Kassawin! --- No, not really.

Hexalle·Oct 26, 2015·7 votes·1,242 views

I've had my fair share of playing and his amazing "Space Abs Kassadin" skin

but it really is hard as others say and really non-viable. He can snowball but on rare occasions.

Technically he is suppose to be an "Anti-mage" champion and it was given that the removal of his silence was an "okay" move since there was no counter play for most mages.

but man his ult range could use a little more push! and his Q is basically useless to AD mid laners.

his E needs a new mechanic where his "I need someone to spam spells so I can cast mine" be removed.

Q could be a universal shield? white shield? that'd be lovely.

sincerely someone who just played Kassadin.

(can were hear from Riot if he's in the watch? or at least getting a teensy weensy buff?)

34 Comments

Count ZubatOct 26, 20155 votes

Riot is very slowly buffing Kassadin, they are taking very tiny steps to not overbuff him by accident. While the ult range nerf hurt a lot at the beginning, it was hugely compensated later by lowering mana cost and cooldown of it. Additionally, they added AP scaling on top of already existing mana scaling to his ult and there are buffs to his W ratios coming in next patch. While I can agree that Kassadin is underwhelming right now, I think we should give Riot some time, and patch by patch, he will be stronger and stronger. We shouldn't expect Riot to immediately buff every Kassa's skill, last season has shown that Kassadin is hard champ to balance.

ProfDrDeathOct 26, 20153 votes

He gets buffs in the next patch.

W cooldown goes down a bit and the AP ratio goes a bit up.

If he needs more, I think it would be great if E could get a static 3-second CD to go with the stacking mechanic - to prevent superspamming in situations with a ton of spells, but to reinforce the notion that the ability`s main restriction is the stack mechanic.

pripustasOct 26, 20151 votes

Why is there a need for the stack mechanic? It has a cooldown.

It was added, so he couldn't push waves fast.

Now 90% of mid laners can push waves fast.

khorneyOct 26, 20151 votes

I vote his ult be like vlads e I think where you have to keep stacks up and remove the toxic mana high cost

HabitzOct 26, 20151 votes

If it was just cd based then he'd have a 90% slow up every say 2 sec if he builds cdr and his r is up every sec... he doesn't need that much power.

Stars ShaperOct 26, 20152 votes

That was his nickname when he had Silence on his Q.

HabitzOct 26, 20152 votes

Kassadin is just fine where he's at, please if you feel like he's underpowered then play someone else.

Edit: Sry. Here are some tips. Don't worry about rod of ages. Get the tear item and use you w as often as possible even while walking. (That will help make sure your e is up). If you ult is at 50 mana use it and let it fall back down, this will help build up the tear and help with spell stacks for e. Don't abuse your R. If you're setting up for a kill use it once or twice in a bush to build up some damage and to help your e get up if it's not. R in, then immediately use your e followed up by your w and q. If they survive they will probably try and use some spells which will help refill your e (you should have 2 stacks on it), r again onto them and that's 3 stacks.

The tear item is good because it uses needlessly large staff now. All your items after that should have that staff in it, you want as much ap as possible. You should have all the mana you need from your tear and the active on your w. GL and please keep playing him, he doesn't snowball every lane opponent but he offers so much more than a guaranteed lane win.

I reach 15+ kills with Kassadin regularly and I wouldn't want any more power on him. I have plenty of bad games with him too but that's fine, it shows we have our weaknesses like any champ/player should.

NiyumiOct 26, 20151 votes

I don't understand why so many people are whining about Kassadin lately. He's a bursty, hard to master champion that takes some real effort and general game knowledge to pull off. He's like a melee, mobile Azir.

He's a great counter against mages because of his passive and his ability to dodge skillshots with his R. His R has enough range to teleport through any wall, and has enough range to outplay any champ if used properly. His Q is ranged harass and damage, even if the shield is useless against an all physical damage champ. And you know, his E's mechanic makes him unique. It's fun to plan fights and engages around the stacks you have.

Look at my match history with Kass and tell me he's weak. He's fine as he is, and the buff he's getting really isn't warranted. Just sit down and put in some effort to learn how to use him, and you'll do a lot better. He's like Azir, and has a high skill cap.

khorneyOct 26, 20152 votes

Kass isn't strong by any means let's start from the top . low base damage on moves followed up by not good ratios to comensate followed up by high cd and lastly high mana cost Let me put it to you like this 7 and 0 kass no one cares 3 and 0 fizz or lb people run . how ever what truly makes kass op is the fact his w procs everything ludens lich bane and static shiv is what I like to build

BoulderoxOct 26, 20151 votes

but when late game the only mana trouble you have is R, that is kinda irreverent.... He is meant to sneak up on mages and delete them, he can do it, just takes more power gauging then ever. You wanna kill, you better hope you can burst him or your in for a world of hurt. He has a decent poke q, an AA reset for that one minon 1hp screw up, and above all, a very strong cone slow. I think kass is fine, building him hybrid ap hp bruiser works well, you can tank ap for days with passive and hp to back it, but that is where he shines, he needs a team to fill in the blanks. No champ should be well rounded, that is just bad.

khorneyOct 26, 20151 votes

Again let me point out no one fears a kass that's 6 and 0 yet when a fizz is 2 and 0 or a lb is the same there fed. Kass needs like 5 items to be relevant

delonixOct 26, 20153 votes

First, I'm pretty sure everyone would consider a 6 and 0 Kassadin fed. Second, just because fizz and leblanc are strong lane bullies when they get ahead, it doesn't somehow make Kassadin not strong. Comparing kassadin to fizz/leblanc/zed is a mistake because he isn't the same kind of assassin. Kassadin gets a shield and magic damage reduction. He also gets a spammable ultimate. If you are trying to play kassadin exactly the same way you play fizz or leblanc, you could be playing him better.

Saying "Kass needs like 5 items" isn't really true and doesn't reflect on his strength. Kassadin has much earlier power spikes with stacked RoA and Void Staff, or with on-hit or on-spell items like Lichbane or Luden's, if you build him that way. Azir is also item dependent, but that doesn't make him weak. It just means you need to practice to be able to farm well on him. Luckily for Kassadin players, his Q is great in lane, especially against mages.

khorneyOct 26, 20151 votes

He is that underpowered that being 6 and the no one would care because he needs like 5 items to snowball or be relevant but what makes kass op is his w active it's what runeglauve ez used to be feare. Kass w procs everything while ez q doesn't which is not really cool tbh . what I get on kass first and only time I managed to build it I basically had a penta ( last guy ran and flashed into nexus to kill himself to deny me ) roa sorc shoes lich bane ludens and static shiv yes static shiv reason they stack and that's a total of 200 magic aoe damage per w with out ludens ap scaling which is fantastic. Its not trolling

BoulderoxOct 26, 20151 votes

a 6/0 is fed, no way about it, kassadin is a champion that excels at surviving ap burst damage, by mitigating it (q and passive), and turn it against them, as he is a mobile ap assassin bent on slowing and catching up on the standard mages that were at that time, slow, but do tons of dps. Kassadin was oppressive during a time because he had more mobility than most of the champion roster, and was unbelievably safe in some respects. as he sits, he can be potent, but needs to get the snowball rolling like ANY ASSASSIN. since his rework, he keeps some of his identity, but takes more skill and mechanics to effectively execute him perfectly.

khorneyOct 26, 20151 votes

It takes a bit to get him rolling because low base damage on moves followed up by high cd and high mana cost and not good ratios

BoulderoxOct 26, 20151 votes

a recent Q/A on the forums post ". Kassadin's the most straightforward, where it's just about how his mobility profile gives him perfect control over when fights are happening, so the second he crosses a certain power threshold, he just consistently runs away with games." Limiting his early levels give him a defined weak point, which lets be honest, a lot of champions recently are viable throughout the game, which sucks imo. gating his power to post 6 is acceptable, and i do agree his mana problems early are pretty bad, that is why item 2041 is still a viable and in most cases a must item for kassadin early. mana issues can be sated by weighing every option, overusing w to farm, poking too much, etc.... But let's be honest, his late game mana problems only come out of his ult, I haven'y played him a lot, but find that is the only trouble there was with him mid to late. Low base damages really stink... but mobility has its own sleeper op, and having damage and mobility can be opressive as we have seen in the past.

khorneyOct 26, 20151 votes

there are champs who can do like kass but better lb and fizz and zed all can do what kass does but better and all have high mobility with not much high cd do more damage and cost tremendously less mana fizz for instant what has always made fizz op and annoying is his trickster even with the damage before i didnt care i cared was his trickster havin glow cd high damage and high mobility really there is a trick2g video of this and he dies and fizz has no hp like come on trickster hourglass trickster come on. that points to what i mean can do the samethings but better

BoulderoxOct 26, 20151 votes

of course of course, but don't forget that kass can build hybrid, building lots of hp from standard items such as RoA and Serephs, coupled with his passive gives him surprising survivability, whereas LB, zed cannot build very tanky while still being able to burst people, they cannot deviate far from damage. Where kassadin can be more bulky.

khorneyOct 26, 20151 votes

any champ could build hybrid tank and be fine they would be better then kass. kass is only saved by his passive and that only works agaisnt magic saying he is hybrid is minute because

NiyumiOct 26, 20151 votes

And that post shows how little that guy plays Kass. His W costs ZERO MANA, and actually gives him back a chunk of his missing mana. You can very easily start with cloth and pots, boots and pots or even a Doran's if you wanted to -- and all the while be just fine mana-wise. The issue isn't that Kass is weak, it's just that no one can play him properly.

Riot isn't omniscient, sorry.

BoulderoxOct 26, 20151 votes

my bad meant to say e not w, as said i haven't played him a lot, but i whole heartidly agree, with you, but people assume he is bad based on such.

NiyumiOct 26, 20151 votes

"Isn't strong by any means" -- yet I can burst down just about anyone at 6, and I can kill someone in lane within the first 5 minutes with a few well-placed poke combos. After that? Well, let's just say that squishies should be afraid of every wall and spot they don't have warded. ^^

The low damage on his moves is offset by his incredible mobility and the low CDs on things (relative to other mages and assassins). The mana cost becomes irrelevant as soon as you build a Catalyst (so long as you don't just spam his R), so that's not an excuse either.

You know why people run from LB and Fizz? It's because they are braindead champs who can just mash keys and instantly kill you. They don't take any effort, so anyone can come along and do incredibly with them (my first game with LB, I was 19/1. First with Fizz, 18/6). Kassadin is different; he takes knowledge of both his kit and his target's, and has to do everything right, or lose. Not many people can play Kass to his full potential, sort of like Azir, so no one is afraid of a Kass. When you go 24/1 though, it's always satisfying to see Kass banned in the next match. :P

And, yes, his W adds the damage of Lichbane, Luden's, Statik, Hydra and all that as well, so it would be really broken for it to have a really high base damage.

So, please, don't try to tell me he's not strong. He's just not (for lack of a better word) noob-friendly, same with Azir (though they're making Azir into yet another braindead thing, so, so much for that). If you sit down and learn his kit really well, learn what he's capable of, know what your enemy is capable of, and how to exploit their weaknesses, then you win. Kass is the real master tactician, not Swain. :P

khorneyOct 26, 20151 votes

azizr is strong he is just difficult becuase alot of the times his soldiers do not respond like one would assume. and what truly makes kass strong is his w liek i pointed out and going ad jungle does work. and

SymbolicFearOct 26, 20151 votes

Same, I got a penta-kill a few days ago with Kassadin, and I win most of my games, but he definitely needs some buffs like more base health and a bit more damage.

Malix FarwinOct 26, 20151 votes

{quoted}

I don't understand why so many people are whining about Kassadin lately. He's a bursty, hard to master champion that takes some real effort and general game knowledge to pull off. He's like a melee, mobile Azir.

He's a great counter against mages because of his passive and his ability to dodge skillshots with his R. His R has enough range to teleport through any wall, and has enough range to outplay any champ if used properly. His Q is ranged harass and damage, even if the shield is useless against an all physical damage champ. And you know, his E's mechanic makes him unique. It's fun to plan fights and engages around the stacks you have.

Look at my match history with Kass and tell me he's weak. He's fine as he is, and the buff he's getting really isn't warranted. Just sit down and put in some effort to learn how to use him, and you'll do a lot better. He's like Azir, and has a high skill cap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLVcXphOVZo

SkiasOct 27, 20151 votes

{quoted}

I don't understand why so many people are whining about Kassadin lately. He's a bursty, hard to master champion that takes some real effort and general game knowledge to pull off. He's like a melee, mobile Azir.

He's a great counter against mages because of his passive and his ability to dodge skillshots with his R. His R has enough range to teleport through any wall, and has enough range to outplay any champ if used properly. His Q is ranged harass and damage, even if the shield is useless against an all physical damage champ. And you know, his E's mechanic makes him unique. It's fun to plan fights and engages around the stacks you have.

Look at my match history with Kass and tell me he's weak. He's fine as he is, and the buff he's getting really isn't warranted. Just sit down and put in some effort to learn how to use him, and you'll do a lot better. He's like Azir, and has a high skill cap.

He absolutely stomps champs like Kat and Veigar, if played correctly.

NiyumiOct 27, 20151 votes

Yep, he cancels Kat's ult, Malz' ult, laughs at Veigar's ult, and so on. I like to spam laugh whenever they do anything. xD

He's fun to play and a strong champ in the right hands though, so I don't get the crying on the forums, but I won't turn a free buff away. xD I'll just melt people that much easier.

CasterGilgameshOct 26, 20151 votes

i wish that if he ults before he gets hit by say a cait ult ulting lets him dodge it but i guess that's too op

Gare JordansOct 26, 20151 votes

I think Veigar and Galio fill the anti-mage role better than Kassadin does. I always perceived Kassadin as an AP Assassin Mage prior to his rework.

SymbolicFearOct 26, 20151 votes

His ult range is just fine. Im a kassadin main right now, and I will tell you the only things he really needs, is a bit more base health, and higher damage, but not too much more.

LadyRenlyOct 26, 20151 votes

Kassadin is first and foremost an assassin, his play style just screams it. So it is kind of awkward to play him as anything but a counter pick in draft. When it comes to blind/TB, you can easily spam Yasuo, but Kassadin more often than not has a useless passive and a useless Q passive most times(ad mid seems more popular to me)

I think Kassadin needs some kind of a change...but nothing too much. He is too easily dumpstered , but a person who can survive, then thrive, will be scary. I don't mind whatever they do, I just hope it's not an ult change, such as putting more AP ratios on stacks. I'd rather see something done, somewhere, to Q or E.

HabitzOct 27, 20151 votes

Make q a black shield and I'd be in heaven