Elise in League of Legends is well-known for her strong ganking and tower-diving abilities in the early game. Therefore, the keystone that focuses on quick burst damage like Electrocute has been associated with Elise for quite some time. However, everything changed in Season 11 when many Korean masters began to use the Press the Attack keystone for Elise. So what caused this change in Elise’s playstyle? Let’s find out!
First, we need to rewind a bit to version 10.23. In this version that marked the beginning of the Preseason 2021, Riot Games added the ability to apply attack effects to Elise’s Q in spider form. This made it incredibly quick for Elise to activate Press the Attack when switching to spider form. As a result, new masters gradually started using Press the Attack for this champion.
This new playstyle for Elise allows her to maintain very good damage in spider form. Even if the opponent dodges the Cocoon in human form, Elise can still approach and attack enemy champions very effectively with this new build. This gives Elise stronger dueling capabilities and jungle stealing potential without being overly reliant on ganking like before.
Remember that when Press the Attack is activated, enemy champions will take additional damage from all sources, including Elise’s spiderlings. With such overwhelming numbers, Elise and her spiderlings can easily “melt” the enemy jungler. Even in gank situations, the Press the Attack keystone also adds a significant amount of damage for Elise’s teammates.
For building Elise with Press the Attack, you should take damage-enhancing runes in the Precision tree such as Legend: Attack Speed, and Coup de Grace. In the secondary tree, the Simple Shot rune is the most suitable for Elise as it interacts very well with the Cocoon ability. You can choose the Ravenous Hunter rune to increase healing when farming the jungle, or the Relentless Hunter if you want more mobility.
In terms of itemization, Elise with Press the Attack will choose the Blade of the Ruined King instead of the Iceborn Gauntlet as a starting item. The reason is that Challenging Smite will provide excellent dueling potential for Elise. Combined with the Press the Attack keystone, Elise will truly become a “monster” when diving into 1v1 fights in the jungle.
The Mythic item you should aim for is the Night Harvester as it provides Elise with all the stats she needs such as AP, health, cooldown reduction, and movement speed. For the second item, players can opt for the safe route by building Zhonya’s Hourglass. If you want to increase damage, Nashor’s Tooth is an excellent item. After that, items focused on self-protection or countering opponents like the Zeke’s Convergence or the Morellonomicon are very suitable for Elise.
In summary, Elise with Press the Attack will significantly enhance this champion’s sustained damage and dueling capabilities. If you are looking for a “fresh breeze” for Elise, then the Press the Attack playstyle is the perfect choice.