Kassadin is
a very powerful anti-caster AP carry. Kassadin packs a powerful nuke
silence, a strong area of effect slow and a low cooldown Flash like
ultimate. Kassadin is a solid champion for anyone who enjoys the ability
to nuke enemies and loves having great mobility around the map.
This Kassadin guide aims to be a basic and simple introduction on basic strategy that should be adopted when playing Kassadin, it is recommended for people just starting to use Kassadin.
This Kassadin guide aims to be a basic and simple introduction on basic strategy that should be adopted when playing Kassadin, it is recommended for people just starting to use Kassadin.
Abilities
-
Void Stone (Passive)
The attack speed is nothing special on an AP nuke build but the bonus
magic resistance is great to reduce lane harassment from casters as well
as reduce magic damage throughout the game. -
Null Sphere
Kassadin's single target nuke that also packs a hefty silence with it.
It is great for interrupting channelled abilities, harassing and zoning
an enemy champion in lane and in the first move of your combo. -
Nether Blade
A strong melee damage skill that synergises well with Kassadin's
passive, this ability gives him that little bit of extra damage you
might need to finish off an enemy. This skill also restores mana making
it a great asset in lane. -
Force Pulse
A powerful area of effect slow that is only cast-able after a certain
number of ally or enemy abilities have been used around Kassadin. It has
a good AP ratio and gives Kassadin some strong damage output in team
fights. -
Rift Walk (Ultimate)
Kassadin's ultimate is basically a low cooldown Flash and gives
Kassadin amazing mobility around the map. It also allows Kassadin to get
in and out of the battle quickly, making him difficult to lock down and
kill.
Ability Order
Maxing Null Sphere first gives you powerful single target burst and harassment, allowing you to dwindle down the enemies health. Maxing Force Pulse second adds to your massive burst damage and is a very powerful area of effect slow. Nether Blade is left till last as it offers little compared to Kassadin's other skills (as you should do your best to avoid melee range), grabbing a point at level 4 is great at giving you that extra kick of damage you need while also helping you replenish your mana.
Runes
Yellow (Seals) - Mana Regeneration Per Level
Blue (Glyphs) - Flat Cooldown Reduction
Purple (Quintessences) - Health // Ability Power
Kassadin is best run with standard caster runes, Magic Penetration is an obvious choice on Marks boosting your damage output, Mana Regeneration Seals have your mana needs covered and are suitable until your Tear of Goddess is stacked up. Cooldown Reduction Glyphs also ensure your skills are available to you when you need them. As Kassadin you have options as far as Quintessences are concerned, Health is a strong choice and gives you good early game survivability, taking Ability Power is also a solid choice to boost your damage output.
Summoner Spells
Best Summoner Spells:
-Flash
-Ignite
Flash and Ignite are very strong on Kassadin, the ability to double Flash is great for getting in and out quickly and also works very well at protecting any Mejai stacks. Ignite adds to Kassadin's already powerful burst damage and will often score you early game kills.
Other Good Summoner Spells:
-Ghost
-Teleport
Ghost is another solid summoner spell on Kassadin allowing him to escape and chase down enemies and should be taken if your playstyle does not suit the use of double Flash (summoner spell + ultimate). Teleport is also an option, allowing you to return to lane quickly, allowing you to build up an item advantage, Teleport also gives your team some solid map control.
-Flash
-Ignite
Flash and Ignite are very strong on Kassadin, the ability to double Flash is great for getting in and out quickly and also works very well at protecting any Mejai stacks. Ignite adds to Kassadin's already powerful burst damage and will often score you early game kills.
Other Good Summoner Spells:
-Ghost
-Teleport
Ghost is another solid summoner spell on Kassadin allowing him to escape and chase down enemies and should be taken if your playstyle does not suit the use of double Flash (summoner spell + ultimate). Teleport is also an option, allowing you to return to lane quickly, allowing you to build up an item advantage, Teleport also gives your team some solid map control.
Masteries
The offensive tree gives you the all important 15% spell penetration mastery as well as offering some ability power and cooldown reduction.
Meanwhile the utility tree offers reduced death timers, increased experience, mana regeneration, cooldown reduction, increased buff duration and improved summoner cooldown.
Item Build
Final Item Build:
-Sorcerer Shoes
-Zhonya's Hourglass
-Rod of Ages
-Archangel's Staff
-Rabadon's Deathcap
-Abyssal Scepter
Steps/Reasoning:
-Start with a Doran's Ring or a Mana Crystal & 2 Health Potions , this will allow you to build an early Tear of Goddess or Catalyst The Protector.
-On your first trip back you want to pick up your Boots of Speed and one of the previously mentioned items.
-From here you'll want a Rod of Ages, while also upgrading your boots to Sorcerer's Shoes.
-Now that your core build is complete you'll want to finish up with a Rabadon's Deathcap for a massive AP boost as well as building an Abyssal Scepter for the magic resistance reduction it applies to your enemies.
-As your final two items you want to consider a Zhonya's Hourglass and finishing your Archangel's Staff.
Alternatives:
-Banshee's Veil (Helps you move around freely without being disabled)
-Deathfire Grasp (Great addition to your combo, do not get this if you do not use the active)
-Void Staff (Against a magic resistance heavy team)
-Mejai's Soulstealer (If you have a good early game)
General Kassadin Tips & Tricks
- Kassadin has great mobility over terrain, use this to your advantage.
- Using Ignite counts as a Force Pulse charge.
- When moving around try to wait alittle between ultimate casts, this will reduce its mana cost significantly during the early game.
Early Game (Level 1-6)
- Harass the enemy champion with Null Sphere, you can also use it too last hit if you are forced to play extremely defensively in your lane.
- If the enemy is pushing your tower, use your point in Nether Blade and your auto-attacks to replenish your mana in between waves.
- Don't play overly aggressive, focus on harassment and last hits, Kassadin is not very powerful until level 6.
Mid Game (Level 7-12)
- You are now turning into a ganking machine. Start roaming the map to build up your kills.
- If you cant burst someone down completely with your combo it is important you back off, as you have limited damage output once your initial burst is over.
- In team fights you want to be jumping in and out using your Force Pulse for strong area of effect damage each time it charges up.
- When moving around the map you can use Nether Blade to give you one more stack on Force Pulse, this will ensure your ready for a fight or to save yourself from a gank.
- Blue is very effective on Kassadin at this stage of the game, get an ally to help you grab it.
Late Game (Level 13-18)
- You want to be hiding to the side of your enemies, waiting for someone to initiate and then jumping on the enemy carry/support.
- Focus your Null Sphere on the enemy supports and carries both during team fights and any initial poking, this will limit the amount of poke they can return and heal.
- Continue to farm up lanes heavily with your ultimate and Force Pulse, Kassadin can afford to slightly over-extend as you can quickly retreat (make sure you have eyes on the enemy or a general idea of their current position).
- Focus on getting out alive, Kassadin does not want to die with honor by going down fighting he wants to run away and preserve his Mejai Stacks (if you are stacking).
