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Ambessa Build 26.21

Ambessa is really one long combo string. Every ability grants a dash, every dash flows into the next cast, and a clean sequence blurs slams, autos, and hops together faster than the enemy can follow. Weave it well and she is untouchable, but drain her energy mid-fight and the whole thing stalls out. A stretch at 46.8% and on the way down, she pays off the hands that can chain her kit without a stumble.

#111 of 141 top this patch · 7.2k games

Win rate46.8%−2.8Games7.2kPick rate5.0%Ban rate5.2%Last 8 patches−2.2 since 26.14Damage profilei

AP 2%AD 92%True 6%DifficultyiHighPunishes misplays

The 10-second answer standard · 46.8% WR

Plated Steelcaps SkillsQ›E›W Runes

Shards

ModernARAM Counter

173 champions

AatroxTopB49.4%AhriMidA50.9%AkaliMidC49.0%AkshanMidA51.2%AlistarSupportS52.7%AmbessaTopD46.8%AmumuJungleA51.2%AniviaMidB50.2%AnnieMidA51.9%ApheliosAD CarryB50.0%AsheAD CarryB49.8%Aurelion SolMidB50.6%AuroraMidB50.3%AzirMidD46.8%BardSupportC48.9%Bel'VethJungleA51.7%BlitzcrankSupportA51.7%BrandSupportB50.0%BraumSupportB50.0%BriarJungleA51.9%CaitlynAD CarryC48.2%CamilleTopB50.7%CassiopeiaMidC49.1%Cho'GathJungleS52.5%CorkiAD CarryB49.4%DariusTopB50.7%DianaJungleC49.2%Dr. MundoTopA51.1%DravenAD CarryB50.5%EkkoMidA51.7%EliseJungleA51.5%EvelynnJungleB50.5%EzrealAD CarryD47.3%FiddlesticksJungleA51.3%FioraTopA51.9%FizzMidS52.5%GalioMidC49.3%GangplankTopB50.7%GarenTopA52.3%GnarTopC49.2%GragasTopB49.8%GravesJungleC49.0%GwenTopB50.2%HecarimJungleB50.1%HeimerdingerTopB50.2%HweiMidA51.1%IllaoiTopA51.0%IreliaTopB50.4%IvernJungleA52.5%JannaSupportA51.4%Jarvan IVJungleC49.3%JaxTopB50.0%JayceTopC48.5%JhinAD CarryB49.3%JinxAD CarryB50.4%K'SanteTopD46.7%Kai'SaAD CarryB50.7%KalistaAD CarryB49.7%KarmaSupportC48.3%KarthusJungleB50.7%KassadinMidC48.7%KatarinaMidA52.1%KayleTopA51.9%KaynJungleA51.0%KennenTopB50.5%Kha'ZixJungleB50.1%KindredJungleA52.0%KledTopB50.5%Kog'MawAD CarryA50.9%LeBlancMidB50.4%Lee SinJungleC48.0%LeonaSupportA51.7%LilliaJungleA51.5%LissandraMidA51.2%LockeMidB49.2%LucianAD CarryC48.5%LuluSupportB49.4%LuxSupportB49.4%MalphiteTopA51.2%MalzaharMidB50.2%MaokaiSupportB49.6%Master YiJungleB50.2%MelMidD46.2%MilioSupportB49.6%Miss FortuneAD CarryA51.1%MordekaiserTopA50.9%MorganaSupportB50.5%NaafiriJungleC48.4%NamiSupportB50.2%NasusTopB50.5%NautilusSupportB50.0%NeekoSupportC48.1%NidaleeJungleA51.3%NilahAD CarryB50.2%NocturneJungleC48.0%Nunu & WillumpJungleB50.3%OlafTopA51.1%OriannaMidD47.7%OrnnTopA51.1%PantheonTopB49.6%PoppySupportA51.7%PykeSupportB50.0%QiyanaJungleD47.1%QuinnJungleB49.5%RakanSupportB50.8%RammusJungleC48.8%Rek'SaiJungleB50.7%RellSupportS53.1%Renata GlascSupportC48.3%RenektonTopB50.0%RengarJungleB49.3%RivenTopB49.5%RumbleTopD46.0%RyzeMidD46.4%SamiraAD CarryB50.2%SejuaniJungleA51.4%SennaSupportB50.8%SeraphineSupportB49.9%SettTopA51.5%ShacoJungleA52.3%ShenTopA51.4%ShyvanaJungleB50.1%SingedTopA51.1%SionTopB50.3%SivirAD CarryA51.2%SkarnerJungleS53.2%SmolderAD CarryB49.8%SonaSupportA51.8%SorakaSupportB50.1%SwainSupportC48.9%SylasMidB49.3%SyndraMidB50.4%Tahm KenchSupportB50.2%TaliyahJungleS+54.4%TalonJungleB49.6%TaricSupportA51.9%TeemoTopA50.8%ThreshSupportA51.8%TristanaAD CarryB50.6%TrundleTopB50.2%TryndamereTopA51.3%Twisted FateMidA51.8%TwitchAD CarryA52.0%UdyrJungleA51.7%UrgotTopB50.6%VarusAD CarryB49.7%VayneAD CarryC48.1%VeigarMidB50.5%Vel'KozSupportB50.2%VexMidS52.7%ViJungleC49.3%ViegoJungleB49.3%ViktorMidD47.5%VladimirMidB50.1%VolibearTopD47.7%WarwickJungleA52.2%WukongJungleB50.2%XayahAD CarryB50.8%XerathMidA51.2%Xin ZhaoJungleA52.3%YasuoMidA50.9%YoneMidB49.4%YorickTopC49.3%YunaraAD CarryB49.5%YuumiSupportC49.0%ZaahenTopA51.1%ZacJungleB49.7%ZedMidC48.5%ZeriAD CarryA51.8%ZiggsAD CarryB50.8%ZileanSupportA51.7%ZoeMidA51.6%ZyraSupportA52.0%

When Is Ambessa Strongest?

The front half of the game is the strong stretch, and games at this rank average around 28 minutes. Ambessa wants to reach that window with her combo online and pick fights she can end quickly, using the long-range suppression to catch a straggler and snowball each kill into the next skirmish.

Game timeline · Ambessa drag or hover to scrub · space plays · ←/→ step

your power minute by minute · gold = item spikes · small = components · dashed = objectives

Camps1:30Drake / Grubs5:00Herald14:00Baron20:00Avg end27:32

Ambush zone8:00–9:30 Power spike 20:58

15:13

12:00

15:13

20:58

0:00 10:00 20:00 30:00 40:00

At 12:00

Power 53/100 · Even

Core 1/3 items

Gold ~4.8k

Phase Lvl-6 window

Next spike Plated Steelcaps · 15:13

Ambessa Item Build

Ambessa is a combo-driven bruiser assassin who dashes between abilities to weave in extra attacks and burst a target down in one relentless sequence. The build wants attack damage with enough durability to dive, so her chained casts hit hard while she survives the middle of the fight.

Standard loadout · Ambessa The consensus path — reliable spikes, no dead time.

Starting items 500g

Doran's Blade×1

Health Potion×1 Core path · click an item for its recipe ›› Boots

Plated Steelcaps68% · 46.9%

Mercury's Treads32% · 51.2%

Situational items pick an opponent in the bar above — the right swaps light up

vs AP threatsTheir damage is mostly magic — stack magic resist before their second item.M

Maw of Malmortius60752.2%

vs AD threatsPhysical threats spike with lethality — armor answers buy the mid game back.G

Guardian Angel15458.4%D

Death's Dance2.7k53.7%

vs stacked resistsWhen resists stack, penetration beats raw stats — swap a damage slot.A

Axiom Arc14858.8%B

Bastionbreaker25657.0%P

Profane Hydra57753.9%

vision controlFights are decided a minute earlier by the team that sees first.O

Oracle Lens2.0k51.7%F

Farsight Alteration1.2k48.7%S

Stealth Ward4.0k43.9%

Best Ambessa Runes

Grasp of the Undying is the default, and it feeds her constant weaving. Every combo already has her dashing back in for another hit, so a keystone that rewards staying in the fight and landing blow after blow is a perfect match. Round the page out with durability so she lives long enough to finish the sequence. The more she chains, the more that rune pulls its weight.

The pre-game page Grasp of the Undying · Resolve + Domination · keystone + 5 runes + 3 shards

Resolve Primary

Grasp of the UndyingEvery 4s your next attack on a champion deals bonus magic damage, heals you, and permanently increases your health.

Shield Bash72% · 46.8%

Second Wind61% · 46.3%

Overgrowth52% · 45.7%

Keystone plus three minors from Resolve, two from Domination, then three shards — no runebook, no masteries.

Domination Secondary

Sudden Impact38% · 47.1%

Ultimate Hunter32% · 47.1%

Stat shards Offense

Adaptive Force+9 Adaptive Force

Flex

Adaptive Force+9 Adaptive Force

Defense

Health+65 Health

Shards give +18Adaptive Force+65Health

Her combo needs damage behind it to convert, so build toward Eclipse into Spear of Shojin and lean into the aggression once it lands. The power is up front, so snowball while the lead is fresh. Spear of Shojin comes online by roughly 21 minutes, and from there a clean dash-and-slam string kills rather than just chunks. Trade toward that spike and save your true all-ins for after it.

Ambessa Skill Order

Points two and three go into Repudiation and Lacerate, giving a shield and a slow for early waves. Cunning Sweep then takes ranks at four, five, seven, and nine, so the semicircle sweep carries her wave damage and her trades.

Skill order · Ambessa R at 6 / 11 / 16 — always

PriorityR

R›Q

Q›E

E›W

WMax Q first; E at level 3.

Lv 123456789101112131415161718

Q14579max 9

W214151718max 18

E38101213max 13

R61116max 16

Ambessa Abilities

Drakehound's Step quietly buffs the follow-up, handing her next attack extra range, damage, and attack speed after a cast, which is the payoff people forget to use. Repudiation is the underrated button, since bracing through champion damage makes its ground slam hit for noticeably more.

Abilities · Ambessapatch 26.22 base numbers · click an ability · all ranks shown

Drakehound's StepPassiveP

Cunning Sweep / Sundering SlamMax 1stQ

RepudiationMax lastW

LacerateMax 2ndE

Public ExecutionUltRRank-up levels here match the skill order below.

Cunning Sweep / Sundering SlamPhysical damageMax 1stStatLV 1rank 1LV 4rank 2LV 5rank 3LV 7rank 4LV 9MAXCunning Sweep | Damage+20 per rank+60% bonus ADlv 140lv 460lv 580lv 7100lv 9120Cooldown-1 per ranklv 114slv 413slv 512slv 711slv 910sConstant at every rankCost70same at all ranks

Ambessa Base Stats

Base stats · AmbessaPatch 26.22

Base statslevel 1 · +per levelAD63+3AS0.625+2.5%MS335Range125HP630+110HP58.5+0.75Armor35+4.9MR32+2.05Energy200EN550

Ambessa Matchups

Ambessa needs to commit her dashes and stick to a target, so slippery champions who blink away mid-combo and lanes that punish her once she is in range trouble her. She runs over immobile bruisers and squishies who cannot escape her chained rush and suppression.

Lane matchups · Ambessa click any opponent to retune the console

Hardest lanes · click to tune

Best hunting

How to lane vs bruisers 01Trade with your combo then disengage with a dash before they retaliate02Build armor and space with dashes to win the extended trade03In skirmishes ultimate their damage threat to lock it and displace Win rate by game lengthAmbessa overall · all matchupsUnder 20 min48.5%20–28 min45.9%28–35 min47.4%Over 35 min46.2%

Point-and-click lockdown stops her combo cold, so respect Zaahen, Riven, and Darius who can catch her mid-dash, and never commit the sequence into their crowd control. Bait it out first and the rest of the flow is hers. She runs over Rumble, Sion, and Cho'Gath, so angle toward those matchups where her mobility lets her get on top and stay there.

ExploreWhere to go next after Ambessa

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