League of Legends Kalista Guide: Best Build, Runes & Combos

Kalista is one of the most unique ADCs in League of Legends, built around mobility, synergy with her support, and precise mechanics. Her unmatched kiting ability and soul-bound ultimate make her deadly in the hands of players who can position well and make fast decisions. If you enjoy aggressive early-game laning and high-tempo teamfighting, Kalista can be a powerful pick. In this guide, we’ll break down the best build, runes, items, and combos to help you master Kalista and take over your games.

Kalista Abilities Overview In League of Legends

Passive – Martial Poise
Kalista can’t cancel her basic attacks and instead dashes in the direction she’s moving after each one. This passive lets her kite enemies like no other ADC, making her incredibly hard to catch if played correctly.

Q – Pierce
Kalista throws a spear that damages and applies her passive. If it kills the target, the spear continues through to the next one, making it great for wave clear or poke. It also applies Rend stacks for finishing combos.

W – Sentinel
Passively, when Kalista and her soul-bound ally both attack the same target, they deal bonus magic damage. Actively, she sends a spirit to patrol an area, giving vision and alerting if it spots enemies—perfect for objective control.

E – Rend
Her signature ability, Kalista’s autos and Q apply spears to enemies. Activating E rips them out, dealing damage based on the number of spears. If Rend kills a target, its cooldown resets and refunds mana, allowing crazy DPS in fights.

R – Fate’s Call
Kalista pulls her bound support ally to her side, making them untargetable and throwable. She can then launch them forward to knock up and slow enemies, setting up teamfights or saving allies from danger. Great coordination makes this ult a game-changer.

The best summoner spells for Kalista are Flash and Heal. Flash is essential for repositioning during fights or escaping sticky situations since Kalista relies heavily on movement. Heal provides sustain in lane and can save both you and your support during all-ins. If your support already has Heal, you can swap it for Exhaust to shut down assassins or Cleanse if facing heavy crowd control, but Flash + Heal remains the most reliable and consistent combo for most matchups.

How To Play Kalista In League of Legends

Best Runes For Kalista

The best runes for Kalista are in the Precision tree with Domination as the secondary. Start with Lethal Tempo to take advantage of her rapid auto-attacks and high mobility in extended trades. Then grab Triumph for bonus healing on takedowns, Legend: Alacrity to boost attack speed, and Coup de Grace for more damage against low-health targets. In the Domination tree, take Taste of Blood for lane sustain and Treasure Hunter to snowball faster with extra gold. This rune setup enhances Kalista’s early game aggression and lets her stay dominant through skirmishes and teamfights.

Best Build For Kalista

The best build for Kalista in League of Legends focuses on attack speed, on-hit effects, and survivability to maximize her kiting and DPS. Start with Blade of the Ruined King for strong dueling and sustain. Follow up with Guinsoo’s Rageblade to double her on-hit effects and stack Rend even faster. For boots, grab Berserker’s Greaves for more attack speed. Then build Runaan’s Hurricane to apply Rend stacks to multiple enemies in teamfights. Round out your build with Immortal Shieldbow or Bloodthirster for lifesteal and survivability, and finish with Guardian Angel or Wit’s End depending on if you need armor or magic resist. This setup lets Kalista stay mobile, hit hard, and survive longer in fights.

Best Combos To Learn For Kalista

The best combos to learn for Kalista revolve around weaving auto-attacks with mobility and Rend stacks. A basic trade combo is auto → E to poke safely. For extended trades, use auto → auto → E or keep attacking to stack spears, then E when the enemy tries to disengage. You can also Q → auto → E to poke from range and finish with burst. In teamfights, kite with constant auto → move rhythm, stacking spears on targets while repositioning, then E to execute them or reset on kills. Use R (Fate’s Call) to throw in your support for a surprise engage, especially if they have a knock-up or stun, then follow with your kite combo to clean up. Timing E resets and maintaining perfect movement is key to mastering Kalista.

Conclusion

Kalista is a high-skill ADC with unmatched mobility, strong early-game pressure, and excellent synergy with her support. By mastering her unique attack mechanics, using the right runes and build, and learning how to stack and reset Rend effectively, you can carry games with precision and control. Whether you’re dominating lane or turning teamfights with your ultimate, playing Kalista well is all about fast reflexes, smart positioning, and relentless pressure.