With the recent release of patch 10.25 of League of Legends, many players are testing the changes during the pre-season to find out what the next meta builds are for their favorite champions. A handful of items saw buffs and nerfs this patch, some of which keenly affected the playstyle of many League of Legends player’s favorite mid lane champion, Ahri. While she may not be the easiest champion to play, she is one of the most fun.
While Ahri did not see any direct nerfs or buffs to her skills and attributes, two items in particular saw buffs that directly help her kit throughout the game. The first of the buffs was to Luden’s Tempest, which saw a significant increase to the Ability Haste stat. Luden’s was already a good item for most Ahri builds. However, this buff allows her to spam her abilities more frequently. The other item that saw a change was Imperial Mandate, which saw a buff to its ally damage. These changes allow her to be built a little differently this pre-season.
Imperial Mandate was one of the many items affected by the recent changes. However, the change is simultaneously a nerf and buff to its viability. While the item saw a drastic reduction in its base damage, it saw an even more drastic improvement to its ally damage output. The cost was also reduced, making it an even more feasible team fight component than ever before. While Ahri may not be the most powerful champion in League according to the lore, she fights her way to the top with these new changes. Imperial Mandate’s mark effect is only applied when using an ability that slows or immobilizes the target. With the aim of applying this mark more frequently, the goal is to slow or immobilize more frequently.
Rylai’s Crystal Scepter allows Ahri to apply a slow with every damaging ability and spell in her toolkit. Because of this effect, each damaging ability and spell now becomes a trigger for Imperial Mandate’s passive. While these items go hand-in-hand, the Void Staff is another item that fits into this Ahri build because of its increase to ability power and enormous increase in magic penetration. Do not forget to round off the build with Sorcerer’s Shoes and a Zhonya’s Hourglass.
Luden’s Tempest saw a buff after season 10 that many players were asking for. Before patch 10.25, players complained that the item did not provide enough Ability Haste compared to other items. The latest change has given the item an increase to Ability Haste. With the rework, the item is much more viable now when compared to other gear in the same price range.
Players can frequently spam Ahri’s abilities, especially with the provided Ability Haste from Luden’s. Lich Bane is the way this build capitalizes on those short cooldowns. The item allows Ahri to deal massive damage with her first auto-attack after using an ability. To increase this damage, the build focuses heavily on providing more Ability Power. Pick up a Rabadon’s Deathcap and a Demonic Embrace to greatly increase the extra damage dealt. If dominating early, feel free to purchase a Mejai’s Soulstealer instead of a Rabadon’s. Zhonya’s Hourglass and Sorcerer’s Shoes are particularly important items for every Ahri build as well.
Ahri is a feast or famine type champion. She can either carry her team to victory or feed the enemy the win instead. Because of this, the early game is extremely important. There are a large number of things to know in order to play League of Legends properly. However, the most important one for Ahri is appropriately harassing the opponent. This can be achieved by using her Q, Orb of Deception. This ability is what carries Ahri through the early game.
When players have the time, be sure to overwhelm opponents as well. Ahri performs best when roaming early in the game and her team-mates are sure to thank her when she comes to assist them.
Ahri’s Q is her best tool during team fights. Orb of Deception can pierce through multiple enemies (and minions) in a single ability cast. This allows her to deal massive damage to enemies clumped together during the fights. Initiate for the team with Charm, then follow it up with Fox-Fire to close the gap. This combo will let the team single out an important target before the fighting has even begun.
Be sure to pay attention to her passive, Essence Theft. When reaching 9 stacks, the next damaging ability to cast will heal Ahri per enemy hit. If she finds herrself in a sticky situation during a team fight, she can use the stacks to heal a large chunk of health. This is extremely important, even if the player has a strong support champion by their side.
Ahri’s late game is heavily dependent on whether or not she was allowed to snowball early. If properly fed, she is a powerhouse that will end the game quickly. However, if she falls behind, she will struggle to keep up with other strong late-game champions. If that is the case, she should stay behind her teammates and only follow up on low-health targets. This is easily done with her ultimate, Spirit Rush.
No matter what, if the late game goes on long enough, Ahri will begin to fall off. As such, she will begin to lack in one-versus-one potential. Try to end the game as fast as possible by rushing down towers quickly and initiating team fights early.
While Ahri’s Q has a relatively low cooldown, its mana cost is rather high. Do not be tempted to spam the ability too frequently in the early game. Use it at its maximum range to ensure that it hits the enemy on the way in and on the way out. Her Q should be the first ability to max out, because of its huge increase in damage. Fox-Fire should be the second in most games. This is due to its reliable damage output and low cooldown. However, Ahri is a relatively squishy champion, so be careful when using it in close combat.
Ahri’s Charm is her most important initiating tool. The ability slows down the enemy target and applies a 20% bonus to all incoming damage. Pay close attention to hitting the enemy champion though, as the ability can also hit minions. Most important is Ahri’s ultimate, Spirit Rush. This ability adds a whole new realm of mobility to the character. Use it to track down and finish off injured foes or escape. The ability has 3 charges if used within a 10 second period of the first cast (these abilities are a little different than those in League of Legends‘ mobile counterpart, Wild Rift).
In most cases, the runes for Ahri are set in stone. The most useful among these runes is the keystone Electrocute. Use it along with the rest of her combos to give it some extra burst damage.
Ahri should take Sudden Impact as her first rune. Sorcery is also useful, as it synergizes with her core abilities by giving more magic penetration. Take Transcendence and Gathering Storm in this tree as the second and third runes. Both of these runes focus on providing crucial extra damage as the game goes on.
As of patch 10.25, the best counters for Ahri have changed. Currently, her greatest threats are Seraphine, Neeko, Morgana, and Aurelion Sol (the latter could probably even take down gaming legends like Master Chief). If players see any of these picks in-game while playing Ahri, they should be cautious and avoid them as much as possible. It’s important to snowball early, so if the option to ban these champions arises, do so.
Each of her counters either has the ability to root her in place or has high mobility. When encountering these champions, always try to avoid their slows. If they are getting away, don’t be afraid to use that Ultimate to run them down.
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