Hi there, Lets start with who I am and what brings me here:

I am an Akali main (very salty with 6.22) BUT I am not here to just rant.

I want to propose some things that I believe both Akali mains and people playing against her would prefer.
(Well at least top and jungle players. ADCs and mages will oppose it.)

The way I see it Akali has 2 problems that are mentioned by her mains (cause they feel awkward/clunky or outright wrong) and at the same time they are being complained about by her oponents (who feel she is OP) at the same time.

1st Her shroud (now that you can't pink it) and 2nd her healing in lane (tanks and junglers complaint)

1st Problem Shroud:

Akali mains hate it cause of limited area of affect. Fact that it causes global silence on all the spells for 0.5 sec. Also how useless it is against certain team comps
10% of the champs in league with some form of true sight or tethers

that is with disregard to another 20-30 champs that have AoE damage and DoTs that combined with shimmer effect lets them burry you 6 feet under with skillshots (shroud or no shroud):

Any of those has little or no issues to remove your invisibility in shroud.

_**

Meanwhile, people that don't play these champs (Shroud counter or AoE damage) are largely frustrated with the extremely long 8 sec invisibility even in limited area. (Mostly Jax, Trynda, Trundle and other AA based champs)

Which is why I would love for a new shroud to be born. More fun for Akali and not obnoxiously long for AA champs in duels or teamfights.

#Twilight Shroud:

Works with thrown flashbank/smokebombs and shadow blinks (more ninja like than current stuff):

• Charge based 18/17/16/15/14 (down to 7.7 sec per charge with 45% CDR) max 2 bomb charges 60/55/50/45/40 energy per bomb
• throw range up to 500 location creates a flashbank explosion 200AoE on impact followed by a smoke screen of 300AoE that you are invisible in (current shroud AoE is 475 so it's a lot smaller = 63% of original size think of it as slightly bigger than Brand E AoE of 250)
• CD between smoke bombs 3.2 sec not related to CDR or level
• Duration of shroud based on ability level 1.8/2/2.2/2.4 sec (still leaves 1.4 to 0.8 sec of visible Akali between smokebombs)
• Recast (shadow blink) inflicts 0.5sec CD on Shadow dance(R) ONLY to prevent huge instant gap closer (not global silence for Q and E as well like now which criples Akali in a fight)
• 3 part spell - 1st cast throw the bomb. 2nd bomb explodes with flash and releases the smoke. 3rd part you can shadow blink with a recast to center of shroud (optional within shroud duration and if you are within 300 range of shroud centre)

Now this is where people will start to object but:

• I want the smoke to have decent slow like 20/25/30/35/40% + grounding effect if the flashbang explosion hits you (1 sec grounding is enough. It will only apply grounding debuff if you are hit by the flash of the bomb and not like cassio puke that prevents you from flashing/dashin even if you walk over it 2 sec after it was cast).
• The shroud is generally the zone you don't f_ck with Akali in. As such I want 6/8/10/12/14 Lethality and MR pen when she attacks you inside it. (alternatively it can be Armor/MR reduction that your team can benefit from if the flashbang hits which would be better in teamfights if your aim is good) Think of it logically - you are fighting in a smoke screen against a ninja oponent who can see you but you have no idea where they are. Point being that you are vulnerable and so it should give Akali mixed pen. This pen is neglectible against a tank with high resistances but it would help an Akali kill a Draven which is very VERY rare these days.

#Mechanics and animations:

Watch first for some inspiration

• Akali throws the shroud bomb at target location with small cast time and throw animation like 0.05 sec
• Make it a projectile - small round bomb and color of explosion white/orange and smoke based on skin (blockable by braum and yasuo before impact)
• bomb has high MS (like 2500 MS) so at max range spell takes 0.05 sec to throw and 0.2 sec to travel 500 range (total 0.25 sec) to get smoke bomb at max range.
• Upon arrival the bomb explodes like a flashbank (very bright about 100 range around centre for 0.1 sec) and releases the smoke screen in its wake with some nice SFXs (150 range around centre). Once you are 150 range away from the shroud edges you can blink to it's centre with recast (animation similar to Zed).

It will be a lot more versatile than now and help Akali do her job => kill the carry. For instance if you are after a quick blink to dodge something just throw the bomb at 300 range (0.05+0.12=0.17 sec to blink 300 range) Ideally when chasing you would want to throw it at the enemy for the grounding + slow or ~350 range away (so after you throw it => walk towards it while it's flying for 0.12 sec and then you can blink imediately after explosion to cover 350 range over the ~0.17 sec once it lands) or you can throw it at enemy chasing you or a teamate and run away (the flash from the bomb grounds enemy for 1 sec so they can't dash or flash and the smoke slows them letting teamate escape safely) Akali will finally bring some utility to teamfights.

Her current problem is that she has to engage on a carry with her longest range ability (R) from 700 range. Then she can try to attack but enemy will flash imediatelly if available or stun you or dash away. Then akali has to wait 2 (or 1.2 sec with full CDR) to dash them again and will ultimately shroud if she doesn't want to die but the 0.25 sec cast time of shroud when in the middle of the enemy backline is more than enough for their carries to line a skillshot on you. If any of them are hard CC you will remain in the centre of the shroud regardless of where you clicked for blink. If you zhonya instead they know exactly where you will be in 2 sec and if your team doesn't enage them properly you are screwed.

Worst case scenario => ADC stays where he is after you dash him but janna drops 1000HP shields and 50AD on him and he right clicks you....

Jumping into the backline is generally bad 90% of the time with the way akali works right now. Enemy ADC + 1 shield will survive your R + Q + AA +E+gunblade combo even if he did not flash imediatelly. Having a shroud bomb to ground them and lower resistances + ensuring quick invisibility and mobility (should the enemy react quickly and focus you) even if smaller range this shroud is better for a skillful Akali player and less obnoxious to a team with low AoE abilities that has to be wary of a 8 sec shroud otherwise.

##Current shroud is 90% used for the blink and 10% just to sit in it and annoy the fck out of people like some teemo in a bush. (Poking them when Q is up if they insist on staying inside)

Doesn't feel right... I am an Akali main not a Teemo.

#2nd Problem - How the new passive heals (since 6.22).

Akali is good vs tanks these days but loses against damage heavy champs (carries). Which is the oposite of what she is meant to do.

This problem is rooted in the new passive heal. Old passive had spellvamp which directly scaled off the damage you did to heal you. New passive scales off your stats alone. (does not interact with enemy resistance).

##Example:

• Old akali when doing 1vs1 against a 200MR tank didn't heal a lot *cause her 600 DMG Q would do 200DMG to enemy tank and heal for % of that. (Which in turn allowed a tank a chance to win the fight of attrition against the Akali.)
• Old Akali with a 600 DMG Q on a squishy 50MR champ ( 400 DMG = double the vamp from the tank and even more if you have penetration)

Now that new akali heals solely based on her AP and AD + LVL she can duke it out with a full MR tank for ages.

This encourages Akali players to fight high MR targets (frontline) in teamfights or splitpush all game. I myself went double down on that strenght (abusing sustain against tanks) and run fervor + tanky items and gunblade to crush tank top laners and perma push instead of teamfighting.

When using fervor and tanky items almost anything goes down as long as Akali is not focused by more than 1 or 2 of the enemy team. (as there is less chance to be killed instantly you are way more useful as a tanky bruiser than AP assassin that needs 1.5-2 sec next to immobile carry to kill em)

Going for the hit on the carry just gets you killed.

Going after the tank in the side lane nets you a kill if they can't run to a tower/jungler fast enough

Big part of the problem is that you as Akali waste your heal if you reach the target without drawing attention (as you will be full HP on first AA) then have no heal for the rest of the short and brutal exchange with a carry. (Lets not kid ourselves. Trading between high DPS champs never lasts 4 sec needed for a 2nd heal from Akali unless there is zhonyas, tanky items and flashes involved)

Most ADCs will simply inflict "Death by right click" on you as long as they get a single shield from their support or mid even if they don't flash away. Hell draven, tristana and jinx can afk solo you late game.

TL;DR: Old Akali (pre 6.22) would heal like insane when she attacked a low resist target (surrounded by CS or other squishy enemies) and barely heal when fighthing tanks.

As it should be!

**Reward is in order for a ninja who manages to get past the tough and beefy enemy front line with their hard CC (or for inteligent flanking of the enemy team) and getting into the juicy back line. **

##Currently you only get punished for getting in the enemy backline as you are easier to erase. (unless you went tank)

New Akali has same amount of heal against tank and carries and it's a lot more compared to before (pre 6.22) when fighting MR tanks in 1vs1 but a lot less when fighting against a group (backline+CS) or against squishies 1vs1 (low MR carries). Riot this is wrong! Take note please.

#So yeah I would like Riot to rework how the healing works in the passive.

• it should be portion of the damage done so you get good amount vs squishy and bad amount vs tank
• Make the damn thing overheals like the Bloodthirster (so you don't waste your heal when you get the jump on a carry)

##The mechanic exists and you are not using it so Akali is penalized for flanking in a teamfight and striking first (as an assassin should). https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LPTSPtgpMdw/hqdefault.jpg

If she becomes OP with these changes you can always lower some of the damage from passive and E to compensate. I want a smooth ninja that feels good to play not an OP one (cause then she will get perma banned or picked) [slayer-jinx-catface]