Buzz
Contrary to expectations of being a 'game-breaker,' Marksman Ahri will astound you with her dominance.
For the majority of gamers, Ahri has long been a Mage with an Assassin flair, excelling in accessibility, damage output, and effective target elimination. After a subtle rework in Season 12, Ahri has become even more potent, widely adopted by professional teams. Notably, Faker recently utilized this champion to triumph over KT Rolster in LCK Spring 2022.
However, alongside the conventional Mage playstyle, an alternative and intriguing approach has surfaced – Marksman Ahri. G2 Esports' luminary, Caps, consistently employs this strategy in the Challenger tier on the EUW server, accumulating numerous ranking points. What makes Caps favor this playstyle? Let's explore.
If you're a regular Ahri player, you're likely familiar with her weakness – the long cooldowns, especially on her E - Charm, with a base cooldown of 12 seconds at all levels. In the early and mid-game, when itemization is still limited, Ahri struggles to engage in continuous skirmishes with this ability on cooldown.
In the Marksman playstyle, this weakness is entirely mitigated. Marksman Ahri is rewarded generously for basic attacks, making her skills more of a supportive factor. Even if you miss the skill-shot with E - Charm, the damage output of Marksman Ahri remains largely unaffected. As a result, players have a potent crowd control tool without sacrificing much, a feature traditional Marksmen rarely possess.
Moreover, following Caps' playstyle, you'll maximize the W - Foxfire when playing Marksman Ahri, as it only costs 25 energy, boosts movement speed for 2 seconds, and enhances Marksman Ahri's maneuverability. It effectively dodges skills with a cooldown of just 5 seconds at level 5. In a playstyle that avoids energy items and reduces cooldowns like Marksman Ahri, this skill becomes exceptionally potent.
Furthermore, with a recent subtle rework, Marksman Ahri shines even brighter thanks to her passive, which accumulates and heals with each minion takedown. Meanwhile, her 'new' ultimate provides extra dashes upon eliminating enemies. As a result, facing Marksman Ahri with three dashes (already formidable) now becomes a challenge as she can dash multiple times in skirmishes.
Regarding the item build for Marksman Ahri, aim for items like Kraken Slayer, Phantom Dancer, Infinity Edge, and Lord Dominik's Regards. Opt for the Lethal Tempo rune to help her leverage the full potential of these items, providing powerful damage effects as mentioned above.
In summary, Marksman Ahri is a playstyle capitalizing on Riot's generous mobility adjustments after her recent rework, turning her into a highly mobile ADC that's hard to take down. If you're looking for a refreshing and enjoyable yet powerful playstyle in the ADC role (even Mid Lane), Marksman Ahri is an extremely fitting choice.
