Overview
A bit of a unique pick, Akshan is a mid lane AD champion that can function as a long range assassin or as a more traditional ADC. His signature spell is the ability to bring back his allies from the dead if he’s able to find kills on whoever killed them, which can create some big turnarounds, especially in late game situations where ally death timers are quite long. Click here for the latest data on his best builds, including Runes, Items, Summoner Spells, and more.
Keys to Remember About Akshan
One kill could be the biggest difference for you -- what's the point of picking Akshan if you don't go for it? The chance to fully revive your team from a bad situation? What's the point of playing games if not to chase highs like that. Let us be the devil on the shoulder. Go for the kill.
You have potential as an assassin thanks to the camouflage on your Going Rogue [W] -- especially in a one on one situation, enemies won't even be able to run from you thanks to Comeuppance [R].
Strengths
Ranged AD champions in mid lane can often play like bullies thanks to their auto-attacks just being better than enemy AP champions. You can play very aggressively like this and force enemies to throw skill shots at you -- you’ll have a big advantage if you’re able to dodge them. Eventually you can force them to either trade with you or clear the wave. Camouflage on Going Rogue [W] and a big mobility spell in Heroic Swing [E] both add to the ability to play aggressively, though he’ll need to be wary of ganks if he goes in with them. Once fights begin, you can bait your team a bit because you can bring them back with Going Rogue [W] so long as you can land kills.
Weaknesses
You can be lacking in wave clear compared to other mid laners, so champions that can just push the wave quickly and ignore you are going to be difficult to deal with. Not only can they then disappear from any kill pressure you might have (and then pressure other lanes), they’ll also keep you more in your lane as you are forced to clear minions. He’s a bit of an awkward champion as he doesn’t really provide team fighting utility, especially if he dies first and can’t even get value out of bringing his teammates back to life.
Game Plan
Early Game: The only reason to pick a champion like this early is to play aggressively -- he’s best as a counterpick into melee matchups. You want to push as much as possible so you can threaten roams with your W and E.
Mid Game: You should always be looking to join fights and skirmishes. He’s very good in skirmishes thanks to being able to stealth and his Heroic Swing [E] giving great range of mobility. Even if you join a fight late, as long as you finish a kill, you can bring an ally back to life.
Late Game: Same ideas mid game -- you want to fight and fight often. One kill late in a fight can completely swing the game for your team.
