LoL Classic Builds
Akali

Akali

Mid Weird but works

AP burst Akali (Gunblade)

How to play this build

In lane, poke by marking with Mark of the Assassin (Q) and detonating it with an autoattack: it refunds energy and sustains your pressure. Buy the Gunblade first — the lifesteal and active give you the sustain and mobility Akali needs. To kill, chain Q → auto (detonates the mark) → Crescent Slash (E) and add the Gunblade active and DFG for the final burst; with Rabadon the combo one-shots squishies. The Twilight Shroud (W) is your invisibility and escape: fight inside it. With the R (Shadow Dance) you have three charges to leap between targets and reposition.

Strengths

  • Very high burst: with the mark detonated + combo you delete any squishy in a second.
  • The Twilight Shroud turns you invisible: you fight, dodge skillshots and escape from inside it.
  • The R (Shadow Dance) gives three dashes to enter, reset targets and get out alive.
  • The Gunblade gives the sustain and mobility a pure assassin lacks.

Weaknesses

  • Energy management: if you spend the full combo and don't kill, you're out of resources and exposed.
  • Hard CC stops you cold before you finish the combo.
  • Turrets reveal and hit you inside the Shroud: it's not a safe hideout under tower.
  • Fragile: if you're caught without W or R up, you fall fast.

Key combos

  • Full burst: Mark of the Assassin (Q) → autoattack to detonate → Crescent Slash (E) → Gunblade active + DFG to finish.
  • Safe entry: Shadow Dance (R) onto the target → combo inside the Twilight Shroud (W) to fight with vision denied.

Matchups

You beat

  • Immobile mages (Veigar, Karthus) who can't escape your dash + burst.
  • Squishies without dashes: they don't survive the combo with the mark detonated.

Trouble vs

  • Point-and-click CC (Annie, Leona) that stops you before you finish the combo.
  • High-sustain or high-HP champions you can't delete in one combo.

Game plan

In lane, use Mark of the Assassin (Q) to poke and keep energy high, and rush the Gunblade for sustain and mobility. From level 6 you're a pick threat: hunt out-of-position targets, enter with R and delete them with the combo. In teamfights, wait out their CC, jump the enemy carry and use the Twilight Shroud and R charges to reposition between leaps.

Quick tips

  • Always detonate the Q's mark with an autoattack: it's most of your damage and refunds energy.
  • Keep one R charge for the escape, don't spend all three to enter.

Skill order

Max priority:

Q Marca del Asesino → E Golpe Crescendo → W Cortina de Humo

The ultimate (R) is always leveled at 6, 11 and 16.

Level 123456789101112131415161718
Q QQQQQ
W WWWWW
E EEEEE
R RRR
Why this order
Mark of the Assassin (Q) first: it's your main damage and refunds energy when detonated. Crescent Slash (E) second for waveclear and combo. Twilight Shroud (W) at 1 point — you only need the invisibility and escape.

Items and what they do

  1. Sorcerer's Shoes
    Sorcerer's Shoes Boots with magic penetration.
  2. Hextech Gunblade
    Hextech Gunblade Hybrid AD/AP with lifesteal and spellvamp; active slows and damages at range.
  3. Deathfire Grasp
    Deathfire Grasp The classic burst item: AP + active that deals % target-health damage and amplifies your next hit. One-shots.
  4. Rabadon's Deathcap
    Rabadon's Deathcap The biggest AP item in the game: multiplies your total AP.
  5. Void Staff
    Void Staff AP and % magic penetration; a must vs. enemies stacking MR.
  6. Zhonya's Hourglass
    Zhonya's Hourglass AP and armor; stasis active makes you invulnerable and untargetable for a couple seconds.

Runes

In classic LoL, runes were a system SEPARATE from masteries: bought with IP (Influence Points) and slotted into 4 tiers — Marks (red), Seals (yellow), Glyphs (blue) and Quintessences (purple, the strongest). They gave flat stats: damage, armor, penetration, etc.

Marks (red) Magic penetration ×9
Seals (yellow) Armor ×9
Glyphs (blue) Ability power per level ×9
Quintessences (purple) Ability power ×3

Magic pen marks, armor seals, scaling MR glyphs and AP quints

Masteries: how they work

In classic LoL you have up to 30 points (at level 30) to split across three trees: Offense (damage), Defense (durability) and Utility (mana, cooldown reduction and mobility). The notation 21/0/9 means 21 points in Offense, 0 in Defense and 9 in Utility.

Masteries
21/0/9 — Offense / Utility
Why this page
21/0/9 goes damage with some utility for energy, cooldown reduction and mobility: Akali wants burst and to move fast between targets.

Summoner spells

Flash Flash Ignite Ignite
Lane
Mid
Original role
Mid assassin

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