MacroMind matchup data: real ranked games, not opinions
Smolder vs Kai'Sa
How often does Smolder beat Kai'Sa in ADC?
Smolder into Kai'Sa in ADC: 53% observed win rate across 11,515 ranked games.
Global ranked sample: games from every region and every rank pooled together, not one server's stats. Data runs through patch 26.12; curves updated 2026-08-07.
By 15 minutes the median game has Smolder behind by 389 gold.
Smolder at 15:00
- Gold: -389
- CS: -4
- XP: -59
Typical gap to Kai'Sa, from 11,475 games that reached 15:00.
Does Smolder counter Kai'Sa?
The count says yes: across 11,515 ranked ADC games into Kai'Sa, Smolder takes 53%. That edge is worth playing for. Check the rows below to see how much a gold lead at 10:00 adds, and what a bad start costs Smolder.
Beating Kai'Sa: the Smolder game plan
A gold lead at 10:00 puts Smolder at 64% across 4,399 games. Flip the lead and Smolder falls to 46% across 7,113.
| The spot | Win rate | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Ahead in gold at 10:00 | 64% | 4,399 |
| Behind in gold at 10:00 | 46% | 7,113 |
| First blood | 60% | 5,629 |
| +kills at 10:00 | 64% | 3,373 |
| +CS at 10:00 | 61% | 4,248 |
| 0 deaths at 10:00 | 61% | 2,784 |
| 0 deaths at 15:00 | 70% | 924 |
Someone usually dies here around 5:56 in the median game, and level 6 lands near 7:33. Until your spike is online, respect the all-in.
Smolder's ADC build, with receipts
Into Kai'Sa specifically, Smolder finishes Essence Reaver first most often: 54.6% over 4,782 games of this matchup.
The most-finished core in this exact matchup is Essence Reaver, Spear of Shojin, Rapid Firecannon: 57.1% across 1,006 games.
The most-finished Smolder core is Essence Reaver, Black Cleaver, Spear of Shojin: 58.1% across 14,752 games when all three got done. All matchups, patches 26.1-26.12.
Most games start Doran's Blade + Health Potion; the first finished item is usually Essence Reaver (68,290 games).
Skill plan: Smolder players max Q first and take Q at level 1.