Recently, there has been an extremely interesting trend where players are equipping the Purple Blade on the champion Akshan. This build has proven to be highly effective as according to the statistics from the site Op.gg, the win rate of Akshan when purchasing the Purple Blade is very high (over 55%). This build has become so popular that even professional League of Legends players and high-ranked gamers are applying it to the Marksman Guardian.
So why has the Purple Blade become an extremely good choice for Akshan? First, we need to know that the Purple Blade itself is a very powerful item for Marksman champions as it provides attack speed, AD, and a passive that deals additional magic damage on hit. This has led many Marksmen to switch to the Purple Blade to take advantage of its exceptionally comprehensive power. Of course, Akshan is no exception.
Not stopping there, Akshan is often used in the Mid Lane position, so facing off against Mages is quite common. Therefore, the magic resistance from the Purple Blade is extremely important for a character that does not have much health like Akshan. Combined with the aforementioned comprehensive power, completing the Purple Blade has become a significant power spike for Akshan in the mid-game.
In terms of champion mechanics, we know that Akshan’s passive allows this champion to deal an additional hit after a delay of about 0.15 seconds. Additionally, this extra hit from Akshan is 100% effective with items that provide on-hit effects. Moreover, Akshan’s E ability – Heroic Swing also allows this champion to unleash a series of hits while swinging.If he can down the target, the cooldown of this ability will also be reduced by 0.5 seconds.
This allows Akshan to activate the damage on the Purple Blade many times in a short period and deal an extremely large amount of damage. Clearly, at the power threshold of 2 items, the ability to continuously trigger the Purple Blade effect from his skill set will help Akshan deal damage much more consistently than “betting” on a 40% critical hit chance.
A notable aspect of the Purple Blade build for Akshan is that you can max the E ability – Heroic Swing first instead of the Q – Signature Boomerang. This will significantly reduce the cooldown of the E skill and greatly increase the bonus damage on each hit. Regarding runes, the Conqueror page is still very suitable for Akshan no matter how you build him. You should also choose the Resolve tree and the Bone Plating rune to ensure Akshan’s safety.
As for the item build, the Purple Blade is of course the priority item as it provides an extremely significant power spike for Akshan. Next, the Kraken Slayer is the item you should choose as Akshan can quickly activate the true damage capability of this item thanks to its passive. After that, players can look towards other items that enhance on-hit effects like the Infinity Edge, Guinsoo’s Rageblade, or any critical strike items.
In conclusion, the Purple Blade is currently a strong item that interacts well with Akshan’s passive and E ability – Heroic Swing, making it extremely suitable for him. If you are still unsure how to build the Marksman Guardian, the Purple Blade is definitely the choice that players should aim for.