My build for Akali does not include Guinsoo's. Personally, I think the attack speed is a wasted stat on her. With this build you will have great burst and you will be able to hit towers fairly hard still on account of the Discipline of Might passive as the magic damage still hits towers. This is also my first Guide and I'm not sure what ELO I would be considered to be at. I'm currently a little above 50/50 wins/losses with around 200 games played, but I usually play with friends just for fun so please do not let that discourage you from trying this build.

Also, never take a guide and play it to a T, you may want to try a practice first and see if you like the play style. If not try tweaking certain items, skills, masteries, and runes until it fits you.

The Skills!

Passive(s) -

Twin Disciplines (Innate):
Discipline of Might - Upon obtaining 20 ability power, Akali's hits deal 10% bonus magic damage, increasing by 1% for every 5 ability power gained thereafter. Discipline of Force - Upon obtaining 10 attack damage, Akali gains 10% spell vamp, increasing by an additional 1% for every 20 attack damage gained thereafter.

Q - Mark of the Assassin

Akali deals magic damage and marks her target for 6 seconds.
If she hits a marked target, the mark triggers dealing the same magic damage and restoring energy. Cost: 60 energy
Energy restored: 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40
Magic Damage: 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 / 150 (+0.4 AP)
Cooldown: 6 / 5.5 / 5 / 4.5 / 4 sec

W - Twilight Shroud

Akali throws down a cover of smoke for a few seconds, becoming stealthed while in the area. Enemies in the smoke have reduced movement speed.
Movement Speed Reduced: 14 / 18 / 22 / 26 / 30%
Duration: 6 / 6.5 / 7 / 7.5 / 8
Cost: 100 / 95 / 90 / 85 / 80 Energy
Cooldown: 20 / 20 / 19 / 19 / 18 sec

E - Crescent Slash

Akali flourishes her Kamas, hitting nearby units for physical damage plus 30% Ability Power + 60% Attack Damage. Cost: 60 Energy
Damage: 30 / 55 / 80 / 105 / 130
Cooldown: 7 / 6 / 5 / 4 / 3 sec

R - Shadow Dance

Akali moves through shadows to quickly strike her target, dealing damage and consuming an Essence of Shadow. Akali gains a new Essence of Shadow every number of seconds, up to 3 total. Cost: Essence of Shadow
Cooldown: 2 / 1.5 / 1 sec
Damage: 100/175/250 (+0.5 AP)
New Essence of Shadow: 30 / 25 / 20 seconds

Skill Build

This is a bit loose for me with prioritizing R>Q>E>W
If you are having survivability issues before level 6 make sure to pick up at least one level of W, otherwise max Q first and harass champs and last hit creeps with it. Once you get your R you will a much easier time getting champ kills on account of being able to hit them with Q then dash to them with R and autoattacking, Which will take of a significant chunk of their health if they are at full.


For those of you who have to see it

1. Q
2. E
3. Q
4. E
5. Q
6. R

OR

1. Q
2. W
3. E
4. Q
5. Q
6. R

Items
My build includes:

1. Start with Amplifying tome and a health potion
2. Finish Haunting Guise- No wasted stats everything is great here, ability power, health, magic pen, and more spell vamp? yes please.
3. Boots - Unless the other team has some mad CC (Mercury Treads) I would pick up Boots of Swiftness as none of the other ones seem very useful. Maybe Mobility, but I don't like the loss in movement speed.
4. After buying the normal boots you may want to buy phage, before finishing these into Boots of Swiftness.
5. Phage - A slow, health and nets you your other passive benefit. If the game lasts forever upgrade it to a nice frozen mallet for more health and a persistent slow. When purchasing this make sure to get the long sword first for the passive benefit
6. Rylai's Scepter - More health, Ability power and a slow for 3 of your abilities.
7. Zhonya's Ring - Hit even harder, with a nice Unique active for any champ
8. Lichbane - If the game lasts this long the other champs are in for a world of hurt, The time between your abilities is long enough that almost every ability will proc the effect and you will hit very hard.
9. If for some reason the game is still going you could sell off Haunting Guise and purchase more Ability Power (Abyssal Scepter or I guess at this point Guinsoo's might be acceptable Ha!) or more Survivability (Banshee's Veil, Guardian Angel)

This build allows Akali to have high survivability in team fights, lane fairly well with the spell vamp, put out some damage and chase single champs down with ease.



Runes
Keep in mind I'm currently at level 29 and I haven't been able to experiment with different rune builds and right now I'm running 2 (3) flat health quints, magic pen reds, dodge yellows, and cooldown per level blues.

I haven't been able to try getting the passive from level one and I'm not sure how useful it would be.



Masteries
I have a 21/9/0 build but I can see a 9/21/0 build as well



Summoner Spells

• Ignite- Is fairly nice early game for getting kills but always has it's advantages throughout the game, the anti-heal mechanic is very nice (especially on a WarWick that just Ulted you)
• Teleport- I always bring teleport no matter what champ I am. It's just too darned useful.
• Exhaust - I personally am not a fan, you already have a slow and with my build have no need for even more slows.
• Smite - You have no problem last hitting or farming, no need.
• Clairvoyance - I love clairvoyance I bring it with most champs that I play (Knowledge is power). I haven't tried it with Akali and I probably wouldn't you can scout bushes no problem. and you have a natural stealth like ability to check out area's not as much of a need.
• Heal - I'm just not a fan. I can see it as a useful spell tho.
• Fortify - A nice team spell. Maybe you want to pick it if no one else has.
• Flash - I'm just not a fan of flash, and you shouldn't get yourself into trouble in which you need it. You also have a sweet Ultimate that can get you out of trouble if there's a creep wave nearby.
• Ghost - For the same reasons as exhaust you don't really need this, you have multiple slowing mechanisms and have no problem chasing or getting away.
• Clarity - No mana
• Cleanse - Can be awesome, I'm just not used to utilizing it.
• Rally - I would put it on the same level as heal. Leave it for a pusher.
• Revive - Be prepared to be called a Noob

Tips

• Use your Q before using R to dash in and auto-attacking, spam your E to do some extra damage.
• The Shroud (W) can be used to slow enemies whether you are running away or chasing and allows you yo stealth
• Use the shroud to scout into bushes, put a bit of the shroud in the bush so that you can still stand in the bush and not be seen.
• Be careful of skill shot champs or champs with AoE's these can still hit you in the shroud. Heimer, Janna, Ashe, Nasus, Morgana and Mord come to mind.

Also I'd love to hear some feedback and suggestions about the guide, the layout.
Should I keep writing guides? I'm thinking about writing a Janna guide.

Very well put together guide. Will definitely give a try.

Could you explain exactly wich component for wich item you gets first and so on? It would just be helpfull for most people out there because some items aren't ment to be bough before the other.

I've also found out by myself that sheen can be good quite early in the game instead of being one of the last items.

I personally think Phage is not worth it as a slow item. You generally won't be auto-attacking more than once or twice and that's 50% chance of slowing a fleeing enemy at best. Either rush a frozen mallet, or rylai's, like all the other guides out there recommend

The Phage isn't really worth the slot if you're taking a Rylai's quickly like you should be.

You would be much better off for pushing and damage output with a Brutalizer to increase your Lichbane proc enhanced auto attacks and your Crescent Strike ability.

The same goes for the magic penetration runes, the ArPen alternative increases both your Lichbane and your Crescent Strike damage output significantly.

Other than those minor thoughts...

The only guide without a Rageblade that I've seen that is mostly well thought out.

I'm not a fan of brutalizer since it doesn't have health. That's really my only reason I suggest phage, that and the slow are pretty nice. I just think you don't really NEED the cooldown either. But at any rate if anything is "adjustable" in this build it's phage.

Thanks for the feedback so far.

Attack speed being a wasted stat on an AP Akali? more ap = more magic +dmg from passive = benefits from IAS. It also activates both portions of her passive.. Yes, you won't be attacking a single target for long enough to benefit from the IAS portion a whole lot... but if it's a tower, that ****'s going down fast. Also, the 64% IAS is the difference between landing two attacks after dashing and breaking kama before stealth or just landing one.

The rageblade is just the best item for hybrids to get AD and AP, the AS is just a bonus, without it the item is just the best you can take with Akali.
And if you have only AP and just 10 AD, you will maybe have 50% bonus dmgs from your passive, that will have effect on 100 attack damage ( so 150 dmg ).
With a guinso you will maybe have As much AP but that will have effect on 125 damage ( so 162 dmg ).

So really, use Rageblade, It's not taken for the AS, but for the amazing AD and AP bonuse for only 2235 Gold

Phage and Boots of Swiftness is tad bit overkill. If you're already moving fast, then why do you need to slow them down? Also your R allows you to catch up target in any situations and dropping W after R is effective enough that you don't really need Phage.

If you need Health, you can invest on other items that gives you a lot of health for a cheap price.

IMHO, Phage or even Frozen Mallet is more usefull for tanks.

After note: If the guide is about "burst", it's strange to find something about "survivability" specially when it includes "I'm just not a fan of flash, and you shouldn't get yourself into trouble in which you need it." Because if that's true, they why do you need item for survival?

Just my 2 cents.