Best supports to play with kai’sa in Lol: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Playstyle
Kai’Sa is a mobile marksman who excels in dealing mixed damage (physical and magic) and is known for her vast scaling potential. One of her strengths is the ability to isolate and burst down a single target, utilizing Q (Icathian Rain) and her passive, Second Skin, which deals significant damage when fully stacked. Her E (Supercharger) gives her kiting potential, and Kai’Sa’s ultimate, R (Killer Instinct), allows her to engage or reposition during fights.
However, Kai’Sa is squishy and lacks Crowd Control (CC). She’s also heavily reliant on her support to set up plays and protect her during the laning phase. Therefore, when pairing her with a support, it’s essential to choose a champion that can provide initiation, CC, and peel for Kai’Sa—allowing her to maximize her damage output safely.
Top 6 Supports to Pair with Kai’Sa:
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Alistar
Abilities and Synergy
- Q (Pulverize): AOE knock-up
- W (Headbutt): Targeted dash and knock-back
- E (Trample): AOE damage and stun after trampling enemies
- R (Unbreakable Will): Removes CC and damage reduction
Alistar offers a strong initiation with Q-W combo to engage, isolate enemies, or protect Kai’Sa from threats. His tankiness and CC make Alistar a perfect frontline to peel for Kai’Sa during fights.
Recommended Items and Runes
- Items: Locket of the Iron Solari, Zeke’s Convergence, Knight’s Vow
- Runes: Aftershock, Font of Life, Conditioning, Unflinching, Biscuit Delivery, Cosmic Insight
- Kai’Sa Items: Kraken Slayer, The Collector, Runaan’s Hurricane
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Blitzcrank
Abilities and Synergy
- Q (Rocket Grab): Long-range hook that pulls enemies
- W (Overdrive): Movement and attack speed boost
- E (Power Fist): Knock-up on next basic attack
- R (Static Field): AOE damage and silence
Blitzcrank’s hook creates opportunities to isolate enemies for Kai’Sa to burst down. His knock-up and silence offer additional CC and peel for her during skirmishes.
Recommended Items and Runes
- Items: Locket of the Iron Solari, Zeke’s Convergence, Frozen Heart
- Runes: Aftershock, Font of Life, Bone Plating, Unflinching, Biscuit Delivery, Cosmic Insight
- Kai’Sa Items: Kraken Slayer, The Collector, Runaan’s Hurricane
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Nautilus
Abilities and Synergy
- Q (Dredge Line): Hook that pulls both Nautilus and the enemy
- W (Titan’s Wrath): Shield and AOE damage
- E (Riptide): AOE damage and slow
- R (Depth Charge): Targeted knock-up and a stun
Nautilus’ Q and R provide great initiation and lockdown to set up kills for Kai’Sa. His passive, Staggering Blow, also allows for additional crowd control when attacking enemies. With his abilities and tankiness, Nautilus can easily peel for Kai’Sa during teamfights and keep her safe while she deals damage.
To synergize well with Kai’Sa, a support champion should have abilities that enhance her strengths and cover her weaknesses. Below, we have outlined the top five support champions to pair with Kai’Sa and provided recommendations for optimal item builds and runes for each pairing.
Nautilus is the perfect support for Kai’Sa in the bot lane. His kit provides strong crowd control and tankiness to protect her while she deals damage. With a combination of shield and AOE damage from his W (Titan’s Wrath), AOE damage and slow from his E (Riptide), and targeted knock-up and stun from his R (Depth Charge), Nautilus can easily set up kills for Kai’Sa. Additionally, his passive Staggering Blow allows for even more crowd control when attacking enemies.
To further enhance their synergy, there are recommended items and runes that can benefit both Kai’Sa and Nautilus. For Kai’Sa, the core items to build are Infinity Edge and Phantom Dancer. These two items provide her with increased attack speed, critical strike chance, movement speed, and damage. The combination of these two items allows Kai’Sa to deal significant amounts of damage while also having enough survivability to stay in fights.
For Nautilus, Guardian Angel is a highly recommended item. This provides him with a second life in teamfights, making it difficult for enemies to take him down quickly. In addition, this item gives him armor and magic resist, allowing him to be even tankier for his team.
4. Rell
Rell is a tanky support champion with great engage, crowd control abilities, and strong teamfight initiation. Her abilities can help keep an enemy locked in place while Kai’Sa bursts them down.
Why Rell is a good fit for Kai’Sa:
- Rell’s W (Crash Down) and E (Attract and Repel) can keep an enemy stunned for Kai’Sa to take down quickly
- Rell’s ultimate (Magnet Storm) can bring enemies together, making it easier for Kai’Sa to hit multiple targets with her passive and abilities
Recommended items for Kai’Sa:
- Kraken Slayer
- Berserker’s Greaves
- The Collector
- Runaan’s Hurricane
- Infinity Edge
- Guardian Angel
Recommended runes for Kai’Sa:
- Primary: Precision (Press the Attack, Triumph, Legend: Bloodline, Coup de Grace)
- Secondary: Domination (Taste of Blood, Ravenous Hunter)
Recommended items for Rell:
- Locket of the Iron Solari
- Mobility Boots
- Zeke’s Convergence
- Thornmail
- Redemption
- Knight’s Vow
Recommended runes for Rell:
- Primary: Resolve (Aftershock, Font of Life, Conditioning, Overgrowth)
- Secondary: Inspiration (Biscuit Delivery, Cosmic Insight)
As for runes, Fleet Footwork is an excellent choice for Kai’Sa. This keystone provides her with sustain through the lane phase and increases her mobility in teamfights. For Nautilus, Aftershock is a strong option as it gives him extra armor and magic resist when he engages on enemies.
In terms of playstyle, Kai’Sa should focus on farming early on to reach her power spike with Infinity Edge and Phantom Dancer. She can also look for opportunities to use her ultimate to dive onto low health enemies or escape dangerous situations. In teamfights, she should position herself carefully and utilize her abilities to deal damage from a safe distance.
5. Thresh
Thresh is a utility support with excellent engage and disengage potential. His abilities can help Kai’Sa survive difficult situations and create pick opportunities for her to capitalize on.
Why Thresh is a good fit for Kai’Sa:
- Thresh’s Q (Death Sentence) can pick off enemies for Kai’Sa to burst down
- Thresh’s W (Lantern) can save Kai’Sa from poor positioning or help her follow up on a hook
Recommended items for Thresh:
- Locket of the Iron Solari
- Mobility Boots
- Zeke’s Convergence
- Redemption
- Knight’s Vow
- Wardstone
Recommended runes for Thresh:
- Primary: Resolve (Aftershock, Font of Life, Bone Plating, Unflinching)
- Secondary: Inspiration (Hextech Flashtraption, Cosmic Insight)
6. Amumu
Amumu is a tanky engage support with great crowd control and initiation capabilities. He provides excellent lockdown for Kai’Sa to quickly eliminate enemy carries.
Why Amumu is a good fit for Kai’Sa:
- Amumu’s Q (Bandage Toss) can engage onto enemies, allowing Kai’Sa to follow up
- Amumu’s ultimate (Curse of the Sad Mummy) can lock down enemies for Kai’Sa to deal damage
- Recommended items for Amumu:
- Knight’s Vow
- Locket of the Iron Solari
- Warmog’s Armor
- Frozen Heart
- Righteous Glory
- Dead Man’s Plate
Recommended runes for Amumu:
- Primary: Resolve (Aftershock, Font of Life, Conditioning, Overgrowth)
- Secondary: Inspiration (Hextech Flashtraption, Cosmic Insight)
