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Chibi Spirit Blossom Ahri in TFT: A Guide

Understanding Lethality in League of Legends

Lethality is a stat that enables physical damage dealers to bypass a portion of an enemy’s armor. Unlike armor penetration, which works as a percentage, lethality operates by reducing a flat amount of armor. The more lethality a champion builds, the more armor they ignore on their target, making it particularly effective against low-armor enemies like marksmen and mages.

How Lethality Works

Lethality allows assassins and AD casters to deal significant damage to squishy targets by bypassing a portion of their armor. It’s a valuable stat for champions that rely on high burst damage, such as Zed or Kha'Zix. The flat armor penetration granted by lethality is calculated using the following formula:

Flat Armor Penetration = Lethality × (0.6 + 0.4 × target’s level ÷ 18)

This formula accounts for both the champion’s lethality stat and the target’s level. Early game, lethality penetrates 60% of its value at level 1. At level 18, lethality scales to its full value. This scaling makes lethality more effective against low-armor targets, particularly in the early and mid-game phases.

Lethality Items in League of Legends

Several items in League of Legends provide lethality, making them core purchases for assassins and AD casters looking to amplify their damage. Here are some of the popular lethality items:

  • Axiom Arc (+18 Lethality)
  • Serpent's Fang (+15 Lethality)
  • Serrated Dirk (+10 Lethality)
  • Serylda's Grudge (+15 Lethality)
  • Edge of Night (+15 Lethality)
  • Hubris (+18 Lethality)
  • The Brutalizer (+8 Lethality)
  • The Collector (+16 Lethality)
  • Umbral Glaive (+15 Lethality)
  • Voltaic Cyclosword (+18 Lethality)
  • Profane Hydra (+18 Lethality)
  • Youmuu’s Ghostblade (+18 Lethality)

Why Build Lethality?

Lethality is essential for champions who thrive on burst damage and are looking to eliminate targets quickly. By ignoring a flat amount of armor, lethality items make it easier to kill champions with low defenses, particularly in the early and mid-game.

When facing squishy champions like mages or marksmen, lethality allows assassins to bypass their armor and deal high damage, often leading to one-shot scenarios. This makes lethality items a key component of any burst damage build in League of Legends.