Riot, I love you, but for the recent Akali nerfs just FOX YOU!

Been playing League for over 4 years now and I've seen this game evolve in ways I couldn't even imagine. Things change all the time, whether it's champion changes, map or items changes and so forth, all for what I believe it is in order to make the game more interesting, more engaging and ultimately more fun to play. I've been through nerfs, buffs, reworks and most of the time I can comprehend why you do the things you do, but this time you've just outdone yourself, dearest Riot! The one thing that has remained a constant in all my time playing League of Legends, WAS my love for Akali. All until now.

I know there's been a lot of posts about the recent nerfs already, but I felt like they don't do her justice enough. That's because after pouring over 2k+ games into this champion and knowing her inside and out, she fit me like a glove. Unfortunately, right now, I feel like a crippled marathon runner still trying to relive my glory days, all in a futile attempt, because that bum leg is gonna hold me down no matter how much I sweat and hurt.

Because I've nothing better to do, I'm going to go over all of her abilities and how they've been changed over the years and how they affect her now.

In the v3.05 Balance Update, when her Mark of the Assassin (Q) got reduced flat damage in the benefit of +0.1 ratio, I felt like she was in a pretty good spot. Previous to this change, she was quite the lane bully and once ahead it was very difficult to deal with her, so much is true. After the change, it had become considerably more difficult to go through the lane phase. I reached a point where I had to be much more careful as to when I harass instead of farming and whether I want to engage or not. The lack of extra damage meant that I had to compensate by skill and outplay rather than sheer numbers so it suddenly became a matter of counting the enemy's cooldowns and a lot of other small tweaks and calculations to consider. I admit that I disliked this change at first, but once I got better as a player, I found that I could easily overcome this impediment. So overall I think it was fair enough as it was, as the extra risk of proccing Q, added to the lower base damage, compensated for the later kick this ability got from ratios in case you were actually ahead. Unfortunately, once behind or so much as being even, it meant that she would fall hard later in the game. For me a 0/0/0 Akali was just as bad as 0/10/X, in terms of killing power.

In the* v4.18 patch*, her Twilight Shroud (W) got changed so instead of armor and magic resistance, it would grant movement speed. Riot's rationalization for this was in order to "give her better themed mechanics". Pure nonsense. This was a direct nerf. Previously, when her shroud was giving her armor and resistance, she was allowed to make slightly better trades on lane. Even though the actually bonus was pretty low at the lower W level, it could in fact make the difference between dying and surviving after a confrontation. Which, the higher league you are, the more important it is. Right now it gives a 1 second movement speed boost, which at lower W level, is quite negligible. This does absolutely nothing for your laning phase. If you think it does, then you are mistaken. It is however useful later on in the game, where you can either use W to gain a slightly better chasing potential or use W in a clutch space of the map where you know a lot of dodging and chasing will be done in a teamfight. Also, I must mention, If you exit the shroud, you lose the speed, so it only works whilst you are effectively inside. And no, it won't do rat's ass for you on lane if you want to escape from a gank. Laning phase ends before you put another point into this skill, and if you are actually leveling this instead of E, then you are a special kind of Akali. Fortunately since v3.07 patch it gives vision upon the area. I admit this allowed me to get kills and escape death on multiple occasions, but I see it more as a QoL change rather than some significant buff. I carry wards, and with the new trinkets available, I ward just as much as the support.

In the v5.2 patch, her Crescent Slash (E) got RAPED to the point where this ability has no business in her kit at all. Previously, in the v1.0.0.142 patch this ability got changed to activate Mark of the Assassin's secondary damage and now it's been reversed. Back then, before v1.0.0.142, it wasn't as much of an issue as it it now, because her stats were better, but that doesn't mean it didn't feel just as clunky to use. Right now I just don't understand Crescent Slash. I feel like it's only usefulness is to help me get some last hits every now and then because I just can't justify using it in actually combat, or any form of trading. Not only that it uses too much energy for the damage it offers, but it doesn't bloody do enough damage anyway. It's just there to fill the gap for a 3rd skill. In any case, it's damage or energy cost only bother me in conjunction with the fact that it no longer procs Q. Because now, in order to proc Q I have to sing a Hail Mary, go get some coffee, take a shower, come back and reconsider my life's choices and maybe whether I should run attack speed runes, and then **finally **auto attack. Heaven forbid that I can actually win any lane trades against any champion. After you AA a champion, in melee range, every creep on the map will know about it and will proceed to chasing you to hell and back in order to murder you viciously, because that's what it takes now. After a few games I gave up completely on the idea of actually trading with someone Unless I want to be completely exposed to any gank and use my W for harassment, which won't accomplish much anyway since everybody will just back off. Nowadays I'm just finding myself starring at the enemy champions in point blank range waiting for the almighty auto attack, and praying that the enemy will feel pity for me and won't murder me viciously in those precious very moments when I've simply nothing better to do. I could put up with some stats nerfs but this just can't be rectified by personal skill anymore, it's just pure bullshit. It may not have hurt her numbers, but it changed completely the way she is played, in a worse, less fun and frustrating way that just leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth every time you have to put up with it.

To top it off, the nerf on **Shadow Dance (R) ** made even less sense than the nerf on Crescent Slash, if that was possible. This skill starts off with 1 stack at level 6. Not 3 like Ahris, or Zed's powerful ultimate, or even the utility of Le Blanc's copy ultimate. It's a damn 700 range dash that does 100 magic damage and it takes up to level 7 to actually be meaningful, or a 1:30 minutes. I've never felt like the range was too big before, in fact, most of the time, in order to chase someone who was running away, I had to either jump on something else first, or use Flash. Even when jumping over walls I had to be careful so I don't over appreciate the range and end up walking around the wall instead. Now it's just underwhelming. I can't catch up anymore, whether I jump twice before or not; and to jump over walls I pretty much have to be hugging the wall first so I make sure I don't fail. In fact I've died a few times already because I took a second too long to jump over. As someone who has the previous range imbedded in my reflex, I recognize the shorter range immediately. I knew when I was ready to jump before and now it's just horror to have to go the extra 100 range. I'm basically putting myself in everybody's face and yelling I'M COMING. If I ever I had to point at something overpowered at Akali, her ultimate would be the last on a short list anyway. Her ability to chase is what made her Akali in the first place.

I will finish my long rant by saying that ever since the nerfs, my kills have dropped by more than 50% in every match. Enemies that I would previously have no issues playing against, now rape me with ease, and old arch enemies just blast me away like dust. I topped off at Diamond 1 97 lp in the past seasons so I know how difficult she is to play to higher levels of play. Considering how hard she is countered by Vision wards, which make her have no escape ability, or exhaust and hard CC, I feel like right now she's fallen off the planet. I'm losing matchups because I can't proc Q fast enough or at all, or just find myself in ridiculous scenarios trying to proc it. E allowed it to be procced a bit further from melee range, which made a great deal of difference, or rather, all the difference in the world. Pair that with R range nerf and there you have it, a dead champion. I surely won't be playing her again unless changes are made. I will take skills shots any day over this ridiculousness.