Lee Sin vs Kayn
Skill matchup
You are stronger early. Look to snowball before your opponent scales.
Build vs Kayn
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Lee Sin: Eclipse, Black Cleaver, Death's Dance, Plated Steelcaps, Voltaic Cyclosword, Sundered Sky, Profane Hydra, Guardian Angel.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Kayn's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Kayn wields an ancient weapon and fights Rhaast, the darkin within it, for control. Either the Darkin will triumph, or Kayn will master Rhaast and become the Shadow Assassin.Darkin: Heal for a percentage of spell damage dealt to champions.Shadow Assassin: For the first few seconds in combat with enemy champions, deal bonus damage.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 7s | 13s | 21s | – |
| 6 | 6s | 13s | 21s | 2m |
| 9 | 5s | 12s | 21s | 2m |
| 11 | 5s | 11s | 21s | 1m40 |
| 16 | 5s | 9s | 17s | 1m20 |
| 18 | 5s | 9s | 13s | 1m20 |
Playing as Lee Sin
Tips to maximize your impact
- Kick your target into your team
For the Insec, land Sonic Wave (Q), reach the target, ward behind them and jump to it with Safeguard (W): Dragon's Rage (R) kicks them toward your team.
- Recast Q on a low-health target
Wait until your target has lost health before casting Resonating Strike (Q): its damage scales with missing health, and you have 3 seconds to cast it.
- Ward hop to escape
Cast Safeguard (W) on an ally, minions included, or on a ward to dodge or escape: it has a 7-second cooldown and also shields the targeted allied champion.
- Get ahead early
Look for invades, ganks and objectives early on: Lee Sin is strongest early, and his impact drops once the others have their items.
Playing against Kayn
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Dodge his Blade's Reach
Dodge Blade's Reach (W): Umbral Trespass (R) can only target a champion he just damaged, and this ranged hit is how he marks you from range.
- Save your CC for his E
If you have CC, land it during Shadow Step (E): once immobilized, he loses the spell and can't move through walls anymore.
- Save your spells for his exit
Don't cast your spells during Umbral Trespass (R): hidden inside your ally, he's untargetable. Save them for when he bursts out.
- Ward your jungle too
Ward your jungle too, not just the river: Shadow Step (E) lets him go through walls and show up from unexpected paths.
- Pressure him before he transforms
Pressure him before his transformation: until he picks Rhaast or Shadow Assassin, The Darkin Scythe (passive) gives him no healing or bonus damage.
Other Lee Sin matchups
Patch 16.21.1