League of Legends has a variety of runes to choose from, including Cheap Shot and Sudden Impact. Cheap Shot is best for champions that can apply crowd control (CC) and then deal damage for bonus true damage. Sudden Impact, on the other hand, provides lethality and magic penetration after using a dash, blink, or exiting stealth.
While both runes can be valuable, it’s important to consistently proc them for maximum effectiveness. Let’s take a closer look at how these runes work and which champions they suit best.
Cheap Shot
Cheap Shot is a damage rune in the Domination Tree that deals true damage to enemy champions suffering from certain crowd control effects. However, not every crowd control effect procs Cheap Shot. The target must be suffering from immobility, blindness, disarm, grounding, nearsightedness, polymorph, silence, or slow.
It’s crucial to note that the damage must be applied to the target while it is already under the effect of crowd control. Abilities that apply crowd control alone won’t trigger the bonus true damage. Damage over time effects are effective at proccing Cheap Shot as they apply multiple instances of damage.
Certain items like Rylai’s Crystal Scepter, Serylda’s Grudge, and Stormrazor can apply a slow to the enemy champion, making them perfect setups for Cheap Shot. The Glacial Augment rune can also be used to slow multiple opponents within its icy zone.
Sudden Impact
Sudden Impact is a stat rune in the Domination Tree that provides lethality and magic penetration after using a dash, blink, or exiting stealth. It grants 7 lethality (4.36 armor penetration at Level 1 and 7 armor penetration at Level 18) and 6 magic penetration for 5 seconds after activation.
Champions with reliable dashes or blinks in team fights prefer Sudden Impact. However, there are other ways to proc Sudden Impact without using abilities. Certain items like Duskblade of Draktharr, Hextech Rocketbelt, Galeforce, and Prowler’s Claw can periodically activate Sudden Impact.
Champions That Prefer Cheap Shot
Some champions that prefer Cheap Shot include Aatrox, Ahri, Ashe, Bard, Brand, Evelynn, Fiddlesticks, and more. These champions rely on crowd control effects to deal bonus true damage.
Champions That Prefer Sudden Impact
Champions that prefer Sudden Impact include Kalista, Akali, Ekko, Graves, Irelia, Kassadin, Katarina, Rengar, Talon, Vayne, Yasuo, and more. These champions have frequent dashes or blinks that make use of Sudden Impact’s lethality and magic penetration.
When deciding between Cheap Shot and Sudden Impact, consider your champion’s crowd control abilities and mobility. Cheap Shot is best for champions with CC, while Sudden Impact is ideal for champions with dashes or blinks. Some items can also help circumvent the requirements of dashes or CC.
In conclusion, Cheap Shot and Sudden Impact are niche runes that provide extra damage to champions. Consider your champion’s mobility and crowd control before choosing between them.
Read more: Cheap Shot vs. Sudden Impact – Which One Is Better?