Kha'zix Update Suggestion

I've played Kha'zax since release through every patch and iteration so I have a lot of experience with him. However, ever since his nerfs long ago in patch 4.9 where most of the bug's power was removed he has never really recovered.

To be clear, I think the nerfs were warranted, he held too much power for an AD assasin. The damage on his Q with % dmg allowed him to be consistent throughout the game whether he was behind or ahead. He lost his claws but he never returned to consistency, because I feel he now lacks the ability to perform his intended roll in his intended style.

Kha'zix excels as an assassin against isolated targets. Evolving with each rank of his ultimate to better adapt to the state of the game. Most of his damage is tied to the isolation mechanic which adds bonus damage to his Q. Because of this most Kha'zix players evolve Q first almost as a must because he does not bring much damage without it. Leading to the locked playstyle of "evolve Q for damage, E to unlock resets and escapes" Only after these two do players have a choice to evolve R or W.

The problem is that there is no reason to evolve the other skills because they do not offer anything close to what Q or E offer. W has utility with the large AOE and the good slow; I actually think W is in a nice place but its very rare that someone would select that over evolving Q first. It does not add damage, which Kha'zix needs to do his job.

I did a damage comparison between Kha'zix and Rengar to illustrate the disparity if Kha'zix does not have evolved Q + isolation. Rengar and Kha'zix are both assassins that rely on stealth and executing targets with low CD abilities. So I compared both of their highest dps abilities as a rough estimate.

Kha’zix Lvl 9. AD = 76 + (Bonus AD = 77) = 153 Taste their fear Base KQ-Normal : 170 + (120% Bonus AD(92)) => 262 KQ-Isolated : 221 +(156% Bonus AD(120)) => 341 (30% increase) KQ-Isolated (Evolved) : 311 + (260% Bonus AD(200)) => 511 (50% increase)

Rengar Lvl 9. AD = 80 (Bonus AD = 77) = 157 Savagery Base RQ-Normal : 150 + (120% AD(189)) => 339 RQ-Empowered : 240 + (150% AD(236)) => 476 (30% increase) (Also gains => 16 AD)

KQ vs. RQ with no bonuses and no isolation, Rengar wins out by 23%. With bonuses and isolation, Rengar lead is amplified to 30%. If Kha'zix evolves Q, with bonuses and isolation he only wins by 7%.

This means a lot when both abilities are on short CD, and with Kha'zix barely squeaking by with perfect conditions, not even factoring the bonuses of savagery.

This does not mean that Kha'zix is worthless, he still does well in skirmishes and ambushes. Getting ahead if he secures kills early. But this is a very feast or famine playstyle, making leads seemingly smaller and deficits even more apparent.

Team fights are trickier for Kha'zix since he relies on the enemy being out of position, this is true for many assassins but it is more necessary for Kha'zix since his damage is locked behind isolation. If even one champ is next to another then they gain a free 50% damage mitigation against Kha'zix.

Now to the meat of the topic, how can we change/improve on this? *-Allow Kha'zix to regain his identity and playstle as an isolation focused assassin. * -Make all evolution's feel meaningful

R Void Assault PASSIVE: Each rank in Void Assault allows Kha'Zix to evolve one of his abilities, granting it additional effects. ACTIVE: Kha'Zix enters stealth for 1 second, acquiring Unseen Unseen Threat, gaining 40% bonus movement speed and ignoring unit collision while stealthed. New: Passive "Preferred Prey" After Kha'zix enters stealth, his passive Unseen Threat is exchanged for Preferred Prey. The first champion struck by Kha'zix's basic auto attack or Q marks them as Preferred Prey. Preferred Prey applies a larger slow and damage than Unseen Threat but also applies a debuff that increases damage taken from Kha'zix's Q's by 20% (For comparison isolation increases damage by 30%).

Explanation *Isolation locks Kha'zix's damage to a minimum in team fights, making him 50% less effective should he be denied isolation damage. This allows Kha'zix to have an impactful teamfight presence even if he is denied isolation. (Isolation damage will replace the preferred prey debuff should the target become isolated, no stacking). It also opens the path for other evolutions since you will not need to evolve Q simply to stay in the game. *

R EVOLVED ACTIVE CAMOUFLAGE: Void Assault can be cast a total of 3 times and each instance grants 2 seconds of stealth. New: Kha'zix leaves behind an image of himself that follows the last movement command issued. Image lasts 0.75 seconds and has 1 Hp.

Explanation *This is an inherently defensive evolution, letting you have that extra second of stealth to safe your life or allow you to switch targets. This change will allow Kha'zix to outplay his opponents rather than hitting R and hoping to outrun or out damage his opponent to stay alive. It opens bait options for Kha'zix as well, ulting an image in and running away, drawing out ultimates or heavy CC so his team can counter engage. *

As for E and Q I think they are in a fine place as they are. Q provides good burst on a low CD so long as his opponent is isolated, the only change I could foresee is a change from Bonus AD to Total AD, but that might add too much damage to isolated damage (which is a 30% increase).

E could use some additional base damage but I see no problems having resets locked behind an evolution.

This is just my suggestion, I welcome constructive criticism and alterations. I want to hear what the league community thinks of this as well as all the Kha'zix mains out there. Sorry for the long post