Kindred - Champion Feedback

So I hit Rank 5 with Kindred today and I have a few notes.

Kindred is fun to play. Really fun to play. It doesn't matter if ahead or behind, the kit is consistant and keeps the player engaged at just about every moment. Combat requires timing of abilities/autos and awareness of your position. Q mobility lets you zip around certain corners but punishes you for being sloppy. (The voice acting for Kindred also adds a great dimension to the champion that makes them fun to play.)

Kindred needs to be played out of the jungle. It makes no sense to play Kindred out of a lane. You can't make any use of the passive when a marked camp is on the opposite side of the map unless you're in a role (jungle) that allows for the mobility. The only lane that would make any sense would be mid lane, so you have access to both halves of the map. There's no need for Kindred to adc; other champions can play that role better and without sacrificing an ability to do it.

Kindred is a late game monster. Think Nasus caliber in terms of endless stacking potential. Even if Kindred gets off to a slow start, there's still room to dominate by the 30+ minute mark.

Kindred's level of strength is directly related to a team's awareness. This means both enemy team and allied team. An enemy team can shut Kindred down by warding or clearing marked camps quickly. Lack of response can let Kindred run rampant early in the game. Likewise, an allied team that supports Kindred will find themselves with a monster out of the jungle. A team that can't rally around an ally Kindred is sorely missing out. Protect marked Kindred camps and be ready to fight in the jungle often.

**Kindred can be gank heavy, farm heavy, or counter jungle heavy. **All three strategies can be successful. If Kindred has 6 stacks by 12 minutes, don't complain if your lane hasn't been ganked. If you notice Kindred mark your lane opponent, be patient, Kindred is paying attention to you.

Kindred doesn't need damage items. If you're playing right, the damage will come from hp% damage. A successful build I've used is:

with 6th item being all depending.

Attack speed coupled with HP% lets Kindred shred tanks and squishes alike. Runaan's and q alternation lets Kindred shred crowds or waves. The damage is provided by the HP% stacks, not by bonus ad. Attack speed maxes out damage output.

Kindred is not really that OP. If Kindred is wrecking your team, it's because you missed opportunities to shut them down. Again, think Nasus in terms of stacking power. Learn what Kindred's passive does, and learn what the ult does. Understand what the circle around you means. Understand what the E will do when Kindred hits you for a third time. Kindred isn't really going to snowball noticeably in the early-mid game, but you'll notice the strength late.

Kindred shreds monsters. By level 11+, Kindred can kill baron with one other teammate. With only a few stacks, Kindred can solo Dragon quickly and efficiently. I've had a harder time convincing a teammate to baron with me at level 11-14 rather than actually killing the baron itself. Easily the most OP part of Kindred's kit is the speed with which they can kill neutral monsters. If there's one part that Riot will nerf, it's probably going to be the damage cap to these monsters. However, it shouldn't happen until after Riot sets a cap to Kalista's rend damage.

I'd love other feedback from Kindred players and let this thread be an opportunity to share experiences with league's newest champion. Perhaps the conversation can really get started now that Mordekaiser mains have finally reached a point of compromise.