They’re flashy, capable of gamechanging outplays, and allow you to decimate your opponent’s health bar in mere seconds. Of course, playing as an assassin also means you can effortlessly torment the enemy ADC and leave their mouse hovering on the “uninstall” button. However, the assassin’s thrilling (and pretty sadistic) playstyle comes at a price – it’s high risk high reward, meaning assassins are only fun when you manage to get ahead. If you fall behind? Well, you’re as useless as a Yuumi taking flash. But what if I told you there are a few assassins in League that are fun to play, no matter if you go 5/0 or 0/5? These assassins have insanely fun kits, heaps of mobility, and their animations are total eyecandy.
10. Nocturne
Nocturne might not be the flashiest assassin out there. And his kit is not exactly brimming with badass animations or intense combos. However, Nocturne does have an ult that genuinely makes you feel like a god. Simply click “R” and he launches himself at a target while blinding every single member of the enemy team. The target? Dead in seconds. The rest of the enemy team? Clueless, confused, and left defenseless. Besides his insanely fun ultimate, Nocturne has CC (fear), high AD, and a shield that blocks the next attack and doubles his attack speed. His passive even grants him cooldown reduction.
9. Katarina
Katarina, the Sinister Blade, has everything an assassin main could ever wish for: from insane mobility and lethal damage, to abilities with literally no cooldowns. She can dip in and out of fights as she pleases. Plus her adaptability and versatile build means you have tons of different ways to play against your enemies. Now, Katarina isn’t the strongest in the early game. But if you can survive laning phase? Her snowballing potential is downright phenomenal (and tilt-inducing for her opponents). If Katarina manages to land a single killing blow, you’ll spend the rest of the game slashing through your enemies, while securing penta after penta.
8. Fizz
Aah Fizz. What is it about Yordles being so excruciatingly painful? Laning against Fizz is essentially the equivalent of trying to catch water with a net: No matter how many perfectly aimed skillshots you throw at him, he’ll just giggle, dodge them, then throw a shark in your face. But hey, the things that make him so horrible to lane against are exactly what make him so fun! You can tilt your enemies by jumping and dashing left, right, and center, all while dishing out one shotting damage. And to top it all off? His E even makes him untargetable.
7. Leblanc
Leblanc is an AP assassin that will bewitch your heart with her deceptive tricks and deadly illusions. With her heightened mobility and elusive blinks, she can dive right into the enemy team’s backline, one shot the squishy ADC, then vanish into thin air before her opponents can even process what just happened. Besides being literally uncatchable and as a result, virtually ungankable (you’ll never be camped!), Leblanc can make mirror images of herself, allowing you to escape even the most unfavorable situations. Or, if you’re fed, you can use the clone ability to lure enemies to their deaths. Leblanc’s E also gives her some handy CC, which further helps you to isolate and catch out overextended opponents.
6. Evelynn
Evelynn is one of the most fun AP jungle assassins in the game.
Her kit allows her to effortlessly ambush unwitting opponents, and her damage combined with her resistant-reducing W can chunk down virtually any enemy.
Her ultimate also grants her invulnerability and a long distance blink, ensuring she can always safely get out of harm’s way.
What makes Evelynn seriously fun though is her amazing ganking potential at level 6; she can camouflage herself, allowing her to pull off sneaky flanks throughout the game.
She even has a charm that stops her enemies from escaping her grasp.
Her passive also grants her healing when she’s low health – an AP assassin with sustain?
The ADCs are shivering in their Mercury’s Treads.
5. Akali
If badass animations are a must for you, Akali delivers on all fronts. She’s by far the flashiest assassin in the game. Although mechanically complex, when mastered, she’ll make you feel invincible (and bless you with tons of eyecandy). She excels at close-combat fights, and her shroud combined with her hefty damage and endless amount of dashes allows her to 1vs5. Her ultimate, “Shuriken Flip,” is particularly fun. She can dash through enemies to execute them – a move that total gives off anime MC vibes. As an amazing teamfighter and assassin, Akali is the perfect pick for those who want to satisfy their love of both playstyles.
4. Kha’Zix
Kha’Zix is an all-round jungle assassin that excels at getting picks. He deals additional damage against isolated, unsuspecting targets, and he can sneak up on targets with stealth, a jump, and movement speed. His ultimate also ups his enjoyability by tenfold – it allows you to evolve his abilities, which gives you additional effects to play around your enemies with. And for those who hate clearing camps? You’re in luck. Kha’Zix’s camp clear is totally amazing, considering he’s a squishy assassin.
3. Pyke
A support shouldn’t be deadly. A support shouldn’t be able to execute enemy after enemy. A support shouldn’t be praised for stealing an ADC’s kills. But that’s exactly what Pyke is: a support that defies all norms, and is capable of carrying the lane and relegating useless ADCs into the support role. Pyke can hook his enemies in close, CC them, and deal an insane amount of damage that either kills his opponent or forces them out of lane. He can even execute low-health enemies. Plus, his stealth and high movement speed allow him to roam around the map exceptionally quickly, meaning he can help other laners get ahead without causing his ADC to fall behind. Oh, and whenever Pyke secures a kill? He gives a “cut” of the gold bounty to those who assisted in the kill – a deadly assassin with a supp’s instincts and heart.
2. Zed
Zed is the most played mid lane assassin in LoL, and there’s a good reason for it: He’s the epitome of a ninja, with blinks, deceptive abilities (shadows), and great survivability. Zed particularly shines in 1vs1 situations, and his ultimate allows him to utterly massacre isolated opponents. He marks them for a few seconds, and a portion of any damage dealt during this time is applied again to the target. 99% of the time the extra burst damage is enough to slaughter them (RIP the ADC’s mental). While Zed is hard to master, the payoff is phenomenal (the enemy will be powerless against you). And learning how his shadows work – and the many ways you can use them to kill your enemies – is super fun in itself. Oh, and no matter how far behind Zed gets, he always seem to secure a kill one way or another. Shurikens, shadows, and slashin’ damage – what’s not to love?
1. Shaco
If Evelynn’s sneakiness appealed to you, then you’ll no doubt fall in love with Shaco, the king of sneakiness.
In my opinion, Shaco is the most fun assassin in the game.
Every part of his kit is designed to toy with his opponents’ hearts (and health bar) – he can slip into stealth for what feels like a zillion years, and surprise any opponent who dares to let down their guard.
His early level ganking is “OP,” especially in low elo where there’s always one player that disrespects him and overextends in lane.
However, what makes Shaco the most fun assassin is his ability to summon a clone of himself and demon jack-in-the-boxes.
The clone allows Shaco to easily confuse and mislead his enemies. He can even pretend to be his clone, which always results in some unique plays and hilarious moments.
The jack-in-the-boxes, which fear and attack nearby enemies, are immensely powerful when positioned appropriately.
Shaco can use them to disrupt the enemy team’s plans, escape from risky fights, or simply just to finish off his opponents.
And the best part?
Shaco deals bonus damage if he attacks enemies from behind.
So yep, the more your opponents’ flee, the stronger you become. Totally sadistic.
Truly, Shaco is a jester you don’t want to mess with.
Note: this content was created under Riot Games’ “Legal Jibber Jabber” policy using assets owned by Riot Games. Riot Games does not endorse or sponsor this project.
