Akali vs Akshan
You are stronger early. Look to snowball before your opponent scales.
Build vs Akshan
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Akali: Hextech Gunblade, Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass, Sorcerer's Shoes, Dark Seal, Stormsurge, Rabadon's Deathcap, Banshee's Veil.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Akshan's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Every three hits from Akshan's Attacks and Abilities deals bonus damage and grants him a Shield if the target was a champion.When Akshan Attacks, he fires an additional Attack for reduced damage. If he cancels the additional Attack, he instead gains Move Speed.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 9s | 18s | 18s | – |
| 6 | 7s | 18s | 18s | 1m40 |
| 9 | 5s | 14s | 18s | 1m40 |
| 11 | 5s | 10s | 18s | 1m25 |
| 16 | 5s | 2s | 15s | 1m10 |
| 18 | 5s | 2s | 12s | 1m10 |
Playing as Akali
Tips to maximize your impact
- Leave the ring for your auto
After each spell that hits, step out of the Assassin's Mark (passive) ring: your next auto gains range and damage.
- Mark before you leap
Mark your target with Shuriken Flip (E) before leaping with Perfect Execution (R): recasting Shuriken Flip takes you back to them, even after your leap.
- Dive inside your smoke
Cast Twilight Shroud (W) to dive under the enemy tower: inside the smoke you are invisible and untargetable, but an auto or a spell reveals you briefly.
- Save your second dash to finish
Save the second dash of Perfect Execution (R) to finish: its damage grows with the target's missing health.
Playing against Akshan
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Cut his swing short
Step into the path of Heroic Swing (E) rather than turning your back: any contact with you ends the swing, and with it his repeated shots.
- Hide behind a minion
Put a minion between you and him when he charges Comeuppance (R): the bullets stop on the first champion, minion or structure hit.
- Watch out after a kill
After you kill one of his allies, keep your distance from Akshan: Going Rogue (W) marks you, and if he kills you, he revives the allies you killed.
Other Akali matchups
Patch 16.21.1