Best Supports to play with League of Legends AD Carry Kai'Sa
Ever since her addition to the League of Legends roster in 2018, Kai'Sa has been a constant presence among the game's most popular AD carries. Whether it be her smooth animations, her spectacular design or her explosive gameplay, Kai'Sa has always stood as an exciting champion to get your hands on.
Credit: Riot GamesDue to her passive (plasma) being so effective at securing kills, Kai'Sa is most easily enjoyed in the bot lane when paired with support champions who excel at laning-phase all-ins. Likewise, thanks to the deadly nature of Kai'Sa's Killer Instinct (R), which can be used off of teammates' crowd control (CC), Kai'Sa generally favors support champions with powerful engaging abilities.
As is the case with most ADCs, Kai'Sa's full potential becomes most readily available when she's paired up in the bot lane with champions who synergize with her and enable the most effective use of her kit. Join us as we dive into some of the support champion pairings any Kai'Sa player should be excited about in season 14!
Leona - All or Nothing
Leona is one of the most obvious strong pairings for Kai'Sa. Between her Zenith Blade (E), her Shield of Daybreak (Q), and later on her Solar Flare (R), Leona's kit provides more than enough CC to give Kai'Sa the time and space she needs to burst someone down in lane. That, paired with her Sunlight (P), which allows teammates to deal extra damage, means that Leona has one of the strongest all-ins in the game.
Not only does Leona provide Kai'Sa with some much appreciated all-ins, however, but her tankiness and CC also mean that an able Leona player will provide Kai'Sa with all the space she needs in team-fights in order to maximize her passive usage, as well as find the right angles to take out high-value targets with her Killer Instinct (R).
Leona's unrivaled engage capabilities make her one of the best supports to play with Kai'Sa. (Credit: Riot Games)Thresh - Lane Kingdom
The Kai'Sa-Thresh bot lane pairing is all about one thing, lane dominance. Thresh is one of the strongest laners in the game and, as such, is a champion that any ADC would like to have by their side. Surprisingly tanky for a ranged champion, Thresh provides high auto-attack damage for effective short trades accompanied by Kai'Sa's Icathian Rain (Q).
Not only that, but, in the hands of the right person, Thresh also excels at lane all-ins, provided he is able to land his Death Sentence (Q) on an enemy champion, making him one of the best supports to play with Kai'Sa.
With enough synergy between players, Thresh is the ideal partner for almost any AD carry in the game. (Credit: Riot Games)Last but not least, when paired with Thresh, Kai'Sa will have access to not one but two tools for repositioning. With enough synergy between players, Kai'Sa can effectively dive in using her ultimate to execute an enemy player and then immediately retreat to the safety of her team's backline using Thresh's Dark Passage (W).
Pyke - Out for Blood
If you're playing Kai'Sa and Pyke is your support, make sure you're strapped in for the laning phase. (Credit: Riot Games)In the hands of an able player, Kai'Sa is capable of becoming an exceedingly oppressive champion once given an early lead, and Pyke is just the right champion for that.
Pyke has one of the deadliest, most straightforward all-ins in the game. While a very squishy champion, Pyke simply does not give enemies the opportunity to hit him in lane, as they are often dead before they dare to try. A master of the early 2v2, Pyke can set up Kai'Sa for success from very early on, building momentum off of a single successful all-in.
Nautilus - Synergy at its Purest Form
The list of things Nautilus provides as a champion that Kai'Sa simply loves to have beside her seems endless. Reliable engage, effective peel, frontline, all-ins, plasma stacks... you name it, Nautilus has it.
Nautilus is a champion who will always find a way to allow Kai'Sa to do what she does best, apply plasma stacks and execute people. The ludicrous amounts of CC in Nautilus' kit means that Kai'Sa can find constant opportunities to free-hit enemies.
And yet, as if that were not enough, the two champions' synergy is perhaps epitomized in Nautilus' Depth Charge (R). A point-and-click ability, Nautilus can have his pick of who he wants to use his ultimate on in order to provide Kai'Sa with the perfect avenue for a quick execution through the use of her own ultimate ability.
With sets of abilities that appear made for one another, Kai'Sa excels next to Nautilus. (Credit: Riot Games)A simple, straightforward champion, Nautilus is very easy to play, further helping make the synergy between him and Kai'Sa feel seamless.
Seraphine - Surprisingly Effective
Seraphine as a champion provides Kai'Sa with a very different profile to all the other champions on this list. As such, any Kai'Sa playing with Seraphine will have to adapt accordingly.
When using their abilities in unison, Kai'Sa and Seraphine can put out high amounts of burst damage in the laning phase. Bear in mind, however, that unlike with champions like Leona or Pyke, the way Kai'Sa and Seraphine want to win lane is not through relentless all-ins.
The pair would rather like to make use of their high-burst abilities and Seraphine's long range to win out on quick, short trades, before immediately backing away again.
Through the constant repetition of these small trades, making sure to sustain with Seraphine's Surround Sound (W) in between, Seraphine and Kai'Sa are sure to win lane by attrition, so long as they stay safe from ganks or enemy all-ins.
The duo's goal in the end will be to poke down their lane opponents enough to find an opportunity to use Seraphine's CC in the form of Beat Drop (E) or Encore (R) on a wounded enemy to secure a quick kill.
Choosing Kai'Sa and Seraphine as a combo will provide the team with good amounts of magic damage, meaning that the pair is best used when the team already has high enough physical damage from the other lanes, as well as a sturdy enough frontline that will ensure that the team, and Kai'Sa, do not suffer from Seraphine's squishy nature.
One of the best supports to play with Kai'Sa under the right team composition, Seraphine can help make the lane an oppressive experience for the enemies. (Credit: Riot Games)Honorable mentions: Alistar, Rell, Nami, Maokai
The AD carry role in League of Legends is highly dependent on their support, and Kai'Sa is no exception. Pairing up with a champion whose kit synergizes well with yours is key to achieving victory. Hopefully this list of some of the best supports to play with Kai'Sa will help you on your way there.
Ultimately, however, it's important to remember that synergy with the player will always be as important as synergy between champions.
Image source: Riot Games
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