In League of Legends season 11, the Rod of Ages was one of the items removed from the store by Riot Games. Many thought this would make Kassadin, a champion reliant on the Rod of Ages, extremely weak. However, in reality, Kassadin has not only remained strong but is also dominating the mid lane with an incredibly high win rate. Even professional players have been using Everfrost to make Kassadin even more powerful.
Kassadin is a rather unique champion in the mid lane as he requires health, mana, and ability power in his first item. Before patch 11.4 was released and Everfrost was still too weak, there was no item that met all the requirements for this champion. Building Liandry’s Anguish or Luden’s Tempest left him too low on health. Meanwhile, items like Rod of Ages or Night Harvester did not provide any mana.
Once patch 11.4 was launched and Everfrost received significant buffs, this item quickly became the “signature” item for Kassadin. With the addition of the Firestone in its recipe, players can farm, deal damage, and hold their lane much better during the early game as this item provides both health and ability cooldown.
Moreover, having an effective damage-dealing item like Everfrost early on mitigates Kassadin’s early game weaknesses. Previously, Kassadin had to spend over 2000 gold to buy the Guardian Stone and Tear of the Goddess to ensure his mana stats. However, these items provided no ability power, resulting in very low damage output early in the game.
Now, Everfrost ensures Kassadin can deal significant damage in the early and mid-game. Moreover, the slow effect from this item also helps Kassadin contribute more to the overall team fight. Even when the game is dire and a retreat is needed, the slow effect can help you maintain distance from opponents or enemy teamwork to escape.
Regarding the build order for Kassadin, professional players still use the Phase Rush rune to maximize efficiency. In the secondary tree, the Sorcery branch, you will select 2 points in Manaflow Band and Nimbus Cloak. In case you encounter long-range Mage champions against you, the Inspiration branch with the Time Warp Tonic rune is an excellent choice.
For itemization, Everfrost is, of course, the Mythic item you aim for. The next 2 items players should purchase when playing Kassadin are Zhonya’s Hourglass and Riftmaker. In cases where players struggle against enemy Mages, it’s advisable to buy a Life Crystal early on.
In conclusion, with the buffs to Everfrost, Kassadin has truly become the “boss” in the mid lane. Players should take advantage of the Void Traveler to rank up effectively at this time.