by wasabi

[4.1a] Rakan Guide - [GM] AP Rakan Support Guide S7/8

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*SLOWLY UPDATING FOR EACH PATCH!*
Patch 4.1a
April 28, 2023 00:06
Support

[GM] AP Rakan Support Guide S7/8

Rakan is absolutely the most fun support in the game, and one of the funniest voiceline wise :) I hope to share my knowledge on this bird with you all. 300 games M7 and 59.9% wr I peaked in GM and have played solo-queue all of my games with a 60% wr

Pros

  • Lots of CC
  • Large shield and heal for you and allies
  • Slippery playstyle makes you hard to catch
  • Great against dive/assassin champions
  • Good disengage and engage
  • Great teamfight capability and pick potential

Cons

  • Hard CC completely negates him
  • Die easily if you get caught
  • Lack of synergy in solo-q teams makes him difficult
  • Can't be played as the only tank/engage
  • High cooldowns early game

Rakan Build

Best Build Guide for Rakan

Boots
Mercury's Treads
Plated Steelcaps
Ionian Boots of Lucidity
Meteor Enchant
Redeeming Enchant
Locket Enchant
Core Items
Rod of Ages
Imperial Mandate
Rabadon's Deathcap
Damage items
Luden's Echo
Void Staff
Infinity Orb
Situational
Staff of Flowing Waters
Ardent Censer
Crystalline Reflector
Banshee's Veil
Morellonomicon
Defense/tank
Force of Nature
Dead Man's Plate
Spirit Visage
Thornmail
Protector's Vow

Item Build Description

Additional information on the items

STARTING ITEMS

For support item I always go Relic ShieldRelic Shield , I used to go sickle but there's just no point now since its 

A) much easier to stack now for every support.

B) more gold, faster.

C) Rakan got hit with the nerf hammer and now his CD is too long to poke whatsoever.


BOOTS/BOOT ENCHANTS

For boots you have three choices, Ionian Boots of LucidityIonian Boots of Lucidity , Plated SteelcapsPlated Steelcaps , or Mercury's TreadsMercury's Treads . Of course this depends on the team comp, more crowd control? Choose merc treads. More armor? Plated steelcaps. You can go lucidity if you have a really good early game and can afford to go without the extra protection from boots. 

For boot enchants you also have three options. I rarely use locket myself but if their team has say an AP MalphiteMalphite or hard hitting AP champs like KatarinaKatarina or AkaliAkali it's good to pick up. For your other options you have redemption and meteor. Meteor is for when you want to do more damage and feel secure in your team like you can get in CC and get out, dropping the meteor while the enemy is CC'd does some good combo damage. Redemption is for when the enemy has a lot of champions that want to jump on you (mostly AD assassins like RengarRengar , ZedZed ) or bruisers/tanks like Jarvan IvJarvan Iv , RivenRiven , AlistarAlistar , the list goes on.


CORE ITEMS

When it comes to core items I think the only absolute core item is Rod of AgesRod of Ages . Combined with the ConditioningConditioning rune this is a great scaling item for AP Rakan, allowing him to go in and out without dying to skills immediately. Beside that I feel like Imperial MandateImperial Mandate is an alright support core item for Rakan depending if you want to play enchanter Rakan or burst Rakan. Rabadons is a no brainer, you won't heal as much as a Soraka but the difference this item makes on your heals and shields is amazing. It'll save you a lot of close call battles.


BURST/DAMAGE ITEMS

Damage items are few for Rakan because if you play him in a mage-burst play style you want to be able to kill in one combo and then immediately get out. So you have to go with the hard hitting item combo of Luden's EchoLuden's Echo > Infinity OrbInfinity Orb > Rabadon's DeathcapRabadon's Deathcap > Void StaffVoid Staff

You can go ludens after RoA or forgo RoA altogether though you'll have a rougher time as a new Rakan player if you skip RoA. I tend to mix damage and enchanter items together like a void staff late game for the even juicier shields and heals. Though if you have a great time in lane and get ahead you can go pure damage after RoA and you will practically one-shot any squishy mages ( AnnieAnnie , VeigarVeigar , etc) or supports ( YuumiYuumi , LuluLulu , etc). If you play burst Rakan you basically play like an AP assassin. 


SITUATIONAL ITEMS

Typically if I play enchanter Rakan I will only go imperial mandate, HOWEVER. If your team has a hypercarry like Jax, Jinx, Caitlyn, Veigar, or one of your teammates just gets incredibly ahead and you want to boost them even more these are the items I suggest:

Other enchanter items just don't fit as well as these two typical choices. I used to play unholy grail with Rakan but it was removed unfortunately.

For other situational items you have:


DEFENSE ITEMS

Now, this is something I wasn't really into before because tank Rakan has always felt useless to me. Above are listed the situational defense items I'd suggest after a Rod of AgesRod of Ages and possible Imperial MandateImperial Mandate . Late game amaranth twinguard is also great for that bonus tenacity for Rakan.

Rakan Runes

Best Runes for Rakan

Keystone
Aftershock
Aftershock
Domination
Triumph
Triumph
Resolve
Second Wind
Second Wind
Inspiration
Hunter Genius
Hunter Genius

Here is the current AP support build I run in pretty much every single one of my games only going between ElectrocuteElectrocute and AftershockAftershock depending on who we go versus in lane. Aftershock is better vs any heavy poke and combined with Bone PlatingBone Plating it really helps in the early game to negate a lot of that damage if you don't prefer the scaling of the conditioning rune.

NEW: Due to second wind update in the recent patch, it's good into heavy poke enemy lane. Bone plating/hunter titan/conditioning are all still good options.

Skill Order

How to distribute skill points

Fey Feathers
Fey Feathers - Passive
Gleaming Quill
Gleaming Quill
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Grand Entrance
Grand Entrance
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Battle Dance
Battle Dance
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
The Quickness
The Quickness
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Summoner Spells

When to take which summoners

Exhaust
Take exhaust vs any assassin champion like Akali, Katarina, Diana, Zed.
Heal
Heal is what you'll go in a majority of games though it falls off late game it gives you an advantage in those early game skirmishes and can potentially save your ally
Ignite
Good for snowballing lane phase + electrocute if your duo didn't take it themselves
Flash
Take this every game. There are too many situations in which Rakan will not be able to use his dashing abilities

Combos

Learn how to maximize the champions potential

Grand Entrance
2nd
Gleaming Quill
1st
Battle Dance
3rd

Quick poke trade combo, you can cast battle dance to an ally to cover distance and then grand entrance into gleaming quill. You can then recast battle dance to heal your ally as well.

Battle Dance
3rd
Grand Entrance
2nd
The Quickness
Ult
Battle Dance
3rd

Again, to cover distance (if need be) you can cast battle dance on the ally currently engaged in a skirmish/teamfight then Battle DanceBattle Dance into The QuicknessThe Quickness for quick CC combo. If its just one or two enemies you can space out your activation of the quickness to see if you can get their flashes or hold them in place for a bit longer. Naturally you should be able to pull off this combo before the recast timer on battle dance ends or you can be caught with no way to return to safety.

Battle Dance
3rd
The Quickness
Ult
Grand Entrance
2nd
Battle Dance
3rd

Once again, battle dance into an ally currently engaging in combat into the quickness then a grand entrance is an extremely long crowd control chain that can hold enemies in place just long enough for burst champions to do their work. This combo works greatest when there is a champion that has already engaged for you like a Malphite, Diana, basically anyone with an AOE crowd control skill. Even a well placed Event HorizonEvent Horizon from VeigarVeigar can work wonders with this combo.

The Quickness
Ult
Battle Dance
3rd
Grand Entrance
2nd
Battle Dance
3rd

You can activate your ultimate the quickness before going in to immediately crowd control any champion that you touch followed up by battle dance if you need to close distance or grand entrance to lengthen the control time.

Gleaming Quill
1st

This isn't a combo but I wanted to elaborate on the use of Gleaming QuillGleaming Quill in a separate spot. Due to its nerf in a patch or two ago its use as a poke tool is basically none. You can't heal allies or poke from a safe distance like you used to. Basically try to use the quill every time you hit someone with grand entrance to be able to guarantee a heal hits, there isn't really any other use from this skill now.

Rakan Matchups & Counters

Detailed information on how to play matchups and counters

Akshan
Easy
Akshan
Brand
Easy
Brand
Camille
Easy
Camille
Corki
Easy
Corki
Dr. Mundo
Easy
Dr. Mundo
Garen
Easy
Garen
Jarvan Iv
Easy
Jarvan Iv
Jax
Easy
Jax
Jinx
Easy
Jinx
Kassadin
Easy
Kassadin
Katarina
Easy
Katarina
Kayle
Easy
Kayle
Lucian
Easy
Lucian
Lulu
Easy
Lulu
Lux
Easy
Lux
Malphite
Easy
Malphite
Miss Fortune
Easy
Miss Fortune
Nunu & Willump
Easy
Nunu & Willump
Samira
Easy
Samira
Senna
Easy
Senna
Sion
Easy
Sion
Sona
Easy
Sona
Teemo
Easy
Teemo
Tryndamere
Easy
Tryndamere
Vex
Easy
Vex
Yuumi
Easy
Yuumi
Ahri
Medium
Ahri
Akali
Medium
Akali
Ashe
Medium
Ashe
Braum
Medium
Braum
Diana
Medium
Diana
Draven
Medium
Draven
Ekko
Medium
Ekko
Evelynn
Medium
Evelynn
Ezreal
Medium
Ezreal
Graves
Medium
Graves
Gwen
Medium
Gwen
Jayce
Medium
Jayce
Jhin
Medium
Jhin
Kai'sa
Medium
Kai'sa
Lee Sin
Medium
Lee Sin
Nasus
Medium
Nasus
Orianna
Medium
Orianna
Pantheon
Medium
Pantheon
Renekton
Medium
Renekton
Riven
Medium
Riven
Shen
Medium
Shen
Shyvana
Medium
Shyvana
Soraka
Medium
Soraka
Tristana
Medium
Tristana
Twisted Fate
Medium
Twisted Fate
Varus
Medium
Varus
Vi
Medium
Vi
Warwick
Medium
Warwick
Wukong
Medium
Wukong
Xin Zhao
Medium
Xin Zhao
Ziggs
Medium
Ziggs
Zoe
Medium
Zoe
Alistar
Hard
Alistar
Amumu
Hard
Amumu
Caitlyn
Hard
Caitlyn
Darius
Hard
Darius
Galio
Hard
Galio
Irelia
Hard
Irelia
Karma
Hard
Karma
Kennen
Hard
Kennen
Leona
Hard
Leona
Lillia
Hard
Lillia
Morgana
Hard
Morgana
Nautilus
Hard
Nautilus
Olaf
Hard
Olaf
Pyke
Hard
Pyke
Rammus
Hard
Rammus
Sett
Hard
Sett
Singed
Hard
Singed
Thresh
Hard
Thresh
Vayne
Hard
Vayne
Veigar
Hard
Veigar
Annie
Skill
Annie
Aurelion Sol
Skill
Aurelion Sol
Blitzcrank
Skill
Blitzcrank
Fiora
Skill
Fiora
Fizz
Skill
Fizz
Gragas
Skill
Gragas
Janna
Skill
Janna
Kha'Zix
Skill
Kha'Zix
Master Yi
Skill
Master Yi
Nami
Skill
Nami
Rakan
Skill
Rakan
Rengar
Skill
Rengar
Seraphine
Skill
Seraphine
Xayah
Skill
Xayah
Yasuo
Skill
Yasuo
Yone
Skill
Yone
Zed
Skill
Zed

Akshan is just so annoying to go against but not a very hard match-up no matter how good the Akshan is. He has nothing to stop you from intiating on him aside from repositioning using his grappling hook Heroic SwingHeroic Swing .

Rakan

TEAM SYNERGY

While Rakan has a a few hard counters, did you know that these same counters actually synergize well with Rakan? He loves and hates hard CC champs. Here are some champions he synergizes well with both in and out of lane.

  • AmumuAmumu has great CC with his ultimate Curse Of The Sad MummyCurse Of The Sad Mummy which Rakan can follow up on using his own Grand EntranceGrand Entrance + The QuicknessThe Quickness
  • AsheAshe is nice only in the fact her passive Frost ShotFrost Shot allows you to hit your Grand EntranceGrand Entrance easier in lane. Otherwise she doesn't really have the damage to capitalize on the time Rakan gives her to kill an enemy.
  • CaitlynCaitlyn is great because of her traps Yordle Snap TrapYordle Snap Trap which she can place under the allies you knock-up/charm, this lets her hit consecutive headshots and is definitely one of the better adcs to partner with Rakan.
  • DariusDarius is just fine on his own especially if he gets fed, but paired with a Rakan that can peel for him in the form of heals, shields, etc, he can be unstoppable as it lets him hit the sweet spot on his DecimateDecimate . Also you can get a sweet CC chain if he manages to grab several people with his ApprehendApprehend .
  • DianaDiana is one of the few mages I love to support as a Rakan. If she's jungling or midlane you can set up amazing ganks for her with Grand EntranceGrand Entrance + The QuicknessThe Quickness into her MoonfallMoonfall which is almost always a guaranteed kill or a few.
  • DravenDraven is another adc I love to lane with. His enhanced autos with Spinning AxeSpinning Axe give him a large advantage in lane and with Rakan he has more of a chance of cashing his League Of DravenLeague Of Draven stacks. This combo really powerspikes at level two when Rakan can have Grand EntranceGrand Entrance and Battle DanceBattle Dance to safely engage and disengage.
  • EkkoEkko can be an interesting synergy, but he has to be able to stun targets with his Parallel ConvergenceParallel Convergence before you can go in. You can also engage while enemies are in his circle to guarantee he gets the stun off.
  • EzrealEzreal is a special case because I honestly don't know what supports even work best with him with how he plays. Rakan is fine though, and what's the most fun is the surprise initiation the two of you can have with Ezreal's Essence FluxEssence Flux and Rakan's Battle DanceBattle Dance because you can gap close very quickly.
  • FizzFizz is not the best but if he's one of the only one of your allies doing well, sticking with him can solo carry a game. The pick potential the two of you will have is amazing as Fizz's ult Chum The WatersChum The Waters has a low cooldown after early game.
  • GalioGalio is one of my favorite midlaners to play with. His ultimate Hero's EntranceHero's Entrance is much easier to land when ulting on Rakan while The QuicknessThe Quickness is active. You can also combo well with his Shield Of DurandShield Of Durand + Justice PunchJustice Punch .
  • GwenGwen doesn't do much of anything in terms of CC, but if you can peel for her it sets her up extremely nicely.
  • IreliaIrelia is the same as Gwen, but she has CC. Irelia suffers worst against hard CC so if you can soak it up for her and shield/her her simultaneously then a 0/5 Irelia can go from that to being 12/5.
  • Jarvan IvJarvan Iv wants people to stay in his ultimate CataclysmCataclysm which with how mobile most of the champions are these days, is a bit hard. Rakan makes it a lot easier for him. Pair these two with decent burst champions such as KatarinaKatarina and it's quite a deadly combo.
  • JaxJax is similar to Irelia, and with having 600hp heals full build + a similar shield you'll do wonders in protecting him so he'll more than likely never die. A force to be reckoned with. However, you should see a Jax with a LuluLulu and Veil EnchantVeil Enchant combo.
  • JhinJhin is fine. His passive WhisperWhisper fourth shot can really catch people off guard in the early game and change the tide of close call skirmishes. This is how you'll press your early game advantage. Rakan's CC sets up for his Deadly FlourishDeadly Flourish as well. Jhin loves any support than can engage and disengage for him so Rakan is naturally great with him.
  • Kai'saKai'sa is an alright pairing in the duo lane. I see her working better with enchanters like LuluLulu , NamiNami , or YuumiYuumi . But Rakan also works, because he can hold them in place for Kai'sa to get her Second SkinSecond Skin going + land Icathian RainIcathian Rain on isolated targets.
  • KatarinaKatarina is a bit hard to work with, because she's always jumping everywhere. However, if you can time your ult + grand entrance with her ultimate Death LotusDeath Lotus , she can get a ton of damage in and possibly kills for her resets.
  • KennenKennen is a great set-up for Rakan with his ultimate Slicing MaelstromSlicing Maelstrom . Combo your CC with yours and it alone can win teamfights especially since Kennen's ult cannot be cancelled.
  • LucianLucian works great with any number of supports because he's just broken (though he works best with NamiNami because of her Tidecaller's BlessingTidecaller's Blessing ) and Rakan can hold enemies in place long enough for him to get a load of damage in with his passive LightslingerLightslinger .
  • LuxLux is an alright combo with Rakan, his cc makes it easier for her to land her Final SparkFinal Spark and Light BindingLight Binding .
  • MalphiteMalphite is only good at one thing and that is hitting his ultimate Unstoppable ForceUnstoppable Force which is an AOE CC skill, pairing this with your CC is just as good as playing with an Amumu.
  • Master YiMaster Yi works better with other enchanter supports such as LuluLulu but Rakan can definitely hold enemies down long enough with his skills for a decent Master Yi to decimate enemies.
  • NautilusNautilus is great for Rakan, he can set up for Rakan with his ultimate Depth ChargeDepth Charge or even use it after Rakan's initation.
  • OriannaOrianna can place her ball on Rakan using Command: ProtectCommand: Protect to set off her ultimate Command: ShockwaveCommand: Shockwave in tandem with his initiation for a great CC chain.
  • PantheonPantheon 's point and click stun on his Comet SpearComet Spear has great pick potential with Rakan's combo. His ultimate Grand StarfallGrand Starfall is also great initiation for Rakan.
  • RammusRammus , I think you get the point by now that pretty much every CC heavy tank champion combos extremely well with Rakan. The turtle's ultimate Soaring SlamSoaring Slam is a great teamfight initiation skill.
  • SamiraSamira loves engage supports. They keep enemies in place for her ultimate Inferno TriggerInferno Trigger + works with her passive Daredevil ImpulseDaredevil Impulse .
  • SeraphineSeraphine is similar to Rakan in how she can affect teamfights with a single skill, comboing or setting up for her allows for both her and Rakan to land their CC a lot easier.
  • If SettSett or ShenShen can disrupt multiple enemies using their skills FacebreakerFacebreaker and Shadow DashShadow Dash then they're also good combinations for Rakan. Shen can also use his ultimate Stand UnitedStand United on Rakan when he goes in for an easier time hitting his Shadow DashShadow Dash .
  • ShyvanaShyvana also has a bit of a hard time being the teams only engage with her ultimate Dragon's DescentDragon's Descent unless she's ahead. Having an ally with another CC loaded set makes her life a lot easier.
  • SionSion can land his Q Decimating SmashDecimating Smash a lot easier if Rakan sets up for him leading to a veryyyy long CC chain.
  • TristanaTristana is a burst marksman who can make great use of the time Rakan gives her with his CC combo.
  • Twisted FateTwisted Fate also has great pick potential with Rakan with his yellow card from Pick A CardPick A Card .
  • VarusVarus 's ultimate Chain Of CorruptionChain Of Corruption works great with Rakan especially if it can spread in the time Rakan has locked down the enemies, which can root more than one champion.
  • VeigarVeigar only works well with Rakan if he can get a good Event HorizonEvent Horizon off or use it after Rakan's skills so the enemy is forced to flash or die.
  • ViVi has great initation with her Q Vault BreakerVault Breaker and ultimate Assault And BatteryAssault And Battery . Together Vi and Rakan are great teamfight interrupters with their CC, and with how Vi's ult works they can easily focus down the enemy's carries.
  • WarwickWarwick can land his ultimate Infinite DuressInfinite Duress easier on a stunned target.
  • WukongWukong is 100% my favorite teammate to have. His ultimate CycloneCyclone combined with Rakan's grand entrance and ultimate is incredibly good. This is one of the best teammates for Rakan because of how well they can set up for each other and the rest of their teammates.
  • XayahXayah is Rakan's lover, how can they not work well together? Playing with Xayah mains makes Rakan feel so much more fluid with their passives in Fey FeathersFey Feathers , Battle DanceBattle Dance (longer dash distance if aimed at Xayah), and Deadly PlumageDeadly Plumage which allows the two to shred turret platings with ease. It's also easier for Xayah to land her BladecallerBladecaller on stunned enemies and vice versa.
  • YasuoYasuo adc with Rakan is an absolute menace. His ultimate triggers on any airborne/knock-up ability which includes Rakan's Grand EntranceGrand Entrance . Paired with Yasuo's Wind WallWind Wall he can also stop Rakan from getting poked out. Together they can initiate extremely well for their team. Seriously, I played with a Yasuo one trick in ranked in bot lane and he was 14/0 by game end.
  • YoneYone is trickier to work with compared to his brother because he can easily close distance with Soul UnboundSoul Unbound , Fate SealedFate Sealed , and Mortal SteelMortal Steel , making it hard for Rakan to initiate with him. If Rakan goes in before him it can work out but its hard to do that in solo-q. 


Rakan

POWERSPIKE

  • Rakan's first and most important powerspike his his level two when he can start safely initiating using Grand EntranceGrand Entrance + Battle DanceBattle Dance .
  • Second is when he gets his ultimate or Rod of AgesRod of Ages , as its when he can really start pulling off his combos.

Most of Rakan's powerspikes feel situational. Be aware of your adcs powerspikes as well because Rakan cannot do anything alone like he used to pre-Q ( Gleaming QuillGleaming Quill ) nerf where it had a longer range, allowing you to safely heal. Not only do you have to understand your adc but your other teammates as well, for instance a Rakan should not initiate on his own when his allied Amumu doesn't have his ultimate to follow up with.

Rakan

WHEN TO PICK

Never pick Rakan into heavy CC comps because they can make Rakan irrelevant pretty quickly. Rakan works best with burst adcs like TristanaTristana or JhinJhin , he can also work with the later game adcs like JinxJinx who want to have a safe early game. Picking him with Yasuos with whom you are confident in can be an amazing and usually, free, game as well.

Basically, you want a lot a good initator on your team while having next to no hard counters on the enemy side.

Rakan

misc/examples


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