AkaliVSShen
What decides the top lane matchup: Akali vs Shen in League of Legends
What decides the top lane
A tactical read of the top lane matchup, written from LaneDiff's champion notes: what each champion threatens, and the one thing to do about it before three minutes. It is analysis, not a match sample, so there is no win rate on this page.
Akali
top lane · Level six all-in
The lane changes shape at the ultimate, so the window to build a lead closes at level six.
Bank a lead before six. After ult she kills you off one shroud trade.
Akali's kill threat arrives with Perfect Execution at six; pre-6 her energy costs are punishable and the lane is yours to win.
Shen
top lane · Roaming assassin
Leaves the lane to kill somewhere else, so tracking and pings are worth more than the wave.
When he channels his ult after six, take plates. The tower is your side of that trade.
Stand United turns Shen's lane into a global 2v2 elsewhere; the standard tax is plates and tower damage every time he leaves.
Akali vs Shen: Common Questions
- Who wins Akali vs Shen?
- LaneDiff has not analysed enough ranked top lane games of Akali against Shen to publish a win rate, and does not estimate one. What decides the lane is which player respects the other's threat first. Akali: Bank a lead before six. After ult she kills you off one shroud trade. Shen: When he channels his ult after six, take plates. The tower is your side of that trade.
- How do you play the Akali Shen matchup?
- It is a top lane matchup between a level six all-in and a roaming assassin. Akali's kill threat arrives with Perfect Execution at six; pre-6 her energy costs are punishable and the lane is yours to win. Stand United turns Shen's lane into a global 2v2 elsewhere; the standard tax is plates and tower damage every time he leaves.
- What should I know about Shen vs Akali?
- Shen is a roaming assassin: Leaves the lane to kill somewhere else, so tracking and pings are worth more than the wave. Akali is a level six all-in: The lane changes shape at the ultimate, so the window to build a lead closes at level six. Shen: When he channels his ult after six, take plates. The tower is your side of that trade. Akali: Bank a lead before six. After ult she kills you off one shroud trade.
- How do I beat Shen as Akali?
- Stand United turns Shen's lane into a global 2v2 elsewhere; the standard tax is plates and tower damage every time he leaves. When he channels his ult after six, take plates. The tower is your side of that trade. LaneDiff's live scan then tells you which Shen you have drawn: their recent form on the champion, whether they are on a loss streak, and whether they are smurfing, because the player in front of you moves the odds more than the matchup does.