[Guide] Specific Role: Assassin
####Last updated: 4/18/14
Hello and welcome to my latest [Guide] post. I’m just your friendly neighborhood Gold player that wants to impart some knowledge about general League knowledge through tips, tricks and experience to hopefully help you or maybe a friend of yours through your games. This guide will be on the general role and actions taken by the Assassin Role.
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####1) Assassin?
####2) Who is an Assassin?
####3) What do?
####4) Summoner Spells
####5) Runes/Masteries
####6) Champ Select
--- Stealth vs. Mobility
--- Damage vs. Mobility
--- Considering the enemy team
####7) Laning Phase
--- Combos
--- When to roam
--- When to go back
--- Cooldowns
####8) Teamfights
--- High Priority Targets
--- E.T.K. Estimated Time to Kill
--- Exit Strategy
####9) Items
####10) Tips and Tricks
#1. http://i.imgur.com/LfaKG3C.png Assassin?
Assassin are champions that specialize in ambush, surprise, hit + runs, and trickery to do as much make an enemy disappear as quickly as they do after. Some are good for teamfights and others specifically avoid them, but either way assassins thrive on attacking backlines and killing out of position victims and getting away safely. ####Assassins are found in top lane, mid lane and jungle. Mid-lane most commonly for reliable leveling and easy access to roaming.
#2. http://i.imgur.com/BEeMWsV.png Who?
While still considered part of the ‘Burst Caster’ category (as explained here) Assassins are a unique brand of caster that are more geared to single targets rather than AoE. Please note, however, that there are a lot of Burst Casters that can mimic Assassins if given enough of a lead or other hyperbolized cases. If you feel I’m missing someone you truly feel is commonly recognized to be primarily an Assassin don’t hesitate to call me out on it!
####Stealth Defined
Short and sweet, these buggers can be invisible. As a gap closer, this can be remarkably effective as the counter-play to stealth is not only limited but very ironically visible. These champions use this (particularly early game) so they can engage on their terms, almost entirely when they have the advantage. Whether this is to sneak up during a fight, or hunt around to start one, stealth champions can snowball pretty heavily as they have a very safe entrance and/or exit strategy. i.e. you can’t cc what you can’t see.
####Mobility Defined
These champions are known for dashing. Left, right, up, down, over walls and under turrets. Their gap closers are their best strength and if used right can literally jump circles around enemies. While cc inhibits them greatly, any single target usually doesn’t pack enough cc to get them away for long. This makes them very good for ‘pick’ comps and 1v1 dueling.
#3. http://i.imgur.com/G6eZnlQ.png What do?
###Go in. Delete someone. Get out. Repeat ASAP.
####Kill ‘em dead!
Theoretically assassins are very simple. And their kits make this quite apparent, with the number of dashes, stealth mechanics and other form of distance closers they are tailored to get to whoever they so choose. Mechanically, however, assassins can be one of the hardest roles. Assassins punish mistakes, out of position players, a gap in the frontline, a baited cooldown, even a teamfight that happens elsewhere.
The higher you go in rank the less mistakes that are made, and the few that are made have an insanely short window of ideal opportunity, or may even be a bait! As such, an Assassin needs to have sharp reflexes and even sharper awareness. There are a few tips here to help you on that venture later!
Now, that being said, the reverse also holds true. The lower rank you go the more mistakes are made by an average player. Because of that Assassins can seem massively overtuned (OP), because their ideal use cases pop up so often comparatively. Anyone who has had a LeBlanc or Evelynn rampage through a bronze ranked match can testify to this. The reason I mention this is to specifically warn ‘Assassin mains’ about exponential difficulty increase as they go up in rank. They can still do well, don’t get me wrong, but just keep in mind your role’s effectiveness is just as dependent on your opponent’s skill as how well you play yourself.
###Assassins are there to punish mistakes made by the enemy as harshly as possible. With the intention of taking a player out and creating an advantage for their team.
#4. http://i.imgur.com/bn5srbv.png Spells
##Spell #1
Flash
So versatile it’s downright necessary. If you have access to this spell you can never go wrong in packing it with you. It can be used as an escape, yet another gap closer in your arsenal or any number of other clever uses.
#####Possible Alternatives: 
(VERY rarely)
##Spell #2
Ignite
This spell is good for its healing reduction and for its capacity to secure a kill. With the recent change to Heal the aforementioned strength of healing reduction is less effective, so this will largely be more effective on Assassins with resets more than anyone else. It can secure a kill and consequently be the difference between an escape or even a Pentakill.
Barrier
This is a good all-around choice, as your laning opponent will have a lot of burst and your role in teamfights will put you in danger of being focused by multiple people. This can be used very effectively to survive the initiate.
Smite
Only if you’re jungling!
#####Possible Alternatives: 
#5. http://i.imgur.com/o1UIhFC.png Runes/Masteries
Let’s focus on the stats that will give you the best early game based on the situation.
###Offensive Stats
#####Cooldown Reduction
Do you do better of you have spells up a second or two earlier? Does your normal (core) build leave room (<40%) for more CDR? If so, try out cooldown reduction runes and masteries. Careful though, this can affect your resource management negatively.
#####Ability Power/Attack Damage
These are best in marks and quintessences. This will always be useful to have. I suggest getting Flat AP/AD runes, as that will give you the most noticeable bonus level 1-3. Beyond that items will dilute the bonus of per level runes. Either is still useful however.
#####ArmorPen/SpellPen/HybridPen
Your respective mitigation pierce can be very important, as that will be the first (cheapest) itemization counter to your burst. But keep in mind who you are going to be damaging. Note what kind of damage your champ of choice’s kit does though, some can be deceiving. Akali’s E, for example, deals physical damage but scales with AP as well as AD.
###Defensive Stats
#####Lifesteal/SpellVamp
Situational. If you’re playing well and are bursty enough this isn’t a useful stat most of the time, as fights will be decided within seconds and this increases your extended staying power. Some Assassins play an exception, though and benefit from extended engages (i.e. Akali, Katarina). In those cases LS/SV can be very helpful.
#####Magic Resist/Armor
Depends on location. Assassin jungles use armor very effectively as it keeps their health up during their early jungle clear, and mid assassins will use MR well as they will usually be going against a mage and their trades will be more favorable. Personally, I suggest per level mitigation either way however, as Assassins do not end up itemizing mitigation outside of situational buys (i.e. Maw, Abyssal), and this may be your only source besides base stats.
#####Health
To be completely honest, I have not messed with health runes at all and health masteries rarely. The same argument for armor/MR can be had for it and it can help, but mitigation goes farther in small bonuses than health almost always. So while I am putting it here as an option because I’ve seen it work rarely I personally suggest against it.
#####Regen
Flat regen bonuses to mana and health can help out your laning, as well as help out learning to manage a specific champion’s kit in trading. You may even find you prefer this stat over mitigation or inefficient offensive stats after enough games, but it will largely fall down to personal playstyle. Do you trade often or rarely? Do you have enough downtime in your games to use this stat well? (Jungle assassins can use health regen well)
######Special note: Energy runes are never worth it. The numbers are simply not good enough and it is not worth the hyper-specific rune page.
#6. http://i.imgur.com/fZDAJrq.png Champ Select
No matter how good you are mechanically, strategy and pick decisions can still affect your own capacity to do well. But you only have a short amount of time to consider what you can do, what the enemy team can do against you and you can in turn work around that. So to simplify things, let’s divide this up to three general areas to consider.
###--- Stealth vs. Mobility
What do you as a player find yourself liking to use? There are simply more options for mobility based assassins and it is more versatile, but both mobility and stealth mechanics have their respective strengths.
Stealth abuses out of position targets and has the primary perk of not only being able to choose where to appear but when to as well. This lets you plan and react to an enemy’s actions much better. Essentially the same way waiting in an unwarded bush waiting for a hapless victim almost guarantees a won fight. Except here you can bring a bush around with you. Ironically it does have some very visible counters, like upgraded red trink, abilities like Lee Sin E, and traps.
Mobility has its chief strength as its chief weakness as well. It’s very versatile and will always be useful, and as such it’s hard to know when to best use it. Stealth has a very easy to see use case but mobility is comparatively easier to bait and infinitely easier to regret. However, it has much less clear and easily used counters. Mobility is both easier to use and harder to truly master in an assassin role for this reason.
###--- Melee vs. Ranged
Level 1-3 autoattack range can really make a difference, but later effective range comes into play majorly in laning. As an example, Zed has a much higher effective range than another assassin like Fizz, solely because you can efficiently poke with his shadow without commitment. This means that Zed will be able to soften up his target much easier than Fizz, because in order for Fizz to have an exit strategy (to be discussed later) he can’t move farther than his Q cast range.
While a pretty specific example, I think it portrays the choice well. Both Fizz and Zed are strong Assassins with a lot of burst. But your laning experience can be very different because of how often you can poke and as such is an important factor to consider.
###--- Considering the enemy team
This is heavily reliant on your personal champion knowledge, so the more champs you’ve played the better! Keep your eye on champions that can peel, champions that out-damage you and champions that can ignore/tank your burst. These are the champions to watch out for and as a result build and play around. Knowing what they’re kits can do and how they can affect your own performance in the upcoming game can really help out in your own decisions.
#7. http://i.imgur.com/saL0Trx.png Laning Phase
###Combos
I suggest to always play a Co-op vs. AI game when playing a new champion, but I do this even more so for assassins because most are heavily reliant on quick reflexes and skill ordering. As an example, look at Katarina. Her Q is where a decent amount of her damage is locked, and making sure to get that out before using her W AoE can mean the difference between a good amount of damage. Going in with that isn’t too difficult, but in the chaos of a teamfight it can be a lot less reliable. As a tip, keep an eye out for specific kinds of abilities in a champion’s kit.
Indpendents are abilities that stand by themselves and are not used within a combo often, or are there for a different purpose (utility or defensive). Essentially abilities that you can go without using and still use the given ‘combo’ i.e. Evelynn’s W, Akali W
Dependents are abilities that require a certain action to ‘trigger’ the rest of its effect. These abilities should ideally only be used when another ability (or in some cases aa’s) can follow behind. i.e. Katarina Q, Akali Q, Zed ult.
Triggers are abilities that have an obvious purpose to proc Dependents. In other words, by themselves they don’t do a whole lot, but are used largely to proc the Dependent ability in question. Some can be obvious but others can be more subtle. i.e. LeBlanc E, Shaco W, Akali E
###When to roam (assuming you are laning)
Before you think about this ask yourself a few questions….
- Is your laning opponent backed or backing? This means when you roam your laning opponent cannot make you regret your choice by either free farming or damaging your turret. If your opponent is indeed still there, the choice to roam will have repercussions in your lane.
- Is there an opportunity? Look around, will there be a vulnerable enemy somewhere that you can jump on? This is particularly important, as when you make your choice to roam somewhere you will want to get something out of it.
- Are you healthy? Surprised to see this last? Don’t be. Assassins excel in 1v1 and low health situations, as their kits depend on burst and reinforce a playstyle that involves simply not getting hit. So depending on your confidence level and health can you kill them before they can kill you?
###Cooldowns
Your abilities are not only your tool to do your job, but are also the things keeping you alive. Smart players will be scared of a fed Zed or Shaco, but will be very happy to pounce on either that have just used their cooldowns. In other words your downtime is your most vulnerable window, and people will use that to their advantage. So make sure when your use your abilities they count. Whether that means simply hurting someone to the point they don’t want to engage or if you want to be fancy to bait a player into your team, cooldowns are one of the most important things to keep an eye on with both playing as and against an Assassin.
#8. http://i.imgur.com/QY5rwqb.png Teamfights
###High Priority Targets I will find you, and I will kill you
As an assassin your damage is your life, and so you want to be using it on the people that will…..appreciate…..your damage the most. Marksman, Mages and other Assassins build and play to their frontloaded damage capability, and thus cannot afford to build much defense if they want to stay relevant. Their low health, Armor and MR should allow you to chunk and chunk well, but you have to be sure to chunk them before they can chunk you.
###E.T.K. Estimated Time to Kill Hey look it's LeBl--
Simply put, a still Assassin is a dead Assassin. If you have to stick around to kill someone after your initial burst you better pray you can kill them soon. Always factor in how long you believe it will take to kill someone once you pounce on them. In that exact moment do you think you can kill the target and get away with it quick enough?
###Exit Strategy In and out. Quick and clean
If you have a reset mechanic (Kha’zix, Kat) then your Exit Strategy is killing someone. But for everyone else you have to factor in how you can get away from the enemy while your cooldown are blown. As I mentioned before this is your most vulnerable period. ‘Killing everyone’ is a completely valid tactic if you can pull it off.
#9. http://i.imgur.com/caQeVsC.png Items This section will assume you are laning. For Jungle Assassin help, please see my Jungle [Guide]
##Starting Items
###Going against another damage heavy lane?
####AP:
####AD:
Your best bet is to try to out damage them, while packing a bit of sustain yourself. That’s what Doran items are there for! Early laning will rely heavily on your own mechanics and plays, but as far as stats go this will probably be your best bet. Energy and resource-less champions need to be a bit more creative and reactive to who you’re laning against.
###Going against a tanky/bruiser lane?
Try out:
or
It will largely depend on your specific champion, but these can be good buys in the right situation. Flask will give your more sustain and benefits an aggressive playstyle, as every back will save you money on potions. Cloth is nice for trading with a melee Assassin, as the cloth will mitigate a lot of minion damage and ranged auto's and a tanky opponent will be fighting for sustain dominance.
##High Priority Assassin items
#####
Void Staff
Strong for: % MR Shred | Weak for: Dependent on opponent’s MR AP and dealing with a lot of MR? Get this item to reduce the effectiveness of all of their MR options. This item is currently good enough to be considered a staple item on burst casters (this includes Assassins) so if you find yourself getting this item often that’s normal.
#####
Last Whisper
Strong for: % armor Shred | Weak for: Dependent on opponent’s armor
Good for any AD assassin dealing with a lot of armor. This has good synergy with an lifesteal item, as lifesteal is calculated after mitigation.
#####
Rabadon’s Deathcap
Strong for: Total AP boost | Weak for: Lack of survivability
Highest boost of AP in the game with its passive, Rabbys is a great end-tier item for any AP Assassin. Be careful though, it provides no defensive capability by itself. If you're not getting focused or caught often, then by all means get this, but if you're getting killed often in teamfights you may want to consider a defensive item.
#####
Zhonya’s Hourglass
Strong for: High AP/Invul Active | Weak for: Expensive $$
Easily considered a staple item on any AP Assassin, zhonya's not only builds out of a great counter-ad item, but also is one of the three 120 end-tier items. Used right, the active can both save you and give you valuable seconds towards getting your cooldowns off again. This item is useful always for an AP champion.
#####
Deathfire’s Grasp
Strong for: High AP/Damage Active | Weak for: Expensive $$
The most offensive, in your face, burst them down item in the game, DFG not onl has a hard-hitting active that multiplies magic damage it is the last of the 120 AP triumvirate. Be sure to open up with the active first to multiply your entire combo if you can follow up. Even I still have trouble with proper use of the active, so don't feel bad if you whiff it, just practice!
#####
Bloodthirster
Strong for: High AD/Lifesteal | Weak for: Stack Based/Expensive $$
If you're doing well at the beginning go ahead and rush this. Getting the stacks up is easy in laning but somewhat more difficult afterwards. Once you have them though this item gives the highest amount of AD and lifesteal for an item slot (barring Sword of the Occult). Get this item when you need both those stats and believe you won't be dying anytime soon. Not a good buy of your team is currently on the defensive.
#####
Blade of the Ruined King
Strong for: Lifesteal/%health active | Weak for: Low AD
Great item, but for Assassins it is most useful for the active. Since you do not stack health, any %health drain from a higher health target will ‘reverse chunk’ you more. Keep in mind the passive on-hit is %current health, but the active is %max health.
#####
Liandre’s Torment
Strong for: Flat Pen/Burn Passive/Health | Weak for: Low AP
One of few options for flat spell pen, which is always a good thing as it helps against tanks and squishys alike. It also gives a nice boost to health and gives a little more power to pokes and sustained damage if you’re finding yourself unable to burst in and need another avenue of contribution.
#####
Mecurial Scimitar
Strong for: High AD/Cleanse Active | Weak for: Situational/Expensive $$
Ad-heavy but expensive enough to be somewhat underused, get this item for its cleanse active more than anything. Used right it not only will mitigate a decent amount of magic damage passively but prevent some very hard hitting effects and disables. Good against things like Malz ult, Zed ult, long stuns/taunts, ignite, and many others
#####
Youmuu’s Ghostblade
Strong for: Flat Armor pen/Active | Weak for: Low AD/Telegraphing
Not a common pick, but can do some decent work with its flat armor pen and cooldown reduction. The active is a bit lackluster (ideally, you won’t be auto-attacking all that much) it is still definitely useful. Don’t forget the item active has a relatively short cooldown compared to others (45 seconds). Be cautious though, activating the item can tip your enemies off that you’re about to dive.
#####
Abyssal Scepter
Strong for: Viable MR source/Flat MR reduction | Weak for: Short effect range, low AP
A good defensive pick of you find yourself needing it, as well as a great offensive pick if you are playing a mobile AP Assassin like Katarina or Akali. Get this item if you are getting bursted consistently by magic damage but still think you can dive effectively.
#####
Maw of Malmortious
Strong for: Viable MR source/Spellshield | **Weak for:**Situationally effective
As an Ad based Assassin Maw can be a literal lifesaver, as well as a nice source of AD based on % missing health.
#####
Trinity Force
Strong for: Spellblade passive/Stats | Weak for: Expensive $$
Dat tons of damage! Tri-force is primarily known for its 200% spellblade passive, and that’s the main selling point, but it also has the nice ms boost from phage as well as a little bit of every stat you want! This is reserved for AD assassins only, AP assassins benefit more from Lich Bane of you want a spellblade effect.
#####
Lich Bane
Strong for: Essentially 4th spell | Weak for: Weak numbers
This item is great for AP Assassins that have a large burst but long-ish cool downs as it gives another high damage source to incorporate in their rotation. In other words it gives a 4th basic (non-ult) spell. That with the MS stat it makes for a nice complement to Assassins like Fizz, who are AP but still have auto’s in their kit.
#####
Hextech Gunblade
Strong for: Hybrid Damage/Active | **Weak for:**Hybrid Damage
Hextech Gunblade is one the most expensive items in the game, and it’s stats are the reason. Base stats wise this thing is a monster. And it’s active’s interaction with auto’s and single target spells isn’t to be taken for granted either. Unfortunately it gives hybrid stats that can only be effectively used by a hybrid Assassin like Akali.
Banshee's Veil
Strong for: Combo breaker | Weak for: Enemy action dependent/situational
This item is great for if you're having trouble with a Mage nuke or an enemy assassin, as it will break up their combo and force them to try again with the 45 second window. It's also something to watch out for yourself. Playing against a veil either wait for another teammate to pop the bubble with a poke ability or pop it yourself with a low cooldown spell. That way you can follow up on the now vulnerable target asap.
#####
Guardian Angel
Strong for: Death Passive | Weak for: No Offensive Stats
What’s a better defense against burst than just going ahead and dying? Seriously though, this is a 1.5 sec invul that has to be burned through in order to kill you. Just like zhonya’s this invul time is precious seconds to return your cooldowns and explode with damage. In higher Elo this is a must have late game as it will save you from the dreaded 60+ sec death timer more often than not.
#10. http://i.imgur.com/LXLAU4u.png Tips N’ Tricks
####Wards!
Assassins excel at jumping on weaker and wounded targets. The easiest way to find these targets is to offensively ward. This means to ward the enemy jungle to watch for their jungler and any other enemy movement. This also allows well-aware players to track where the enemy team has their own wards so you can move around undetected.
####Wraiths
If you’re ever caught in a situation where your lane is pushed but no roaming opportunities come up try going for the enemy wraith camp. It will give you a bit more farm as well as hurting the enemy jungle’s farm. Be sure to take the big one! That’ll also help against Feral Flare jungle timebombs slightly.
####Assume you’re not getting blue buff
That way when you do you’re pleasantly surprised!
####React to your laning opponent’s actions
Your laning opponent start roaming? Either push your lane while he’s gone or follow him. Make him regret his choice as much as you can.
####Don’t get cocky!
It’s very easy to think you’re invincible when you’re doing well as an Assassin. You can 100-0 anyone you want right? Never forget that one well-placed stun or missed spell can still kill you, be happy you’re doing well but don’t let it get to your play!
#Addendum
Hey guys and gals, finally cranked this one out, and I will safely say I learned a few things myself. Most notably that I am very bad at an AP assassin playstyle (largely the last hitting and trading in lane), so my 'reasearch' concludes that this is probably one of the weaker Guides I've put out. But that's where I just remind that if you want, comment below with a way for me to improve my Guide. Whether it be a new section, removing a section or calling me out on misinformation doesn't matter, constructive feedback is always appreciated!
