Talk:Kassadin/@comment-88.186.19.90-20111222205104/@comment-88.186.19.90-20111223010133

^lolwut?

The mana bonus on AA is greater than on RoA. And once you turn tear into an AA, it grants even MORE mana, crazy mana regen and an AP boost greater than RoA when it's filled at 50%, which is usually the case if you've been using your nether blade repeatedly (the mana cost is refunded in 2 or 3 hits). AA staff on Kassadin is viable, it requires a different playstyle and makes you less effective mid game, but it's viable.

Actually, buying sheen that early might be a good idea. Kassadin has the highest base AD of all champions, it gives AP and mana, and you have the time to autoattack once when you riftwalk in anyways.

To OP:  What you're missing there is a defensive item. You have a lot of AP and mana, some magic resistance from Lich's Bane (which is sort of redundant with his passive), but that's all. Consider buying an item with armor and/or Hp, like Zhonya's Hourglass or build a RoA after your tear, though doing the latter will make you effective much later in the game.

Don't stack riftwalks on purpose. Maybe 1, if the target has comparatively hight health, but never more. Don't harass with just a null sphere, do your entire combo on them minus the pulse if you are very conservative, it lets you see how much health you remove, scares the opponent and damages them faster. The key is indeed enough low HP. During the laning phase, don't be scared to towerdive if you have enough health; especially with your mana crazy build, riftwalking out shouldn't be a problem if you don't stack riftwalks like a maniac (which you are if you are getting 2 stacks before attacking). If they are not fleeing when low HP, then it's a free kill. Remember that forcing an opponent to back is almost as good as killing them.

During the roaming phase, you shouldn't have any major problem chasing opponents if you don't stack riftwalks like a maniac (which, again, you are doing if you're stacking more than 1 riftwalk on purpose).

And don't killsteal. It's bad form, enrages the one who put all the work in actually bringing the enemy to low health and doesn't give you any kind of practice whatsoever except at reactively riftwalking in. Kassadin is an AP assasin, if you can't kill enemy champions by yourself ( or with the help of your team mates (obviously)) there's no point in playing him at all.