Kayn can be described as a champion with a very strange fate in League of Legends. He is designed to have two transformation forms, but in 90% of matches, he turns into Rhaast. While other champions become strong after just a few buffs, Kayn needed 11. Ultimately, he was created as a jungle champion, but made his debut in the meta as a top lane champion.
It was during the 11th buff in patch 10.9 when the additional damage from his Q – Reaping Slash also applied to minions in lane, and the slow from W – Shadow Step increased from 70% to 90%, that Kayn began to appear more frequently in the top lane. Previously, Kayn could only jungle due to his fastest jungle clear speed; farming in the solo lane was too difficult, pushing the lane was not effective, and he couldn’t control the wave.
Revisiting the first issue of Kayn – Rhaast’s form is too strong compared to the Shadow Assassin form – when in the jungle position, you have to roam around lanes, gank, or at least attack opponents. With a diverse champion pool in various roles, it’s impossible to have enough points to evolve into one form early. However, in the top lane, it’s different; probably 99% of matchups here will face melee champions, so just exchanging abilities normally with opponents can allow you to transform into Rhaast very early.
Moreover, in a traditional laning role, the amount of resources you receive will certainly be much greater than when farming in the jungle. The nature of Rhaast requires him to “spin” in team fights and use W – Shadow Step multiple times to knock up opponents, which makes him even more dependent on items. This is why the trend of top lane Kayn is becoming increasingly popular and is gradually becoming a meta.
So how should you build top lane Kayn? Conqueror is definitely the number one choice for this death dealer because it provides incredibly strong stats and fits the nature of Rhaast – strong recovery. The points that increase recovery in the Precision tree, such as Triumph or Ravenous Hunter, are also very suitable for this champion.
For essential items, the three items including Black Cleaver, Death’s Dance, and Spirit Visage are indispensable for top lane Kayn. Black Cleaver with 20% cooldown reduction, bonus health, and attack damage along with its passive fits perfectly with the champion’s prolonged fighting nature, making it the first item to build. Death’s Dance with its stats and passive significantly enhances survival is a comprehensive offensive and defensive item in the mid-game. Spirit Visage further amplifies recovery and achieves 40% cooldown reduction.
After acquiring these three essential items, most games will already be decided. If not, adding Guardian Angel to increase survival is also a good idea. In summary, top lane Kayn is a playstyle that maximizes the power of Rhaast with various items for durability, early evolution, and not being confined to the responsibilities of a jungle champion.
In the upcoming patch 10.10, Riot Games will slightly reduce the healing ability of Rhaast, but fundamentally, it will not significantly change this playstyle. Even after the forthcoming nerf, top lane Kayn still promises to be an incredibly strong and annoying playstyle in solo queue.