Akshan: The AD Champion You Need to Know in League of Legends Season 13
Are you confused about what type of damage Akshan deals in League of Legends Season 13? Well, worry no more! Akshan, like most gun-wielding champions, is an AD champion. This means he primarily builds Attack Damage items and deals physical damage with all of his abilities. However, it’s important to note that his passive applies magic damage on-hit, but it doesn’t scale with Ability Power (AP).
Akshan is a marksman champion with a unique kit. He has the ability to revive allies by killing the enemy champion who killed them and can potentially permanently stay camouflaged. While his kit is designed for Mid Lane and Top Lane, it has been a challenge for Riot to properly balance him due to the limited number of marksmen designed for these lanes.
Is Full AD Akshan Worth It in LoL S13?
Playing Akshan with AD marksmen items is the best way to play him and increase your chances of winning. There’s no alternate build path that works better for winning or having fun. Since you can’t build AP or tank items on him, AD is the way to go.
Akshan’s typical build focuses on damage and offers loads of fun. He has the ability to one-shot squishy champions and hold his own against bruisers and mages. However, he is more susceptible to being one-shot by assassins, although not to the extent of traditional marksmen.
Akshan has consistently had a 50+% win rate in Season 13, making him a strong champion if you take the time to learn him properly.
How Do You Play Full AD Akshan in LoL S13?
If you want to dominate with Akshan in the current meta, follow this AD build:
The best runes for Full AD Akshan are:
- Press the attack: Does extra damage every 3rd auto-attack and works well with Akshan’s double auto passive.
- Triumph / Presence of Mind: Good for surviving close fights or providing mana regen upon hitting enemies.
- Legend: Bloodline: Gives lifesteal to survive longer fights.
- Coup de grace / Cut down: Provides more damage against low health enemies or higher health bruisers or tanks.
- Shield Bash: Increases damage on top of Akshan’s shield passive.
- Bone plating: Blocks flat damage from attacks and abilities, recommended for top laners.
- Celerity: Offers more movement speed for chasing or escaping enemies, recommended for mid laners.
- Gathering Storm: Gives more AD over time, recommended for mid laners.
For bonus stats, prioritize Attack Speed (AS), Attack Damage (AD), and armor or magic resistance depending on the matchup.
As for items, the best AD Akshan item builds in Season 13 are:
- Shieldbow / Kraken Slayer: Provides extra health and a shield or raw damage and true damage, respectively. Great for surviving burst mages or assassins and enhancing 1v1 capabilities.
- Berserker’s Greaves: Gives extra attack speed to kill enemies faster and kite better.
- Blade of The Ruined King: Deals on-hit current health damage to burst down enemies easily.
- Guinsoo’s Rageblade: Enhances on-hit effects, offers attack speed, and converts critical strikes to on-hit physical damage.
- Wits End: Provides magic resistance against mages and additional on-hit damage.
- Lord Dominik’s Regards: Offers armor penetration to increase damage, especially in combination with Blade of The Ruined King.
In addition, you can adjust your build with items like Mercurial Scimitar, Infinity Edge, Mortal Reminder, Rapidfire Cannon, Stormrazor, Bloodthirster, Guardian Angel, Death’s Dance, and Maw of Malmortius based on the situation.
What Lane is Akshan?
Akshan is primarily designed for Mid Lane and secondarily for Top Lane. Playing him in the Bot Lane is sub-optimal, as he doesn’t function like a regular ADC and relies on higher levels and abusing your laner with your range. Some players have also tried him in the jungle, but his clear speed and ganking potential are lacking.
If you want to maximize your fun, play Akshan in the Top Lane. If you want to optimize your chances of winning, play him in the Mid Lane. Most top laners struggle against ranged champions, making it easier to abuse them. However, mid laners have a greater impact on the game overall.
When To Pick Akshan This Season?
Akshan is best picked into shorter ranged champions who lack burst damage. In the Mid Lane, champions like Ziggs, Kassadin, or LeBlanc are favorable matchups. In the Top Lane, champions like Gwen, Gnar, or Garen are good matchups for Akshan.
Since Akshan is fully AD with no AP scaling, it’s best to pick him when your team already has an AP champion. This prevents the enemy team from easily stacking armor and negating your damage. However, avoid picking Akshan when facing high CC champions or champions with targeted CC, as it limits his viability in the game.
Final Thoughts
Playing Akshan effectively requires understanding his AD build and knowing how to play against him. Following the suggested build and understanding his optimal lanes and matchups will greatly enhance your experience with Akshan in League of Legends Season 13.
For more League of Legends content, check out our in-depth champion analyses. We would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below. Until next time!
Also check out: How to build on Blitzcrank