League of Legends - Kassadin Champion Strategy and Item Build Guide

Kassadin

Basic Information

Champion Stats

Lore

Skills

Icon	Description
	Void Stone  INNATE: Kassadin takes 15% reduced magic damage and ignores unit collision.
	Null Sphere (Target Range: 650, Speed: 1400, Cost: 70/75/80/85/90 Mana, Cooldown: 9)ACTIVE: Kassadin fires an orb of void energy at a target, dealing damage and interrupting channels. The excess energy forms around himself, granting a temporary shield that absorbs magic damage.Kassadin fires an orb of void energy that deals 65/95/125/155/185 (+70% Ability Power) magic damage and interrupts channels.The excess energy forms around himself, granting a shield that absorbs 40/70/100/130/160 (+30% Ability Power) magic damage for 1.5 seconds.
	Nether Blade (Target Range: 650, Speed: 1400, Cost: 70/75/80/85/90 Mana, Cooldown: 9)PASSIVE: Kassadin’s basic attacks draw energy from the void, dealing 20 (+10% Ability Power) bonus magic damage.ACTIVE: Kassadin charges his Nether Blade, causing his next basic attack to deal 40/65/90/115/140 (+70% Ability Power) bonus magic damage and restore 4/5/6/7/8% of his missing Mana (increases to 20/25/30/35/40% against champions).
	Force Pulse (Effect Radius: 600, Angle: 80, Cost: 60/65/70/75/80 Mana +6 Charges, Cooldown: 5)PASSIVE: Kassadin draws energy from spells cast in his vicinity, gaining a charge whenever a spell is cast near him.ACTIVE: Upon reaching 6 charges, Kassadin can use Force Pulse to deal 80/105/130/155/180 (+70% Ability Power) magic damage and slow enemies by 50/60/70/80/90% for 1 second in a cone in front of him.
	Riftwalk (Target Range: 500, Effect Radius: 150, Cost: 50/100/200/400/800 Mana, Cooldown: 6/4/2)ACTIVE: Kassadin teleports to a nearby location dealing damage to nearby enemy units. Multiple Riftwalks in a short period of time cost additional Mana but also deal additional damage.Kassadin teleports to a nearby location dealing 80/100/120 (+0) (+20% Ability Power) magic damage to surrounding enemy units.Each subsequent Riftwalk within the next 15 seconds doubles the Mana cost and deals an additional 40/50/60 (+0) (+0) magic damage per stack, stacking up to 4 times.

Strategy

Mid Lane

• Kassadin is very weak in the earlier stages of the laning phase since his ult (R) Riftwalk, his only mobility skill, won’t be available until level six. 
• He is also a melee champion so only take last hits if you can and be wary of keeping your distance after finishing a last hit.
• (Q) Null Sphere is also very effective when exchanging pokes with your enemy champion so try to cast this as efficiently as you can to keep your opponent at bay.
• Your late game potential is very strong so your primary focus should always be to farm your champion as much as possible. Try to prioritize your champion’s growth as much as possible to better secure the game later on.
• Use your (R) Riftwalk with caution as an untimely and bad positioning might prove fatal for your champion. Target squishy heroes first as deleting champions without them being able to get off their skills will already weigh you closer to a favorable fight.
• Always remember that your role would be to delete the entire opposing team when they’re busy with your allies. Never face the enemy head on as proper executions of CC will still kill you.

Runes & Masteries

COMING SOON

Summoner Spells

Mid Lane
Flash	Teleport

Flash – Flash is an essential Summoner Spell for Kassadin as his only mobility skill won’t be available until level six. You can use this to better survive the laning phase.

Item Builds

Mid Lane

Starter Items
Refillable Potion	The Dark Seal	Warding Totem

Core Items
Rod of Ages	Lich Bane	Zhonya’s Hourglass

Rod of Ages – Getting this item on Kassadin gives him good overall stat growth during the game in the form of bonus health, mana and Ability Power. Moreover, Rod of Ages’ bonus health helps Kassadin to survive each time he goes in for kills.

Lich Bane – Lich Bane is Kassadin’s go-to damaging item. This gives Kassadin bonus Ability Power, mana and movement speed. Moreover, Lich Bane’s passive empowers Kassadin’s auto attack whenever he casts a skill. As such, Lich Bane synergizes well with Kassadin, as all of his skills deal damage when it hits an opponent.

Zhonya’s Hourglass – A standard defensive item for Ability Power champions, Zhonya’s Hourglass grants Kassadin bonus armor and Ability Power. Moreover, it gives Kassadin an active item skill that puts him in stasis, rendering him immune to damage and skills. This is essential, as Kassadin usually goes into the enemy team to pick off their carries.

Full Item Build
Rod of Ages	Lich Bane	Zhonya’s Hourglass
Ionian Boots of Lucidity	Rabadon’s Deathcap	Seraph’s Embrace

Ionian Boots of Lucidity – Kassadin relies on quick bursts with his skills and auto attacks. Getting Ionian Boots of Lucidity allows him to constantly put lane and kill pressure, as he is able to use his skills frequently.

Rabadon’s Deathcap – Rabadon’s Deathcap is a standard Ability Power item for mid laners. This item significantly bolsters its user’s Ability Power – getting this item on Kassadin greatly improves his ability to burst down high priority targets.

Seraph’s Embrace – Seraph’s Embrace is the final form of Archangel’s Staff. This item covers Kassadin’s mana regeneration issues, as well as giving him bonus Ability Power equal to 3% of his maximum mana and refunds 25% of mana he spends when he casts a skill.

It also gives him bonus mana every couple of seconds whenever he casts a skill. Furthermore, it has an active skill that gives its user a mana shield that drains the current mana for 3 seconds.

Situational Items
Ninja Tabi	Sorcerer’s Shoes	Mejai’s Soulstealer
Banshee’s Veil

Ninja Tabi – Ninja Tabi is a good boots upgrade to deal with enemy laners or a team composition that are predominantly deal Physical Damage. This item gives good early game armor and movement speed, effectively aiding Kassadin dive into enemy champions and trade auto attacks and skills, respectively.

Sorcerer’s Shoes – Alternatively, if you feel that your skills need more potency, you can opt to get Sorcerer’s Shoes. This boots upgrade gives Kassadin bonus magic penetration, which synergizes with his skills, apart from the standard bonus movement speed.

Mejai’s Soulstealer – For those who want to play Kassadin in a hyper-aggressive fashion, get Mejai’s Soulstealer. It gives its user bonus Ability Power for kills and assists that significantly increases up to 25 stacks.

This makes Kassadin an AP Burst Mage Assassin who can quickly dispatch enemies. However, this makes him highly squishy and susceptible to being bursted down quickly by the enemy team.

Banshee’s Veil – If the enemy team has their own AP Burst Mage of their own, or a team composition that has high crowd control, it is a good idea to get Banshee’s Veil. This is a good defensive item for Kassadin, as it gives him bonus Ability Power, cooldown reduction and magic resistance.

Furthermore, it gives Kassadin a spell shield that effectively negates one crowd control or damaging skill from opponents. This allows Kassadin some protection from stuns and disables when he moves into the enemy team to eliminate priority targets.

Playing Against

• Kassadin is very weak early game. Try to harass him as much as possible to shut his farm down or even just delay his farm.
• His passives are usually good against AP champions, try to match him with AD type champions to further pressure him in the lane.
• Generally, you can either bait Kassadin to commit into a fight and let him use up his (R) Rift Walk and other skills and let them whiff, or bring the fight to him outright. If you choose to do the latter, remember to lock him down with hard crowd control such as a stun, root or taunt.

Hard Counter

• Talon – Talon is a good foil for Kassadin as he deals exclusively AD type damage. He can burst Kassadin with his skills and auto attacks. For instance, Talon can bring the fight to Kassadin with Shadow Assault, which he can follow up with Noxian Diplomacy, then Rake.
• Pantheon – Pantheon can harass Kassadin in the laning phase with Spear Shot. If he decides to trade with Kassadin, Pantheon has Aegis of Zeona to stun him and deal massive damage with Heartseeker Strike.
• Heimerdinger – Heimerdinger can effectively zone out Kassadin with his turrets. If Kassadin decides to engage, Heimerdinger can position himself within his turrets’ firing range. A well-placed CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade is also a great counter-initiate tool, leaving him open to get damaged with Hextech Micro–Rockets.

Strategy video

COMING SOON

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