@Statikk: Thanks a bunch!

Slovakattack·Apr 24, 2014·6 votes·2,089 views

I just want to say that, as a player, I really personally appreciate the fact that you guys are continuing to keep a close eye on Kassadin post rework. The buffs he received in 4.6 were very gratifying, and I am growing to appreciate him as the champion he is today, without comparing him to previous iterations.

We've had some remarkably consistent discourse on the subject of Kassadin- I think you've responded to 3+ threads of mine over all, and therefore I have come to see you as the face of the Kassadin rework team.

If you have left Kassadin to pursue other projects, then by all means give my gratification to the team continuing to monitor his power levels.

The rework was a rough time (lol wise) for me, as Kassadin has been my favorite champion since I first played him early season 1. Even if we didn't always agree, I just wanted you to know that I am truly grateful for the consistency that you've shown.

This summoner appreciates it ^-^

10 Comments

RiotStatikkApr 24, 20147 votes

Glad to hear! We never really "leave" champions, even after we finish a rework. It's our job to understand and work on the entire game ecosystem as a whole, so we do have to change focuses all the time which can make it feel like we've forgotten champions sometimes. This is something we have to struggle with all the time.

You may have been right on the W buffs potentially making Kass too bursty, but I am excited that his W feels like a valid level up option over Q and E. Only time will tell on this one.

SlovakattackApr 24, 20141 votes

I hear that. You guys have a crazy amount of bases to cover, and I'm sure it's not easy to apportion your time.

As for the W burst... time will tell, indeed :P

If you're curious, I've actually been having a ton of success (in team builder) with an experimental Jungle Kassadin build:

Feral Flare, Nashor's Tooth, Wit's End, Zhonyas, variable item.

It basically turns him into the magic damage version of Maser Yi. With armor yellows, AS quint and reds, and mr blues, it gives him 2.2 AS and an absolutely ridiculous about of on-hit damage. (Passives of Wit's End, W passive, Nashor's and FF stack, and are enhanced by wit's end MR steal)

His first clear is a tad sub-par but it ramps up fast once you get wriggles. He's pretty darn squishy, but then he has Zhonya's for a reason. Imagine master Yi with Zhonyas. Mmmm.... delicious. That, and he's not much of a presence until 6, but that's less of a detractor with FF in play than it used to be. Try it out sometime, it's really fun! :P

ShadowStormLOLApr 25, 20142 votes

That jungle build sounds fun. Can I ask for a mini-guide on midlane Kass? I've been trying to pick him up lately.

SlovakattackApr 25, 20141 votes

Sure thing!

Masteries: I go 21/0/9, making sure to take the mana masteries in support, and spellblade in the attack tree.

**Item build: **Tear/Seraphs, RoA, Lich Bane, Zhonyas, Void staff.

Skill max: Put some points into Q while in lane, after 6 max W, as it is where most of his damage lies.

Matchups to avoid: Heimerdinger, Ziggs, Yasuo, Marksmen or AD brawlers who can chase you. That's 'Nam flashback material, right there.

Basic theory in lane: Kassadin excels at harassing mages early on in lane due to his shield, and is now one of the most mana efficient champions in the game due to his W. Poke the enemy and clean up ranged cs with your Q, while last hitting with your W early on to keep your mana up.

While you may trade in lane, Kassadin's actual kill potential is very low until he hits 6. At most, expect to push you opponent away from his or her farm, and use your ranged poke to dominate your lane. Once you hit 6, try to bait out your opponent's cc and close, with the intent to land your W. Do not underestimate your auto-attacks, as they can finish off a winded opponent.

Basic theory out of lane: Once Kassadin hits 6, his kill potential and roaming potential skyrocket. Look for opportunities to gank other lanes, and ward deeply in order to catch the enemy jungler off-guard. Try to make the most of openings in other lanes, especially botlane to clean up and secure objectives, such as dragon.

During Teamfights: Kassadin actually becomes quite a bruiser come lategame. Play him as you would before, jumping in and out of fights to burst down enemies and draw aggro, before rift-walking to safety.

Good things to know:

Kassadin is one of the most mana efficient mages in the game now, and really dosn't need blue for it's regenerative properties. If you have a jungler that would benefit from the extra mana, let him have it.

Make sure to keep an eye on your Riftwalk meter. Your final build should give you about 3K mana, but 1200 a pop is no joke.

Kassadin is a late-game hypercarry with a high early, low mid and high lategame curve (like Tristana). He falls off a bit midgame, so be careful.

His slow is actually quite a handy bit of cc once you get used to it. Try engaging with champions like Nocturne and Lee Sin as a duo, slowing their target to allow them to close much easier. Lategame, Kassadin is beefy enough that you won't simply explode in one hit.

ShadowStormLOLApr 25, 20141 votes

This is awesome. Thanks a bunch! I've picked up on some of this by playing already, so good to know that I'm on the right path.

For the Tear/Archangel's/Catalyst/RoA part of early game, do you have a preferred order? I was doing Catalyst -> Tear -> RoA -> Archangel's for a while. Lately I've been trying Catalyst into RoA first (skipping tear entirely until I have the RoA), but I'm pretty sure that's not right.

SlovakattackApr 25, 20141 votes

My preferred (and commonly accepted route is Tear -> Catalyst -> RoA.

In general, the sooner you start that tear stacking, the better. This holds true for all champions that purchase Tear, but in this case: Kassadin's mana regeneration on W scales with total mana, so more mana means more use of the passive. (This is also why Athene's is simply not as good a buy as it appears to be. Flat mana actually gives you more regen by consistently hitting your W.)

If you get it early enough, you can put off finishing Seraph's Embrace until the final item, as the amount of mana it gives you over the long run is sufficient for your needs.

You don't lose too much by purchasing tear first, as Kassadin's early laning won't suffer too badly without hard stats.

When in doubt, rush the Tear! It's very similar to RoA: The sooner you get it, the more useful it will be.

After Tear/RoA, I choose either Lich Bane or Zhonyas. If I need survivability as a priority, Zhonya's comes first. If I'm doing well and need to focus on killing potential, Lich bane comes first.

Then, I get whichever one I left behind, Nab a Void Staff, finish Seraph's and tah-dah! Full build.

If the enemy has a ludicrous amount of AD damage... you should not have picked Kassadin But in case you did for some odd reason, you may want to invest in Iceborn instead of Lich Bane. I do not prefer it, though, as his burst is severely dented with that purchase.

ShadowStormLOLApr 25, 20141 votes

Makes sense to me!

SlovakattackApr 25, 20141 votes

Glad I could help. ^-^

exec3Apr 26, 20141 votes

Is there any word you can give on why the W passive numbers are so low? They seem so insignificant it begs the question of why the on-hit damage is even there.

ZiggabooJul 21, 20141 votes

Looking forward to SUPER bloody rich RIOT releasing the ability to record our own matches. They have so much money... When will we be able to record out matches!? I want to watch full replays of my matches without having to use 3rd party applications.