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About Akali's upcoming changes

Naapstaton·1/18/2020, 12:44:57 AM·10 votes·2,617 views

Hey Everyone. I'm Naapstaton! I'm a katarina/qiyana/akali enthusiast with Katarina being at about 800k~ mastery points on my main account. Now, ever since Akali had gotten her rework, I loved and played her even more than I did pre-rework. I played her through all of her different power levels, and adjusted to her with every nerf she recieved every patch. I've spent hours practicing and mastering that champion mechanically. Her kit is fun--- it is versatile, she is the QUEEN of outplaying, and its very satisfying and smooth. With the new changes though, I really can't say that she will stay the work of art that she is. With that being said, I partially understand the reasoning for theses nerfs, and would be glad to have those gray areas explained. From what I know, Akali is a menace in pro play because of her reliabilty--- her many escapes, her ability to be a flex pick in draft, and her good matchups because of the safety and the flexibility of her W.

Now, as an akali enthusiast, I would like to in depth approach her problem areas from my point of view. The current suggested changes on the PBE are so problematic, and I feel that they reduce her skill cap drastically. From what I've played of her, her passive, her w, and her ultimare are the highest skill-demanding areas of her kit. Throughout her changes, she has been constantly receiving nerfs in these areas, and buffs in her lower skill-demanding abilities, like her q and e. I just feel that this is not the way to make this champion work. Akali is a champion that was designed to be difficult and rewarding for those who are mechanically-able with her. Now, addressing those changes, her W causing her to revealed on immobilization is very disappointing, but mostly necessary I feel. With akali's shroud, when she's being Cc'd usually the enemy will already know where she is, so her being revealed allows for champions with Point and Click abilties to have more ways to punish her. This will impact most of her toplane matchups, which is a respectable change. Rid her of being able to be flex picked, and she automatically is able to be drafted against. Good change. On the other hand, the movement speed of her w essentially being removed will remove a lot of skill and power from her kit. Her trading becomes more difficult to maneuver in lane AND she will have a harder time dodging necessary skill shots while trading in the mid lane. This hits her top lane and her mid lane, which I feel is just too harsh when she already recieved a nerf for that issue, on top of the fact that she will feel less fluid and thematically will not be satisfying to play. I have to say though, the change to her ultimate is rediculous. While it does solve the problem of her reliable escapes, it creates an entire new problem with how she should use her ultimate in any fighting scenario. In lane, she will not be able to use her ultimate for fights in a lot of cases, and it completely ruins all of her combos that revolve around her ultimate. And the dash speed on her 2nd ultimate is absolutely rediculous. It has the same issues as her first ultimate and also thematically guts the champion. Akali is meant to be a precise and perfect ninja who, when in the right hands, cuts through her foes quickly, and deadly.

With that being said, why not capitalize on the beautiful and powerful thematic of a champion you guys have created? Akali is meant to be a difficult, quick, and fluid champion. So focus on the aspects of her kit that fit that idea. I will present my suggested changes in your casual patch notes format, including explanation and reasoning.

Akali's passive is the focal point of her kit, while also being the most skillful part of her kit. By adjusting the hardest part of her and making it harder to utilize, you cause her other problem areas to become less prevalent.

Assassin's Mark (P):

• Movement speed: 35/40/45/50% bonus movement speed > > > 70/80/90/100% bonus movement speed • Movement speed duration: 2 seconds > > > 0.75 seconds • Swinging Kama damage: 39-180 (based on level) (0.6+ per bonus AD)(+50% of ability power) bonue magic damage > > > 50-200 (based on level) (+0.8 per bonus ad)(+70% of ability power) bonus magic damage •Swinging Kama energy restore: 10/15/20 energy > > > 30/35/40 energy •Swinging Kama duration: 4 seconds > > > 3 seconds •Swinging Kama bonus attack range: 125 bonus range > > > 150 bonus range

(GOALS: [I know what you're thinking, but this change is only a shift of power from akali's q to her passive.] With this change, her overall trading pattern becomes less accessible for slower players, and it becomes much more important for players to have their next movements planned out so that they can use their passive efficiently)

Five Point Strike (Q):

•Five point strike energy cost: 100/95/90/85/80 energy > > > 120/115/110/105/100 energy

•Five point strike damage: 25/50/75/100/125 (+0.65 per attack damage)(+60% of ability power) magic damage to enemies hit > > > 20/40/60/80/100 (+0.4 per attack damage)(+40% of ability power) magic damage to enemies hit

•(NEW) Tipper: Five point strike deals 10/15/20/25/30 (+10% of ability power) bonus magic damage at maximum range

•Five point strike minion bonus damage: 25% bonus magic damage > > > 40% bonus magic damage

(GOAL: Similar damage output with more emphasis on harder aspects of akali's kit)

Twilight Shroud (W):

•Duration: 5/5.5/6/6.5/7 seconds > > > 3/3.5/4/4.5/5 seconds

•Energy Refund: 80 energy > > > 40/50/60/70/80 energy

•Cooldown: 20 seconds > > > 28/26/24/22/20 seconds

•Cooldown start: At the end of the shroud's duration > > > on cast

•(NEW) Hit and run: Akali's shroud duration is extended by 1 second when she exists and re-enters her shroud, for a maximum of a 5/5.5/6/6.5/7 second duration

•(NEW) Gotcha!: Akali is revealed when afflicted by hard CC

(GOAL: More emphasis on skill expression while punishing those who cannot utilize the spell well. Overall no decrease in 20 second down time for counterplay if used perfectly)

Shuriken Flip (E):

•Energy cost: 30 energy > > > 40 energy

•Damage: 40/70/100/130/160(+0.35 per attack damage)(+50% of ability power) > > > 30/60/90/120/160(+0.35 per attack damage)

•Cooldown: 16/14.5/13/11.5/10 seconds > > > 17/15.5/14/12.5/11 seconds

(GOAL: Increased cooldown for less opportunities with mobility and moved damage into other, more skillful parts of her kit. This ability is mostly utility)

Perfect Execution (R):

•R2 lockout duration: 2.5 seconds > > > 3 seconds

•Cooldown: 160/130/100 seconds > > > 160/140/120 seconds

(GOALS: Reduce her escape opportunities while leaving more time for quick thinking inbetween R's)

Of course, this doesn't need to be followed 100%. I am only offering a frame or guide as to how akali could be changed in a much healthier way for the champion, while not making her satisfying and unplayable. I hope that Akali is in a healthy spot after this constant inability to balance with the champion.

13 Comments

IP Masquerena1/18/2020, 1:01:48 AM3 votes

I love the changes you suggest, but sadly, that's the opposite of the goal Riot has in mind for her.

They stated multiple times they want to reduce the disparity between good Akali players and bad Akali players, so things that increase her skill cap are a no go for them even if it would make her more balanced.

Yogurt Parfaits1/18/2020, 1:05:16 AM3 votes

This is amazing! I honestly think this is what akali needs to fit into the player base. She needs a greater disparity ,honestly, between good and bad players. She's a HARD champion for that exact reason. Her kit is difficult to really punish bad players for, I believe if these were the changes made they could help balance out the complaints that she's "too hard" of a match up for any melee champion or too difficult to deal with.

Sir Saltarin1/18/2020, 1:50:42 AM3 votes

I feel that they reduce her skill cap drastically.

That's exactly what she needs.

More emphasis on skill expression while punishing those who cannot utilize the spell well.

And that's the last thing she needs.

I can understand that you dislike the changes because are brutal and l think everyone would dislike that to happen to one of their mains.

But seriously, the major problem of Akali is that she can be at 45% winrate, get nerfs and still be pick/ban on pro play.

Any change to make the difference between the goods and the bads Akalis be even bigger is exactly the opposite of what she needs.

I hope that after this mechanic nerfs she can be buffed back on numbers so Akali players on soloQ don't get to follow the path that Kalista players have to walk.

ThunderCraft1/18/2020, 1:35:51 AM1 votes

if you are a Katarina main you shouldnt concern with this champ just focus in gaining buffs for your crutch

chipndip11/18/2020, 2:07:52 AM1 votes

You wanna know why this is a no go?

The ORIGINAL release of the rework was the "super high skill cap" Akali that blew chunks all over the ladder and absolutely dominated top tier play. Everyone was STILL crying over it. Now Riot's focus is to make her more accessible and less "frustrating". You can't just backtrack now.

Blame the community.

MarcReady1/18/2020, 3:25:16 AM1 votes

"Akali is meant to be a difficult, quick, and fluid champion"

There is one thing to understand before further talking: just because a champion is difficult to play, it doesn't mean it has the right to be so strong. Akali may suck in the hands of the average player, but people dedicating time to her, will master her and make the game frustrating. If in a car race a pilot is allowed to drive a better car than the others, then the race becomes unfair, because at a certain point the ability of other pilots does not matter. I understand that there need to be simpler and more complex champions, but the game shouldn't depend on picks, but on skill.

Now, if everyone drove the same car...