With all the changes to Taka since the middle of 2015, he’s been sorely in need of a new item build that can bring him back into the limelight. In particular, rather than trying to fight against these changes, it’s best to embrace them and find items that create the best complement. Without further ado, the following build will make Taka a top pick again and Taka players will rejoice. We’ve also included a gameplay video so you can see it in action.

Introduction

This build is based upon the classic Tick-Tock-a build, which was achieved through filling every item slot with a Clockwork. Unfortunately, that build was all the way back in 1.3, which feels like an eternity ago. Since then, there have been a lot of changes to Taka and the game. Here are the key changes we’re going to focus on.

• Base damages of Kaiten and X-Retsu have been reduced significantly, particularly on X-Retsu.
• The healing effects of Kaku have been increased and no longer require overdrive.
• The cost of Aftershock has been reduced.
• Improvements to the base speed on Travel Boots and Journey Boots.

The Revised Build

Unlike the classic Tick-Tock-a, this build is not all Clockworks. The reduction in damage for both Kaiten and X-Retsu created a need for additional damage output, and since the focus of the build is spamming abilities, Aftershock was a perfect fit. Also, through extensive playtesting it was discovered that the movement speed and additional tankiness of upgraded boots (i.e. Travel Boots or Journey Boots) was a valuable asset to Tick-Tock-a. In the end, this is one of the least expensive full builds in the game, sitting at a comfortable 12100 gold. Most Taka players should be able to get close to full build by the 15-minute mark. Then, you can just stack infusions to make you even tankier and provide additional damage output.

If you combine the items with the 125% cooldown speed of Taka’s heroic perk, that brings the total cooldown speed to 350%. Here’s what the final cooldowns look like:

• Kaiten (rank 4): 3.3 seconds
• Kaku (rank 5): 4.7 seconds
• X-Retsu (rank 3): 4.4 seconds

If you look closely at the skill point allocations (above), you’ll notice the overdrive is on Kaku  and not on Kaiten. The fifth point on Kaiten offers only two things: a little more damage and zero energy cost. Since the majority of the damage is coming from Aftershock procs, the small damage increase is no longer necessary. Also, the Clockworks provide more energy regeneration than you’ll ever need. Conversely, the fifth point in Kaku provides a reduced cooldown and a huge bonus to health regeneration, which are core to the gameplay strategy (more on that next). The duration on Kaku is four seconds, so you can almost always be zooming around the map invisibly. If, however, you find that you can comfortably switch out the boots for a fifth Clockwork and pick up a crystal infusion, you can bring the cooldown on Kaku to below 4 seconds, allowing you to be perpetually stealthed.

Gameplay

There are a few key tips for playing this build successfully:

• Aftershock has an internal cooldown of 1.5 seconds, so you’ll want to space out your ability usages with your basic attacks so you can maximize it’s effectiveness. Practice the following ability rotation: X-Retsu > basic attack > Kaiten > basic attack > Kaku. Wash, rinse, repeat.
• Leverage the duration of Kaku as much as possible to get yourself back to full health after every ability combo.
• Many players forget Taka is invulnerable to damage, stuns, and debuffs during Kaiten. Since you’ll be able to Kaiten every few seconds, you should be able to avoid a lot of damage. If you anticipate your opponents’ actions, you’ll be impossible to kill.

Here’s a 2v1 gameplay example to highlight how this works:

FAQ

Q: Will this build work for Battle Royale?
A: Yes! In fact, it’s even better in Battle Royale because you start with 2000 gold.

Q: I noticed in the video that you have an Ironguard Contract. Can this build be played as a roam?
A: Great observation! Yes, it works because by the end of most games, a roam player will have as much or more gold than a jungle. Also, this would be a very aggressive roam, so it would be best to pair a roam Taka with a tanky jungle, possibly having the jungler build an early Fountain of Renewal.

Q: But wait… doesn’t the cooldown on Taka’s Kaku start AFTER the ability has ended?
A: You’re absolutely right. I lied to the readers because it sounds much cooler when you can be invisible all of the time.

Q: I’ve noticed that I jungle incredibly slowly in the early game, my opponents keep stealing my farm, and I get bullied out of the jungle every time.
A: I didn’t see a question mark at the end of that sentence. Be a man and stop whining. It’ll put hair on your chest.

Q: Is this an April Fools’ joke?
A: I’ll let you figure it out for yourself. <evil grin>