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"Balance in all things....but me noobs." -Akali

Plus50g·12/12/2014, 7:38:01 PM·7 votes·1,895 views

Riot, you're my favorite company. I usually agree with the stuff you do. I believe the changes you make are for the best. But why, oh why, is Akali the way she is. I play her a bit, and when I do, I go 20/9/30 something, when I play vs. her mid, I go 9/20/30 something. (These numbers where made up on site, just using some game references.)

OK let's get to the facts and comparing her to two other champions.

Fact 1: Akali has gotten nothing but buffs since 3.7. Now, I'm not going to say this is a good or bad thing, I didn't play to much in season 3, so I don't know if she was really weak then and needed these. Thank god they're not to her ult.

V4.18: Twilight Shroud No longer grants an armor and magic resistance buff while inside the shroud. Now grants 20/40/60/80/100% bonus movement speed that rapidly decays over 1 second each time Akali stealths. V4.5: Stats Base armor increased to 20.5 from 16.5. V3.7: Twilight Shroud Now grants vision in the area of effect. Shadow Dance Essence of Shadow charge time reduced to 30/22.5/15 seconds from 35/25/15.

Fact 2: Akali can't do anything till she hits 6. (Well not, not much.) She has probably one of the weakest early games in the game, but it all changes when she hits 6. She can snowball, beat down, and be one of the worst lane bullies in the game. You can't stand within 5 feet of her (800 range) if she greatly ahead, and even if you're ahead, it's her time to turn it around, and she only gets more powerful after 6, having a god-like late game.

Come paring her to other "OP" Champions ults. (Using maxed ult stats)

Akali Vs. Darius : Darius is another champion that many people say is "over powered." Both of there ults can do "Ton of Damage." Darius Ult can deal 680 + 150% AD, it can be used again for the next 20 seconds, if timed right, and is true damage. Akali ult has 3 stacks, and can be use every 2 to 1 second as long she has a stack, does 250 + 50% AP, ability power damage. A stack is restored if she gets a kill or assist.

Both sound pretty OP right? Darius is balanced as it gets, compared to Akali.

Darius; Range 480, Akali's Range 800, Darius cost per ult 100, Akali's ult, 1 stack, no energy, Darius' cooldown 120-80, Akali all, "Whats a cool down, lol?" Akali can chase easliy with her ult, but Darius' is just a finisher, not both. While he may have his E to gap close, but it has a 540 range with a 24-12 second cool down vs. 800 on her ult with a one second cool down. Also if Darius runs out of mana, well, no ult, but Akali won't be doing that, will she?

Akali Vs.Katarina

Katarina's ult might be a better comparison to Akali's then Darius'. Kat's ult deals 750 + 250% AP + 375% bonus AD, 45 second cool down (20 if passive works) and her E could be a gap closer. How does Akali out do this one? Well, her ult is still a gap closer, with no cool down and deals heavy burst. You can flash away from Kat's ult, you can't flash away from Akali, as her ult out ranges Flash by 500 range. While a Kat's ult does more damage the Akali, and she should be able to out damage her, this all situational. But on the surface, Akali can still out range and out cooldown Kat. Take note though that Kat can deal damage to more then one person faster then Akali (Three), but Akali could still probability win a 3v1 if good/fed enough.

What is my solution? Give her ult a meaning full cool down, or rework it. I feel that her other abilities are in a good place( Buy item 2043, save lives.), but her ult is.... What other Champion has a spamable gap closing ult, with no cool downs that resets on kills and assists, that doesn't use mana?

What do you guys think? Am I missing something? Am I stupid? Am I right? Please tell me in the box below! summoner 31

24 Comments

Cale01712/12/2014, 8:16:03 PM5 votes

Don't let her free farm early, build MR and keep someone with some hard CC close during mid and late game.

Problem solved.

Hayaishi12/12/2014, 7:53:30 PM4 votes

She needs her sustain gutted.

Seriously her weakness in lane is that you're supposed to bully her to get an advantage.

This rarely happens because:

A) Only a handful of champions can actually sit there and bully her forever without going oom

B) She sustains it all with her passive and health pots, eventually making the opposite laner go OOM, it feels like all the harass you did to her was a waste.

She also lacks way too much counterplay, how are you supposed to shut her down? If she gets ahead you're dying whenever she feels like it. She even hits level 6 and it doesn't matter if she's 40 CS behind she's killing you in most matchups.

ValyrianBlade12/12/2014, 7:51:46 PM3 votes

Opens with fact 1 - all changes are buffs first change - Twilight shroud no longer gives armour and mr sounds like that one was a nerf :/

Not sure how it balances with the MS, but the community was asking for that change explicitly. They were complaining how you were supposed to counter her with a pink ward but if she got free armour and mr despite your pink it wasn't really a good counter, it just let her duel you anyways.

Her ult is... different. It stacks. Your assumptions always assume she has multiple stacks stored up. It's really not much different from say, ahri being able to ult and get 3 dashes that shoot out multiple Fox fires. The only real differences are that ahri has to use all 3 whereas akali chooses how many, and that ahri regenerates the 3 faster, and ahri's isn't targeted (so she can use it to escape over a wall too, I recently stole Baron with an ahri ult, then used the next 2 dashes to put range between me and the 2 enemies taking it and kited them both for a double kill).

Anyways, back to akali (and I'm not saying ahri is op, she's Tier 2), it's possible she's a little strong in this meta, but I don't see her as ridiculous. She just snowballs harder than most due to her resets on her ult, and you always remember the games where a champion hard carries and forget the ones where they don't. Just remember to take advantage of her times of weakness - if she just used her 3 ult charges it's a good time to start a new fight.

PrinceArchie12/12/2014, 8:01:54 PM3 votes

I don't mind her awesome "god-Like" 1v1 and outplay potential once she hits 6 and thereafter. But the sustain she gets from the Hextech gunblade is a bit ridiculous. It may be that an item might need to be reworked so that her spell vamp isn't ridiculous and she isnt pretty much out-sustaining everyone in the team fight. For those that don't know the gunblade gives +12% life steal with a unique passive granting +20% spell vamp, along with her passive "Discipline of Might" granting her 6% spell Vamp, increasing by 1% for every Bonus Attack Damage.

Dr Clueless PhD12/12/2014, 8:05:24 PM2 votes

Akali has always been a pub stomper. Periodically, she gets too strong and shoes up in competitive play. Then they nerf her, but she's still a pub stomper.

Akali is just over a 50% win rate right now, nothing shocking. Also, noone is complaining about Darius or Kat right now. Those two are, once again, pub stompers who excel in environments where there is no teamwork and minimal vision control.

TehNACHO12/12/2014, 7:52:54 PM2 votes

4.5 was actually in response to Armor Runes being reworked.

Also, she lost her resistance buffs for movement speed in 4.18.

Tsunday12/12/2014, 8:10:47 PM2 votes

when I play vs. her mid, I go 9/20/30 something.

I didn't really read the whole thing because I've only played Akali like 2 times and I don't play any of the champions you compared her to enough to criticize/agree with those points, but that quote above...you obviously don't play Lulu mid. Go Lulu, Start Abyssal scepter (normally start with the negatron because you have high base damage) Maybe go Chalice first instead of Abyssal, either way I have never lost lane as Lulu against Akali (or Katarina for that matter), I've never died more than 1 time in lane as Lulu against Akali (or Katarina) I'm sure there are actual midlaners (Gragas stands out to me) that also wreck Akali, but Akali is an assassin, if she gets to you she will outdamage you, that's her job. If you can do decent poke, and then have good peeling you can pretty much poke her until she all ins you and then CC her and finish her off.

I'm just saying if you see Akali always go Lulu. It doesn't matter that they nerfed Lulu's E. Just go Lulu, you'll win lane unless the Akali is smurfing.

Saianna12/12/2014, 8:16:51 PM1 votes

You might have missed some posts, but lately Darius players are asking for buffs for him. Don't ask me why. I really don't understand logic behind "but he only deals 1k true damage which resets on kill, so please buff him".

But yeah. Akali is untamed beast on same level as katarina.

AtheosisX12/12/2014, 8:06:17 PM1 votes

With the champs I tend I play I rarely have much trouble with her. I can see how she is a nightmare for many champs, but it seems to me that she's very squishy and a little cc plus focus damage makes her vanish.

Talamare12/12/2014, 8:32:08 PM1 votes

Increase the cost of her Q and give her R a cost

Make it so that you actually need to balance your energy