Ahri is a renowned champion in League of Legends, with the mid lane mage-assassin having been a fan favorite for many years. Ahri has just returned to the meta after a mini-rework and has dominated the mid lane ever since. If you’re a seasoned player or just starting out, we’ve got the ultimate guide to mastering the Nine-Tailed Fox right here.
Ahri is one of League of Legends’ elder champions, having debuted in 2011. With the exception of a minor adjustments in Season 8, her identity has stayed substantially the same during her decade-long stay on Summoner’s Rift.
That all changed in Season 12, when the Nine-Tailed Fox received a mini-rework in League Patch 12.3 that vaulted her to the top of the tier list.
We’ve got the guide so you can learn all you need to know about Ahri, including the best builds and runes, whether you have Level 7 Mastery or are just taking her up for the first time.
Abilities and gameplay of Ahri
Ahri’s equipment is jam-packed with mobility and endurance. She is, however, a jack of all trade, with waveclear and burst damage to boot.
Her kit used to be all on striking foes with her Charm and blasting them down. The Nine-Tailed Fox, on the other hand, now has a more dynamic playstyle that revolves around utilizing her Essence Theft passive, making her a fantastic teamfighter.
In lane, you should just blast out waves with your Q. That, along with your W, may rapidly nuke a wave, allowing you to roam and assist your jungler. If you want to make a deal, landing your E and then casting all of your spells on your opponent can easily take away half of their health.
But it’s in teamfights where Ahri really thrives these days. Because of the mobility provided by Spirit Rush, she may easily lock down an opponent carry with her Charm combined with an item like Everfrost (more on builds later). She can also potentially obtain eight recasts of the ability, which delivers substantial damage and makes her difficult to handle, especially in team fights.
She may be difficult to kill with all her healing, so if you are locked down, use Zhonya’s Hourglass to cancel the engage and then keep darting about.
- Passive: Essence Theft — When Ahri strikes nine enemies with her abilities, her next ability also heals her for each enemy hit.
- Q: Orb of Deception — Ahri sends out and pulls back her orb, dealing magic damage on the way out and true damage on the way back.
- W: Fox-Fire — Ahri gains a brief burst of Move Speed and releases three fox-fires, that lock onto and attack nearby enemies.
- E: Charm — Ahri blows a kiss that damages and charms an enemy it encounters, instantly stopping movement abilities and causing them to walk harmlessly towards her.
- R: Spirit Rush — Ahri dashes forward and fires essence bolts, damaging nearby enemies. Spirit Rush can be cast up to three times before going on cooldown, and gains additional recasts when taking down enemy champions.
Best build for Ahri
Because Ahri is a pseudo-control mage and a pseudo-AP assassin, her build can be a little weird when compared to other mage champions.
Having stated that, Everfrost is by far her best Mythic. It’s quite strong to be able to sprint on top of an adversary, lock them in place, and then CC-chain them to death with Charm. It also provides her with some much-needed mana. If you need extra damage (which might be an issue after the patch due to the nerf), Luden’s Tempest is a solo alternative to snowball.
If you choose Everfrost, you must focus on damage from Legendary items. Shadowflame and Void Staff are a potent pair that will slash through opponent magic resist like butter, but Rabadon’s Deathcap just serves to provide her with massive amounts of AP.
Do you require some defensive last item ideas? Zhonya’s Hourglass is usually a nice flexible buy, but Banshee’s Veil may also be useful against AP-heavy teams.
Top meta Ahri items in Season 12
- Mythic: Everfrost / Luden’s Tempest
- Boots: Sorcerer’s Shoes
- Starting Item: Doran’s Ring or Corrupting Potion
- Shadowflame
- Void Staff
- Rabadon’s Deathcap
- Mejai’s Soulstealer (if you back for a early Dark Seal and start snowballing)
- Zhonya’s Hourglass (most flexible defensive item)
- Banshee’s Veil (against heavy AP)
Best runes for Ahri
Ahri’s runes are intended to accomplish two things: provide her with the burst damage she needs to one-combo an adversary while simultaneously providing her with the sustain she needs to retain lane control.
Electrocute is the best solution for this. Taste of Blood and Biscuit Delivery maintain her life and mana, while Eyeball Collection and Ultimate Hunter let her to scale into the late game and eliminate opponents.
Top meta Ahri runes in Season 12
- Electrocute
- Taste of Blood
- Eyeball Collection
- Ultimate Hunter
- Biscuit Delivery
- Time Warp Tonic
Ahri may appear mechanically challenging to newer League players, but she is unquestionably a bridge to some of the game’s most challenging champions.
There’s nothing scarier than an Ahri who knows what they’re doing, and this tutorial should have provided you with all the information you need to conquer the Nine-Tailed Fox.
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