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Competitive deckGuide v1 · Akali Nexus 6-0 mirrorAdvanced

Akali Tempo

Champion: Akali, Silent · Showdown tempo · Reversible commitment

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Early presence

8 cards
2×Inferna UnitFirst flex cutThe first unit cut when its Ambush body is unlikely to trade profitably.
3×Lonely Poro UnitTwo-Energy presenceContests early and invites the interaction the deck wants to punish.
3×Mournful Witness UnitPermanent upgradeEmpowers when a combat it was in ends — retreat after combat opens, not before.

Movement payoffs

9 cards
1×Akali, Silent Champion44Champion ZoneGains +2 Might for the turn each time she moves to a battlefield. Untargetable unless in combat.
3×Stellacorn Herder Unit4Card velocityDraws whenever it moves. Three draws in a turn is possible — and can still end with no battlefield.
3×Kai’Sa, Survivor Unit4Conquest bridgeBridges early pressure into a conquest payoff. Accelerate can bring her in ready.
2×Irelia, Fervent Unit5Targeting chainGains +1 Might whenever you choose or ready her. Exhaust before a retreat to earn the ready trigger.

Gear

4 cards
2×Mask of Foresight GearFirst gear cutNot a threat. Two Gear and no shuffled unit is a hand that protects nothing.
2×Zhonya’s Hourglass GearPreserves the cardRecall is not a move — it triggers no movement ability and usually concedes the battlefield.

Interaction & protection

14 cards
3×Defy SpellUncertaintyCounters spells within its cost restriction. Its strongest use is often the threat, not the counter.
3×Discipline SpellCombat swingChoosing Irelia also triggers her +1.
3×En Garde SpellIsolated attackerRewards fights where only one unit is involved.
2×Twilight Shroud SpellRestores protectionCan restore targeting protection for the turn even while Silent is in combat. Flow from trash once.
2×Charm SpellMove theirsMoves the defender rather than answering it. Often better than killing.
1×Back Off Spell3Only three-costThe deck’s only three-Energy card. Stuns the premium attacker or defender.

Displacement & damage

5 cards
3×Shuriken Flip SpellMost flexibleDeals 2 to up to one enemy unit, then moves a friendly one — the damage target may be zero.
2×Cleave SpellAttacking onlyGrants Assault, so it contributes only while attacking. First spell cut in defensive matchups.

Legend & battlefields

4 cards
1×Akali, Rogue Assassin LegendThe engineExhaust to move a friendly unit in a showdown to base — your turn only. Empowered, it also readies.
1×Back-Alley Bar BattlefieldHighest synergySymmetrical. A unit can carry the +1 to a second battlefield after retreating.
1×Targon’s Peak BattlefieldEnd-of-turn resourcesReadies two runes at end of turn on conquest — reactions for their turn, not combo Energy for yours.
1×Zaun Warrens BattlefieldFilteringFiltering, not card advantage. Flow spells are the premium discard.

E = Energy, M = Might, shown only where the guide states them.

Sideboard · 10

1×Akali, Deadly WeaponWide small-unit boardsAlternate Chosen Champion. Deals damage whenever she moves to or from a battlefield; 2 while Empowered.
2×Brynhir ThundersongSpell-protected defendersOpponents cannot play cards for the rest of the turn. Does not stop abilities already in play or on the chain.
1×Ferrous ForerunnerProlonged attritionSix Might; its Deathknell makes two 3-Might Mech tokens at base. The best rebuild card.
2×Against the OddsSeveral enemies at one battlefield+2 Might for every enemy unit at the battlefield. Measure by unit count, not archetype.
2×Not So FastTargeted interactionCounters only effects that choose your unit or Gear — not their self-targeted buffs.
2×Thermo BeamGear enginesKills all Gear including yours. Five Energy, double Fury. Spend Hourglass first where practical.

Default championAkali, Silent — guaranteed from the Champion Zone, resistant to targeted removal, and +2 Might every time she moves to a battlefield.

Matchup-specificAkali, Deadly Weapon is for wide small-unit boards, where repeated movement damage actually kills units. She changes the deck’s role rather than lowering its curve. §9