Kai’Sa has one of the most versatile build paths out of all Bot Laners in League of Legends Season 14. Her best item options let her go AD, AP, or Hybrid based on the team composition that she is a part of and up against.
Kai’Sa has dual-scaling which makes her a Late Game monster once you have her core items under her belt. She gains a significant amount of burst as well once her abilities evolve, allowing her to play as an assassin with a lot of backline threats.
She is also pretty weak in the Early Game and does not fo well against compositions with a lot of poke. Kai’Sa has a low range making her a bit more difficult to master when compared to other meta Bot Laners.
However, once she gets going, she can snowball games and carry fights all on her own. Once mastered she can be a good pick to climb the rank ladder with.
Contents:
- Best Kai’Sa AD and On-Hit build
- Best Kai’Sa AP build
- Kai’Sa Pros and Cons
- Kai’Sa tips and tricks for Early Game, Mid Game, and Late Game
- Kai’Sa counters, matchups, and Support synergy
League of Legends 14.11 Best Kai’Sa AD/On-Hit build
Runes
| Precision | Inspiration | Passive Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Press the Attack | Magical Footwear | +10% Attack Speed |
| Presence of Mind | Biscuit Delivery | +9 Adaptive Damage |
| Bloodline | +10-180 Health (levels 1-18) | |
| Coup de Grace |
Itemization
| Core Build | Situational Items |
|---|---|
| Kraken Slayer | Statikk Shiv |
| Berserker’s Greaves | Infinity Edge |
| Terminus | Rabadon’s Deathcap |
| Nashor’s Tooth | Shadowflame |
| Navori Flickerblade | Banshee’s Veil |
| Bloodthirster | Zhonya’s Hourglass |
Spells
- Flash
- Heal/Cleanse/Barrier/Ghost
Skill Unlock Priority
 Q: Icathian Rain | 1 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | |||||||||||||
 W: Void Seeker | 3 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 18 | |||||||||||||
 E: Supercharge | 2 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | |||||||||||||
 R: Killer Instinct | 6 | 11 | 16 |
League of Legends 14.11 Best Kai’Sa AP build
Runes
| Domination | Inspiration | Passive Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Hail of Blades | Magical Footwear | +10% Attack Speed |
| Taste of Blood | Biscuit Delivery | +9 Adaptive Damage |
| Eyeball Collection | +10-180 Health (levels 1-18) | |
| Treasure Hunter |
Itemization
| Core Build | Situational Items |
|---|---|
| Muramana | Zhonya’s Hourglass |
| Berserker’s Greaves | Mejai’s Soulstealer |
| Luden’s Companion | Banshee’s Veil |
| Cryptbloom | Void Staff |
| Nashor’s Tooth | Statikk Shiv |
| Rabadon’s Deathcap | Morellonomicon |
Spells
- Flash
- Heal/Cleanse/Barrier/Ghost
Skill Unlock Priority
| Q: Icathian Rain | 1 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | |||||||||||||
| W: Void Seeker | 3 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | |||||||||||||
| E: Supercharge | 2 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 18 | |||||||||||||
| R: Killer Instinct | 6 | 11 | 16 |
Kai’Sa Pros and Cons in League of Legends Season 14
Pros:
- Kai’Sa has a lot of build versatility in Riot’s MOBA. She can go full AP, AD, or even Hybrid with on-hit capabilities. Depending on the meta and the champions she is playing with her build shifts a fair bit, giving her more room to be flexible with her role. Irrespective of the build path, she scales extremely well into the Late Game.
- Kai’Sa’s kit helps her fit into most team compositions. She is easy to pick up and does relatively well in the lane if she is keeping up in Gold and XP. Her Icathian Rain makes it relatively easy to farm under the tower if you are pushed in. Even up against a losing match-up, you will not find it too hard to stay relevant in the game.
- Once one of Kai’Sa’s best builds is one she will have enough burst damage to tear through the enemy backline. You can play her as an assassin at this point by making the most of her Void Seeker and Killer Instinct. Once upgraded, her Void Seeker will get reduced cooldown if it hits a champion.
Cons:
- Kai’Sa has a relatively weaker Early Game. She doesn’t have much damage before she gets some of her core items, which is why she lacks kill pressure in lane. She will do well in extended fights because of her passive, but with the lack of burst she doesn’t have a reliable DPS output.
- Kai’Sa has a much lower range than most meta Bot Lane carries. This is why she can get easily countered by compositions that have a long-range poke. This makes her difficult to master and position within a fight. She has a high skill ceiling and can be very mechanically challenging.
- Kai’Sa is very item-reliant. She does not play well from behind and you will have either to have a farm lead or stay relevant in Gold and XP to have any sort of impact during the mid-to-late teamfights.
How to play Kai’Sa: Tips and Tricks for League of Legends Season 14
Early Game:
- Kai’Sa’s weak Early Game will often see you getting pushed in. You will have to often rely on farming under the tower and stay relevant in Gold. Kai’Sa is easy at taking CS so you will not be having much trouble with last-hitting. You can even choose to freeze the wave to gain back some advantages.
- Your goal in the laning phase will be to help Kai’Sa get her best build options done as soon as possible. So don’t fall behind in Gold and Ward around your lane to spot out the enemy Jungler. Don’t unnecessarily die to a gank and fall behind. A Kai’Sa from behind is not a fun experience in the Mid Game.
- Go in aggressively on the enemy if you have an engage support who has a lot of upfront burst. You can also go in and bait the enemy into engaging onto you if your Jungler is coming for a gank. It’s quite easy to proc Kai’Sa’s passive if the rest of her teammates have a lot of CC in their kit.
Mid Game:
- The Mid Game is when Kai’Sa starts to be a bit more relevant after a portion of her best build is done. So make your way to the Mid Lane and look to gain priority there, this will give you easier access to both the Neutral Objectives and you can join in on any skirmish as soon as they start out.
- Kai’Sa is great at taking the Dragon, Herald, and Baron. Once you have some of your core items done she will be able to melt through the objectives. So if your team is grouping up to take down the Neutral Objectives, feel free to help them out.
- Killer instinct into the backline only when you know that you can secure a kill. Kai’Sa still does not have enough burst at this stage so only use your R if you are chasing down kills. Otherwise, save it for a more defensive play. If you are engaged on you can strategically use your R+E combo to escape.
Late Game:
- In the Late Game you should have evolved all of Kai’Sa’s abilities by now and have most of the components of her best build. She will have a good deal of poke with her W and a lot of burst damage with her full combo. So feel free to take fights if your team is grouping up. Kai’Sa can melt through the frontline if your team has good peelers.
- You can Killer Instinct onto the enemy carries if they do not have any Summoners Spells or other escape tools. You can hit your W and then R with Q and AA to instantly take them out even before a fight begins. Or you can choose to save her Ultimate for chasing down kills.
- Continue to threaten Neutral Objective takes once Kai’Sa’s build is done. She makes quick work of the Baron and Elder Drake, so keep positioning around the pit and force the enemy to respond. This will often make them overcommit and your team will have an easier time collapsing on their backline.
Kai’Sa counter, matchups, and Support Synergy
Countered by:
Kai’Sa struggles in lane against champions who can all-in or her or poke her out.
Favorable Matchups:
Kai’Sa has a much easier time in lane when up against the above Bot Lane picks.
Support Synergy
- Pyke
- Thresh
- Leona
- Blitzcrank
- Nautilus
- Rell
- Alistar
- Maokai
Kai’Sa’s kit pairs perfectly with Supports who have a lot of CC in their kit.
