I thought I might get a little inspiration for the Champ of the Week from last night’s Fearless Gamer League of Legends Monday and it turns out I was right. I had a lot of fun in a game with Akali, a champion I hadn’t spent much time with until burning through something like 18000 IP a couple weeks ago to buy a rune page specifically for her. Since that time I’ve started to really appreciate her playstyle a bit more and to see how much she can contribute to a team. I’m really excited to name Akali my Champ of the Week.

I’ve been screwing around with a few different builds as I’ve played her recently, but I’d really like to spend the week focusing on when a build works and doesn’t work, and how to stay viable if you get wedged into a duo lane. I think the obvious solution to that problem is to not play Akali if you’ll be in a duo lane, but Akali requires a lot of rune specialization. If players want to get serious about her, chances are she’ll be one of very few champions that player can afford for some time. I may spend a game or two playing with a basic mage rune setup, but frankly, I don’t think she fares very well in levels 1-5 without her own build.

Check back later in the week for epic tales of my leaps across Summoner’s Rift. Chances are good that I’ll get caught under a turret more often than anyone reasonably should.