Pauloxpert’s 5 pro tips to spin your way to victory with Akai

This article is part of “Professional Help” an ongoing series of tips and tricks from pro players on their favorite characters.

Paulo Magno “Pauloxpert” Munsayac is a name many Mobile Legends: Bang Bang players know. Some may know him from his short stint at M1 USA when he was on Team Gosu, while others may be familiar with his in-depth analysis of the game on YouTube. Most recently, he became the head coach of the revived Sunsparks team in the Philippines.

All who know him would agree that he has a deep and analytical understanding of heroes and strategies. When it comes to MLBB knowledge, Pauloxpert is your guy.

Here are five tips on how to dominate with Akai, his main tank hero:

5. Know your role as Akai before locking him in

Akai is a versatile hero, meaning he has the potential to either be the initiator in team fights or the peeler for your carries. Regardless, use the Support Emblem for movement speed and cooldown.

Either run Flicker or Petrify, depending on the enemy composition. You want to be moving around as much as possible, as Akai relies on good positioning to be effective.

Akai is a perfect pick against Wanwan, Benedetta, and Harith as he can stop them in their tracks with Hurricane Dance.

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4. Adapt your build according to the enemy’s team composition

My core items for Akai are usually Armor Boots, Athena’s Shield, and Immortality. You can also go for Antique Cuirass if the enemy has a lot of physical damage or Queen’s Wings for survivability. Oracle or Cursed Helmet are also good items too, depending on the situation.

Nothing beats Courage Mask as your roaming item. It gives you the necessary movement speed to set up your abilities such as Hurricane Dance and Thousand Pounder.

3. Max Thousand Pounder first before Blender

Go for Blender at level 1, but max out Thousand Pounder first so that it has a lower cooldown. Upgrade Hurricane Dance every time it’s available.

If you are running petrify, a basic combo for Akai would be Thousand Pounder, into Petrify, then Hurricane Dance. You can then use Blender after your ultimate. Otherwise, hit an enemy with Blender and use Thousand Pounder to stun your target. Once the target is stunned, activate Hurricane Dance into a wall.

2. Help your core secure buffs

In the early game, you want help your core secure buffs. This is the reason why getting Blender is important in the first level. It enhances your auto attacks, which can help you kill the orange or blue buff quickly.

1. Play safe in the early game, look for opportunities later on

I usually play very safe pre-level 4, as Akai can be vulnerable without his Hurricane Dance as he has no playmaking abilities in the early game. Once you hit level 4, start camping and ganking other lanes with Hurricane Dance.

Akai requires a lot of patience, but can be a fulfilling hero to master.

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