Akali is one of the most interesting champions to play, however, her ARAM win rate is not that great. Despite having a versatile kit, her balancing in this mode just does not allow for her to truly excel. Regardless, there is still a lot that we can do to make this pick work, and we will start with her best build first.
Best Akali ARAM Items
Heartsteel
Believe it or not, the greatest item on Akali is the Heartsteel. The item offers a major buff to our total HP, which will be relevant throughout the whole game, as well as a basic-attack damage buff that will prove highly useful.
Riftmaker
A great second item for our build will be Rift Maker. On the stats side of things, Rift Maker will give us plenty of AP, ability haste, and HP. Additionally, it will increase our AP more the longer we spend in combat. Finally, it will also convert 2% of our max HP to AP, justifying our Heartsteel purchase.
Rabadon’s Deathcap
To enhance our ability power further, the greatest third item we can buy is the Rabadon’s Deathcap, it will give us a major boost of 30% to our total AP, as well as 130 flat AP stats.
Zhonia’s Hourglass
Another critical item for Akali in ARAM is Zhonia’s Hourglass. The main selling point of this item is its “statis” passive. It’s an active ability that can be cast to make us invulnerable and untargetable for a short duration. It’s a perfect item to dodge the incoming damage, and enable us to get out of tricky situations.
Void Staff
As with all AP heavy builds, it’s best to finish off our recipe by building the Void Staff. This item excels at one thing, and one thing only, providing magic penetration. Void Staff will give us 40% magic penetration and enable us to make the maximal use out of all the AP accumulated throughout the game.
Boots
Akali can run multiple boots successfully. If you like doing the most damage, it is best to go for Sorcerer’s Shoes, as these will give you the most penetration. For a more defensive playstyle, it is okay to build Mercury Treads or Plated Steelcaps depending on the situation.
Runes for Akali ARAM
- Conqueror
- Presence of Mind
- Legend: Haste
- Last Stand
- Second Wind
- Overgrowth
The best keystone for Akali in ARAM is the Conqueror. It’s easy to get it stacked up, and utilize its full damage and healing potential. The greatest second rune would be the Presence of Mind, as it will help us maintain great energy levels in the early game.
For the next two runes, I would recommend taking Legend: Haste and Last Stand. Legend: Haste is great for getting free cooldown reduction, while Last Stand will enable us to finish enemies much more quickly.
Finally, I would take Second Wind and Overgrowth as last runes. Second Wind is great for healing against poke, and Overgrowth is beneficial due to the extra HP it provides.
Final Thoughts
In the current ARAM economy, Akali stands as one of the worst possible picks. Her win rate is quite abysmal, and the poor performance can be linked to many things. However, a good build can still make Akali a relevant champion in the game. Therefore, I would suggest following the above-outlined build, as it is the highest win rate Akali ARAM build possible.