Guide Sections (15)
- Champion Stats
- The Plasma Stack
- Kaisa's Best Skins
- When They Ban Kaisa
- Best Runes for Kaisa
- Kaisa's Skill Order
- Mastering Kai'Sa's Kit
- Kaisa's Best & Worst Matchups
- Ult Into 5 Syndrome
- When the Dive Is Unstoppable
- Staying Alive While Dealing Damage
- The Hybrid Kai'Sa Build
- Kaisa's Power Spikes
- The Void Dive
- Recent Patch History
Champion Stats
Low elo players constantly misposition away from their minion wave, taking full isolation damage from your Icathian Rain (Q). They also do not respect your R range; you can join any fight from a screen away. Her stealth on E evolve (Level ~9-11) allows you to reposition aggressively in ways that confuse lower skilled players who lack object permanence.
The Plasma Stack
Wait in the lane brush. When the enemy ADC walks up to CS, wait for them to distance themselves from their caster minions. Walk out and auto-Q-auto. If the Q missiles all hit them (isolated), they lose 40% HP instantly. Use Hail of Blades to stack your passive quickly. Dominating level 1 sets up a level 2 all-in kill.
Wait in lane brush. When enemy walks up, Auto-Q-Auto. If Q missiles are isolated, they lose 40% HP instantly. Use Hail of Blades to stack passive specifically on one target. Do not spread your damage.
Kaisa's Best Skins
'IG Kai'Sa' is the undisputed pay-to-win skin. The W projectile visuals are noticeably thinner and harder to see, and the auto-attack sound is crisp. 'K/DA All Out' has the smoothest feeling E animation. 'Star Guardian' has a slightly 'floaty' feel that some players dislike for precise kiting.
'IG Kai'Sa' is pay-to-win; W projectile is thinner and harder to see. 'K/DA All Out' has the smoothest E animation. 'Star Guardian' feels a bit floaty. IG is the competitive standard.
When They Ban Kaisa
Vayne offers similar short-range hypercarry dueling. Tristana provides the reset-jump mechanic. Xayah is the safety pick. Vayne is the closest 'mechanical outplay' pivot.
Best Runes for Kaisa
Hail of Blades is mandatory for the lane dominance and quick passive stacking. Taste of Blood/Eyeball Collection/Treasure Hunter for snowballing. Secondary Presence of Mind is key for mana sustain, and Legend: Bloodline ensures you heal up after trades. Do not take Lethal Tempo; your job is burst, not extended DPS wars.
Kaisa's Skill Order
Max Q first for the waveclear and isolation burst. Max E second for the invisibility duration and attack speed steroid. W last. Crucial: Evolve Q as soon as you hit 100 AD (usually Kraken Slayer + 2 Long Swords). Evolve E when you get enough Attack Speed. Evolve W last.
Mastering Kai'Sa's Kit
Icathian Rain splits its missiles between nearby enemies. To deal max damage, fight AWAY from minion waves so all missiles hit the champion. This is your primary trading tool.
Void Seeker applies 2 stacks of Plasma and reveals enemies. Used effectively, it resets your Vision of them so you can R to them. It has a massive range range—use it to snipe low HP recalls.
Supercharge gives move speed then Attack Speed. Once evolved, it grants INVISIBILITY. Use the short stealth to dodge point-and-click abilities by breaking vision or to reposition unpredictably during a duel.
Killer Instinct dashes you next to an enemy with Plasma. You can dash to ANY side of them. Dash to the side that blocks their retreat or dodges their key skillshots. The shield is huge—use it to bait.
Kaisa's Best & Worst Matchups
Hard Lane. She outranges you massively. Give up CS to stay healthy. Wait for your Support to engage or for level 6. If you step on a trap, you die.
Skill Matchup. Hide behind minions to block his Q. You win the all-in if you isolate Q on him. Push the wave so he has to farm with Q.
Skill Matchup. Whoever shoots first wins. Reveal her with W. Your Q auto-targets her in stealth, giving you an advantage. Burst her before she autos you to death.
Ult Into 5 Syndrome
Stop R-ing into 5 people just because you hit a W. You are not Uzi. Your Ultimate is a repositioning tool, not just an engage tool. Using R to gain a shield and kite BACKWARDS is often better than diving forwards. Also, stop building full AP unless your team has literally zero magic damage; Hybrid/AD is more consistent.
Stop R-ing into 5 people! Your Ult is a repositioning tool. Using R to gain a shield and kite BACKWARDS is often better than aggressive diving. Only dive if you can guarantee a reset and an exit.
When the Dive Is Unstoppable
Dodge if facing Draven or Caitlyn with a poke support (Lux/Xerath). You have low range (525) and will get bullied out of lane before you can scale. Draven just kills you if you try to Q him.
Dodge Draven or Caitlyn with poke supports. You have 525 range; they will bully you out of lane before you can scale. Draven just kills you if you try to trade. Respect the range disadvantage.
Staying Alive While Dealing Damage
Front-to-back until you see an opening. Hit the tank, stack plasma. If an enemy carry steps too far forward or gets CC'd by your team, R to them (optimally behind them to block their escape path) and burst them down. Use E invisibility to confuse the enemy focus fire. If you get targeted, R for the massive shield.
Play front-to-back. Stack plasma on the tank. If a carry steps up, R to assassinate them (optimally behind them to block escape). Use E invisibility to confuse focus fire. If targeted, R for the shield.
The Hybrid Kai'Sa Build
Full AP W Spam: Manamune -> Luden's -> Shadowflame -> Rabadon's. Stand two screens away and throw Ws. Two hits kill a squishy. It's miserable to play against and requires zero interaction. Only do this if you are bored or against a heavy poke comp that you can't get close to.
Full AP W Spam: Manamune -> Luden's -> Shadowflame. Stand two screens away and throw Ws. Two hits kill a squishy. It's non-interactive and miserable for them. Use this against poke comps.
Kaisa's Power Spikes
Level 2 is a kill window (W + Passive stack execution). The biggest spike is the 'Q Evolve' moment (around Level 8-9 with items). DO NOT FIGHT right before your evolve—recall, buy the component, evolve, THEN fight. You become 50% stronger instantly.
Level 2 is a kill window. The biggest spike is Q Evolve (Level 8-9). Recall, buy component, evolve, THEN fight. You become 50% stronger instantly. Don't fight with 99/100 AD.
The Void Dive
Spam W from fog of war. Even if it doesn't kill them, the constant threat of being chunked makes them play scared. When you dive them with R, use the mastery emote mid-flight. It asserts dominance.
Spam W from fog of war to annoy them. When you dive with R, use the mastery emote mid-flight. It asserts dominance. Even if you miss W, the sound cue makes them flinch.
Recent Patch History
Recent Balance Changes
| Patch | Date | Type | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| V14.8 | Apr 17, 2024 | BUFF | Q buffed |
| V14.4 | Feb 22, 2024 | BUFF | R buffed |
| V13.20 | Oct 11, 2023 | NERF | Base stats nerfed |
| V13.15 | Aug 2, 2023 | NERF | Q nerfed, W nerfed, Base stats nerfed |
| V13.12 | Jun 14, 2023 | BUFF | Base stats buffed |
