Akali vs Swain

Akali
vs
63.5%

over 63 games

Swain

Favorable matchup

Heavy AP damageHigh sustainSustained DPSHigh burst

You are stronger early. Look to snowball before your opponent scales.

Build vs Swain

Build adapted to this matchup

Recommended items for Akali: Hextech Gunblade, Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass, Sorcerer's Shoes, Stormsurge, Dark Seal, Rabadon's Deathcap, Oblivion Orb.

Starting items

Doran's Ring
Health Potion
x2

Core build

Hextech Gunblade
1
Shadowflame
2
Zhonya's Hourglass
3

Standard

Sorcerer's Shoes
4Magic pen
Stormsurge
5

Summoner spells

FlashDot86%
FlashTeleport8%

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Stormsurge
Dark Seal
Rabadon's Deathcap
Oblivion Orb
Mejai's Soulstealer
Void Staff
Lich Bane
Liandry's Torment
Morellonomicon
Hextech Rocketbelt
Banshee's Veil
Seeker's Armguard
66.7% WR12 games
DominationDomination
ElectrocuteElectrocute
Sudden ImpactSudden Impact
Grisly MementosGrisly Mementos
Ultimate HunterUltimate Hunter
ResolveResolve
Second WindSecond Wind
OvergrowthOvergrowth
Adaptive ForceAdaptive ForceHealth Scaling

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Swain's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

Ravenous Flock (P)

Swain's ravens collect Soul Fragments that heal him and permanently increase his maximum health.

Cooldowns

Cooldowns by spell rank

LevelQWER
37s20s12s–
65s20s12s2m
93s19s12s2m
113s18s12s2m
163s16s11s2m
183s16s10s2m

Playing as Akali

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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 Swain

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

  1. Dodge Nevermove on its return

    Get out of the Nevermove (E) path as it comes back: it only roots on its return to Swain, then he can pull each rooted champion to him.

  2. Leave the area of his eye

    Leave the area as soon as Vision of Empire (W) appears: it strikes and slows 1.5 seconds later, and each champion hit gives him a Soul Fragment.

  3. Keep your distance during his ult

    During Demonic Ascension (R), back off and hit from range if you can: he only drains nearby enemies, and his form ends when he stops draining.

  4. Cut his healing during his ult

    If you have Grievous Wounds, apply it during Demonic Ascension (R): the drain heals him every second, and that healing keeps him alive.

Patch 16.21.1