Kalista is the hardest ADC mechanically. Every auto hops you, requiring constant mouse movement. Her E rend stacks deal devastating burst, and her R can save or engage with her support.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Martial Poise
Passive
Enter a movement command while winding up Kalista's basic attack or Pierce to lunge a short distance when she launches her attack.
Martial Poise: every auto hops you in your movement direction. You MUST be moving while auto-attacking. Click between every auto.
Q
Pierce
Skillshot · Pierce
Throw a fast moving spear that passes through enemies it kills.
CD: 9 · Cost: 60/65/70/75/80
Q throws a spear that pierces. If it kills a unit, it transfers all rend stacks to the next target hit.
W
Sentinel
Sentinel · Vision
Gain bonus damage when Kalista and her Oathsworn strike the same target. Activate to send a soul to scout out the path, revealing the area in front of it.
CD: 30 · Cost: 0
W sends a sentinel that reveals areas. Also, your Oathsworn (bound support) procs bonus magic damage on shared targets.
E
Rend
Rend · Execute · Reset
Attacks impale their targets with spears. Activate to rip the spears out, slowing and dealing escalating damage.
CD: 0 · Cost: 30
E rends all spears from enemies, dealing stacking damage. Use on minions for CS + mana refund. 50+ stacks on dragon = unsmitable.
R
Fate's Call
Save Ally · Knockup
Kalista teleports the Oathsworn ally to herself. They gain the ability to dash toward a position, knocking enemy champions back.
CD: 160/140/120 · Cost: 100
R pulls your Oathsworn to you and they can recast to dash and knock up enemies. Use to save your support or engage.
Skill Leveling Order — Max E first, then Q, then W · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take E — rend | ||||
| 2 | Take Q — pierce | ||||
| 3 | Take W — sentinel | ||||
| 4 | Level E | ||||
| 5 | Level E | ||||
| 6 | R — Fate's Call | ||||
| 7 | Level E | ||||
| 8 | Level Q | ||||
| 9 | E maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level Q | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level Q | ||||
| 13 | Level Q | ||||
| 14 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 15 | Level W | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level W | ||||
| 18 | W maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Summoner Spells
Primary
Flash
Best repositioning tool — engage, escape and combo extension
Secondary
Heal
Sustain through poke trades plus burst movement speed
Situational
Ignite
Cleanse
Ignite
Cleanse
Core Build
Kraken Slayer
True damage with rapid hop-autos.
3100g
Berserker's Greaves
AS for faster hops.
1100g
Blade of the Ruined King
%HP on-hit + lifesteal. Core on Kalista.
3200g
Runaan's Hurricane
Bolts apply rend stacks to 3 targets.
2600g
Situational
Infinity Edge
Crit multiplier.
3400g
Lord Dominik's Regards
Armor pen.
2900g
Guardian Angel
Revive.
3200g
Kraken → BotRK → Runaan's. Stack rend spears on everything, then E.
Runes
Precision Primary
Lethal Tempo
Stacking AS = faster hops = more rend stacks.
Triumph
Heal on takedown.
Legend: Alacrity
AS.
Coup de Grace
Execute.
Domination Secondary
Taste of Blood
Sustain.
Treasure Hunter
Gold.
Shards
Attack Speed · Adaptive Force · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Kalista
01
Early Game
Hop and Trade
- Auto-attack while moving constantly. Click direction → auto → click → auto. Every auto hops.
- E rend on minions refunds mana if it kills. Use for efficient CS.
- W passive: you + your Oathsworn auto the same target = bonus magic damage. Coordinate trades.
- E stacks enemies and minions simultaneously. Rend the minion to secure CS AND damage the champion.
- You're strong level 1-3. Your hop-kiting wins most early trades.
02
Mid Game
Rend Execute Objectives
- Stack rend spears on dragon/baron. 30+ stacks = unsmitable secure with E.
- R your support into the enemy team for a knockup engage. Or R to save them from death.
- Runaan's applies rend stacks to 3 targets simultaneously. E rends all of them.
- W sentinels scout objectives. Free vision.
- Keep hopping in fights. If you stop moving, you lose all your DPS and mobility.
03
Late Game
Kiting Machine
- You fall off vs other hypercarries in raw DPS. Win through objective control with E rend.
- E rend on 50+ stacks deals 2000+ damage to baron/dragon. Unsmitable.
- R engage: R support → they dash + knockup → you follow up.
- Hop constantly. You're uncatchable if you keep auto-attacking and moving.
- BotRK + Runaan's + rend stacks = devastating AoE burst on E.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Kalista
Kalista hops and stacks rend spears, then E for massive burst. R engages or saves the support.
1
Stack — Auto and Hop
Rend stacking
01
Auto-attack while hopping. Every auto adds a rend spear.
02
Runaan's bolts stack on 3 targets.
03
Keep moving. If you stop, you die.
Kalista's hop distance scales with boot tier. Always upgrade boots early.
2
Burst — E Rend
AoE execute
01
E when targets have 10+ stacks.
02
Rend resets on kill. Chain rends.
03
Rend procs simultaneously on all stacked targets.
3
Engage/Save — R
Support tool
01
R support into enemies for knockup.
02
Or R to save support from death.
03
Coordinate R timing with support.
Stack rend on baron → E for 2000+ damage. This makes Kalista the best objective controller of any ADC.
Video Guide
Watch the Full Guide
Credits to Eternal Hero
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Kalista.
Basic
Hop Autos
EVERY auto hops you. You must click a direction between every auto-attack. Practice until it's muscle memory.
Intermediate
E Rend Execute
E damage scales with spear count. 10 spears = decent damage. 30+ spears = kills anything. Stack high before rending.
Advanced
Objective Rend
Stack 50+ rend spears on baron/dragon. E deals 2000+ true damage. Unsmitable objective control.
Basic
E Mana Refund
E refunds mana if it kills a minion. Use E to CS for free mana sustain in lane.
Intermediate
R Engage
R pulls your support to you, then they recast to dash + knockup. Use for surprise engages.
Advanced
Q Stack Transfer
If Q kills a minion, all rend stacks transfer to the next target. Q through a dying minion to transfer 20 stacks to the champion behind.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Kalista struggles against champions who can slow or ground her, removing her hop. She excels against immobile targets she can kite forever.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Ashe's perma-slow reduces your hop distance. You become immobile.
Buy Swifties early. Avoid her autos. You can't hop if slowed.
Jinx outscales you and chompers root you mid-hop.
Win lane hard. You outscale badly — end fast.
Caitlyn outranges you. Traps under your hop landing spots.
Dodge traps. All-in when her traps are down.
Wins Against
Kog can't escape your hop-kiting. You run circles around him.
Hop-kite and stack rend. He can never hit you.
Twitch is weak in lane. Your early aggression dominates.
All-in level 1. Hop-auto him to death.
Vayne's short range lets you hop-kite her.
Keep distance. Auto-hop backward and stack rend.
Team Comp
Best Synergies
Oathsworn bond enables the unique Thresh lantern plus Kalista R knockup engage combo; his Death Sentence hook also creates isolated targets that accumulate rend stacks faster from reduced range to teammates.
Nautilus CC chain enables fast rend stack accumulation on rooted targets; Oathsworn R flings Nautilus for a surprise knockup from an unexpected angle into the enemy backline.
Leona's dive plus Kalista R flings Leona for a surprise flank knockup from unexpected angles — the combination creates an engage threat the enemy cannot predict or react to in time.
Lulu E shield and W polymorph protect Kalista mid-hop so she can never be caught while kiting — Lulu peels any gap-closer that would stop Kalista's continuous hop-auto pattern.