Vayne vs Kai'Sa
You are stronger late game. Farm safe and avoid early trades.
Build vs Kai'Sa
The champion's reference build, for lack of enough games in this matchup
Recommended items for Vayne: Blade of The Ruined King, Guinsoo's Rageblade, Terminus, Berserker's Greaves, Essence Reaver, Stormrazor, Experimental Hexplate, Kraken Slayer.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Kai'Sa's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Kai'Sa's basic attacks stack Plasma, dealing increasing bonus magic damage. Allies' immobilizing effects help stack Plasma. Additionally, Kai'Sa's item purchases upgrade her basic spells to have more powerful properties.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 10s | 20s | 16s | – |
| 6 | 8s | 20s | 16s | 2m10 |
| 9 | 6s | 18.5s | 16s | 2m10 |
| 11 | 6s | 17s | 16s | 1m40 |
| 16 | 6s | 14s | 13s | 1m10 |
| 18 | 6s | 14s | 10s | 1m10 |
Playing as Vayne
Tips to maximize your impact
- Three hits on the same target
Hit the same target three times in a row, with autos or spells: on the third hit, Silver Bolts (W) adds true damage based on their max health.
- Tumble between autos
Slip a Tumble (Q) between two autos: you reposition, and your next attack deals bonus damage. Its cooldown drops from 6 to 2 seconds.
- Pin your target to a wall
Position yourself so that Condemn (E) pushes your target into a wall: if they hit terrain, they're stunned and take more damage.
- Be patient before your items
Play safe while you're missing your first items: Vayne mostly shines later, when Silver Bolts (W) cuts through big health pools.
- Tumble unseen during your ult
During Final Hour (R), each Tumble (Q) makes you invisible for a moment and comes back faster: tumble to reposition while the enemy can't target you.
Playing against Kai'Sa
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Stay near your minions
Stay near your minions: Icathian Rain (Q) splits its missiles between nearby enemies, and on your own, you take them all.
- Harass her before she evolves
If your attack range beats her 525 units, harass her early: Second Skin (passive) only evolves her spells as she buys items.
- Dodge her Void Seeker
Dodge Void Seeker (W): it marks you with Plasma and reveals you, which lets Killer Instinct (R) dash onto you from very far away.
Other Vayne matchups
Patch 16.21.1