Akali, the Rogue Assassin, is a formidable opponent on the Rift, that you love having on your team but absolutely dispize when she is in the enemy team. Her kit is designed for burst damage and swift escapes, making her a challenging champion. However, fear not!



With the right strategies and keen awareness, you will learn how to counter Akali so you can turn the tables to your favor. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to counter Akali and emerge victorious in your matches.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. AKALI STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
2. TIPS AGAINST AKALI
3. DIFFERENT TYPE OF CHAMPIONS THAT COUNTER AKALI
4. CONCLUSION


1. AKALI STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

SCREENSHOT TAKEN FROM THIS YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE

Strengths:

1. Burst Damage: Akali excels at bursting down squishy targets with her combination of abilities, particularly once she acquires some items or levels.
2. Mobility: Her kit offers exceptional mobility with multiple dashes, allowing her to swiftly engage, disengage, or reposition during skirmishes.
3. Stealth and Elusiveness: Her shroud (W) grants her stealth, making her temporarily untargetable and providing both defensive cover and offensive potential by repositioning or re-engaging fights.
4. High Outplay Potential: Skilled Akali players can outmaneuver opponents using her shroud, multiple dashes, and intricate combos, making her a challenging target to lock down or predict.
5. Snowball Potential: If she gains an early advantage, Akali can snowball quickly, dominating the game and becoming a potent threat in split-pushing or team fights.

Weaknesses:

1. Early Game Vulnerability: Akali’s early game is relatively weak compared to her late-game potential. Exploiting this phase can delay her power spikes and make her less impactful later on.
2. Energy Reliance: Her abilities consume energy, and if she exhausts her energy pool, she becomes less threatening during engagements, creating windows of opportunity to strike back.
3. Cooldown Reliance: Akali heavily relies on her ultimate and shroud for engages and escapes. Punishing her when these abilities are on cooldown can turn the tide in fights.
4. Squishiness: Despite her burst potential, Akali is relatively squishy. Crowd control effects, burst damage, or sustained damage from opponents can take her down quickly if she’s caught off-guard.
5. Vision Dependence: Akali’s shroud provides stealth, but control wards or abilities that reveal areas can disrupt her stealth, reducing her survivability and escape potential.

2. TIPS AGAINST AKALI

2.1 Early Game Advantage:

Akali’s power spikes come later in the game which makes her early game significantly weaker. Exploit this by asserting dominance in the early levels. Harass her, deny her farm, and delay her progression to stall her power spike.

2.2 Vision Warfare:

The key to thwarting Akali’s sneakiness lies in her W. Bait out her W so it goes on cooldown by going in to start a trade and once she has used W immediately disengage. Wait for W to expire and try to use that opportunity window to go in and fight. She will be in a massive disadvantage! Also use abilities that reveal areas to deny her the cover of her shroud (W). Without her shroud, she becomes more vulnerable to your attacks and much weaker.

2.3 Exploit Energy Management:

Keep an eye on Akali’s energy bar. Her abilities rely on energy, and if she spams them, she’ll run out quickly. Exploit this window of vulnerability when she lacks the resources to strike back effectively.

AKALI ENERGY COST OF EACH ABILITY:

Q -> 110/100/90/80/70
W -> 0 ALL RANKS ( GIVES HER BACK 100 ENERGY )
E -> 30 ALL RANKS
R -> 0 ALL RANKS

2.4 Cooldown Awareness:

Akali’s shroud and ultimate have significant cooldowns early on. Engage or trade blows when these abilities are on cooldown, as it limits her ability to escape or burst you down.

2.5 Jungle Collaboration:

Coordinate with your jungler to capitalize on Akali’s tendency to overextend. Setting up ganks can punish her for pushing too far, especially since she lacks reliable escapes.

2.6 Adaptive Itemization:

Strategically build items that counter Akali’s strengths. Zhonya’s Hourglass, Banshee’s Veil, Oracle Lens or any other magic resist item that fits your champion can drastically mitigate her burst damage or reveal her when she’s invisible. SEE ALL MAGIC RESIST ITEMS HERE

2.7 Understanding Combos:

Familiarize yourself with Akali’s combos. Knowing when she’s likely to engage or disengage can help you anticipate her movements and react accordingly, reducing her impact in skirmishes.

2.8 TeamFight Tactics:

During team fights, stick with your team. Akali excels at isolating and picking off squishy targets. By staying grouped, you diminish her ability to capitalize on individual champions.

2.9 Adaptive Playstyle:

Tailor your playstyle based on your champion. If you’re a squishy champion, play cautiously and position yourself defensively to make it harder for Akali to engage on you. If you are a champion that can face Akali in a close range combat try to chase her down. Preferably avoid her E because it does quite some burst damage!

2.10 Consistent Pressure:

Don’t give Akali room to breathe. Apply constant pressure, whether through poking or keeping her occupied, to hinder her from roaming and making plays elsewhere on the map.

3. DIFFERENT TYPE OF CHAMPIONS THAT COUNTER AKALI

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3.1 Ranged Champions:

3.2 Control Mages:

Champions with consistent ranged poke abilities excel against Akali. Mages like Viktor, Orianna, or Syndra can harass her from a distance, making it difficult for her to engage without taking significant damage.

Champions with crowd control abilities can disrupt Akali’s mobility and burst potential. Annie, Lissandra, or Ahri can lock her down, preventing her from executing her combos effectively.

3.3 Tanky Bruisers:

Strong, tanky champions with sustain can withstand Akali’s burst and outlast her in fights. Darius, Sett, or Garen can survive her initial burst and then retaliate with their own sustained damage.

3.4 High Mobility Champions:

Champions with high mobility can match Akali’s agility, making it harder for her to land her skill shots. Yasuo, Zed, or Fizz can dodge her abilities and turn the tide with their own swift maneuvers.

3.5 Revealing Abilities:

Champions with abilities that reveal or disrupt stealth are effective against Akali. Lee Sin, Lulu, or LeBlanc can reveal her in stealth, denying her the element of surprise.

3.6 Team Coordination:

Communicate and coordinate with your team to focus on shutting down Akali. Combine abilities and crowd control effects to keep her in check during team fights, diminishing her impact.

3.7 Early Game Pressure:

Exploit Akali’s weak early game by applying constant pressure. Deny her farm, harass her whenever possible, and delay her power spikes to keep her from snowballing.

3.8 Map Awareness and Vision:

Maintain vision control to limit Akali’s ability to roam and surprise your teammates. Control wards and regular stealth wards can reveal her on her way towards a roam denying her the chance to get kills.

3.9 A FULL TIER LIST OF DIFFERENT CHAMPIONS THAT COUNTER AKALI

4. CONCLUSION

Understanding the intricacies of Akali’s strengths and weaknesses unveils a path to navigate her elusive nature on the Rift. Her burst potential, mobility, and outplay capabilities demand respect, yet her vulnerabilities provide windows of opportunity for those prepared to counter her.

Mastering the art of facing Akali involves more than just exploiting her weaknesses; it requires adaptability, vision control, and precise coordination. Players must capitalize on her early-game vulnerability, manage her energy reliance, and disrupt her stealth advantage to neutralize her impact.

As champions clash and strategies evolve, the key to overcoming Akali lies not only in individual prowess but in team synergy. Coordinated efforts, vision denial, and strategic itemization form the foundation to counter her deadly prowess.

Remember, while Akali can weave through shadows with finesse, she is not invincible. Armed with knowledge and a well-honed strategy, facing off against this Rogue Assassin can become a triumph rather than a trial. Embrace the challenge, adapt your approach, and shine light into the shadows of her domain.