and-Late-Game – Revive and push further
After buying an item or two, you should be ready to do some decent damage in the big teamfights. This is where the utility skills and ultimate are especially important. If a single opponent kills one of your Carrys or several of your teammates, he becomes your primary target. Your W (Going Rogue) is one of Akshan’s most useful abilities, as it revives any allies killed by a particular “rogue” when you eliminate it. This ability also gives Akshan stealth and guides you in their direction.
The Ultimate R (Comeuppance) is great for burning down Carrys or taking down low life targets. Essentially, it works like a mix of the Caitlyn and Lucian ultimates. Once a target is selected, few things can stop the barrage. Along with the W, the skill allows you to keep pushing after winning fights and quickly defeat stragglers.
The new champ Akshan being able respawn teammates is going to make some crazy situations in competitive. Imagine trading 2 kills for 2 kills in a teamfight but he gets a lasthit – now it's 5v3 and his team can take baron, elder, soul, rush nexus, etc.
— Yiliang Peng (@Doublelift1) July 7, 2021
Akshan has the potential to be one of the most important team fight champions. Not in his ability to actually win a team fight, but in his ability to trade effectively. Even if a team loses a Fight, Akshan, by killing the right Objective, can prevent the opposing team from extending their advantage or taking the next neutral Objective more easily. As an Akshan player, you should always be aware of which champion is the best target.
Items and Runes – The Typical ADC
Although he is more of an assassin than a marksman, his item build is similar to those of common ADCs. Galeforce is a good choice for the first item as it provides AD but also increases mobility. For the other items, the Critical Strike value should be prioritised. This makes Essence Reaver the next logical choice.
Bloodthirster is a good option for Sustain to provide extra damage and healing on hits. Akshan is only effective if he can stay alive to use key abilities like W and R. At this point in the game, items should be purchased that best suit one’s situation. Guardian Angel is another good sustain option, while more crit items can be used to destroy tanks quickly.
Akshan’s runes are also similar to those of a traditional ADC. Therefore, either Press The Attack or Conqueror is the right choice. Press The Attack may be the best option, as the Heroic Swing can easily get you in range of the enemy.
Closing Thoughts on Akshan.
Akshan is a pretty controversial addition to the champion line-up in League of Legends. He is one of the first shooters of his kind. While some champions like Kai’Sa have assassin tendencies, none have this mix of burst-damage and utility. In professional games and in solo cue, Akshan could become a favourite just because of his potential to stop teams from creating massive overcount situations. It could definitely be worth your while to add Akshan to your champion pool.
