Why I feel Ekko is better as an assassin

TLDR: Tank Ekko doesn't reach the potential assassin Ekko has, and from playing both builds I find ap Ekko to be much more effective for the average assassin than tank Ekko is for the average tank.

I have played Ekko since release, so I have legitimate grounds to review his style of gameplay and his builds. Others may complain about how bad his assassin build is compared to his tank, but here is what I have to say.

Assassin Ekko has been getting buffed for the past few patches now, and it's become clear now that his ratios have finally gotten him to the point where he can one shot the enemy add late game. An e, q, and passive proc is sometimes enough to finish the enemy off, with an extra auto from the w passive at times being necessary. The ult gets him out, or he zhonyas, uses his w shield or stun, etc. The thing is, Ekko can BARELY scrape by with the damage he does to assassinate the squishies. That's the reason his kit includes cc to make up for it and allow him to do what assassins do safely. The speed up from his passive, the stun and shield, and the ult. But what Ekko has to potentially offer his team compared to other assassins is much, much more in a unique way.

Here is an example. Fizz, being a champion many compare Ekko to (for having tank builds on assassin champs, similar laning phase strats, being ap melee, etc.) is well known for his insane burst when building full ap. His full combo, when calculated, does approximately 322 percent of his total ap. It's pretty huge. (Including the damage amplifier from the ult) Ekko's basic combo does 200 percent of his total ap. And those are the reliable abilities. If he lands his ult, it's an instant bonus 150 percent. So it would be a total of 350 percent ap. That's more than fizz, who deletes people with damage to spare.

Sure, people will say that Ekko's ult is never reliable when assassin, but to that I say that it's all in the positioning, jumping in, killing the adc, and running out using the passive speed allows you to re-engage with the ult right in the middle of the teamfight in 4 seconds, which would mean gg if you placed your w where you were gonna ult. If you can't land your ult, then GET GUD I say. Assassins have to position well, and Ekko is all about timing (remark intended).

Even if you can't land the ult, you did the job of an assassin. You killed your primary target.

And the good stuff doesn't end there. Ekko has a w execution passive, so using your e to catch out any enemies during the clean up with low health will almost always guarantee a one shot with full ap.

So Ekko's got tons of mobility, barely enough damage to kill full health squishies, and potential to make up for that missing damage with cc. It's a weird concept, and many people aren't too open too it, but it's actually pretty strong in certain situations, which makes him a good flex pick assassin. People may dismiss him for not being as reliable, but his power lies in the fact that he has more potential than others in damage AND cc.

Tank Ekko on the other hand, is a different story. When I played tank Ekko, it felt almost too easy to play Ekko. You soaked up everything, and even though they nerfs his ult heal and damage, you still got to reset. Besides the trinity force however (which will get nerfed sometime soon), you do shitty damage compared to other top laners, but provide lots of utility with the cc. Tank Ekko isn't what it used to be anymore, but it still is viable. It's just that being a gnar player as well, I feel how much stronger gnar is as a tank with the amount of mixed damage and cc he can put out. If it wasn't for trinity force, Ekko would barely be doing anything besides the slows and stun. If Ekko was going ap assassin instead, he could provide cc and damage along with a better damaging top laner like gnar or Sion who also provides the cc Ekko uses. No assassin can follow up cc from the top laner like Ekko can, so it allows for the option, "does my team need instant burst from an assassin or can it use some extra cc with a small damage penalty?" Like I said, flex pick.

Not saying tank Ekko is bad compared to assassin, but since it feels so much easier to play it kind of gives the illusion that it's better. Assassin really shines in the aspect of Ekko's potential plays and uses his kit to the fullest even though it sometimes seems like he isn't. Unlike tank Ekko, assassin Ekko NEEDS that stun, NEEDS those slows and speed ups, and NEEDS that ult to supply for his missing damage. Tank can survive without it, so it's used with ease, but the lack of damage (remember, I am disregarding tf) makes him feel like he's missing out on things he could do better.

Tank Ekko isn't broken anymore. Neither is assassin like on release. Just check the win rates. It's all a matter of people's decision on how to play him.

The only thing that needs to be done is nerfs to tf to put the final nail in the coffin for tank Ekko. Only then might tank Ekko players play him as an assassin and realize he is a lot stronger than they thought.

Try not to nerf Ekko to hard though. Any more nerfs and his mid win rate will plummet.