Guide Sections (15)
- Champion Stats
- The Lane Bully Start
- The Reksai Skin Tier List
- When They Ban Reksai
- Runes That Work on Reksai
- Leveling Reksai's Abilities
- Mastering Rek'Sai's Kit
- Matchups That Matter for Reksai
- 1v2 Delusion
- When Splitting Won't Work
- Flanking or Frontlining
- The Sustain Fighter Build
- Reksai's Strongest Moments
- The Tower Dive Escape
- Recent Patch History
Champion Stats
Low elo players have no idea how to ward against Rek'Sai's tunnels. They will ward the river brushes, not realizing you can tunnel through the back of the pit or from deep inside their jungle. They also fail to respect her Tremor Sense, often standing still in a bush while Rek'Sai knows exactly where they are. She thrives on the lack of awareness in uncoordinated teams.
The Lane Bully Start
Start Q (Queen's Wrath) for an incredibly fast level 1 clear. A level 2 gank after Red buff with Tunnel (E) and Unburrow (W) is one of the most effective in the game. You can essentially 'ignore' walls and catch enemies by surprise before they reach their level 2.
Q clear is fast. Level 3 gank is potent. Flash-Unburrow is unavoidable knockup. Use it.
Start Q. 3-Camp into Gank. You have the most creative gank paths in the game. Tunnel over walls they don't ward. Flash-Knockup ensures a kill 99% of the time.
The Reksai Skin Tier List
'Elderwood Rek'Sai' is a beautiful skin with amazing visual effects on her Tunnels. 'Blackfrost Rek'Sai' is the elite smurf choice—the animations are crisp and the sound of the Unburrow is terrifying. 'Pool Party Rek'Sai' is a fun classic for the 'jet ski' ultimate. Avoid 'Eternum Rek'Sai' as it feels very dated compared to her more recent high-fidelity options.
'Blackfrost' has the most terrifying sound effects. The 'ice' shatter on the unburrow is purely psychological. 'Elderwood' is for the visual clarity. Default is for the purists who love the void shark look.
When They Ban Reksai
Jarvan IV ganks early. Lee Sin plays for early. Xin Zhao fights early. J4 is the easiest alternative.
Jarvan IV for the early ganks. Lee Sin for the mobility. Elise for the dive. Jarvan is the easiest transition for aggression.
Runes That Work on Reksai
Conqueror is the superior choice for extended dueling and sustained healing in fights. Hail of Blades is the alternative for a more 'assassin-style' burst build. Secondary Inspiration with Magical Footwear and Cosmic Insight to have your Flash-Unburrow combo available more often.
Leveling Reksai's Abilities
Max Q first—it's your primary damage and clear tool. Max E second for the reduced tunnel cooldown and increased true damage on her bite. Max W last as the knock-up duration doesn't increase with rank.
Mastering Rek'Sai's Kit
Void Rush. You mark a target by damaging them, then leap to them, dealing missing-HP damage. You are UNTARGETABLE during the leap. Use this to dodge ultimates or finish kills.
Matchups That Matter for Reksai
Skill Matchup. You can interrupt his Q2 dash with a well-timed Unburrow. If he kicks you away before you bite, you lose your kill threat.
Easy Matchup. You have the burst to kill him early. Save your Unburrow for the moment he exits Alpha Strike. Your Tremor Sense will track him even if he's 'untargetable'.
Hard Counter. Her Steadfast Presence (W) blocks your Tunnels, and her R can knock you away from any attempt to engage. Avoid this matchup at all costs.
1v2 Delusion
Stop tunneling into your death! Tunnels are for engage AND escape. If you use all your tunnels to get in and the enemy team collapses, you have no way out. Also, don't miss your Unburrow—the knock-up is the foundation of your entire combo. Use Flash-Unburrow to guarantee the pick on high-value targets.
Just because you have a knock-up doesn't mean you can fight 3 people. Use your tunnels to bait them into a narrow corridor, then R the weakest target. Be smart, not just aggressive. A dead queen doesn't rule.
When Splitting Won't Work
Dodge if facing heavy peel comps with Janna or Ali star. They can knock you away mid-tunnel and ruin your engage. Also dodge into Kindred who can save their team from your burst with Lamb's Respite.
Janna tornadoes your tunnel. Poppy W stops your tunnel. Thresh flays your tunnel. You can't play the game.
Dodge Janna/Poppy. Janna tornado stops your tunnel. Poppy W stops your tunnel. You simply cannot play the game. Dodge immediately.
Flanking or Frontlining
In teamfights, your job is to disrupt. Use your Tunnels to find a flank on the carry. Knock them up, land your Q rotation, and finish with an empowered E (Furious Bite). Use your R (Void Rush) to dodge a key enemy ability or to execute someone trying to run. You are a shark in the ground, waiting for the smell of blood.
Use Tremor Sense to 'see' through fog. You should never be surprised by a gank. Set up tunnels in the enemy jungle to create 'highway' gank paths. You are the apex predator; the jungle is your buffet.
The Sustain Fighter Build
Full Lethality/Crit Rek'Sai. Youmuu's Ghostblade -> Collector -> Infinity Edge. With this build, your Unburrow followed by an empowered E will literally one-shot any squishy. It's high-risk, high-reward, and perfectly suited for stomping games where you can get an early lead.
Stridebreaker is your best item. It makes your knock-up unavoidable. Add a Sterak's for the 'fat' shield when you're low. You aren't a tank; you're a brawler who doesn't know when to quit.
Stridebreaker -> Black Cleaver -> Sterak's. Stridebreaker slow makes hitting the knockup easier. You are a bruiser, not an assassin. Stay alive to get multiple knockups off.
Reksai's Strongest Moments
Level 3 is your first major spike—having access to E-tunnels and W-knockup allows for infinite gank paths. Your biggest item spike is Stridebreaker or Sundered Sky, giving you the stickiness and burst to dominate the mid-game.
Level 3 is your prime ganking window. Stridebreaker completion is your 1v1 spike. You fall off after 30 minutes, so use your early lead to take every objective and end the game. Don't let them scale.
Level 3 Gank. Level 6 Gank (R follow). Stridebreaker completion. You fall off hard. If the game goes to 35 minutes, you are a knockup bot. Win fast.
The Tower Dive Escape
Use the 'heart' emote every time you track someone through a wall with Tremor Sense. Type 'Looking for someone?' in all-chat after an Unburrow pick. The sound of Rek'Sai's R scream is enough to make the entire enemy team panic and scatter.
Your passive 'Fury of the Xer'Sai' heals you when you're burrowed. In lane, use this to survive poke. In a tower dive, R onto the target to drop aggro, then tunnel out. You're the queen of the underground—no one catches you.
Recent Patch History
Recent Balance Changes
| Patch | Date | Type | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| V14.12 | Jun 12, 2024 | NERF | Q nerfed, W nerfed |
| V14.7 | Apr 3, 2024 | NERF | P nerfed |
| V14.6 | Mar 20, 2024 | ADJUST | R nerfed |
| V14.5 | Mar 6, 2024 | BUFF | Q adjusted, Base stats nerfed |
| V14.4 | Feb 22, 2024 | ADJUST | P buffed, Base stats adjusted |
