Rakan ARAM Build and Guide

Updated for patch 26.21. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch; ARAM balance numbers come from the League of Legends Wiki’s champion data.

A Rakan ARAM build mixes engage and utility items, so his knock-up and charm come back often and his team can follow him in. The Howling Abyss makes him slightly tougher: Rakan deals 100% damage and takes 95% damage in ARAM. In a mode where the enemy team always stands together, an ultimate that charms everyone he touches is about as good as engage gets.

All four items tie back to something in his patch 26.21 kit, and no win-rate list shaped the picks.

How is Rakan changed in ARAM?

Only the defence moves (a nice touch for a diver). His damage stays at its normal value, and he takes 5% less from everything. For an engage support who spends every fight in the middle of the enemy team, that’s useful (if modest). Nothing else changes, which tells you Riot sees him as roughly balanced for the mode already. The bigger difference is the map. On the Rift he often has to find a fight; on the Abyss, the fight walks toward him every thirty seconds or so.

Why does Rakan fit the Howling Abyss?

Because his engage hits everyone in an area, and ARAM packs everyone into one lane. From Riot’s patch 26.21 data:

• Fey Feathers (passive): a shield that recharges over time.
• Gleaming Quill (Q): a magic damage feather; landing it on a champion or epic monster lets him heal allies. Cooldown 11/10/9/8/7.
• Grand Entrance (W): a dash to a spot that knocks up enemies around where he lands. Cooldown 14/13/12/11/10.
• Battle Dance (E): he flies to an ally and shields them, with a free recast for a short window.
• The Quickness (R): bonus Move Speed while charming and damaging each enemy he touches. Cooldown 130/110/90.

Honestly, The Quickness plus Grand Entrance is the combo. Turn on the ultimate, run through the enemy team charming everyone you touch, then dash into the middle for a knock-up on whoever is nearby. In a five-man clump, that’s potentially five charms and a multi-target knock-up. Battle Dance then flies him back to a teammate with a shield (the free recast can even reach a second one). Thing is, he does all of this with no damage items at all, so the build is free to focus on utility.

What should a Rakan ARAM build focus on?

Ability Haste and team utility. Look, his damage barely matters; how often he can engage does.

Shurelya’s Battlesong comes first. Inspiring Speech gives nearby allies 30% Move Speed for 4 seconds, so the whole team arrives with Rakan instead of three seconds after him. It also carries 15 Ability Haste and Mana regeneration for a mode with no recall.

Imperial Mandate is second. Control adds 20 Ability Haste to abilities with immobilizing effects, which covers both Grand Entrance’s knock-up and The Quickness’s charm, and Command marks immobilized champions as 7% Vulnerable for 4 seconds. In practice, every engage he lands sets up extra damage for the team.

Third, Zeke’s Convergence. Frostfire Tempest summons a storm around him for 5 seconds whenever he casts his ultimate, dealing magic damage per second to enemy champions and slowing them by 30%. Running through the enemy team with The Quickness drags that storm across all of them.

Redemption closes it out. Intervention restores Health to allies in an area after a short delay and deals true damage to enemy champions inside, and in an ARAM fight both teams usually stand in that circle. For boots, Mercury’s Treads give 30% Tenacity for the moments he gets caught after diving in.

How do you play Rakan on the Howling Abyss?

• Start fights with The Quickness, then Grand Entrance. The ultimate charms everyone touched; the dash knocks up the group.
• Recast Battle Dance to reach a second ally. It’s free for a short time after the first cast.
• Land Gleaming Quill on a champion before healing. Hitting one is what enables his heal.
• Pop Shurelya’s Battlesong right before engaging so your team arrives with you.
• Track Fey Feathers. The shield recharges over time, so time dives for when it’s up.

How do no-recall shopping and Mark affect Rakan?

Without recall, Rakan restocks only at the opening and after deaths. Rakan’s heal from Gleaming Quill is modest, so relics matter for him between fights. That’s fine for an engage support: dying after landing a great charm is often a good trade, and the gold gets spent on the way back.

Mark is a snowball; hitting a champion gives you a dash to them. You lock summoners in before loading. Rakan already has a dash, a flight to allies and a fast ultimate, so Mark is a luxury. Is a fourth movement tool worth a summoner slot? Usually not, to be honest. Most Rakan players take Flash for the knock-up into Flash combo (it’s a classic for a reason).

Is Rakan good in ARAM?

Yes. The 95% damage taken modifier is a small help, but the real reason is the map: The Quickness and Grand Entrance hit far more targets in a corridor than they do on the Rift. His weak spot? He needs a team to follow up, because on his own he charms and knocks up but deals very little damage to anyone.

Our Rakan counter guide covers the supports who shut him down. For his usual role on the Rift, see our guide to League positions. All item numbers are in the LoL item database, and his cosmetics sit on the Rakan skins page.

So, the Rakan ARAM build: Shurelya’s Battlesong, Imperial Mandate, Zeke’s Convergence and Redemption on Mercury’s Treads, and every fight starts with The Quickness.

FAQ

Is Rakan changed in ARAM?

Slightly. Patch 26.21 numbers from the League of Legends Wiki keep his damage dealt at 100% and lower his damage taken to 95% on the Abyss.

What items does Rakan build in ARAM?

Shurelya’s Battlesong, Imperial Mandate, Zeke’s Convergence and Redemption, with Mercury’s Treads.

Why Imperial Mandate on Rakan?

Its Control passive grants Ability Haste to abilities with immobilizing effects, and both Grand Entrance and The Quickness immobilize. Command then marks those targets as Vulnerable.

What does The Quickness do?

Rakan gains Move Speed, and every enemy he touches during it is charmed and takes magic damage.

How was this build chosen?

Each item answers to a specific piece of Rakan’s patch 26.21 kit. No win-rate data was used.