League of Legends has over 140 champions to choose from with varying difficulty of usage and synergy with other champions. These champions also belong to different roles or classes depending on type or amount of damage they deal as well as their other attributes. This article will focus on an assassin champion known as Ekko.
Released in 2015, Ekko has been in the game for quite a long time already. With his high skill cap, he has seen competitive play every now and then. Nowadays, his popularity has dwindled in favour of more meta-relevant champions but it doesn’t mean Ekko has become inconsistent in recent years.
Experienced players won’t have a hard time playing Ekko despite his complex mechanics. But if you are a novice, you don’t have to worry about being too intimidated as there are reasons why he can be a good pick for you. In fact, here are ten of them:
Ekko is an excellent pick for solo players
Ekko’s passive and skill set have great synergy with other champions, making him splashable in any lineup. He can function effectively in achieving different objectives in-game, which will be elaborated later on in this article.
His abilities greatly complement his passive
Ekko’s passive allows him to deal additional magic damage for every third normal attack or ability hit on enemy units. He also gains a temporary movement speed boost if he hits an enemy champion. Meanwhile, his abilities cause opponents to slow down when they are within the area of effect. Put these two together and you have an assassin who can beat down or even kill opponents if they don’t have a backup or an escape mechanism.
He has excellent mobility
Ekko’s third ability, Phase Dive, is an excellent tool for evading and re-engaging opponents in small or full-blown skirmishes because that ability has two steps: he first rolls sideways to disjoint attacks targeted towards him then teleports to his intended target to remind them of how big a mistake they made. Phase Dive is an ability that can be used to pick off the enemy carry or other squishies. If you consider inflicting a slow effect on an opponent to boost Ekko’s mobility, that could be an additional bonus as well.
He can be played as either a jungler or a mid laner
In the first few months since being released, Ekko was picked as a jungler due to how efficient he is in clearing creeps through his passive. Later on, most players experienced in using Ekko use him in the mid lane as well since the summoner spell Ignite significantly boosts his damage output and because he dishes out magic damage. Additionally, Ekko’s abilities effectively serve whichever role he plays which is why he is one of the more versatile high skill cap champions in the game.
Ekko has excellent scaling and burst damage
Whether he clears jungle creeps or minion waves, Ekko’s efforts will only prove more beneficial until he gets all the items he needs. Focusing less on enemy champions early on and avoiding skirmishes is the best way for him to get stronger and once he finally does, you’ll be surprised by how much damage he can dish out. As previously mentioned, he can easily pick off squishy targets during team fights and move in for the kill if the other opponents’ hands are full. All it takes for a well-fed Ekko is perfect timing to cast his abilities and a one-shot on an opponent is possible.
He can participate in ganks in the early game
Ekko relies on his scaling to contribute more in team fights but it doesn’t mean he can’t do much in ambushes in the early stages of the game. Getting Ekko to take part in ganks usually means he will be played in the mid lane. What players usually do with him is make him use his second ability, Parallel Convergence, on enemies clumped together once the allied support initiates a skirmish. If there is only one enemy to gank, however, Ekko will use his Timewinder instead.
His first and second abilities are highly beneficial in team fights
Remember the ganking strategy Ekko employs for enemies clumped together? That tactic can still work even on full-blown team fights. It will work best when Ekko himself manages to enter Parallel Convergence’s area of effect, stunning opponents still inside the circle. Pulling off a combo with his other abilities while his second ability is active will enable Ekko to deal massive amounts of damage in team fights without using his ultimate. Meanwhile, his first ability, Timewinder, may work against two captured opponents and is usually cast when cleaning up team fights.
His ultimate makes him an excellent scouter, flanker, or backliner
Ekko works best when picking off squishy opponents since those are an assassin’s natural prey. Usually, he won’t find it hard to infiltrate the enemy’s backline since he is splashable in any lineup anyway, but to be most effective in this tactic, he uses his ultimate, Chronobreak, to pass through frontliners risk-free for quicker pick-offs. Ekko can also use Chronobreak to check neighbouring bushes for hidden opponents.
Ekko’s ultimate provides a safety net against enemy flankers or backliners
Ekko’s Chronobreak creates an afterimage of himself starting from where he casts the ability then he becomes untargetable for a while as he and his afterimage move. This is supposed to make him vulnerable to backliners who might anticipate where his afterimage will go next before Chronobreak wears off and gank him then and there but luckily, Ekko’s ultimate deals a massive burst damage when he arrives to where he wants to be. Simply put, opponents can’t counter Ekko’s backline strategy once he uses his ultimate.
He can collapse on an opponent in drawn out one-on-one fights
Picture this: you are on the verge of winning a team fight, and the last enemy champion attempts to retreat and you know it’s up to you to finish everything off since you’re using Ekko. Fortunately for you, Ekko’s area of effect abilities can also be maximised even while duelling against a single opponent. It doesn’t matter what tricks your enemy pulls off—use your ultimate first to make yourself untargetable or your Phase Dive to close the distance and you’re on your way to wiping out the enemy team.
Even players who do not have enough experience can start using Ekko in bot matches first before heading to 5v5 matches with this champion. There are also other sources where you can check for recommended item builds and runes to boost his stats. Study Ekko’s combos well, and you’re on your way to having a high skill cap main in League of Legends.