Akshan
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Excellent (8.5/10)
Epic Relics
Akshan is widely considered a top-tier Shuriman champion with immense scaling and board control. Players disagree about his playstyle. Some consider his spell-spamming mechanics to be incredibly fun and powerful, while others find it repetitive and compare him to a less engaging version of Nasus. His base deck is notoriously weak, making him highly reliant on drawing the champion himself.
Optimal Scaling
Game Start: Create 7 copies of me in your deck. Champion Spells cost 1 less.
Power: Round Start: Create a Hex Core Upgrade in hand. Your Hex Core Upgrades have Stopwatch and can upgrade any ally.
Fated, Augment. Empowered 10: Overwhelm, Regeneration, and Challenger.
Strategy
This build focuses on drawing Akshan consistently and casting his champion spell at a reduced cost. Perfect Hex Core provides free targeting to advance his landmarks while granting keywords, and Chosen by the Stars ensures massive stat scaling to quickly reach the Empowered threshold.
Chemtech Combo
When you play a spell, if you have 6+ mana gems, copy it with the same targets.
Power: When you play or level up a champion, refill your spell mana.- Power: Round Start: Create a Hex Core Upgrade in hand. Your Hex Core Upgrades have Stopwatch and can upgrade any ally.
Strategy
Designed to accelerate mana generation and duplicate spells. Hidden Tome provides immediate spell mana, allowing Akshan to reach the 6-mana threshold for Chemtech Duplicator quickly. This is especially devastating with his 6-star mana-stealing power, enabling rapid board clears and infinite scaling loops.
Accessible Control
Round Start: Create a Fleeting copy of me in hand.
Round Start: Refill your spell mana.- When you play a spell, if you have 6+ mana gems, copy it with the same targets.
Strategy
A setup utilizing only rare relics that mimics his optimal playstyle. The Grand General's Counterplan ensures a steady supply of his champion spell, while Archangel's Staff provides the necessary spell mana to cast them every round until Chemtech Duplicator activates.
Other Relic Options
Challenger. Power: When you play a champion, summon a Warlord's Palace or advance it 2 rounds.
Game Start: If I'm in deck or in hand, summon a Stormcarved Spire with Countdown 4: Summon me.
Play: Shuffle 5 level 2 Champions into your deck and double their stats, then draw one of them.
Akshan's signature relic, Scoundrel Hunter, is widely considered suboptimal. It consumes valuable board space with a landmark and offers minimal immediate impact compared to other available options. Frozen Tomb synergizes uniquely with Akshan's ability to trigger countdown landmarks twice, potentially summoning multiple copies of him, though it can lead to hand-space issues. Oath of the Guardians provides a strong alternative strategy focused on flooding the board with discounted, highly-statted champions when paired with Star Gem.
Constellation
Akshan's constellation upgrades significantly enhance his board control and scaling. The most critical upgrade is the minor node that grants his champion spell Burst speed, which fundamentally transforms his playstyle and is essential for his optimal performance. His base deck is notoriously weak, making these upgrades vital for consistency.
Going Rogue
When an allied landmark counts down, gives allies +1|+0 this round.
Sentinel Business
+1 Starting Mana. Game Start: Summon a Warlord's Palace.
Going Rogue II
Your Countdown completion effects activate twice. When an allied landmark counts down, give allies +1|+0 this round.
The Craftsman's Favor
Round Start: Create a Fleeting Time and Dedication in hand.Review
Grants a 1-cost forge spell. While the mana cost is a point of contention compared to similar 0-cost powers, it provides necessary targeting to advance his game plan and trigger his landmarks.
Manaflow
Game Start: Get a mana gem.Review
Provides an extra starting mana gem. This is a standard but highly effective upgrade that accelerates his setup, though it is sometimes considered skippable if resources are limited.
Absolution
When an allied Warlord's Palace is destroyed, steal a mana gem. When an allied Warlord's Hoard is destroyed, revive the strongest dead non-Ephemeral ally.Review
Steals a mana gem and revives an ally when Warlord's Hoard is destroyed. This provides immense tempo and mana advantage, enabling rapid Chemtech Duplicator activations. However, because Akshan is already highly effective at 4 stars, this upgrade is sometimes viewed as a luxury rather than a strict necessity.
Gameplay Tips
- Positioning Matters
Always place Akshan on the far left of your attacking line. This ensures that his strike effect resolves first, granting buffs to the rest of your attacking units before they strike.
- Manage Aggressive Openings
Against aggressive encounters, it is often optimal to pass priority on turn 1 rather than playing a unit that will be immediately removed. Allow the opponent to commit their mana first so you can respond efficiently.
- Defensive Spell Usage
Utilize Quicksand strategically to neutralize enemy units with Overwhelm or Elusive keywords. This provides crucial survivability while Akshan scales his stats and advances his landmarks.
- Avoid Created Card Penalties
Akshan relies heavily on generated cards and spells. Avoid adventure mutators that increase the cost of created cards, as they will severely hinder his core gameplay loop.
- Board Space Awareness
Be mindful of your board space. Akshan cannot spawn his essential landmarks if the board is already full, which will completely stall his level-up progression and value generation.