Disclaimer: What this series is about:
This series is a
chronicle of one optimistically average Dominion player (me) as I play each
champion through to a degree of proficiency on the Crystal Scar. It's not a
guide to the harsh battlefields of high ELO play, but rather a tale of dark-alley
skirmishes in the muddy playgrounds of what is (probably) low-to-middling
ELO, from the viewpoint of me.
Now that we have
that out of the way...
Ahri
is completely different from my normal roster of champs. While I have played
every champ in co-op games, I have not done nearly as many in normal games. So
yes, I probably wouldn't have selected Ahri in champ select if it wasn't for
this series. Back before Dominion came out, I
had the idea to write a similar series for Summoner's Rift when I was a mere
level 23 summoner. I started with Alistar and hashed out how to build and play him from the ground up. I found a really
splendid starting build with two philostones. Then both Alistar and philostones got nerfed at the same time, which really
derailed my attempts to play him. I moved on to Amumu, but didn't have the
runes for jungling, and laning got me yelled at a lot. Plus, Summoner's Rift was
really hard for me. The losing-forever games, the last-hit-or-starve requirement
of farming, the counterintuitive not-pushing-the-lanes, the acidic teammates...
Then
Dominion came out. I looked at the Crystal Scar, picked up my (and by my, I
mean Yorick's) shovel, and headed over. I haven't gone back, except to visit.
And, like some family visits, it's a good reminder why I don't stick around for
very long.
So...yup.
Ahri. She of the nine tails, dubious morality, and voice like slightly warm,
suspicious syrup. And a squishy.
As
of now, I tend to broadly categorize champions into two categories: Squishy and
Not-Squishy. I favor Not-Squishies, as
any Squishies I play tend to suffer from the Imploding Healthbar Syndrome. You
know...you're waltzing around in bottom lane, tending to your own business, or
sauntering through the jungle with your teammates, when suddenly the entire
enemy team decides to pounce on your soft squishy fluffiness, and your
healthbar disappears with a small clap of thunder.
So
I approached Ahri with a bit of terror and suspicion. I wondered how many games
I would have to lose before I stopped blowing up at every passing Jax.
Out
of my first ten games with Ahri, I lost seven and won three. Skillshots are hard,
m'kay? And Ahri is very squishable. I experimented with a variety of starting
items, runes, and masteries. I read the champion guides for her on the DD
forum, then, feeling a bit incomplete, optimistically and fruitlessly trawled
the rest of the internet. I bravely questioned in the DominateDominion chatroom
whether Hextech Sweeper should be a staple item. I run the risk of asking
stupid questions because it cuts a lot of time out of the general process of
discovery, as anyone who grew up shy and isolated and entered college with a
stunning ignorance of modern culture doubtlessly knows. I finally settled on
the following mastery and rune pages:
Item
build and order was a bit more puzzling. There are items you can build, and
then there's optimal builds, and then there's the enemy team. A general rule of
thumb advised to me was to start with Prospector's Ring and Boots of Speed if
going bottom, and to start with Ruby Crystal, Amplifying Tome, and Boots of
Speed if going top. This idea worked splendidly, except for the bit where some
other person would decide right after I bought items that they wanted whatever
direction I had thought I was heading.
At
least the Ruby Crystal + Amplifying Tome gave me a head start on Hextech
Sweeper. I waffled (still do) on whether the head start granted by the Ruby
Crystal + Amplifying Tome was worth not have the starting stats granted by
Prospector's Ring.
I
won 6 out of the following 10 games, as my ability to not liquify upon enemy
contact and my aim with skillshots improved significantly. That seems to be the
key to squishies: arrange to not be where the enemy is. That is common sense,
but it's hard to remember. Also, skillshots when you're slowdancing with Fiora
can be hard to aim correctly.
I
finally settled on the following build for most situations:
I've
also built the following items, depending on the situation:
Rylai's
seems to be a very essential item. It turns Ahri from a darty damage dealer to
a slowing darty damage dealer. It
means that Ezrael can't get away as fast as he would like. Hextech Revolver is
helpful for long-term away-from-home sustainability. Hextech Sweeper
is...Hextech Sweeper. And it has an active! I did not know this until someone
commented on me not using it while I was streaming.
Ahri in a
Nutshell:
Ahri
is a darty, bursty champ that, one you have a Rylai's, turns into the Queen of
"you're not getting away." One a person gets the hang of positioning
and skillshots, Ahri is quite fun to play. Some of my fondest memories are of
blowing a kiss to a freshly ult'ed Tryndamere who suddenly forgets to spin
away. But do you trust her? Nope!
Below
is a video of some Ahri gameplay. Hope you enjoyed my experience learning Ahri!
