Akali vs Diana
You are stronger early. Look to snowball before your opponent scales.
Build vs Diana
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Akali: Hextech Gunblade, Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass, Sorcerer's Shoes, Stormsurge, Dark Seal, Rabadon's Deathcap, Void Staff.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Diana's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Every third strike cleaves nearby enemies for an additional magic damage. After casting a spell, Diana gains Attack Speed for 5 seconds.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 8s | 15s | 22s | – |
| 6 | 7s | 15s | 22s | 1m40 |
| 9 | 6s | 13.5s | 22s | 1m40 |
| 11 | 6s | 12s | 22s | 1m30 |
| 16 | 6s | 9s | 18s | 1m20 |
| 18 | 6s | 9s | 14s | 1m20 |
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 Diana
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Dodge her crescent
Dodge Crescent Strike (Q): without the mark, Lunar Rush (E) keeps its 22 to 14 second cooldown and she can't recast it.
- Play hard before she hits 6
Take trades before she hits level 6: without Moonfall (R), she has no pull or slow to keep you in melee range.
- Spread out from your allies
Spread out from your allies when she dives: Moonfall (R) pulls in nearby enemies and hits harder for each champion pulled.
Other Akali matchups
Patch 16.21.1