Rakan is a high-mobility engage support whose W knockup and R charm let him CC multiple enemies simultaneously. He is exceptional at making picks and starting teamfights, and scales incredibly well with Xayah due to their unique recall synergy.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Fey Feathers
Passive
Rakan periodically gains a shield.
Fey Feathers shield regenerates over time — trade repeatedly to proc and reset the shield in short windows.
Q
Gleaming Quill
Skillshot · Heal · Shield
Flings a magical feather that deals magic damage. Striking a champion or epic monster enables Rakan to heal his allies.
CD: 11/10/9/8/7 · Cost: 45
Q has a long cast time but heals you and an ally. Use it to heal your ADC from a safe distance between trades.
W
Grand Entrance
Dash · Knockup · AoE
Dashes to a location, knocking up nearby enemies on arrival.
CD: 14/13/12/11/10 · Cost: 50/60/70/80/90
W has two parts — dash to a champion/enemy, then the delayed knockup. Land your whole body inside the enemy to maximize knockup hit chance.
E
Battle Dance
Dash · Shield
Flies to an allied champion granting them a shield. Can be re-cast for free for a short duration.
CD: 0 · Cost: 40/45/50/55/60
E dashes to any ally including jungle minions. Use it to disengage if a fight goes wrong.
R
The Quickness
Speed · Charm · AoE
Gains Move Speed, charming and dealing magic damage to enemies touched.
CD: 130/110/90 · Cost: 100
Activate R and run THROUGH the enemy team — every enemy you walk through gets charmed. Don't stop at one target.
Skill Leveling Order — Max W first, then Q, then E · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | W — knockup for early trades | ||||
| 2 | Q — heal and damage online | ||||
| 3 | E — escape and shield | ||||
| 4 | Level W | ||||
| 5 | Level W | ||||
| 6 | R — The Quickness unlocked | ||||
| 7 | Level W | ||||
| 8 | Level Q | ||||
| 9 | W maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level Q | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level Q | ||||
| 13 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 14 | Start leveling E | ||||
| 15 | Level E | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level E | ||||
| 18 | E maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Starter Items
Targon's Buckler
Melee gold income — you're in close range constantly and can proc it easily.
400g
Refillable Potion
Sustain through your aggressive trading patterns.
150g
Core Build
Ionian Boots of Lucidity
CDR for more W jumps and faster R cooldowns.
950g
Shurelya's Battlesong
Active MS boost synergizes with R engage — your whole team rushes in with you.
2500g
Locket of the Iron Solari
Shield for your whole team during your R engage window.
2200g
Imperial Mandate
Bonus damage when allies follow up on your charmed/CCd targets from R.
2500g
Situational
Zeke's Convergence
Slows enemies around you after R — keeps them in your team's reach.
2400g
Warmog's Armor
HP for deep engaging — you need to survive walking through their entire team.
3000g
Thornmail
Grievous wounds vs healing-heavy comps.
2700g
Rush Shurelya's for the active MS — use it to boost your R engage so your team can follow. Build tank after to survive your own all-ins.
Hybrid Core
Moonstone Renewer
Healing on your Q amplified each time you're in combat — works with your constant trading.
2500g
Ardent Censer
Attack speed and on-hit damage buff for your ADC whenever you shield them with E or Q.
2300g
Staff of Flowing Water
AP and CDR buff passed to allies when you heal them with Q.
2300g
Ionian Boots of Lucidity
CDR for more Q heals and faster R.
950g
Play this when your ADC scales heavily (Kog'Maw, Jinx). More healing and buffs, less engage power.
Runes
Resolve Primary
Guardian
Shield for you and your ADC when you're near each other — synergizes with your trading pattern.
Font of Life
W knockup and R charm mark enemies — allies heal when attacking them during your engage.
Bone Plating
Damage reduction for your engage window — lets you walk through more enemies during R.
Revitalize
Increases your Q healing and Guardian shield — more sustain for your ADC.
Inspiration Secondary
Magical Footwear
Free boots for faster roaming.
Cosmic Insight
Item and ability CDR for more frequent engage combos.
Shards
Ability Haste · Armor · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Rakan
01
Early Game
Trade Hard with W Knockup
- Level 1 W into the enemy support is your best trade — knockup into ADC auto-attacks wins the exchange.
- Q heals both you and an ally — use it on cooldown to sustain yourself through short trades.
- Don't commit your W unless you're confident of the kill or a huge trade — it's your only escape tool via E.
- E to your ADC to give them a shield and reposition yourself if a trade goes wrong.
- Level 6 is your first major spike — R into W into Q combo can kill the enemy support from full HP.
02
Mid Game
Roam and Set Up Picks
- Roam with W — you can dash to any ally, not just your ADC, to reposition across the map quickly.
- Look for picks in the river with your jungler — R charm into W knockup is a guaranteed kill.
- Communicate your R engage with a ping before activating — your team needs 0.5 seconds to react.
- Dragon and Baron fights are where Rakan shines — R into the whole enemy team is game-winning.
- E to jungle minions to cross terrain faster during roams.
03
Late Game
Run Through Their Team with R
- In teamfights, approach from an angle and run THROUGH the entire enemy team with R — hit as many as possible.
- Follow R immediately with W knockup on the cluster you just charmed.
- Your Q heal keeps your frontline alive after the engage — use it on your tank, not just your ADC.
- If the enemy has Morgana or QSS, bait those out before committing your full R engage.
- Save E as your escape — if R goes wrong, E to any ally to flee safely.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Rakan
Rakan's teamfight identity is the multi-target charm and knockup. He sets up kills for his entire team by CCing multiple enemies simultaneously. His job is to disrupt their backline, not die in the process.
1
Pre-Fight — Find the Angle
Before engage
01
Activate Shurelya's before engaging — the MS boost helps your team follow up.
02
Identify the cluster — R is most valuable when you walk through 3+ enemies.
03
Ping your engage — your team needs to follow immediately after your R.
Check for Morgana Black Shield before engaging. If the key target has Black Shield active, your charm is wasted. Bait it first or target a different carry.
2
Engage — R Through, W Up
Fight opening
01
Activate R and run through as many enemies as possible — every one you touch gets charmed.
02
Immediately W after R to knockup the charmed cluster.
03
Q to heal your frontline — they need sustain to hold through the focus.
04
Activate Locket if your team is taking burst damage.
3
Aftermath — Peel and Heal
Mid-fight
01
Q heal your ADC if they're being focused after the initial engage.
02
W any diver who reaches your backline — knockup them off your carry.
03
E to an ally to reposition if you're being focused — don't die unnecessarily.
When playing with Xayah: coordinate R timing. Xayah's feathers all return during Rakan's R animation — use R when Xayah has feathers out for a massive combined AoE combo.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Rakan.
Basic
Walk THROUGH for R
R charms every enemy you walk THROUGH, not just the first one you touch. Run through groups of enemies — don't stop at one target. The more you pass through, the more charmed targets your team gets.
Basic
E to Any Ally
E dashes to any allied champion, not just your ADC. Use this to escape by E-ing to a retreating jungler, or to reposition across the map by E-ing to whoever is furthest ahead.
Intermediate
W Knockup Positioning
Stand completely inside the enemy (overlapping model) before the W knockup triggers for guaranteed hit. If you're on the edge of the hitbox, enemies can walk out before it goes off.
Intermediate
Xayah Synergy
Rakan and Xayah can recall together from range. More importantly, time R while Xayah has 4+ feathers out — her feathers all return during your charm, dealing massive AoE damage to everyone you charmed.
Intermediate
Shurelya's Timing
Activate Shurelya's 0.5 seconds BEFORE pressing R — your team gets the movement speed boost and rushes in with you, arriving at the same time as your engage.
Advanced
Faint Engage Bait
Fake an R engage to bait out Flash, Morgana Black Shield, or QSS. Walk toward the enemy team without pressing R — many will blow cooldowns. Then real-R them when they're on CD.
Advanced
E Terrain Cross
E can reach allies across thin walls and terrain. Place your ADC in a position where they can receive E through the dragon pit wall — instant repositioning when dived.
Basic
Q Range Heal
Q heals at the endpoint of the projectile, not the cast location. Aim it so the end of the Q arc lands on your ADC or yourself for the heal.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Rakan struggles against CC immunity and anti-enchanter tools. He excels against passive, ranged supports who can't handle his dive pattern.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Black Shield completely blocks your W knockup and R charm. Without CC, your engage is just diving into their damage with no payoff.
Bait Black Shield by fake-engaging, then real-engage when it expires. Time it carefully — it has a 5-second window.
Nautilus hooks you out of your E escape dash and his root prevents you from walking through enemies during R effectively. He out-tanks you in extended fights.
Stay at max range and avoid his Q angle. Don't let him hook you away from your ADC.
Poppy's W blocks all your dashes — E, W, and even R are stopped if she places W correctly. Her R also launches you out of teamfights.
Play from range and use Q poke only. Don't dash through Poppy's W zone.
Wins Against
Sona has no reliable CC or escape from your W knockup. Your level 2 all-in with W into Q kills her or forces a Flash.
Level 2 all-in every game. W jump onto Sona, auto-attack, and she burns Flash or dies.
Soraka cannot stop your engage and is squishy enough to burst before she can silence you with E.
Jump onto Soraka with W and kill her — her team gets no heals. Prioritize her over the ADC in all-ins.
Lux is squishy and your W jump reaches her before she can Q root you at close range. Her Light Binding has a long cast time you can dodge mid-dash.
Dash at an angle to dodge her Q, then W knockup for the kill. She has no escape once you're on her.