Akali has always had a reputation as one of League of Legends‘ fearless assassins. She had her moments of brilliance in mid and top, but she had one weakness – crowd control. Akali’s tendency towards flat footedness when an enemy team bore down on her kept her firmly out of the meta. Luckily for us who are fans of the original ninja warrior, she’s been reworked. We’re talking about more than just a fresh coat of paint and a double dose of perkiness. Akali’s got new skills, a new look, and we’re here to tell you why she rules.
League of Legends Akali Rework – Gotta Stealth Fast
Akali’s W has always let her take to the cover of darkness. However, she’s now speedier and stealthier than ever. Enter immunity to visual detection. Turrets would gleefully snitch on Akali if she popped her smoke screen too close to one of their all-seeing eyes. However, that’s changed now; she can pop her W and do all manner of criminal things for 5 seconds without any risk of visual detection. Sure, you’ll be able to see her position, much in the way that you can nab Vayne with a cheeky Sweeper, but not much else. Thematically, Akali’s deployment of a smokescreen also looks cooler – smoke rolls out over your chosen area instead of poofing into existence. Don’t let yourself be led on a merry ninja chase across the Rift; the frustration of almost always catching her might get to ya.
League of Legends Akali Rework – Gotta Crowd Control Them All
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Learning from our weaknesses is a definite strength. In a game where certain characters can be fixed in a meta across various seasons, slow learners get left behind. Akali has lagged a little in recent seasons when it comes to competitive League of Legends, but we think she’s going to make a rebound. Why? Think of another assassin that can CC its enemies. Here’s a clue – there’s not another one. Syndra doesn’t count; her ult should never have been her ult to begin with, so let’s not go there. However, another hitter in the same weight class is a fairer comparison. Akali is in a class of her own now that she can CC others with her ult.
Ever wondered what makes her deadly apart from her kit? The fact that it just got that much harder to outrun her, and much easier for her to get out of a bad trade. She’ll live to stealthily split-push another day, and to be a pain in the arse in a different lane. However, if you’re the one with a disadvantage in this situation, then the solution to your pain is an execute from her ult’s follow-up which deals scaling AP damage based on missing health. New Akali isn’t a champion that you want to be caught unawares by, even if you think you’re safe huddled up next to your support. With her full arsenal and increased mobility (and the fact that Riot is going to release her in her full, un-nerfed glory), getting caught by her stun will probably feel like getting caught out by Zoe — like imminent death.
League of Legends Akali Rework – She’s Thicc
Akali’s getting both a mechanical and an aesthetic overhaul. We already know that she’s getting an upper hand with her skill rework. However, her graphics upgrade is nothing to sneeze at either, and we don’t just mean the tattoos. We think her Universe entry will probably be at some point to reflect the nature or the meaning behind her new ink, but we digress. Most importantly, Akali is lookin’ fine. Her improved physique clearly stands out, and all of her splash arts have been given a rework in line with her visual changes. By this, we mean that she looks more like she could kick even Sion’s ass.
Akali has always had a bit of a waifish look to her. Slender, like Katarina. However, she looks a lot deadlier now, which is in line with her reworked persona. She’s a ninja that has rebelled against Shen’s preachy, centrist ways in order to kick butt for her people. Instead of looking like a model dressed up like a nurse, she now looks like someone who could take on every staff member at the world’s busiest hospital in hand-to-hand combat. Move aside, Iron Fist. Akali is the Fist of the Shadow for a reason, and she’s got the muscles to show for her years of vigilante justice. It’s nice to see that Riot expanding into different body types for its female characters. Her muscles aren’t vanity muscles, and everyone can appreciate that, whether it’s aesthetically or mechanically.
We know that not everyone is going to receive Akali’s rework the same way. People are already rightfully complaining about a lack of balance, and streamers have literally been screaming about how she needs a change. Riot will hit her with the banhammer soon, but we think she’ll be able to muscle her way into the current meta. What do you think about her new look and her deadly new arsenal? Let us know in the comments section below. If you love the old Akali, then we want to hear from you.
