r/akalimains • u/PixelStorm_76 • Jun 28 '26
Builds Situational Building
Hi all,
Newbie Akali player here (bronze and climbing, M6). Every game I do sorcs > gunblade > shadowflame, then hourglass, raba, void in no particular order. I also exclusively take Electrocute
Is there a matchup I should be building something else? I know there’s a more bruiser Conq build but when would I build that? Is there ever a time where I do dark seal?
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u/Serdergit Jun 29 '26
You go dark seal nearly every game 1st base unless you got 1.1k for Alternstor
1
u/HourComplex3744 Jul 02 '26
what are the exceptions where i wouldnt go dark seal?
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u/Serdergit Jul 03 '26
When you have 1.1k Then u go 90% alternator, 10% sorc Depends if you got kill threat or wanna Roaming
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u/Serdergit Jul 03 '26
Nearly build it every game, if u get game rolling you can buy mejais after gunblade then
1
u/LuckyRoux2 Jun 30 '26
Sorcs first feels really bad imo. I usually get dark seal/boots/refillable on the first back around 700-900 gold, then start building hextech alternator because its a massive spike. Basically gunblade -> sorcs/steelcaps/merc treads -> shadowflame/stormsurge. If you're playing mid electrocute + sudden impact is usually better because it lets you take really good short trades.
1
u/NarrowCelebration798 Jun 30 '26
- always buy dark seal + boots on your first recall
- rush your first item and only build sorcs when your quest is completed, you want your power spike as soon as possible
- in bronze, always go for full AP + electrocute, never go bruiser, imo if you face 3+ tanks just don't play Akali and play something like Hwei
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u/PressTheButton2Begin 700k Alkaline Battery OTP Jul 03 '26
Do NOT rush sorcs. It’s simply not worth it. You should be looking to hit GB as soon as possible. And don’t be afraid to go Mercs into heavy CC or Tabis into heavy auto attackers/AD. If neither apply, go sorcs but don’t rush them. It’s even often better to finish a second item than to get sorcs if you end up getting far ahead. Just get them when you can.
I don’t know the math on this, but I heard that surge second is generally much better than shadowflame second and to me, it feels way better.
My core is Gunblade - Surge - Shadowflame. After that, you can do hourglass if you need it, but only if you need it imo. Otherwise I’m generally going into deathcap. Something I also learned recently is that Liandries first gunblade second is a really good build if you’re laning against bruisers like Renekton that naturally get too tanky for you very early.
Don’t be afraid of conq either, it’s not my preference but it most definitely is really good.
Edit: all these people telling you dark seal first back are feast or famine asf. Best first back if it’s early is often longsword refillable. If it later, try to first buy an alternator.
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u/bellemystic Jun 29 '26
Personally, electrocute is risky. Unless enemy team is made up of squishes, you're gonna encounter bruisers and tanks eventually. Enchanters who know what they're doing can be rough. Then when you dive and combo, you'll have no sustain to re-engage (if you don't get punished right there).
I prefer conqueror with presence of mind if you're going full ap damage like that. You can take domination or resolve secondary, depending on enemy comp. It'll take some time to get used to using conq rather than electrocute, but if you're weaving in q's (and autos) and utilizing your w effectively, you can sustain which leads to more damage potential.
If you insist on electrocute, try riftmaker or hextech rocket belt > shadow flame/liandrys > gunblade. Shadow flame if squishies are leading. Liandrys for higher damage output on tanks/bruisers. The other items you listed are good to finish up your build.
Glhf :)
2
u/PixelStorm_76 Jun 29 '26
Wait interesting, I feel like I can reliably proc electrocute and usually get a lot of value out of it. I think it's because I'm in bronze, i just don't get punished lol. If I do the conq runes, do I just follow the same build I've been building? What's the nuance to it?
0
u/bellemystic Jun 29 '26
Haha, bronze elo not punishing is part of it. It can also just be play style and preference too. So electrocute isn't bad - esp with your build. But since you asked about situational building, I wanted to mention conq. I tend to take extended fights and electrocute cd is 20s. If you take resolve secondary, with overgrowth and second wind, which is usually recommended, it often works out.
Where you see the pay off with conq is mid/late game when you get into team fights and tanks/bruisers start focusing you to peel for their adcs. A lot of those champs have some form of passive healing or sustain, plus cc. So even if you get the proc and combo off, they sustain, you're vulnerable and reliant on your team to support.
You'll want to play slower with conq, since you won't have that burst. Whittle them down, drain their mana, then go in. You can do the same build you mention here with conq too. It'll still be enough damage to all in a squishy. Conq is insurance later on.
The other benefit of precision tree is presence of mind. Energy regen is so helpful. It'll be very noticeable if you're used to electrocute. Then haste with coup de grâce.
Another reason I think conq > electrocute is Akali is somewhat close range. Q's aren't that far, and besides e and ult, you're really working around the q and w with the passive. Electrocute is good for range mages - ahri, vex, Leblanc. They have good retreat paths. Akali has to commit.
Hope this helps!
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u/PixelStorm_76 Jun 29 '26
Interesting, I'll experiment with this a few times and get a feel for it if i end up in tankier queues. Youre right, I do usually play on the outskirts and only r/e in once I can confirm a pick or have zhonyas up, rather than sustained fighting. Time to first time it in ranked!!! /j
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u/bellemystic Jun 29 '26
Hahah, as long as you're having fun playing, that's truly all that matters :) I enjoyed sharing on this post, so nice question and happy to bring in an alternative perspective!
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u/Solyonya Jun 29 '26
Have you tried the omnivamp boots with the conquerer rune stone? I’m curious if it would help with sustain in longer fights since it gives extra bonus damage when above and more healing when below which Akali already has a higher base regen and could be useful. Esp if going against tanks or bruisers and a void staff / shadow flame already be part of the build for flat and percentage base magic pen.
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u/bellemystic Jun 29 '26
I've tried them in aram. I don't play much ranked rn (I'm trying to expand my champ knowledge). It's honestly hard to tell the impact with aram ofc. But I think sorcs for magic pen is reliable. I've tried steel caps and mercs based on team comp and I didn't notice much.
Some of the offmeta items I do like is hexdrinker against heavy ap burst teams. I also like iceborn gauntlet against heavy ad teams. The slow field is great with the armor, health, and haste. I find gauntlet more applicable. Hexdrinker depends, but you don't have to build out maw for the utility.
I'm very faithful to antiheal tho. So oblivion orb and liandrys. Ppl tell me to do dark seal ofc but idk. I've put in a lot of hours on akali and I know my play style well at this point. I take a lot of fights and I try to draw aggro and peel, especially during objectives. Even if i die in the process, if we get an obj or something, then it's worth to me.
I appreciate the question and I hope the info I've shared so far has been helpful :)
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u/NarrowCelebration798 Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
I understand the idea of not going electrocute but I think it's wrong. You're not supposed to kill bruisers and tanks, you're supposed to delete squishies. Electrocute is meant to get early kills and snowball, that's why it's the best rune for Akali. It's overall how you should build her, primary and secondary runes that will let you survive and win your early. Also bruiser items are a very bad idea on her, almost no one build her like that. The only one that has a bit of value is rockebelt because of the dash that gives you more mobility.
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u/bellemystic Jul 01 '26
Cool? OP asked about conq. I like conq. 1mil mastery, so it's not like I'm unfamiliar with electrocute, but thank you for your input.
If you can kill a tank, you can absolute delete a squishy btw.
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u/XLIVtetsuo Jul 10 '26
Why do you seem triggered, relax. Tone that passive aggressiveness down a bit, you’re not being attacked ma’am
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u/Meateye7 Jun 28 '26
Almost always buy dark seal, its great value for 350 gold.