What will be the best way to play new champion Akshan in LoL?

William Davis Published 10/07/2021

A new Sentinel of Light will soon enter League of Legends and he is already heavily debated in the community because of his unique mechanics.

Akshan will be the first marksman designed for the mid lane and will play a big role in the ongoing clash between the Sentinels of Light and the Black Mist. With the big in-game event Rise of the Sentinels coming up, Akshan will enter the game at the best possible time. Akshan’s abilities were recently revealed and put up for testing on the Public Beta Environment (PBE). This has gotten players to the keyboards in a hurry to try out the Rogue Sentinel and figure out how he works.

Here is an early look at how Akshan might end up being played when he gets released.

Akshan has a lot of damage but can he escape?

By the first glance of Akshan, it’s clear that he has a lot of damage in his kit and will be dangerous in team fights if he isn’t targeted. The way his Heroic Swing (E) will reset its cooldown when Akshan takes down an enemy champion makes him really dangerous if he gets to finish off squishy targets. On top of that, Akshan players will be very focused on killing enemies with the Scoundrel tag, to revive his own allies and enable his team to get big macro advantages.

To pop off in a team fight, it seems that Akshan will rely a lot on his abilities. His auto-attack range is fairly low and his attack speed ratio is even worse. Akshan won’t be one of those hyper carries that can fire off several shots each second in the late game. Instead, he will be relying on finding the right angles with his Heroic Swing and Comeuppance (R).

The consistent damage from Akshan will come from his Avengerang (Q), which will slice through targets if hit from a good angle. Akshan can also make use of his passive Dirty Fighting, but will in general be very reliant on abilities. If Akshan doesn’t hit his abilities, then he might be punished very hard in fights and skirmishes.

While many players are concerned that Akshan will be very overpowered, this might only be the case if he gets to snowball. The fact that Akshan has no crowd control or reliable mobility can be a problem. His Heroic Swing will help him get to safety in some cases but it won’t work anywhere on the map. Because of its interaction with terrain, Heroic Swing can easily be canceled if used in narrow paths. This makes Akshan extra valuable in the jungle, so Akshan players will have to choose fights carefully.

Cyber Pop Akshan

Could Akshan be viable in other roles?

Even though Akshan is designed to play in the mid lane, there’s no guarantee that it will end up that way. With recent champions like Viego and Gwen being played in three different roles than previously expected, there’s always a chance that players figure out how to utilize new champions in a completely different setting than first intended.

For Akshan, there’s no doubt that he will be viable as a mid laner and strong in certain matchups. With that said, there’s already a chance that players will be experimenting with the Rogue Sentinel in the top lane. In previous years, several marksmen have played in the top lane to deal with tanks and bruisers. These are champions like Vayne, Quinn, and Lucian, who have all been strong picks for the most confident individual players out there.

The same could be the case for Akshan, who can utilize his range to bully out champions in certain matchups. Akshan won’t be the marksman with the longest range or highest attack speed, so playing in top could be a good fit for Akshan as he can stay out of danger against certain melee champions.

If Akshan will be viable in top is still way too early to say, especially in a meta where mobile bullies like Gwen are often played in top. For Akshan to function in top, players might need to wait for a new tank or bruiser meta where immobile top laners are prioritized.

When does Akshan release in League of Legends?

As Akshan is currently being tested on the PBE for bugs and balancing issues, players can expect him to go live during patch 11.15. This will be the next LoL patch and it’s currently scheduled for Wednesday, July 21. Since Akshan is a brand new champion, it might take a few days after the patch hits before he will pop up in the store and be ready to play.

William Davis

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