Akali vs Garen
Top Lane Matchup
You
VS
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Who Wins
- You lose most pre-6 trades due to Garen's sustain advantage and higher base damages, especially if he lands Q-E combos while you're energy-gated.
- Post-6 you become heavily favored as your R mobility lets you engage and disengage at will while kiting him with Q-passive procs.
How to Trade
- Your trading pattern pre-6 should be Q-passive proc then immediately back off, never extended trades against his E.
- Post-6, use R1 to gap close, Q-passive-E combo, then W to avoid his retaliation and continue with Q-passive until he's low enough for R2 execute.
Wave Control
- Focus on last-hitting for energy sustain early and avoid pushing since you're vulnerable to ganks without R.
- After level 6, you can afford to be more aggressive with wave control since you have escape tools and kill pressure.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Never fight him in extended trades pre-6 without your W available as his E will out-damage your Q spam.
- Don't waste your W defensively against his Q engage if you're healthy - save it for when he commits with Q-E and you can turn the fight with your full combo.
Created on 01/13/2026
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