The Voidreaver: Dead in the water? (Guide/Balance discussion)

http://puu.sh/lBw4d/b151f3c528.png

A lot of people are upset at his state right now, and he was truly awful the first patch of the preseason, but now that's he got some nice, minor buffs to his base armor that helps his early clear immensely, we should just take a minute and wait before asking for anything else. I've been on a tear recently, without getting absolutely, near-death bludgeoned in the jungle early game anymore, I've been able to be more active both in my ganking and farming paths, and with that, i've been able to sort out my build path and really hammer down my preferred runes and masteries, and from what I've experienced, I think his midgame is one of the strongest of any assassin in the game right now.

take this with a grain of salt, I'm not the best kha'zix in the game, I'm not Diamond Overlord status (only Plat V), These are only suggestions about my favorite champion. without further delay, let's get into it.

#MASTERIES

with such massive mastery changes, It's easy to get confused or not know the right path, and with so many choices there are a lot of viable paths. I'm not saying what I'm doing is 100% right, but let me lay on you what's been working for me. As Champion.gg shows, a lot of people (The majority of Kha'Zix players) are going 18/12/0 on him.

http://puu.sh/lBuX0/547bbc5164.png

http://puu.sh/lBuXe/febd12b1d5.png

And after a few days, I sat down and looked at the mastery tree really hard. and I was thinking...Why? I think most of this attitude is holdover "muscle memory" and stereotypefrom season 5, Ferocity is the red tree, it's generally considered the most "offensive" tree, why WOULDN'T you go that on a squishy AD assassin? While the cunning tree is supposed to be for supports like utility, garbage on kha'zix, right? Take a look at the Masteries I run, I'll explain them as I go.

http://puu.sh/lBvpY/e4006a4e7b.png

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#FEROCITY

http://puu.sh/lBviU/58de136202.png Sorcery

Super simple, 3% bonus to damaging abilities. nice.

http://puu.sh/lBvlm/063988236e.png Double-Edged Sword

again, more damage. You could argue that feast is good for extra jungle sustain, and you'd be right. This is simply preference, clear faster or clear healthier, your choice. I pick DES because it gives me a good damage bump, since Kha'Zix does a LOT of damage this patch, any amplification is tremendous.

http://puu.sh/lBvwz/782ecae2d0.png Vampirism

this is the sustain mastery, gives 3% lifesteal and spellvamp, I like this mastery because it stacks well with the items i get later in the game, namely, Hydra and Death's Dance, as well as Elixir of Wrath should i get it. The other mastery, Natural Talent, is better for hybrid scalers like Jax, Kayle, etc. and I don't particularly care for it on Kha'Zix as the gains are very very low, almost inconsequential.

http://puu.sh/lBvDr/70fbefa264.png Bounty Hunter

Again, this is mostly preference, I prefer bounty hunter because, as a jungler, you move all over the map, if you're successful, you can stack this VERY quickly and it pays in spades. Lane Kha'Zix I would however, go Oppression, because your passive and W apply slows by default and can be used to amplify your trading early, but again, it's a toss up, either you want to be immediate and reliable or have a risky, longer term benefit that's overall more powerful.

You can also go Oppression if you're looking to camp a lane hardcore, and you have chilling smite.

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#CUNNING

Now onto the bread and butter of this section, The Cunning Tree. This tree gives a bunch of benefits to Kha'Zix, If you're one of the people who runs 18/12/0, Listen close, because this should definitely change your mind.

http://puu.sh/lBwep/adbf53a87a.png Savagery

Junglers usually take movespeed, esp. ganking junglers, but I like to run this mastery because it compensates for rune choices I make further down the line. although usually taken on farming junglers like Yi, Udyr, etc. Kha'Zix uses it decently well.

http://puu.sh/lBxCN/f2f6e70ca6.png Secret Stash

I take secret stash over runic affinity because the cost efficiency of the biscuits are really good for making Kha'Zix's brutal early clear much more forgiving, Not only this, but you can forgo Hunter's pot by taking this mastery. You can take Runic Affinity though, this one is preference.

http://puu.sh/lBwqz/6badfead53.png Merciless

http://puu.sh/lBwr1/8c13a58185.png Dangerous Game

I paired these two together because they're standard fare, even 18/12/0 people go into this tree for these masteries alone. Super nice, way better than their alternatives. Standard.

http://puu.sh/lBwun/529334df03.png Precision

In my opinion, this mastery is the most important one (outside of the keystone) and is what makes this entire tree work on Kha'Zix. This mastery gives 3 armor pen/magic pen at level 1, as well as .3 per level, up to a maximum of 3+5.4=8.4 flat armor pen.

This mastery is 100% better than Intelligence on Kha'Zix. His Q is already extremely low cooldown, (To the point where an extra 5% doesn't do much.) and his E resets, so if you're doing your job right you shouldn't need the CDR cap increase anyway. CDR is capped in my build, and stacks way better with the armor pen anyway. Not only this, but due to the item reworks, LW being all but lost as a rush item, Warrior losing its armor pen, Ghostblade rework, loss of brutalizer, etc. Armor pen, especially flat, becomes even more valuable on an AD assassin, and you'll want to get the absolute most you can.

Not only this, but it's getting BUFFED next patch. up to 5 flat +.5 per level. meaning you get 5+9=14 flat armor pen at level 18 by itself. This mastery extremely potent at all stages in the game.

#Keystone:http://puu.sh/lBwM9/d44f931929.png Thunderlord's Decree.

I choose this mastery for two reasons.

1. It partially compensates for damage lost when targets are not isolated during pre-6 ganks.

This mastery does a decent chunk of damage at all points in the game, and allows you to chunk through most targets during a gank fairly easily.

2. Application.

There is a very interesting interaction between Thunderlord's and Kha'Zix's Passive, Unseen threat, The damage triggered is considered a separate attack from the auto attack itself, meaning Kha'Zix instantly gets 2 stacks on someone the moment he tags them with a passive empowered auto attack. This is VERY important, as it shortens the amount of time needed to proc immensely.

You CAN also go stormbringer's Surge for additional stickiness, as kha'Zix is prone to proccing it instantly on targets with his isolated Q, especially after he evolves it, and it does help with Stickiness during ganks. I like the added damage but stormbringers is definitely an option for slippery opponents or simply just running down people without expending your E cooldown early.

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A player pointed out some changes that up efficiency on this rune set up so these will be edited to compensate

#Runes

9 Armor Seals 9 scaling Magic Resist Glyphs 5 AD marks 4 Armor Penetration Marks 3 AD quints

Totals to

• 9 armor
• 27 Magic resist at level 18
• 10.55 physical damage
• 6.4 armor pen.

This set up is very important, as it ties together with my mastery tree cohesively.

Armor pen runes are a very delicate balancing game, and why many people choose not to run them. Too many and you can't clear the jungle, as you have no damage, too little and you might as well not have them. I think I struck a perfect balance here, as this set up

1. combos nicely with precision, giving me 10 armor pen right off the bat and basically replacing the armor pen lost on warrior for the preseason.
2. combos nicely with savagery, granting the 5 damage you lose when you swap out the 3 AD marks for the armor penetration once, essentially having net equal damage in the jungle.

This set up boosts your gank damage, your clearing, your dueling, scales into mid game extremely well and lets you pop squishies like nothing else.

This set up truly starts to shine when you get into the mid game. As it further stacks on top of the reworked itemization to produce an extremely intense midgame powerspike.

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#ITEMIZATION

Standard item path on Kha'Zix, for me, looks something like this:

http://puu.sh/lBxww/2afd86a141.png

game usually ends after that because if you get the first 3 items on kha'zix in this season you're a god damn unstoppable monster.

x3 / x3 I start this as I don't auto attack as much as, say, Rengar, or Yi, and the mana regen is much appreciated early game. Kha'Zix scales extremely well into mid game, and because of this, trivializes your clear post warrior (and possibly even post caufields+jungle item) Hunter's pot is a waste because you lose so little health and mana per clear simply because you do obscene amounts of damage to the camps. You should be able to get by fine on just the first 3 pots and then 1 pot per back until warrior, then you can stop purchasing them altogether.

Your choice of jungle item, Stalker's, Skirmishers, or trackers, is up to you. You can get trackers if you swap your trinket early, or if you like a ton of wards everywhere, or Stalker's for that extra burst+stickiness (my personal favorite.)

Skirmisher's, although not traditional, offers a whopping 20% damage reduction on the target you smited, and can help if you ever fall behind for any reason in future duels against the enemy jungler. If you can't take their beating normally the mini-exhaust and true damage you get from challenging smite can make them think twice before fighting you man to man. (or bug to prey.)

Warrior Enchant

The changes to warrior enchant have benefited Kha'Zix a LOT. Even though he loves armor pen, he loves flat AD even more. and 65 AD is an intense increase on his damage. My rune set up replaces the armor pen lost in patch 5.22, meaning the item simply gained 20 AD in exchange for a price increase.

This item is confirmed rush material, no matter the jungle item you chose.

Youmuu's Ghostblade

I don't even know what to say about this item, other than the fact that it's far and away the single biggest buff to Kha'Zix since 4.9.

This item gives you everything you'd ever want on kha'zix in spades, CDR, attack damage, Armor penetration. along with a nice, low cooldown, well used active.

This item stacks so well with warrior, with Precision, with armor pen runes, this single item ties together the entire set up I have here and is the sole reason kha'zix spikes so hard midgame. These two items beef you so hard, it isn't even funny. here's a damage breakdown on a Kha'Zix with these two items and lucidity boots, @Level 11.

AD: 221 AD (81 base +140 bonus) 32.7 armor pen (youmuus 20, runes 6.4, precision passive 6.3) 30% CDR

passive: 110 magic damage

Auto attack: 221 physical damage

Q, unisolated: 338 physical damage Q, isolated with evo: 841 physical damage.

W: 280 physical damage.

E: 93 physical damage.

Thunderlords: 138 magic damage.

full combo, unisolated= 1,180 mixed damage, (932 physical damage, 248 magic damage) Full combo, isolated: 1,683 mixed damage (1,435 physical damage, 248 magic damage)

This is just with 2 items. Two.

Ionian Boots of Lucidity

Really cheap, and really good on kha'zix, 10% CDR on abilities and summoner spells. You can get defensive boots if you want but these are so cheap, and let you grab 30% CDR very very quickly.

Death's Dance After the insane amount of damage I get from my first two items. This is my go to. Hydra's build path is very weird right now, Costs a lot of money, and Tiamat is a shadow of its former self, Because of that, i save ravenous for my 5th item. and get this first. Why? it has the same essential role as Hydra, but instead of clearing for isolation it gives you a really really aggravating and powerful ability to drain tank in extended fights, as it cuts 12% of the damage you would take and converts it into a dot. Strong antiburst and gives you time to react to and sustain off of people. It's the AD spellvamp item you've been waiting for, and boy does it work well.

This item also caps out your CDR on this build at 40%. Sweet!

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The game usually ends if I get to this point, as his ability to slash carries and mages to pieces simply becomes oppressive and they just FF, but if it doesn't, these are the items i like to get:

Ravenous Hydra

Old but Gold, This is very reliable item on kha'zix, gives the most AD in the game after patch 5.22, lets you clear waves mid fight for isolation. If you play Kha'Zix (and even if you don't.) you know why this item is good on him.

Maw of Malmortius

I like this against heavy magic damage, sometimes choose to get this first over hydra and maybe pair it with Scimitar. Gives MR, magic shield, even more armor pen (For when you really want something double dead.) and the old rageblade-esque passive lets you drain tank even more effectively.

mercurial Scimitar

If you're getting locked down, this is the item to get. Also gives lifesteal, good to pair with Maw for a ton of magic resist, but can be bought by itself too.

Randuin's Omen there's a lot of crit this patch and this item, paired with death's dance, lets you take a few hits from those marksmen should they see you coming or get wide by that much.

Dead Man's Plate

Still a great tank item, the movespeed and auto slow+damage is very very nice for getting onto someone and bursting the shit out of them while keeping them in place.

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Side note regarding level 16 evolutions: This is a bit of a weird area for Kha'zix at the moment, pre patch 5.22, W was usually the go to, as the prevalence of anti stealth reduced the usefulness of this mastery heavily. HOWEVER. the changes to trinkets this patch fiddled with that point a bit. Sweeper only shows your location, it does not make you targetable, meaning your evolved ult once again gives you some ample breathing room and chase potential.

This left kha'Zix at somewhat of a crossroads for this, W and R evos are now roughly equivalent and comes down to situation/preference. Whether you want the utility and a bit of grace for you bad shots out there, or the mobility from your ult. I LOVE evolving his ult this preseason, but you can realistically do either.

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I recommend trying this build the next time you play Kha'Zix and come back, and see what you think. I love Kha'Zix Buffs as much as the next guy but I don't want him perma ban because we didn't wait long enough to gauge him before he settled into good build/mastery/rune paths.v I honestly believe the buffs he got last patch are all he needs to function at the moment, and if you disagree, try it yourself, and see how you do.

I put a lot of time into this post, so even if you disagree please at least try to be civil about it. Thank you for taking the time to read this, as your reward, here's an adorable Kha'Zix http://puu.sh/lBztj/fdd5f9f6d3.png

TL;DR: Kha'Zix is fine maybe, 12/18/0 is the way to masterify him, takes a bit of getting used to.