ARAM Build Guide
Kai'Sa ARAM Build — Hybrid Damage Assassin ADC
Kai'Sa in ARAM is a mobile assassin disguised as an ADC. Her evolved abilities give her invisibility, shields, and execute damage. Build hybrid to evolve Q, W, and E for maximum outplay potential.
Kai'Sa in ARAM is all about hitting your evolution thresholds. You need 100 bonus AD to evolve Q, 100 bonus AP to evolve W, and 100% bonus attack speed to evolve E. The hybrid build path lets you evolve all three abilities by mid-game, turning you into a mobile assassin who can dive the backline and escape.
Her win rate in ARAM sits around 50-51%. She's not overpowered, but in the right hands she's a nightmare. The narrow bridge makes her W (Void Seeker) almost impossible to dodge, and her R (Killer Instinct) lets her dive marked targets from safety.
Best Kai'Sa ARAM Runes
Primary: Domination
Hail of Blades — Kai'Sa needs to stack her passive fast. Hail of Blades gives you 3 instant autos to proc Plasma stacks, then you Q+auto for the detonation. This is her best burst combo.
Taste of Blood — Sustain from abilities and autos. Small but adds up over time.
Eyeball Collection — Free AD/AP from takedowns. You'll max this out fast.
Treasure Hunter — Extra gold on unique kills. ARAM games are shorter, so the early gold spike helps you hit evolution thresholds faster.
Secondary: Precision
Presence of Mind — Kai'Sa is mana-hungry. Presence of Mind keeps you casting in extended fights.
Coup de Grace — Extra damage to low-HP targets. Your passive detonation executes low-HP enemies.
Why not Lethal Tempo? Lethal Tempo is fine for sustained DPS, but Hail of Blades is better for ARAM's burst-heavy teamfights. You need to stack Plasma fast and get out. Hail of Blades lets you do that.
Best Kai'Sa ARAM Items
Core Build (in order)
Kraken Slayer — True damage on every third auto. This gives you 65 AD, which is a good start toward Q evolution (need 100 total).
Berserker's Greaves — Attack speed boots. This gives you 35% attack speed toward E evolution (need 100% total).
Nashor's Tooth — This is the key item. Nashor's gives 100 AP (W evolution) and 50% attack speed (E evolution). After Nashor's, your W and E are both evolved.
Pickaxe or BF Sword — Buy a Pickaxe (25 AD) or BF Sword (40 AD) to finish Q evolution. You need 100 total AD. Kraken (65) + Pickaxe (25) + runes (10) = 100 AD.
Situational 5th & 6th Items
Rabadon's Deathcap — If you want more AP burst. Your W will chunk squishies from max range.
Zhonya's Hourglass — If you're getting dove by assassins. R in, burst, Zhonya's, escape.
Wit's End — If they have heavy AP burst. The magic resist and on-hit damage are perfect for Kai'Sa.
Guardian Angel — If you're the only carry. Revive, R away, keep shredding.
Don't skip Nashor's Tooth. Nashor's is mandatory for the hybrid build. It's the only item that gives both AP (for W evolution) and attack speed (for E evolution). Without Nashor's, you can't evolve all three abilities.
Ability Order
Max Q first (Icathian Rain), then W (Void Seeker), then E (Supercharge). Take R at 6, 11, 16.
Q is your primary damage. Evolved Q fires 12 missiles instead of 6, doubling your burst.
W second for the poke and evolution. Evolved W reveals enemies and refunds cooldown on hit.
E is one point wonder until last. Evolved E gives you invisibility, which is insane for outplays.
ARAM-Specific Tips
Your R dashes to targets marked by your passive or W. In ARAM, use W to mark enemies from max range, then R to dive them. The shield from R helps you survive the dive.
Evolved E invisibility is your escape. Once you evolve E, you get 0.75 seconds of invisibility when you use it. Use this to dodge skillshots, escape focus, or reposition in teamfights. It's basically a mini-Vayne ult.
Passive stacking: Kai'Sa's passive applies Plasma stacks on hit. At 5 stacks, it detonates for massive damage. Use Hail of Blades to get 3 autos instantly, then Q+auto to detonate. This is your burst combo.
W poke: Evolved W has insane range. Use it to poke from safety before fights. If you hit a squishy, R to them and finish with Q+autos.
Positioning: Kai'Sa is short-range (525). Don't stand in front of your team. Wait for someone to get low or isolated, then R to them and burst. Your R shield helps you survive the dive.
When Kai'Sa is Strong vs Weak in ARAM
Kai'Sa dominates against squishy, immobile comps. If the enemy is all mages and ADCs, your R+Q burst will delete them. She's also great against isolated targets — your passive detonation does more damage to isolated enemies.
She struggles against long-range poke comps (Xerath, Ziggs, Lux) who poke you down before you can get in range to R. She's also weak against hard-engage tank comps who can lock you down before you can escape with E.
She's weakest in the first 10 minutes before evolutions. Once you have all three evolutions, you're a monster. Once you have Rabadon's, your W one-shots squishies.
FAQ
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Looking for more ARAM builds? Check out our Vayne ARAM build, Jhin ARAM build, or Ezreal ARAM build.
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Check out our full Kai'Sa champion guide for ranked builds and strategies.
