AD Carry

Kai'Sa Build 26.22

More than any set playstyle, Kai'Sa's build decides what she becomes. Her passive stacks plasma that detonates for bonus damage, and hitting item thresholds evolves her abilities into new tools, extra missiles on the Q, an upgraded Void Seeker poke, or a burst of true invisibility. Playable but nothing scary at 50.2% and on the way down, her ult then dives onto a plasma-marked target with a shield to clean it up. Decide the evolve path early, stack plasma, and finish whatever you dove onto.

#28 of 51 ad carry this patch · 8.1k games

Win rate50.2%−0.3Games8.1kPick rate24.1%Ban rate4.1%Last 8 patches+0.4 since 26.15Damage profilei

AP 41%AD 57%True 2%DifficultyiModerateRewards fundamentals

The 10-second answer standard · 50.2% WR

Spells

Flash + Barrier Start

Berserker's Greaves SkillsQ›E›W Runes

Shards

ModernARAM Counter

173 champions

AatroxTopA51.0%AhriMidA51.3%AkaliMidB49.8%AkshanMidD47.0%AlistarSupportS52.6%AmbessaTopD47.5%AmumuJungleB51.0%AniviaMidA51.3%AnnieMidA52.2%ApheliosAD CarryC48.5%AsheAD CarryC48.7%Aurelion SolMidA52.3%AuroraMidA52.0%AzirMidC47.8%BardSupportC48.5%Bel'VethJungleS54.0%BlitzcrankSupportA51.6%BrandSupportA51.0%BraumSupportA52.1%BriarJungleA51.8%CaitlynAD CarryC47.8%CamilleTopA51.7%CassiopeiaMidD47.2%Cho'GathJungleA52.1%CorkiAD CarryB50.4%DariusTopA51.0%DianaMidA51.4%Dr. MundoTopA52.2%DravenAD CarryB50.7%EkkoMidA51.8%EliseJungleA51.2%EvelynnJungleA51.8%EzrealAD CarryD45.8%FiddlesticksJungleD47.6%FioraTopB50.4%FizzMidC49.1%GalioMidA51.5%GangplankTopA51.5%GarenTopB50.5%GnarTopC49.2%GragasTopB50.6%GravesJungleC49.2%GwenTopB50.2%HecarimJungleA51.9%HeimerdingerTopA52.2%HweiMidA52.4%IllaoiTopB50.7%IreliaTopC48.6%IvernJungleA51.5%JannaSupportA50.9%Jarvan IVJungleD47.8%JaxTopC49.0%JayceTopC48.2%JhinAD CarryA51.3%JinxAD CarryB50.0%K'SanteTopD47.0%Kai'SaAD CarryB50.2%KalistaAD CarryB50.4%KarmaSupportD47.3%KarthusJungleC48.8%KassadinMidS+54.3%KatarinaMidA51.0%KayleTopB49.9%KaynJungleC49.2%KennenTopS53.3%Kha'ZixJungleB50.4%KindredJungleA52.2%KledTopS+55.0%Kog'MawAD CarryB50.3%LeBlancMidA52.1%Lee SinJungleC48.9%LeonaSupportA52.1%LilliaJungleA50.9%LissandraMidB49.3%LockeMidD47.5%LucianAD CarryC48.3%LuluSupportB49.5%LuxSupportC49.0%MalphiteTopS52.6%MalzaharMidC49.0%MaokaiSupportA52.3%Master YiJungleC49.2%MelMidD46.2%MilioSupportC47.8%Miss FortuneAD CarryB49.4%MordekaiserTopA51.3%MorganaSupportB50.3%NaafiriJungleA50.9%NamiSupportB50.3%NasusTopB49.9%NautilusSupportB49.9%NeekoSupportD46.9%NidaleeJungleA51.5%NilahAD CarryS+58.6%NocturneJungleC48.2%Nunu & WillumpJungleD47.4%OlafTopB50.0%OriannaMidD47.8%OrnnTopA51.4%PantheonTopB50.5%PoppySupportS54.1%PykeSupportB50.4%QiyanaJungleC48.1%QuinnJungleD44.5%RakanSupportS52.5%RammusJungleS+57.2%Rek'SaiJungleS53.0%RellSupportA52.3%Renata GlascSupportA52.1%RenektonTopB49.5%RengarJungleB50.3%RivenTopB49.9%RumbleTopB50.1%RyzeMidC48.2%SamiraAD CarryC48.9%SejuaniJungleA52.3%SennaSupportA51.5%SeraphineSupportC49.3%SettTopA52.2%ShacoJungleB50.2%ShenTopS53.0%ShyvanaJungleA52.3%SingedTopB49.5%SionTopA51.3%SivirAD CarryA51.1%SkarnerJungleA52.6%SmolderAD CarryB50.1%SonaSupportB50.1%SorakaSupportA51.6%SwainSupportA51.7%SylasMidD47.5%SyndraMidB49.3%Tahm KenchSupportC49.3%TaliyahJungleB50.7%TalonJungleA51.0%TaricSupportD47.4%TeemoTopA51.1%ThreshSupportB50.1%TristanaAD CarryA51.2%TrundleTopC48.0%TryndamereTopA51.3%Twisted FateMidB50.0%TwitchAD CarryA51.2%UdyrJungleC48.1%UrgotTopB49.7%VarusAD CarryC47.9%VayneAD CarryB50.7%VeigarMidC48.1%Vel'KozSupportS+54.8%VexMidS+54.3%ViJungleB50.3%ViegoJungleC48.0%ViktorMidC48.5%VladimirMidB49.4%VolibearTopB50.7%WarwickJungleA52.5%WukongJungleS52.4%XayahAD CarryS52.8%XerathMidS52.6%Xin ZhaoJungleA52.5%YasuoMidC48.3%YoneTopD47.2%YorickTopC48.6%YunaraAD CarryC49.1%YuumiSupportC48.7%ZaahenTopC48.8%ZacJungleS53.1%ZedMidC49.0%ZeriAD CarryA52.2%ZiggsAD CarryS53.1%ZileanSupportB49.9%ZoeMidS+54.6%ZyraSupportA51.7%

When Is Kai'Sa Strongest?

The mid-game item window is the high point of the curve, and games at this rank average around 28 minutes. Kai'Sa's plan is to chip a target until the plasma detonates, then warp in behind the frontline and delete whoever she marked before the enemy can turn on her.

Game timeline · Kai'Sa 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 end27:55

Ambush zone5:18–6:48 Power spike 17:29

~5:18

10:58

17:29

23:01

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

At 12:00

Power 61/100 · Even

Core 1/3 items

Gold ~6.2k

Phase Lvl-6 window

Next spike Guinsoo's Rageblade · 17:29

Kai'Sa Item Build

Kai'Sa is a flexible carry whose whole build decides what she becomes. Stacking her plasma passive shreds targets down, and the item path she picks evolves her spells so she can poke, burst, or dive in and clean up.

Standard loadout · Kai'Sa The consensus path — reliable spikes, no dead time.

Starting items 500g

Doran's Bow×1

Health Potion×2 Core path · click an item for its recipe ›› Boots

Berserker's Greaves86% · 50.5%

Gluttonous Greaves14% · 56.5%

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

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

Guardian Angel39763.2%Z

Zhonya's Hourglass2.5k53.2%

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

Shadowflame38153.5%V

Voltaic Cyclosword25752.1%

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

Farsight Alteration6.5k52.3%O

Oracle Lens9442.6%S

Stealth Ward1.5k41.9%

Best Kai'Sa Runes

Lethal Tempo is the standard setup, and Kai'Sa flexes it to match whichever build she is running. Her damage leans on stacking plasma and chaining attacks after a dive, so the keystone just amplifies a fight she is already committing to. Fill the tree around the evolve path you plan to hit first. Keep it flexible, since her item build shapes the game more than the rune ever does.

The pre-game page Lethal Tempo · Precision + Inspiration · keystone + 5 runes + 3 shards

Precision Primary

Lethal TempoAttacking an enemy champion grants you Attack Speed, up to 6 stacks. At max stacks, deal bonus adaptive damage On-Attack.

Presence of Mind66% · 49.0%

Legend: Bloodline87% · 49.8%

Coup de Grace58% · 49.0%

Keystone plus three minors from Precision, two from Inspiration, then three shards — no runebook, no masteries.

Inspiration Secondary

Biscuit Delivery48% · 49.4%

Magical Footwear49% · 49.4%

Stat shards Offense

Attack Speed+10% Attack Speed

Flex

Adaptive Force+9 Adaptive Force

Defense

Health Scaling+10–180 Health (by level)

Shards give +10%Attack Speed+9Adaptive Force+10–180 Health (by level)

Build toward Kraken Slayer into Guinsoo's Rageblade, since Kai'Sa's power is gated behind item thresholds that evolve her abilities. No one spike defines the game, so just play it straight. Once Guinsoo's Rageblade comes online by roughly 17 minutes, you unlock the evolve it points at and your plasma stacks start bursting targets on their own. Pick your evolve path off the enemy team, then use her ult to dive whatever the passive has already stacked.

Kai'Sa Skill Order

Icathian Rain gets the level 1 point and stays max priority over Void Seeker. Supercharge is the last one finished, so the Move Speed and Attack Speed buff spends the longest at low rank while the seeking missiles do the scaling.

Skill order · Kai'Sa R at 6 / 11 / 16 — always

PriorityR

R›Q

Q›E

E›W

WMax Q first; E at level 3.

Lv 123456789101112131415161718

Q1457910max 10

W2161718max 18

E3811121415max 15

R613max 13

Kai'Sa Abilities

Worth knowing on Second Skin: allied crowd control also stacks her plasma, so a good engage support speeds up every detonation without her lifting a finger. Void Seeker is the long range setup, a missile that tags targets with those same marks from a screen away.

Abilities · Kai'Sapatch 26.22 base numbers · click an ability · all ranks shown

Second SkinPassiveP

Icathian RainMax 1stQ

Void SeekerMax lastW

SuperchargeMax 2ndE

Killer InstinctUltRRank-up levels here match the skill order below.

Icathian RainPhysical damageMax 1stStatLV 1rank 1LV 4rank 2LV 5rank 3LV 7rank 4LV 9MAXDamage Per Missile+15 per rank+55% bonus AD+20% APlv 140lv 455lv 570lv 785lv 9100Cooldown-1 per ranklv 110slv 49slv 58slv 77slv 96sConstant at every rankCost55same at all ranks

Kai'Sa Base Stats

Base stats · Kai'SaPatch 26.22

Base statslevel 1 · +per levelAD59+2.6AS0.644+1.8%MS335Range525HP640+102HP54+0.55Armor25+4.2MR33+1.1MP345+40MP58.2+0.7

Kai'Sa Matchups

Kai'Sa's matchups hinge on landing plasma stacks and following her mark in. She has the mobility to dodge skillshots and reposition, so she survives lanes that punish a stationary carry, but heavy early poke can bully her off the map.

Lane matchups · Kai'Sa click any opponent to retune the console

Hardest lanes · click to tune

Best hunting

How to lane vs AP mages 01Bait their key spell then trade while it is on cooldown02Build magic resist and ward flanks to survive their burst combo03Use evolved E invisibility to dodge their combo then flank the backline Win rate by game lengthKai'Sa overall · all matchupsUnder 20 min48.6%20–28 min52.3%28–35 min50.4%Over 35 min45.9%

Be careful into Veigar, Nilah, and Xerath, burst and pick threats that delete her before the plasma stacks or her ult dash can bail her out, so track their cooldowns before you commit. Survive that and her evolves take over the fight. She has the advantage into Aurelion Sol, Katarina, and Hwei, where her mobility and passive burst let her isolate and finish, so dive onto those once the plasma is stacked.

ExploreWhere to go next after Kai'Sa

Keep climbing · Bot laneADC Tier ListEvery ADC ranked by tierSee ADC Tier List