Research

Top Assassin champions LoL

Bitraven

12 th  December 2024 Edited at: 12th December 2024

HomeBlogTop Assassin champions LoL

all lol accountsunrankedsmurfs scrollunrankedsmurfs quill

When it comes to high-octane, highlight-worthy gameplay, few roles in League of Legends deliver like the Assassins. These champions follow one principle: "blink, and you'll get a one way ticket to your fountain". Built for speed and lethality, assassins only serve to annihilate every spark of hope still left within the enemy team.

If you’ve ever experienced the joy of deleting an enemy ADC before they can even flash—or the agony of missing your combo and getting vaporized instead—congratulations, you’ve danced with danger and tasted the assassin life. So, if you're still thirsty for the sweet tears of enemy carries, you're in the right place!

Whether you're lurking in the shadows as Zed, or hailing down daggers with Katarina, a fearsome assassin always brings that extra spice to the Rift. But it's not all flashy blinks and pentakills—you need the brainpower, reflexes, and occasionally, a bit of luck.

With that being said, let's discover what gives assassin champions their formidable reputation, how to effectively pilot them and shut them down as soon as they get off the rails.

Assassin Champion Overview

So, what are assassins? Basically, they are the high-risk, high-reward playmakers who live for the thrill of the kill. These champions thrive on quick bursts of damage, lightning-fast mobility, and the element of surprise.

They’re a melee class for the most part, which means you’ll have to get up close into most champions' auto attack range to dish out that pain. But don’t mistake them for reckless berserkers—these champs rely on timing, positioning, and a little bit of finesse (and a lot of keyboard smashing) to succeed.

While Assassins may seem absurdly overpowered when 4they erase you in 0.1 seconds, their glass-cannon nature means they live on the edge—it's all or nothing for them. Playing an assassin is a bit like juggling burning torches: if you do it right, you are cheered out; if you make even a slight mistake, you'll burn to a crips. Yet, once you're acquainted with their mechanics and limits, an entire landscape of thrilling achievement opens up for you, making all the trial and error worthwhile.

In short, assassins are not here for a fair fight, they’re here to ruin someone’s day.

All Assassins Champions

Not all assassins are created equal. Some choose to equip themselves with blades and daggers, while others wreak havoc with magic. Let’s break them down one by one:

AD Assassins:

The "go big or go home" gang. These champions excel at deleting opponents using blades and brawn:

  • Zed – The poster boy of assassins, Living Shadow is more like Living Nightmare for squishies.
Zed Living Shadow lol
  • Talon If you were ever into parkour, or cosplayed as Ezio from Assassins Creed, this guy has got you covered.
talon lol
  • Kayn (Blue form) If you really hate walls, like reeealy, then Shadow Assassin Kayn should be under your belt.
Kayn blue form
  • Rengar The bane of every ADC. You know damn right that screen is about to go grayscale as soon as you hear that Unseen Predator roar.
rengar lol
  • Kha'zix Who doesn't like a casual evolution mid match? Just make sure to greet the bug alone—he doesn't like company.
kha zix lol
  • Qiyana The elemental queen who turns the map into her personal playground. Water, earth, air - she's got more elements than your high school chemistry class. With that attitude, she's a bit stylish for her own right.
Qiyana lol
  • Briar The blood-crazed jungler who dives headfirst into fights, not stopping until everything is dead or she is.
Briar lol
  • Yone Not quite your traditional assassin, but with those many dashes he might aswell be talking in morse code.
Yone lol
  • Naafiri You know it's about to get insane when the whole gang locks in, on you.
Naafiri lol
  • Nocturne Want to talk to that Corki a bit more personally? Just turn off the lights. I guess darkness really is his old friend.
Nocturne lol
  • Pyke Who would have thought a support could pose the biggest threat? No matter how unhinged he seems, a true pirate always shares the bounty with his crew.
Pyke Lol
  • Shaco (AD build) There’s nothing fun about fighting the demon jester, but playing him? Oh, it’s hilarious!
Shaco lol
  • Quinn Not just a top-lane annoyance; she’ll swoop in and turn your backline into a roadkill simulation.
Quinn lol

AP Assassins:

For those who prefer their destruction with a sparkly twist:

  • Ekko Time is relative, and your health bar is going backwards.
Ekko lol
  • Evelynn With her passive Demon Shade up her sleeve, Evelynn knows exactly how to make you regret accepting the match.
Evelynn lol
  • Akali Ninjas may not be real, but the pain of getting obliterated under a shroud of smoke most definitely is.
Akali lol
  • Kassadin The ultimate late-game hyper-scaler. If the game reaches 30 minutes, it’s KassaWin baby!
Kassadin lol
  • Katarina The satisfaction of evaporating whole teams with Death Lotus should be worth buying a new keyboard every other week.
Katarina
  • Fizz On first glance, he might seem like just a chill guy—until that smile washes up with his shark looming beneath you.
Fizz Lol
  • Diana Lunar justice often comes in team-sized packages.
Diana Lol
  • Elise Nothing like making their turrets your own hunting grounds. Bonus points if they're arachnophobic.
Elise lol
  • Vex Didn't we tell you not to mess with the quiet kid?
Vex lol

Honorable Mentions:

While these champs don’t fully belong in the assassin category, but they sure play like ones when the situation calls for it:

  • Fiora She doesn’t just duel you; she choreographs it. When you hear En Garde! and see a glowing vitals mark, you’re already halfway to the fountain.
  • Akshan Who would've thought the cocky marksman had some teamwork in him. Just make sure not to hit a wall as you're swingin... okay.
  • LeBlanc Deceit is her middle name, and frustration is yours. Her distortion ability is just the cherry on top of her oneshotting cake.
  • Ahri With nine tails and even mode dashes, you might have to think twice before believing that you get far enough.
  • Camille Flexibility? Check. Deadly precision? Double-check. Damage? True!
  • Yasuo Ah, yes; the main of every 15 year-old with anger issues. He’ll either carry your team in the most anime way possible or leave you wishing for an Ekko rewind back to champ select.
  • Jhin A true artist, but his medium is carnage. Every shot is perfectly calculated, especially the fourth one—that one’s personal.

Best Assassins

When it comes to assassins, win rate doesn’t always tell the full story, but here are the ones currently dominating the Rift as of Patch 14.23:

  1. Vex
  1. Blue Kayn (Red form technically ekes out a higher win rate, but Blue is the cooler guy)
  1. Elise
  1. Talon
  1. Nocturne
  1. Naafiri
  1. Quinn
  1. Ekko
  1. Briar
  1. Diana

Now let's address the elephant in the room; Assassins aren't really crushing it right now (or ever). Their overall winrates are often lower compared to other classes—with most of them juggling between %50 and %51—and there’s a good reason for that. Assassins have a high barrier to entry—they require perfect timing, split-second decision-making, and an intimate understanding of enemy cooldowns. In other words, if you’re not smurfing, you’re suffering.

That said, assassins are still a blast to play. Even though they seem to under perform in most hands, when you finally "get it," you’ll be carrying games with ease.

Best assasins if mastered:

Winrates aside, some assassins become absolute monsters when piloted by experienced hands.These champs may not dominate the casual meta, but once mastered, they’re borderline unfair to play against:

  • Kassadin
  • Katarina
  • Rengar
  • Talon
  • Evelynn

Strategies for Playing Assassin Champions

Ashe Kayn Assasination lol

Assassin gameplay is like a steering aircraft carrier; One wrong step, and you'll be anchoring your whole team down with you. The key is simple: strike fast, strike hard, and have an escape plan that would make Jason Bourne proud.

Your primary mission? Turn high-priority targets into pixelated confetti. Here are key strategies to truly lock in as a LoL Assassin:

Positioning is Everything

In team fights, you're not a frontline tank. You're a precision instrument of destruction, designed to surgically dismantle the enemy backline. Analyse the game state and identify the biggest threat on the enemy team, spot any cracks in their defenses (like that distracted support, or a carry out of position...), and plan out both your flank and your escape. Forget that last part, and congratulations—you’ve just turned yourself into a gold deposit.

Example - Let’s say you’re piloting Zed in a heated team fight. First rule of Fight Club? Patience. Let the chaos erupt as either team engages; this is your moment to shine when everyone’s too busy to notice the incoming stealth bomber. Now.. Wait! Don't dive in just yet—set up your escape route (a Living Shadow tossed behind you works like a charm).

Once that’s in place, unleash devastation: a swift Death Mark, a precise Razor Shuriken, a clean Shadow Slash, and bam—you W back to safety like the shadowy menace you are. All this happens in about 0.2 seconds, leaving the enemy wondering what just hit them.

Take Calculated Risk

The lol assassin mantra can be summed up in one word: Risk. You're not expected, but required by the nature of your role to take risks in order to have an impact on the game. Your chances of survival drop exponentially the longer a fight drags out. That’s why mastering the hit-and-run playstyle isn’t optional; it’s your bread and butter.

Now, here’s the kicker: this isn’t about blind aggression—it’s about calculated aggression. The key lies in understanding when to commit and when to back off, which all essentially boils down to game knowledge. If you can recognize whether you’re outclassed or in a prime position to make a play, you’re golden. And the only way to develop that sixth sense is through limit testing. Push your champion to the brink in both practice and matchmade games to learn exactly where the boundaries of their power lie, so you can make the most of your arsenal.

Example - Picture this—you’re rocking Talon, holding down midlane against a Malzahar who’s more interested in his farm than actually interacting with you. Boring, right? So, you shove the wave and start scanning the map for opportunities. Botlane catches your eye—things aren’t looking great. Your ADC just respawned after getting dunked on, and your support is awkwardly 1v2-ing. The clock’s ticking. You don’t want to miss an entire wave of XP mid, but your 30+ hours of Talon mastery are tingling. There’s a play here.

Here’s the setup: you’re level 6 with full summoners, while the enemy botlane is level 4 and fresh out of flashes from their last fight. The risk? Missing two waves mid and possibly feeding the enemy carry even harder. The reward? A juicy double kill and a botlane revival. You decide to go for it.

You swoop down bot; One swift Shadow Assault later, a passive proc to deal bonus damage, and it’s a wrap. Your support is back in the game, your ADC’s got cash to spend, and you’ve just reminded everyone why Talon is the roaming king.

Moral of the story? Risk is your currency. Play it smart, and you’ll be the hero your team needed. Gamble recklessly, and you’ll become the flame magnet of the post-death ping parade.

Quick and Quiet...Behind Enemy Lines

rengar talon katarina lol

As an assassin, you’re not built for drawn-out brawls or trading punches. Let’s face it—most champions would wipe the floor with your hood if you don't delete them with one combo. But what you lack in durability and sustain, you more than make up for with two powerful tools: burst damage and mobility. These two traits are what make you the nightmare of enemy backlines, letting you infiltrate their barricades with no prior warning.

Mobility is the crown jewel of an assassin’s kit. Whether it’s stealth, dashes, bonus movement speed, or blinks, every assassin comes with some sneaky way to close the gap and deliver doom directly to the enemy's doorstep. No mobility? No problem. Oh wait—actually, that’s a huge problem! Without it, assassins would have no way to bypass tanks and peelers to reach their priority targets.

And let’s get one thing straight: mobility might just be the single most valuable stat in League of Legends. Even more so than raw damage. Why? Because if the enemy can’t see or catch you, how exactly are they supposed to stop you? Good mobility lets you do it all: close gaps, dip in and out of danger, dodge lethal crowd control, and evade enemy sight.

But here’s the catch—your mobility tools usually come with hefty cooldowns. That means every dash, blink, or stealth activation needs to count. Don’t waste them on a flashy engage just to realize you’ve got no way out. Use them with a whole plan already set up.

Game Knowledge and Awareness

Sure, mastering your champion's combos and mechanics is a prerequisite; that's basically Assassin 101. But what's even more important, especially for a class as volatile as assassins, is macro, quick reflexes and overall awareness. You're edging on the brink of death with every engage, so your success hinges on understanding every moving part of the game.

Why? Because assassins are fragile. It doesn’t take much to shut you down—one well-timed CC or a peeled-back ADC with flash and barrier, and suddenly, you’re nothing more than a glorified minion. That’s why you need to track everything. Did the ADC burn their summoners yet? Is Leona’s ult still on cooldown? Where’s the enemy jungler? Are they in position to ruin your roam? If you’re not asking these questions constantly, you’re playing with fire—and not the cool, edgy, assassin kind.

Macro awareness is your map-wide safety net. It’s about keeping tabs on cooldowns, predicting rotations, and knowing when to engage and when to back off. The more variables you account for, the fewer nasty surprises lay in waiting—trust me, surprises are never good when you’re that squishy.

But macro isn't all about staying safe; with that awareness, you'll begin to spot golden opportunities—those split-second openings when enemies screw up will make all the difference.

Remember: When you’re playing an assassin, everyone on the enemy team is tiptoeing around like they’re on eggshells. One misstep, and they’re cooked. Your job is to never miss that moment when opportunity knocks, because when you’re on point, you’re not just playing the game; you’re controlling the tempo of the entire map.

Tips for Countering Assassin Champions

leona lol

Not everything is about being the predator. Sometimes, you’ll be the prey. But don’t worry, assassins aren't always the boogeymen they claim to be, and with the right strategy, you can easily turn the tables in their face:

Stick Together

Assassins thrive on isolation—ask Kha'Zix about that. The easiest way to neutralize their advantage? Strength in numbers. Group up, especially with your support or a tanky teammate, and suddenly that assassin’s playground looks a lot less inviting.

When you’re with your team, it forces assassins to overcommit if they want a kill, exposing them to CC, retaliation, and a one-way ticket back to base. Strengthen your positioning and make every pick attempt a gamble for them. After all, they’re the ones on a tight timer—if they can’t get in, execute, and escape, they’ve already lost.

Peel and Protect

Look at those pesky assassins; all slippery with their 2 billion dashes...Wouldn't it be such a shame if they, couldn't move? They may be all flashy and terrifying, but there’s one thing they absolutely hate: crowd control. Champions with CC like Braum, Leona, or Thresh can lock down assassins before they even touch your ADC. In such a case, a well placed stun or root matched with a knock-up can render even the deadliest of assassins completely useless.

So next time you're up against one of them, make sure to draft peel-heavy champions, stick close to your allies, and keep your crowd control locked and loaded. Nothing is more satisfying than watching an assassin realize their flashy dive was all for nothing.

Ward Extensively

Assassins thrive on the element of surprise, so the best way to shut them down? Deny it. Warding isn’t just a team responsibility—it’s your personal insurance policy against a surprise visit from the likes of Evelynn or Talon. Drop Control Wards and use Sweeping Lenses to keep key areas like your jungle, river, and objectives under constant surveillance.

Remember, if you can’t see the Kayn, assume they're planning your funeral. Wards don’t just save lives; they also ruin assassins’ plans before they even start. Invest in vision—it’s way cheaper than another death timer.

Build Defensively

items lol anti assasins

Assassins are all about that flashy one-shot potential, so why not take that away from them? Consider swapping your 3rd or 4th item for a Zhonya's Hourglass, Guardian Angel, or Banshee’s Veil to weather that initial burst, giving you a second shot at retaliation in the most pivotal moments. If they can’t delete you in one combo, their big 1v5 clip turns into a "uh-oh" moment real fast.

Defensive items don’t just help you survive; they also open up counterplay opportunities; Just think of how many poor Zeds depleted everything to dive your carry, just for them to activate the funny hourglass, leaving him awkwardly standing in the middle of your entire team like a deer in headlights.

So, don’t be afraid to trade a bit of damage for survivability. After all, the best counter to an assassin is refusing to die in the first place.

Conclusion

kayn and other assasins from lol

While assassins may not appeal to everyone, those who crave swift execution and perfectly timed combos are sure to get that adrenaline pumping.

Assassins aren't particularly forgiving to pick up; they demand precision, timing, and a dash of creativity. But if you’re up for the challenge—and with enough practice and a sharp mindset—you’ll be carving through enemy teams, leaving a trail of fear and demise in your wake.

So what are you waiting for? Raise your weapon-sharp or mundane-and dress your favorite edgelord with some drip from our skin shop for every match to become a painting of carnage. Glory awaits!

unrankedsmurfs author avatar

Bitraven

Content Writer
Vladimir enthusiast turned League of legends analyst, dissecting gamplay intrecacies through insightful content

Have Your Say