Everyone likes speed in League of Legends. It is one of the most crucial mechanics in the game, and whoever has more of it is undoubtedly at an advantage.
Everyone is usually associated with movement speed or attack speed whenever we talk speed. However, one speed category goes well beyond the two mentioned – Ability Haste (aka Cooldown Reduction).
This mechanic reduces the cooldowns of your spells. Since Season 11, this mechanic has been reworked and can be exploited quite severely. It was capped at 40% in the previous Seasons, and now it’s more than double that.
The current CDR cap is 83.3% or 500 Ability Haste. It is insane how much that can impact a regular game of League, turning it into an URF match.
People love URF, and translating that into a Ranked match is undoubtedly everyone’s wish. So, you might be wondering how to do just that. Well, that’s what we’re here for.
We’re first going to explain what Ability Haste is and then move on to ways of maximizing it.
Without further ado, let’s begin!
What is Ability Haste?
Ability Haste in League of Legends is a mechanic that reduces ability/spell cooldown. It is mathematically calculated from a flat amount into percentages. I will refrain from inserting the exact equations here to avoid confusing you, as I think there’s no real need.
Ability Haste can and should be built on just about any Champion class or role. It can severely impact your performance, especially if you play a spell-reliant Champion. Of course, the Champions that will benefit the most from Ability Haste are Mages.
Their constant need and reliance on casting spells mean that building CDR is a must.
It is one of the best mechanics in the game and can certainly turn an average match into an URF showdown. This couldn’t be achieved before Season 11 due to the 40% CDR cap. Riot, for some reason, decided to remove that cap but instead bump it to around 83.5%. Indeed a thoughtful decision from the guys at the balance department.
Also read: Do Ignites Stack in League of Legends?
How to Maximize Ability Haste?
| Ability Haste | Cooldown Reduction |
| 5.26 | 5 % |
| 11.11 | 10 % |
| 17.65 | 15 % |
| 25 | 20 % |
| 33.33 | 25 % |
| 42.86 | 30 % |
| 53.85 | 35 % |
| 66.67 | 40 % |
| 81.82 | 45 % |
| 100 | 50 % |
| 122.22 | 55 % |
| 150 | 60 % |
| 185.71 | 65 % |
| 233.33 | 70 % |
| 300 | 75 % |
| 400 | 80 % |
| 566.67 | 85 % |
| 900 | 90 % |
| 1900 | 95 % |
To get the maximum amount of Ability Haste, you will need the proper combination of Items and Runes. So, let’s see.
The Runes that grant Ability Haste would be Transcendence, Ultimate Hunter, Cosmic Insight, and Ingenious Hunter. Out of these four, only the first grants actual Ability Haste, while the rest grant Item and Summoner Spell Haste, which aren’t the topic of this article but deserve mention. The Haste Rune Shard also grants Ability Haste.
Transcendence grants 10 Ability Haste total at level 8.
The Rune Shard grants 8.
4 Cosmic Drives and a Liandry’s Anguish will give you 165.
This all totals 183, which is further increased by the Vigilant Wardstone by 15, and then an additional 12%.
Pair that with a flat 10 AH increase from the Blue Buff, and we’ve got ourselves a whopping 233 Ability Haste – or about 70% Cooldown Reduction.
This amount can give you an URF-like experience, changing a regular match into a spell-casting madness. You can clearly see how absurd this change is, and I still wonder why Riot opted to do something like this. Bumping the CDR cap to 50% and keeping the old system would’ve seemed the better thing to do.
At any rate, Riot created a game where experimenting and stuff like this are possible, making for a more fun experience overall.
Also read: How Much Does League of Legends Elo Boosting Cost?
Final Thoughts
As we can see, Ability Haste can go far and wide in reducing your Cooldowns. A 70% CDR level is borderline crazy, and you are bound to enjoy a unique experience on the Rift. People will be wondering if they’ve turned on URF by accident, only to be shocked at the -25 LP screen. Just imagine how Veigar would look with this much CDR. You don’t have to – go and try it out.
I hope you’ve found this list informative and fun to read, and I wish you all the best on the Summoner’s Rift.
