League of Legends has been around for more than a decade, and although it has balance and toxicity issues, it is still one of the most played games in the world. The game now has more than 150 champions, and they are all unique in their own way, but they can all be divided into specific categories. The Slayer category is used to describe highly mobile champions, and there are two types of Slayers – skirmishes and assassins.
Assassins in League of Legends specialize in infiltrating enemy lines and their main goal is to eliminate the enemy team's high-priority targets. Assassins usually have to put themselves in harm's way, but they often have items or other abilities that can get them out of trouble. Like every other champion, each assassin has an Ultimate that benefits their kit, but some assassin Ultimates are much better than others.
Updated March 8, 2022, by George Voutiritsas: League of Legends has already received two new Champions this year, but there has not been a true Assassin since Qiyana was released in 2019. It is true that Yone and Akshan are considered assassins, but one is more of a Skirmisher while the other is a Marskman. Many players wonder who the best assassins in LoL are, but they are all deadly as long as they are used properly. This list has already identified several of League of Legends' best assassins, all of whom have very effective Ultimates, but there are other assassins with good Ults who also deserve to be mentioned.
14 Kassadin – Riftwalk
Kassadin is considered to be an anti-mage assassin, which is understandable since his Passive reduces magic damage by 10%. His Q fires an orb at a targeted enemy, and it deals magic damage. It also disrupts enemy channeling, and it gives him a magic damage shield for 1.5 seconds.
His W empowers his basic attacks, while his E creates a cone of void energy that damages his enemies. It also slows them for 1 second. Kassadin's Ultimate is simple, but highly effective. It allows him to blink towards a target, and he damages all nearby enemies afterward. He can blink up to 4 times within 15 seconds, and each blink costs more mana and deals more damage.
13 Diana – Moonfall
Diana is a great assassin who can be played in Mid Lane or in the Jungle. Her E is a dash that deals magic damage, and it works well with her W, which grants her a shield for 5 seconds. This ability also creates three spheres that circle her, and they deal magic damage if they come into contact with an enemy.
Her Q shoots lunar energy out in a counter-clockwise arc, and it deals magic damage to enemies while revealing them for 3 seconds. When she uses her Ultimate, Diana reveals and draws in all nearby enemies. This causes those same enemies to be slowed for 2 seconds. If the enemy is a Champion, they will get hit by moonlight after 1 second, and all nearby enemies will be hit with magic damage.
12 Evelynn – Last Caress
Evelynn may look human, but she is actually a demon who lures her victims by charming them. Her Q fires a dart in a targeted direction, marking any enemy hit for 4 seconds, and following a recast, she unleashes a line of deadly spikes. Her W can curse a monster or champion for 5 seconds, and her next basic attack or ability will slow her target by 65% for 0.75 seconds.
Evelynn's E is a dash that gives her 30% bonus movement speed for 2 seconds while also applying 100% effectiveness on on-hit effects. Her Ultimate makes her untargetable at times, but what really makes her scary is the recast which executes any Champion who is below 30% of their maximum health. This Ult also makes her one of the best Assassins in Wild Rift.
11 Kha'Zix – Void Assault
Arcane has set the stage for a variety of future projects, and if one of those projects revolves around the Void, Kha'Zix could make an appearance. This mantis-like creature lives in the Jungle and his kit is pretty straightforward. His Q is a slash that does extra damage if the target is alone, while his W shoots spikes that can heal him. His E allows him to leap onto his target.
Kha'Zix's Ultimate gives him invisibility for 1.25 seconds, along with 40% bonus movement speed. After becoming visible, Kha'Zix has a 10-second window to become invisible again. The Ult allows Kha'Zix to use his E and Q on an enemy before they can even react.
10 Rengar – Thrill Of The Hunt
Rengar is by no means the strongest champion in League's lore, but he is capable of almost instantly killing any champion who isn't a tank. His Ultimate reveals the nearest enemy champion in a large radius, and he gains movement speed for the entire duration.
After 2 seconds, Rengar becomes camouflaged, and his passive kicks in. The passive gives him increased attack range and an empowered Q, which increases the attack speed of his basic attacks. While the Ult is active, his next basic attack will deal 50% more damage to the nearest champion, and it reduces their armor for 4 seconds.
9 Katarina – Death Lotus
Katarina may not be the most hated champion in the game, but if she gets a lot of kills early on, she can wipe out an entire team. This Noxian assassin is known for her daggers, and she can blink to those daggers while using her E.
Katarina's Ultimate needs to channel for 2.5 seconds, and it causes her to spin rapidly while throwing a dagger every 0.166 seconds at up to 3 nearby enemies. Each dagger deals physical and magic damage and it causes 60% Grievous Wounds, which is a healing debuff. The only reason why this Ultimate is not ranked higher is that it requires Katarina to put herself at risk.
8 Talon – Shadow Assault
Talon is another Noxian assassin, honing his skills from a very young age while living on the streets. His Q is a dash that stabs his target, while his W shoots out a volley of daggers that fly back to him. His E allows him to leap over walls.
When Talon's Ultimate is cast, he creates a ring of blades, which deals damage to all nearby enemies. He also gains up to 2.5 seconds of bonus movement speed and invisibility. When the Ultimate is recast, he can break his invisibility and attack a target, which will cause the ring of blades to hit the same enemy.
7 Zed – Death Mark
Zed hails from Ionia, and he is the ruthless leader of the Order of Shadows. His W creates a shadow, and when it is recast, Zed can switch places with it. The shadow can use Zed's Q, which shoots shuriken at an enemy. It can also use his E, which slashes nearby enemies, while the shadow's slash can slow enemies for 1.5 seconds.
Zed's Ultimate makes him intangible while he dashes towards a marked target. Once he reappears, Zed and his shadows can damage the targeted champion, and he then stores a percentage of all pre-mitigation damage for 3 seconds before it detonates.
6 Fizz – Chum The Waters
Fizz may look like a fish, but he is actually a Yordle. His Passive grants him permanent Ghost, which means that he can move through other units without colliding with them, and it works well with his Q, which allows him to dash to a target. Doing so allows his next attack to deal magic damage, as well as 100% physical damage.
Fizz's E allows him to dash in a target direction, and it makes him untargetable for 0.75 seconds, and his W empowers his basic attacks. His Ultimate throws a lure at an area that gets attacked by a shark after 2 seconds. If the lure hits a Champion, it slows and reveals them until the shark attacks. That Champion then gets knocked up for 1 second.
5 Ekko – Chronobreak
Ekko is one of the champions who appears in Netflix's Arcane series, and he is an AP assassin who can be played in Mid Lane or Jungle. All of Ekko's abilities revolve around time, and his Ultimate can save his life while also dealing damage.
When his Ultimate is active, a time-delayed afterimage of Ekko appears on the map and it tracks where he was 4 seconds ago. When the Ultimate is activated, Ekko enters stasis and heals while dashing to the afterimage's current location. Once he reaches the location, he causes an explosion that deals magic damage to all nearby enemy champions.
4 Nocturne – Paranoia
League has its fair share of powerful burst mages, but only a few of them can take on a decent Nocturne player. Nocturne is a force of pure evil, and when his Ultimate is activated, every single enemy champion becomes afflicted with terror - which causes them to become nearsighted for 6 seconds.
When nearsight is in effect, the majority of the enemy team's screen becomes black, making it hard to tell who is actually being targeted. When the Ultimate is recast, Nocturne dashes towards the targeted enemy. He is immune to displacement abilities while dashing, and if his W's shield is active during the recast, its duration is increased by 0.25 seconds.
3 Akali – Perfect Execution
Ever since her 2018 rework, Akali has been one of the hardest champions to play. Dashing is a huge part of Akali's kit, and her Ultimate is nothing more than an array of dashes. When it is first cast, Akali can dash up to 750 units towards a targeted enemy, and she deals magic damage to every enemy she passes through.
When she hits an enemy, she flips over them, and if this occurs at max range, the dash extends by 150 units. The Ult can be recast after 2.5 seconds, and it allows her to dash up to 800 units. The second dash does magic damage based on her enemy's missing health.
2 Qiyana – Supreme Display Of Talent
Qiyana is by no means a beginner-friendly champion, but once a player understands how bushes, rivers, and terrain affects her blade, they will find her a lot easier to play. Of all the assassins in the game, Qiyana possesses the best Ultimate for initiating team fights.
Her Ultimate creates a windblast that is capable of knocking enemies backward, and if they get knocked into terrain, they get stuck for 1 second. The windblast then causes an explosion, which deals physical damage plus 10% of the enemy champion's maximum health. If aimed correctly, Qiyana can knock back the entire enemy team, and when this happens, the team is almost always decimated.
1 Pyke – Death From Below
Of all the assassins in the game, Pyke is the only one who was designed to be a Support, and it helps that he has a pull, a dash that can stun, and a camouflaging ability. When his Ultimate is up, and an enemy champion is missing the right amount of health, they will be marked for execution.
If Pyke successfully lands his Ult on a champion who is low enough, that champion will instantly die, and his Ult will immediately refresh so it can be used again. A skilled Pyke player can execute an entire team. Each execution also gives Pyke and the last assisting ally champion extra gold.
League of Legends is currently available on PC.