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Why isn't Akali being used anymore?

Cassia··3 votes·1,319 views

I started playing League about six months ago. Once I started, I realized I enjoy playing an offensive champion, rather than support, etc. Akali was free for a week, so I played her and fell in love with playing her. I bought her soon after, and I did pretty well in the first few games. That's when she started faltering. I noticed how squishy she was, plus how you don't know how much damage you can do without jumping in and back then I didn't have a complete understanding of League yet, so I would fail miserably, and I stopped using her for a period of time.

Recently, I came back to playing her because I was forced to top (everything else was taken), and I didn't want to use Jinx as a top. That's when I started playing her again. I could verse a Nasus, as I think if she was fed she could carry (I even beaten a Riven a couple times..) and it was always the same excuse when I asked why they wouldn't counter me: "I never played against an Akali before." That got me thinking, why she isn't used as much. Her R can gank bot easily, her W can help escape almost any situation, if you have the right build, and in team fights if they're low hp she can basically get free kills.

I know she was nerfed quite a lot, but I think she's still viable to play. Is there any reason no one choses her anymore? I don't want my favorite champion to go to waste.

16 Comments

MLDzXnRRR2 votes

She takes no skill to play and is good only as champion for new players. Try Diana - almost the same champion, but with mana.

Are2 votes

Nerfs; E no longer procs Q, R range got reduced, R travel speed got ninja nerfed HARD (actually a bug). The nerfs ruined her down to like 47% winrate for a long time. S5 meta was definitely unfriendly to her.

Haven't played enough, but I think that S6 is friendlier. The grievous wounds might kill her though (haven't dealt with it yet), and I'm not sure what to think of the Gunblade changes.

Hexten1 votes

Gunblade lost 5% spellvamp, so it's a nerf overall. Reload is gone, so it makes her less fluid i.e. (when there's 15s left on cd for the active on gunblade, you can still fight and the cd will be up for you to use).

Removing Crescent Slash detonation hurt Akali the most because she lost a mechanic that simply made her much more stronger (Double-proc easier, stops vision-snapping with AA, instant burst-time, less prone to CC).

The ult range nerf can easily be solved by simply buying movement speed items. With no other forms of mobility, it's obvious Akali is not getting anywhere if she is stuck at 395ms.

And the ult dash speed reduction doesn't help as well. Which contributes to using AA to proc MoTA more crap than in S1. The instant dash speed meant AA was possible since Akali is already next to her target. The strikethrough, for some reason, made the travel time longer so the distance gained from the strikethough is actually not that much since it takes longer to reach the end point.

Are1 votes

I think the healing changes on GB weren't so bad. It's 15% of ALL damage, so you can heal off of Sheen, mastery damages, more off AA, etc. Reload changes make me sad.

More MS helps, but things got worse when Ludens got a 10% MS buff. It took a bit to get used to harassing in lane with the nerf, and jumping over walls isn't as easy either. E nerf was painful, but it just feels like S2 Akali again, which I'm fine with.

Irelia Bot1 votes

she got some nerfs and meta changed from being more assassin friendly to being more about tanks.

She is now kinda a victum of being vulnertable against ranged champs early game and not benefiting form rageblade anywhere near as much as Irelia or Jax.

Basically the game is not kind to her currently.

Brendy Bear2 votes

the meta isn't tanks anymore. It's straight damage and susteain now.

ìnsane1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Brendy Bear,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=Tlyh6vyo,comment-id=00000000,timestamp=2015-11-15T06:25:01.657+0000)

the meta isn't tanks anymore. It's straight damage and susteain now.

screams akali to me

ProfDrDeath1 votes

Says who?

Lights And Magic1 votes

IMO if they want to make akali not horrible, but still viable, they should up her spellvamp and make her this sort of brawl-centered hyper sustain champ. Kinda like a more all-in version of swain.

Enosetc2 votes

[{quoted}](name=Lights And Magic,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=Tlyh6vyo,comment-id=0001,timestamp=2015-11-15T06:31:34.596+0000)

they should up her spellvamp

jesus christ

YumaS2Astral3 votes

[{quoted}](name=Lights And Magic,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=Tlyh6vyo,comment-id=0001,timestamp=2015-11-15T06:31:34.596+0000)

IMO if they want to make akali not horrible, but still viable, they should up her spellvamp and make her this sort of brawl-centered hyper sustain champ. Kinda like a more all-in version of swain.

Actually, they should remove the spellvamp entirely. It is the reason why Akali is shitty, because they need to nerf the rest of her kit, because the spellvamp makes her OP when she is good. She is already difficult to outduel now.

An assassin with sustain is easily one of the most toxic designs for a champion that could exist.

Erockandroll1 votes

The problem is her Feast or famine play style. She's either steam rolling, or utter crap. And this is the result of the fact that She has ridiculous dive potential. But no AoE to clear minions. (and at some point, Riot decided Assassins should no longer be allowed to farm champs.)

Hexten1 votes

Her E buff allows her to have one of the best waveclear spells in-game.

Akali is SO HOT1 votes

Repeated nerfs have made her pretty shit

Mistikal1 votes

Red trinket makes it harder for her to survive team fights.

BadmoonBC1 votes

In low elos alkali will still wreck and carry just like most mobile assassins: Leblanc Katarina Ahri Even Diana to a degree though most folks who don't know how to play her suck.

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