Kayn is a transforming jungler who adapts to the enemy team. Fight ranged champions for Shadow Assassin (burst assassin) or melee champions for Rhaast (drain tank bruiser). Choose your form based on the enemy comp, not your preference.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
The Darkin Scythe
Passive
Kayn wields an ancient weapon and fights Rhaast, the darkin within it, for control. Either the Darkin will triumph, or Kayn will master Rhaast and become the Shadow Assassin.Darkin: Heal for a percentage of spell damage dealt to champions.Shadow Assassin: For the first few seconds in combat with enemy champions, deal bonus damage.
Hitting ranged champions fills Shadow Assassin meter. Hitting melee fills Rhaast meter. Choose your targets based on which form you want.
Q
Reaping Slash
Dash · AoE
Kayn dashes, then slashes. Both deal damage.
CD: 7/6.5/6/5.5/5 · Cost: 40
Q dashes through targets then does a spin AoE. Use it to dash through walls in base form.
W
Blade's Reach
Skillshot · AoE · Slow/Knockup
Kayn damages and slows targets in a line.
CD: 13/12/11/10/9 · Cost: 40/45/50/55/60
Base/SA: slow skillshot. Rhaast: knockup instead of slow. The knockup makes Rhaast's W much more powerful.
E
Shadow Step
Phase · MS · Heal
Kayn can walk through terrain.
CD: 21/19/17/15/13 · Cost: 90
E lets you phase through terrain. Use it to gank through walls and escape through jungle walls. Heals you inside terrain.
R
Umbral Trespass
Untargetable · Dash · Damage
Kayn hides in an enemy's body, dealing massive damage when he bursts out.
CD: 120/100/80 · Cost: 100
R makes you untargetable inside an enemy champion, then burst out. Use it to dodge abilities and wait for cooldowns.
Skill Leveling Order — Max Q first, then W, then E · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take Q — dash + AoE | ||||
| 2 | Take W — slow skillshot | ||||
| 3 | Take E — wall phase | ||||
| 4 | Level Q | ||||
| 5 | Level Q | ||||
| 6 | R — Umbral Trespass | ||||
| 7 | Level Q | ||||
| 8 | Level W | ||||
| 9 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level W | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level W | ||||
| 13 | Level W | ||||
| 14 | W maxed ✓ | ||||
| 15 | Level E | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level E | ||||
| 18 | E maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Core — Assassin Path
Duskblade of Draktharr
Invisibility on kill. E through wall → burst → Duskblade invis → escape.
3100g
Ionian Boots
CDR for more Q and W casts.
950g
Edge of Night
Spell shield protects your engage.
2900g
Youmuu's Ghostblade
Lethality + MS for roaming and chasing.
2900g
Full lethality for one-shotting squishies. Only go SA when enemy team is mostly ranged/squishy.
Core — Bruiser Path
Eclipse
Omnivamp + shield. Sustain in extended fights.
2800g
Plated Steelcaps
Armor for frontlining.
1100g
Black Cleaver
Armor shred + HP. Q procs cleaver stacks.
3100g
Death's Dance
Bleed passive + heal on kill. Unkillable in extended fights.
3300g
Rhaast heals from damage dealt. Build bruiser for sustained fighting. Go Rhaast vs 2+ melee/tanks.
Runes
Domination Primary
Dark Harvest
Works for both forms. Execute damage on low targets.
Sudden Impact
Lethality/magic pen after Q dash or E wall exit.
Eyeball Collection
Free AD per takedown.
Treasure Hunter
Bonus gold accelerates transformation spike.
Precision Secondary
Triumph
Heal on takedown — critical for both forms.
Last Stand
Bonus damage when low. Rhaast fights at low HP constantly.
Shards
Adaptive Force · Adaptive Force · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Kayn
01
Early Game
Farm Fast, Collect Orbs
- Start Raptors → Red → Krugs → Wolves → Blue → Gromp. Q AoE makes your clear very fast.
- Pre-transform Kayn is weak. Farm and collect orbs. Don't force fights you can't win.
- E through walls for surprise ganks. Walk through the terrain behind the enemy laner and Q-W combo them.
- Choose your form early: if enemy has 3+ ranged, fight ranged for SA. If 2+ melee/tanks, fight melee for Rhaast.
- Don't waste time trying to force the 'wrong' form. Fight whoever gives you the form you want.
02
Mid Game
Transform and Spike
- Transformation is your MASSIVE spike. The moment you transform, look for fights immediately.
- Shadow Assassin: E through wall → W → Q → R to escape. One-shot squishies.
- Rhaast: W knockup → Q through them → auto → R for healing. Sustained fighting.
- R makes you untargetable. Use it to dodge critical abilities (Zed R, Syndra R, tower shots).
- E wall-phasing makes you the best flanker in the game. Approach from impossible angles.
03
Late Game
Assassin or Drain Tank
- SA: Flank the backline through walls. One-shot the ADC/mage, Duskblade invis, walk out.
- Rhaast: Frontline and drain-tank. W knockup + Q + R healing makes you nearly unkillable.
- R in fights: use it when low HP for the heal, or to dodge a lethal ability. Don't R immediately.
- E through Baron/Dragon pit walls for objective steals. You can Smite during E.
- SA falls off vs tanks. Rhaast scales into a monster. Choose your form wisely at the start.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Kayn
Kayn's teamfight role depends entirely on his form. Shadow Assassin flanks and assassinates. Rhaast frontlines and drain-tanks.
1
Approach — E Through Walls
Positioning
01
E through terrain to approach from an unexpected angle.
02
SA: flank behind the backline. Rhaast: approach from the side.
03
Wait for the fight to start before committing.
Pre-transform Kayn is weak in teamfights. Don't force 5v5s before your form.
2
Engage — Form-Specific Combo
The fight
01
SA: W → Q through the carry → auto → R out. One-shot and escape.
02
Rhaast: W knockup → Q → auto → R when low. Sustained drain-tanking.
03
R makes you untargetable. Use it to dodge lethal abilities.
3
Cleanup — R Burst + Chase
After initial burst
01
SA: Duskblade invis after kill. Walk out or re-engage.
02
Rhaast: R heals you back up. Re-engage with Q-W.
03
E through walls to chase fleeing enemies.
R inside someone during Zhonya's: R a target, Zhonya's while inside, then pop out when stasis ends. Maximum invulnerability time.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Kayn.
Basic
Form Selection
Fight ranged for Blue (SA), melee for Red (Rhaast). Choose based on enemy comp: 3+ squishies = SA, 2+ tanks = Rhaast.
Intermediate
E Through Walls
E lets you phase through ALL terrain. Use it to gank from behind walls, steal objectives through pit walls, and escape through jungle terrain.
Advanced
R Timing
Don't R immediately. Wait until you're low HP (Rhaast heals %max HP) or need to dodge a lethal ability. R is your survival tool, not your opener.
Basic
Q Wall Dash
Q can dash through thin walls even in base form. Use it as an escape route or shortcut between camps.
Intermediate
Orb Collection
You get more orbs from fighting champions than from camps. Gank early even if you don't get kills — just hitting champions fills your meter.
Advanced
Wrong Form Management
If you got the wrong form first, you can wait 4 minutes for the other form to become available. But usually, take whatever comes first — the spike is worth more than the optimal form.
Basic
E Healing
E heals you while inside terrain. Phase through thick walls for more healing. Use it between camps for free HP.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Kayn struggles against champions who can shut him down before transformation. He excels when left to farm and transform freely.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Lee Sin's early pressure prevents you from farming to transformation. He invades freely and you can't fight back pre-form.
Avoid him until you transform. Ward your jungle and farm the opposite side.
Elise's cocoon stops your Q dash and her early burst destroys you pre-transformation.
Farm safely. You outscale her massively — just don't die early.
Rammus counters both forms. SA can't kill him through armor. Rhaast can't escape his taunt.
Avoid Rammus entirely. Focus on killing his teammates, not him.
Wins Against
Karthus can't stop your farming and both forms destroy him. SA one-shots him, Rhaast out-sustains him.
Invade freely post-transform. He has no escape from your Q-W combo.
Amumu can't invade you and your E dodges his Q. Both forms handle him easily.
Farm freely. Rhaast especially destroys Amumu with %HP damage and drain-tanking.
Evelynn is weak pre-6 and you can invade her freely. Post-transform, SA out-bursts her and Rhaast out-sustains her.
Invade her camps pre-6. Both forms beat her in 1v1.