What makes Xayah and Rakan a unique duo? We’ll explore their abilities, the way they synergise and how you can use this in your games.
Birds of a Feather – Why Xayah and Rakan?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4hYWLt_7Ug
Flyquest IgNar’s intiations with Rakan with them the game against TSM.
Xayah and Rakan are unique as the only champions whose abilities are designed to work with each other from the ground up.
In most cases, the ADC will have a support that covers their weaknesses. Thresh will afford an immobile marksman more options when caught in a tight spot with “Dark Passage”. Lulu and Janna are also popular picks to improve the chances a squishy carry will survive long enough to output enough damage in the teamfight.
Twinkle Toes – Don’t Stand Still
Xayah and Rakan differ from this in the utility they gain from their abilities. Their passive “Love’s Leap” might not seem powerful at first, but being able to control the channel time of your recall as an ADC can be critical in winning lane. This ability allows you to manipulate the minion wave to your favour whilst taking more risks that could not be done on other champions. You may be able to stay in lane for a few seconds longer to deny the enemy minions by pushing the wave under their tower. You could also freeze the minions in a favourable position which could make the enemy duo more vulnerable to ganks.
Xayah’s W, “Deadly Plumage”, also provides unique synergy with Rakan. When activated, its effects will also be applied to him. He’ll also gain a movespeed bonus if Xayah attacks an enemy champion. This is extremely strong for Rakan, who is already a highly mobile champion. Extra movespeed can allow him to hit more enemies with “The Quickness” or get out of a fight alive.
Rakan can also cast his E “Battle Dance” at greater range when dashing to Xayah. This allows him to be more aggressive in lane. “Grand Entrance” can be used deeper into the lane to poke with “Gleaming Quill” and then using “Battle Dance” to dash back to Xayah. It can also mean Rakan can be further apart from Xayah in teamfights, but still in range to dash back to her to provide peel if necessary.
Grab the win
Now that we know how their abilities can work with each other, how can we translate that into the enemy nexus being destroyed? The key is mobility.
Xayah is definitely the stronger champion when it comes to flying solo. She can do just fine with most supports whilst still being able to output damage. Rakan, however, is definitely the one who benefits most from this relationship.
As a support, vision is your battle. Rakan’s mobility allows him to dash into the fog of war, place a ward, and dash back to safety. This is especially useful when warding over walls for neutral objectives such as Dragon or Baron Nashor.
In the drafting phase, you should look to lock in Rakan and Xayah into Pyke, Thresh and Nautilus. These champions will be looking to use their hooks to engage, and you can use your mobility to counter this. Xayah is also a good pick against bruisers and melee champions. Her E “Bladecaller” provides reliable self-peel the closer an enemy champion is to her. Her ultimate is also a good counter to champions with wind-up abilities that can be easily dodged such as Galio and Zed.
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